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DSLR Guide News, Nov. 2005 - Tips For Holiday Photos November 29, 2005 |
How to Improve Your Holiday PhotosTable of ContentsIntro - The holidaysSLR Q and A - What causes red eye? 5 Quick Tips - How to take better holiday shots The Gear - Features of external flash Recent Updates - What's new at the Guide Coming Soon - New cameras around the corner IntroductionThe holidays are here! Seems like just last week it was still Summer-time and now it's cold and dark outside.The good news for anyone seeking a new digital SLR camera is that the time has never been better. It's during this time of year that retailers make their biggest profits, and each one is trying to beat the other with special incentive offers. This means that it's an ideal time to shop. Digital SLR cameras are discounted, there are plenty of rebates to choose from, and if you can't get free shipping for you camera (if you buy online) then you didn't shop around enough. I will try to keep you posted of all of the latest rebates and best deals, but even I have a hard time staying on top of it all since it changes on a weekly basis. Heck, some sales only last 2 days! Keep your eyes open and you're bound to find a great deal. You can also check by my Best Digital SLR Deals links page and the Digital SLR Weblog for updates on good deals when I find them. Let's get on with the newsletter! Digital SLR Q&AQuestion: What causes red eye?Answer: Red eye is caused when light from a camera's flash bounces off the back of the eyeball of the subject being photographed. This happens the most when the flash is close to the lens. When the flash is close to the lens the light that it emits is reflected right back into the lens. This causes red-eye for human subjects and those bright green ghost eyes for animals. Light reflected from the eyes can be completely avoided when the flash is far away from the lens. It can also be eliminated when the source of the light is not coming from the camera. This is why professional portrait studios use lights that sit to the right and left of the camera, rather than directly above it. Light that is not hitting the subject dead-on also creates more flattering three dimensional portraits. Straight-on light tends to be flat and unappealing. If you take a look at external flash units for digital SLR cameras, you'll notice that some are called bounce and swivel. This means that you can adjust the flash so that it is pointing left, right or straight up. With a flash like this, you can bounce the light of the flash off a white surface (like a wall or the ceiling) and create much softer and more even lighting for your flash photos. You can learn more about flash and red eye at DigicamGuides. 5 Quick TipsIt's that time of year. Family gatherings abound for Thanksgiving, and the seasonal holidays (take your pick). Everyone spends more time indoors with friends, and capturing the moment becomes a photographer's favorite passtime. With that in mind, here are some tips that will help you improve those family photos.
1. Use Natural Light
2. Take Every Photo At Least Twice
3. Capture the Mood
4. Get in Front of the Camera
5. Protect Your Camera What Gear You NeedWhen you're taking a lot of photos around the dinner table at night, you're going to have to use a flash. There's no way around it. This leaves you with the following options:
1. Purchase an External Flash
2. Get an SLR With a High Pop-up Flash
3. Check Out the Minolta 5D Recent Updates to The GuideThis section this month should really be called "What HASN'T changed".I have been doing a lot of work on the Digital SLR Guide, and will highlight some of the big changes here so that you can see if there are some new articles or information that will help you learn more about digital SLR cameras.
Digital SLR Lenses Now you can use a 4-step process (similar to what I recommend when buying a digital SLR) to find the best lens for your new SLR. Here's a quick run-down of some of those steps:
Step 1 - Find Your Focal Length
Digital SLR Weblog The information on the weblog is designed to supplement what is already included in the Guide, and it will keep you notified about what I am changing and adding more frequently than once a month.
Digital SLR Audio What is the audio companion? Simply put, it is every page of the Digital SLR Guide in audio form. Well, not EVERY page yet, but that's the direction it's headed. Each week I am recording a few more pages of the guide. Think of it like books on tape. Rather than reading all of the information that I am adding to the Guide, you can now download the audio to your computer and listen to it there or on your MP3 player of choice. Just imagine...you can now become an expert in digital SLR cameras during your morning commute without having to read a page of text!
Nikon D50 Review Coming Soon to A Camera Store Near YouThere aren't any new digital SLRs that are right around the bend that you need to know about. I will keep you posted as soon as I hear about any new cameras that will be released in 2006.I am happy to announce that there is another digital SLR review right around the corner. You have voted and I have listened. My digital camera review poll has indicated that the camera you would most like reviewed is the Canon EOS 350D Rebel XT. That's the next one on my list - check for that review early next month. I will announce when it is available on the Digital SLR Weblog, so keep an eye on that over the next couple of weeks. In ConclusionThat's it for the November issue of Digital SLR News - thanks for reading.If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to send them to me. You may also forward this newsletter to anyone who you think might find it interesting or helpful. If there is a topic you'd like me to address in a future issue of this newsletter, please drop me a line. I am always happy to hear from readers of the Digital SLR Guide News and your input is appreciated.
I hope everyone had a happy and healthy Thanksgiving (I ate way too much yet again) and I'll see you in December! Ask a Question Provide Your Feedback Free Downloads Subscribe With RSS |
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