This Digital Photography 101 DVD contains 21 short videos designed to entertain, educate, and inspire. The content is focused on the photo-beginner and enthusiast and makes the perfect gift for anyone interested in taking better pictures, from teenagers to seniors and everyone in between!
Here’s one of the videos from the DVD:
Memory Cards – What to Look for and How to Use Them
Erin Manning’s NEW Digital Photography 101 DVD
Are your pictures looking a little…blah? Are you overwhelmed with all your camera options? Would you like to know more about the light and composing a good shot? Do those “techie” videos make your brain turn off and your eyes glaze over? You’re in the right place. This DVD is focused on the photo-beginner and enthusiast. It also makes the perfect gift for anyone interested in taking better pictures, from teenagers to seniors and everyone in between!
I’ve had more than a few frantic phone calls this week from friends and family looking for photo gift advice. In the spirit of giving and sharing I’ve compiled a list on Amazon ranging from $20 on up. There is still time to order and receive before Christmas. Get this “to do” item off your list and start the holiday party! And P.S. – you’re welcome Maria, Karen, Faye, Scott, Wes, Jeff, and Bean 
1. Plan ahead.
No power means no pictures, so be prepared and charge your camera batteries ahead of time. Have one extra battery with you at all times and don’t forget to bring an extra memory card too.
2. Change your point of view.
If you’re photographing kids, get down on their level, and zoom in to fill the frame and capture their personality.
3. Keep it real.
You don’t need to say “cheese” to take a good picture, be encouraging and positive. Get people to laugh with you or give them something to do, and you’ll capture more natural expressions.
4. Don’t forget the details.
At the holidays, it’s the little things that count. Use your camera’s Macro Mode to get up close and capture the moment.
5. Be creative.
Our world is full of reflective surfaces, especially during the holidays – shiny ornaments, mirrors, windows, and water, are a few. Look around and see if you can find a unique way to reflect your world. This technique works best if you turn off your flash.
6. Control your flash.
The warm glow of lamps, candles, and outdoor lights are often blasted into darkness with an on camera flash. Here are two ways to remedy the problem:
• Turn off your flash and raise your ISO to let in more light and reduce blur.
• Use your camera’s Night Flash or Slow Synch setting to illuminate your scene. This setting uses a slower shutter speed to capture more ambient light in the background. Hold the camera very still or use a tripod to reduce blur.
7. Get together.
Take charge and do a little directing to gather everyone together and capture that group shot. Position your subjects in an overall shape, with some people sitting, some people standing, and in a variation of body angles towards the camera. Take multiple shots to ensure that everyone’s eyes are open in the final picture.
8. Simplify.
Pay attention to the background, you don’t want plants coming out of people’s ears or lamps coming out of their heads. You can choose something holiday related, but think “less is more.”
9. Capture the action.
When an emotion or reaction occurs, capture every second by using the Sports Mode setting on your camera. Some cameras allow you to hold your finger down on the shutter button to capture multiple frames in quick succession.
10. Compose your shot.
Create a visually interesting photograph by moving your subject off-center and use the “rule of thirds.” Visually divide your scene into thirds like a tic-tac-toe board and place something of interest at one or more of the intersections.
Are you tired of the same old ho-hum holiday snapshots? Would you like more consistent results when capturing those special moments? You’re not alone. Get a handle on this season’s shots with my Portrait and Candid Photography Workshop. This one-day-only event takes place on Saturday, November 20th, just in time for the holidays!
Click HERE to find out more.
Painting with light can produce images that range from ethereal and beautiful to funky and fun, but how do you paint with light? What are you painting with? What are you painting on? Is expensive equipment required? Why does this technique sound so mysterious?
Find out how! Read my article on the Canon Digital Learning Center
The holidays are here! Lights twinkle, candles cast a warm glow, and fireplaces illuminate the room, creating a beautiful, festive atmosphere. Most people try to capture this mood in a photograph, but often end up with underexposed, overexposed, or blurry images that don’t reflect the feeling of the moment. Low-light photography can be a challenge, but with a few simple tips you’ll be on your way to successfully capturing those holiday memories that you and your family will treasure forever.
OBJECTS
If you’ve ever tried to capture a picture of an ornament or other holiday decoration in low-light, you may have experienced a few problems. Following are a few examples:
I shot this photo using the Auto Flash mode and Auto ISO. You can see how the flash caused a distracting reflection and overexposed the image.
I shot this second photo with the Flash Off and the ISO set to 200. I’m hand holding the camera and the image turned out blurry.
The final image was shot with the Flash Off using an ISO of 1600, and I’m still hand holding the camera. By setting the camera’s ISO to a higher number, I’m letting more light into the camera which allows for a faster shutter speed and results in a sharper image. Keep in mind, when you raise your ISO you introduce noise into your image (similar to film grain). This translates to tiny, discolored pixels in the dark areas of your image. Typically, dSLR camera sensors are better at handling higher ISO speeds, but now even compact camera sensors are producing less noise at higher speeds. Personally, I’d rather deal with a little “noise” than have a blurry shot. Experiment and see how your camera responds.
OUTDOORS
Your camera’s flash reaches approximately 10 feet so it won’t illuminate anything past that distance. When shooting a landscape in low light, turn off your flash, steady your camera on a tripod or solid surface to prevent blur, and take advantage of your camera’s two-second self timer to prevent any accidental camera movement.
Every December our local pier dresses up for the holidays. I try to capture a different angle and lighting condition each time I venture out to document this tradition, and I always take a lot of pictures. As the light changes, I adjust my camera settings. Some of the images from this session were very dark, others were lighter, I thought this one was just right.
PEOPLE
Here’s the deal - it’s dark outside and your subject is standing in front of some very festive lights. You’d like to capture the glow, yet still light up your subject. Poof! You take a picture and your flash goes off. The resulting image shows a well lit subject, but the lights look….washed out. What happened?
The Auto Flash works well in some situations, this is not one of them. Notice that my subject is illuminated, but the background lights look dim.
Most compact cameras and entry level dSLRs have a Night Portrait or Night Scene setting denoted by an icon on the Mode Dial or in the Menu settings. If you don’t have this option, look for Slow Synchro in your Menu settings. Night Scene, Night Portrait, and Slow Synchro use a slower shutter speed that captures the ambient light in your scene, while the flash still illuminates your subject. Since the shutter speed is slower, you may need to use a tripod or rest your camera on a stable surface to reduce image blur. Or you can use the blur as a creative element in your image. Try it, and see what happens.
This family photo was taken using a slow shutter speed (1/30) and flash. This setting allowed me to capture the glow of the tree lights and the flash cast a nice, even light on everyone’s face.
I hope these low-light photo tips inspire you to capture and remember the important people, places, and things that make your holiday special.
I visited the set of ABC in San Francisco this week and shared a few tips for better picture-taking during the holidays, click here to see the video.
Click here to see my segment on the CBS Saturday Early Show – it’s all about fun and creative ways to share your summer vacation photographs.
The holidays are behind us now but we still have the new year to celebrate, and that means…. more picture taking opportunities.
