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Whether you want to restore vintage family photographs or create a digital archive of your favorite snapshots, scanning is the first step in preserving your photos for years to come? Here are some tips and techniques to help you scan like a pro.


Picture selection
Choose your photo to scan? You can enhance faded color and sharpen some fuzziness with image-editing software, but it's best to start with clear, vibrant images whenever possible. The better your photo is, the better your scan will be.

The right resolution
Scanner resolution is measured in dots per inch (dpi). More dots translate into a sharper image. A good rule of thumb is to scan a master copy of your image at 300 dpi. This gives you flexibility if you want to use the same image in different ways. Perhaps you want to feature your photo in a scrapbook layout and e-mail it. You can make copies of your master and then resize them. Of course, if you have a specific use in mind, you can scan at a lower resolution.


Resolution to use:
72 dpi - Scanning photos for e-mail or the Web
150 dpi - Scanning photos for inkjet printing
300 - Scanning photos for archiving (storing a high-resolution master copy of your photo on your hard drive or on a disc)
Above 300 dpi - Scanning slides or negatives for prints larger than 5" x 7"

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I have seen that using the tripod gives great stability and makes great picutres !
Here is a grea article !

By Mike Pasini, EditorImaging Resource Newsletter

You've framed your shot, you pressed the shutter, and it looked fine on the LCD. But when you pulled it up on your monitor it was fuzzy.

What happened?

Well, the LCD lied to you. It's so small it makes any image look sharp. But odds are the light was dim enough that your camera decided to use a slow shutter speed. Under 1/60 second. And just pressing the shutter was enough of a shake to blur the image.

How can you prevent it?

In an ideal world, you'd have a tripod handy whenever you needed it. Under the current arrangement, you rarely do. And sometimes (in museums, for example) they're prohibited.

So the fact is your camera must rely on your supple body to keep it stiff. As difficult as that may seem, there are some things you can do to stiffen up. Here's how to securely handhold a camera:
1. First, choose a sustainable posture. Don't try any ballet positions. Stand comfortably. Any strain is liable to weary.

2. The next trick is to use the optical viewfinder, pressing the camera to your head and holding it against your nose or cheek with both hands.

3. If you can further steady yourself by propping your elbows on the back of an unoccupied...

by Simone Paddock
09/15/2004

Food photography traditionally has been the realm of a handful of weathered professionals well versed in their niche profession, armed with high-end, medium-format cameras and a ton of expensive studio gear, and flanked by a small army of dedicated chefs and food stylists. You can see their work in ads, cook books, and high-end glossy magazines such as Sunset, Gourmet, Bon Appétit, and Food & Wine.

So for the casual shooter or even the ambitious amateur, getting great food shots can seem like an intimidating and daunting task at best. But it doesn't have to be that way.

The digital frontier has changed the way we shoot and the things we can shoot successfully. The benefit of being able to review the shot instantly, and know for certain that what you have just captured is usable, is absolutely invaluable. This applies especially to food photography where most of your time will go into setup and preparation.

This article will show you how you can achieve professional results with a minimum of equipment, some budget-conscious props, a little technical know-how, and a big dash of creative fun.

What Makes a Great Food Image?
I love food. And I'm talking about more than just the mere taste sensation. I love everything about it: the colors, textures, smell, and of course flavors. The delightful way a healthy dose of wasabi momentarily stings my nose and makes my eyes water. The smooth and creamy manner...

Here is a picture I took a while ago of the lake.
This excerpt below By Andrew Hudson gave me some great tips to make the photograph interesting. I have provided a link to the article below.

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The first step was to better understand my objective. I started looking at travel books and magazines to discover which photographs I admired. As the adage goes, start with the end in mind. I analyzed the best photographs to determine what made them work, and why they were more effective than my pictures. This was a time-consuming task but I highly recommend it as a tool to improve your photography. The pictures I admired displayed bold colors, a simple composition, a good use of light, a three-dimensional depth, and an unusual and interesting view of a familiar sight.

After learning what I wanted to achieve, I read photography books and magazines, such as Shutterbug's Outdoor and Nature Photography, to learn the skills I needed. The final step was to put the skills into practice, by setting up exercises and shooting many rolls of film. As with most skills, practice makes perfect, and practice is the fun part! This is a continuous-feedback cycle, and I continue to compare my photos to images I admire.

Here are five tips to help you improve your travel photography.

1. Aim for Impact
A great photograph catches the eye. It leaps off the page and...

This article by Andrew Hudson is not only simple but personifies what taking a great picture is really like. I loved it. ! My recommendations in red

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Photography is the perfect companion to travel. It encourages us - as travelers - to discover an area; it provides tangible memories of the trip; and it is an enjoyable way to express ourselves in art.


Lonely Planet's Travel Photography This 2nd edition has a special new section on digital photography. It also includes new information on black and white photography techniques.

A camera is really an excuse to delve deeper into a place than we otherwise would. Looking for a good shot forces us to seek out the unique features and scenic beauty of a location, to explore further, and to interact with our surroundings. When you press the shutter release, you're making a personal connection to the place and it's people. You are there.

Photographs preserve the memories of our trip. We can show others the exciting places we've been, the wonderful scenery, and the great people we met. Our minds are triggered by images and reviewing our photographs helps everyone on the trip relive its adventures and misadventures. Taking pictures is also a very accessible artform. With a little thought and effort you can create captivating images of your own creation and interpretation.

The Secret of Photography

Fortunately, taking...

A digital SLR camera or a single lens reflex (SLR) camera is one of the most popular cameras amongst photographers today. These cameras not only provide high quality images but the photographer can also largely control how he wants the final product to look like. Hence, people who are extremely fond of clicking pictures have a great time while using a SLR camera. If you have a creative spark in you then you will want to consider one of these at some point. I am using a Canon Rebel right now but the Nikon F6 is next on my horizon of my purchases. These are moving into the 8 mp and up range now so the quality is quite good.

The SLR is not cheap at all. The price historically started at about $5,000 - which is very steep. So, only those who are either professionals or wannabes purchased an SLR for themselves. Nowadays however, in order to make the SLR available to a larger number of photographers, companies such as Canon and Nikon have come up with SLRs falling in the price range of around $1000 without extra lenses.

What is it that attracts people to an SLR ? One of the main reasons is that an SLR produces pictures which are of much higher quality than point-and-shoot cameras. The contrast and color are extremely good since the lenses used in an SLR are of very good quality. It is an old maxim in the photography world...