Outdoor Photography 101:
 

Composition:
Outdoor photography is traditionally considered more of a "fine art" than other types of photography. This means that an outdoor photo is evaluated more like a painting than a snapshot. Here are some rules to keep in mind for composing an outdoor photo:

1. Start with a foreground - While the background may be the draw of the photo, the foreground leads the viewers eye into the photo. The foreground should not be distracting, but it should grab the attention of the viewer.

PC vs. Mac:

The Mac people will tell you that Macs are better for graphics, easier to use more stable.

Aperture:

Aperture is the setting of the iris of the camera lens. Just as your pupils in your eyes expand and contract to let in more or less light, you can do the same with your camera by setting the Aperture.

The Aperture measurement is called F-stop. The higher the F-stop number, the smaller the iris is set in your camera.

The trade-off: Each concept of photography seems to have a trade-off that prevents you from wanting to use it all the time.

Many people simply copy their digital photos onto their computer wherever a given piece of software puts them and they have no idea where that is. These notes will help you setup a system for managing your digital photos so they will be easy to find and backup even without programs like Picasa.

Here are a few links that will help you:

Rick Castellini's file management PowerPoint presentation

Here is a list of links that will help you with your pictures of people whether they be candid, portrait or group shots.

10 Tips for better portraits

 5 tips for photographing couples

6 tips for perfect portrait composition

Meeting notes from 02-26-08

Tools needed:

A good scanner

For prints, almost any scanner will do pretty well, but if you are doing small photos, slides or negatives, you will probably want to go with a nicer Epson scanner such as the  Epson Perfection 4490. These scanners offer transparancy scanning for slides and negatives as well as very high 4800 dpi resolution for well under $200.

Once fully loaded, these sites let you resize, adjust brightness and contrast, tweak color and even work with layers. While none of these editors are as robust as Photoshop Elements, they are great for doing basic adjustments especially when working on a computer that is not your own.

*but weren't sure who to ask.

Every scanner works a little differently, but these terms and tips should help you through the process.

TERMS YOU SHOULD KNOW

 Shutterfly.com is a great website for sharing your digital photos online, but where Shutterfly really shines is what you can do with them offline.

To get started with Shutterfly, you will need to setup a free account. It's easy and takes less than five minutes. Once you have setup a free account, you can begin uploading your pictures into online albums. These albums will not only help you manage your photos, but you can also share them with anyone you wish.

1. How to find information in the Manual
If your camera didn't come with a manual, it is likely on the disk that came with the camera. You may also download it from the manufacturer's website.

2. How to insert and remove the camera memory

3. How to set your camera on full auto mode - this is the setting that lets the camera do all of the thinking
It may be indicated by a green square, the letter "A" or the word AUTO.