Digital Photography - Point & Shoot Basic
    http://edu-observatory.org/olli/DP1/Week2.html



  WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
  
  
  
  Last week I asked you to turn your flash off, so you experience making
  images without it, but not for the reasons depicted in these comic
  strips. On board flash often leaves images feeling "flat". I want you
  to experience what your camera can do without flash.
  
  
  
  Exposure Compensation
    http://www.cs.mtu.edu/~shene/DigiCam/User-Guide/995/EXPOSURE/EV-compensation.html
    http://www.shortcourses.com/use/using3-4.html
  
    
 
    Since a typical scene averages out to be about 18 percent gray,
    that's what the auto exposure system in camera tries to do--expose
    every image as if it averaged out to be 18 percent gray. That's a
    problem for images we want to be lighter (snow) or darker (black
    cats). Cameras allow the user to conveniently adjust the exposure to
    over or under expose in increments of 1/3 stop up to plus or minus
    who stops.
    
    -2 -1  0 +1 +2   This scale indicates the camera will over expose
     |..|..|..|..|   by +1 stop which might be just right if you are 
              ^      photographing a bright scene such as the one above.

    The snow scene above is typical of scenes that are lighter than 18
    percent gray. Most of the important tones in the scene are at the
    lighter end of the gray scale. The overall "average" tone would be
    about one stop brighter than middle gray. For a good picture you
    have to increase the exposure by one stop (+1) to lighten it. If you
    didn't do this, the snow in the scene would appear too gray (bottom).
    
  Using the Focus/Exposure Lock
  
    When pressing the shutter button half way, the camera comes
    alive--determining where to focus and determining what combinations
    shutter speed, aperture and sometimes ISO setting to give a proper
    exposure.  

    Many times you want to focus on a subject that not in the center of
    the image.
    
           

    When the subject you want to expose (or focus) correctly is
    off-center, you can lock exposure (and focus) by pressing the
    shutter button halfway down and then, without releasing the shutter
    button, recompose the image. 
	   
  
  Be Yourself 
    http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/be-yourself.htm
    
    "When you get good, the only eye that matters is your own. No two
    eyes see the same. Your vision needs to be true to yourself".

  
  How to Make Great Photographs
    http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/howto.htm
  
    "You see more if you're looking. The more you look, the more you
    see worth photographing. If you're not thinking and not looking
    you'll walk right past some of the most extraordinary
    opportunities".
    
    
  101 Ways To Improve Your Digital Photography
  http://www.tipsfromthetopfloor.com/101-ways-to-improve-your-digital-photography/

    Rule of Thirds (ROT)
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds

    

    6. Learn the ROT, then forget it. The infamous Rule Of Thirds is a
    great way to nudge yourself away from the standard
    person-standing-in-the-middle or horizon-in-the-middle vacation
    snapshots. It's a good last resort if you don't know how to make a
    shot look more interesting. But then, please don't overdo it.

    7. Get closer. Robert Capa said: "If your pictures aren't good
    enough, then you aren't close enough". Next time you take a
    picture, try to walk a few steps towards the subject, or even pick
    out a detail of a scene rather than the whole thing in one. You'll
    be surprised.

    8. One subject only. Pictures often work better if there's a clear
    subject. Competing subjects are hard to handle.

    9. Un-clutter your images. If there are too many things going on in
    your image, the viewer can easily get distracted from your subject.
    If there is too much going on in your picture, see above ("Get
    closer", "One subject only")

    10. Don't forget about the background. Often you find yourself
    paying a lot of attention to the subject (the foreground) and
    completely ignoring the background. The background is as important
    as the foreground, it is a part of your image. A simple step to the
    left or right will help you avoid things like branches of trees
    growing out of your subject's head.

    11. Change your point of view. Every day we see the world from our
    own perspective, usually from our own eye level. Change your
    perspective by shooting from a frog's perspective or from within a
    fridge and create an unusual look that people won't forget.
  
  
  Seven Steps For Better Point and Shoot Pictures
    http://www.photo-seminars.com/Seminars/pointshot/pointshot.htm


  ASSIGNMENT No.2 - With your flash turned off and with
  a Shutter Priority setting of one second, make interesting 
  images of things or people in motion. You may have to reduce the
  light on your subject. Be prepaired to share your results (at least
  verbally) in class next week.


  SOME PHOTO MAGAZINES RECOMMENDATIONS
  
  PHOTO Techniques
    http://www.phototechmag.com/

  Photographer's Forum
    http://www.serbin.com/Photo_Forum/

  Aperture
    http://www.aperture.org/

  American Photo
    http://www.popphoto.com/americanphoto/

  Outdoor Photography
    http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/

    
     
    swormley1@mchsi.com