Archive for the ‘Digital Cameras’ Category

How to Take Care of Your Digital Camera in Cold Weather!

Friday, November 21st, 2008

Frosted Leaf or Standing out from the Crowd

Special Care is Necessary When Using Your Digital Camera in the Cold!

It’s that time of the year for many of us around the world, when the dreamy warm days of autumn slip into the bone-chilling, teeth-chattering days of winter.

But wintertime can be the best time for getting fabulous shots like the frosted leaf showing here. While there are gray days, there will also be days of brilliant blue skies, bright golden sunshine, and sparkling snow blankets, dazzled in twinkling diamonds. How can anyone resist shooting photographs under those conditions? I certainly can’t.

But along with wintry conditions comes cold, and digital cameras (and their batteries) don’t like extreme temperatures of either variety, hot or cold. So, you must take precautions when using your digital camera outdoors in the winter.

Read on . . .

(more…)

Autumn Sunset & Sunrise Photography with Your Digital Camera!

Friday, October 17th, 2008

God's Power

With the shortening days (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere) we are being treated to some of the most glorious sunsets and sunrises.  Do you have trouble capturing sunsets or sunrises?  If so, here are a few tips to help you capture all those blazing colors.

Read on . . . (more…)

Don’t just let them sit there! Post your photos to the Internet!

Monday, September 29th, 2008

Directions, please!

Are you taking photos and letting them sit in your computer’s digital dungeons, or worse, on a memory card? What a shame since sites like Flickr are just a mouse click away. I spent several hours at a harvest festival outside of our city this weekend. The colors and the festivites were so vibrant; there was no end to photo opportunities.

This little Halloween teddy bear came into my possession (my husband won him in a “fish pond”). I loved his strong orange color and decided to add him to my shots. He turned out to be the perfect subject, so well-behaved and so patient.

I could have posted this photo of him as I had taken it, but Flickr also offers this cool photo manipulation program called, “Picnik.” And well, using Picnik, is as much fun as a picnic. And it’s so easy.

You can do it, too. Like I did, you can manipulate (tweak) your photo’s colors, contrast, and midtones. And you can add a frame or text, like the orange text I added to the white sign. It was just crying out for a little creativity.

Flickr is so easy to use and it’s free unless you choose to go “Pro” and even that is ridiculously inexpensive.

Go on. Get your photos out of your computer’s digital dungeon and share them with friends and family. Or the world.

Happy Halloween!

Wishing you safe and happy travels,
Sheree Zielke

Digital Camera Lessons – They are FREE online! Just Google them!

Monday, August 11th, 2008

Alford Lake by Sheree Zielke

Have you been told to shoot in RAW?  Have you looked at photographs that seem not up to par?  Are you having trouble getting great shots from your expensive DSLR?

Then maybe you should put down the camera, and do some reading instead.

Read on . . .

(more…)

Travel Attire – Making good choices might improve your flight experience!

Monday, June 9th, 2008

Grumpy Traveler

My husband can be a pretty grumpy traveler, but even he, with a few moderations to his attire, can be a happy traveler.  He had to stop wearing his lace-up shoes through airport security, for one thing.  But here are a few more tips to help make your flying experience more palatable.

I have a great deal of respect for the Frommers’ people and their travel advice.  Recently, the travel site gurus ran a piece on what NOT to wear when flying.  The advice is simple, yet comprehensive.  It’s great advice for anyone who hasn’t quite figured out that, yes, Virginia, no matter what they taught you in school about being non-judgmental, on a plane, you will be judged by the clothes you wear.

Read on . . .

(more…)

Shoot People While Traveling, But Do So With Respect!

Monday, June 2nd, 2008

Boy with Dad by Sheree Zielke

 

A man ran up to our table at the local farmers market, and boom, he and his camera were in my granddaughter’s face.  No preamble, no “Hi. How are you?”  No nothing.  Just wham, bam . . . you get the picture (pardon the pun).

I was stunned.  It was all I could do not to grab the guy by his camera cord and demand that he erase the picture.  He stupidly bobbed his head, mumbling something about how he “hoped I didn’t mind,” but I knew he wasn’t asking permission.  He was just reacting to the look on my face. 

He scuttled away like the vermin he had proven himself to be.

Do you photograph people this way?  If so, you are WRONG!  And worse, you are a coward.

As a photographer, I am very opposed to this grab-and-run style of thievery.  In my estimation, it is a type of violence, a rape, if you will.   Without some form of permission, be it a slight nod of acceptance or a full model release, modern day shutterbugs should NOT be zooming in on people, and taking their photos.

Here are some suggestions to ensure you remain civilized when shooting photographs of strangers.  Read on . . .

(more…)

Monster trucks: Gotta love ’em!

Monday, May 26th, 2008

Monster truck jumps cars
I am a huge fan of both monster trucks, and my new little Fuji F50 12MG compact digital camera.

Sheer Insanity Monster Truck by Sheree Zielke

I sat at the top of the stands, opted for the Top 3 shots instead of a single shot, set my ISO to 200, chose a medium aperture, pre-focused on the spot where I thought the truck would be, and fired away.

Great jobs done by both “Sheer Insanity” (the truck), and my wonderful tiny camera. Gotta love ’em.

Caught the monster truck show, recently, at the Rainmakers Rodeo held in St. Albert, a city just a few minutes drive from my home of Edmonton, Alberta.

Cheers,
Sheree Zielke

Bourbon Street in New Orleans – Do visit but do so in the morning!

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008

Photo by Sheree Zielke

There are some things you must do when visiting New Orleans:  Take a Hurricane Katrina bus tour; eat seafood gumbo from a tiny deli on Royal Street; ride a streetcar to the huge St. Patrick cemeteries at the end of Canal Street; and visit haunted houses in the French Quarter.  Above all, take a walk along Bourbon Street, but do it in the morning.

Bourbon Street is a magnet for the young and lecherous among us, at night, but a morning walk in the bright sunshine, devoid of the nighttime debauchery, can be a truly pleasant experience.  Especially if you are a photographer.

Read on . . .

(more…)

Wild decision to leave DSLR camera at home in favor of a Fuji FinePix F50: Crafty or Crazy?

Saturday, April 19th, 2008

Photo by Sheree Zielke

Okay, call me a traitor, call me a fool, call me any name you like but I had to take the chance.  I made a decision, before a recent trip to southern Texas and New Orleans, to leave my heavy Olympus Evolt E-300 DSLR at home.  I replaced it with a sleek little 12-megapixel Fuji FinePix F50 compact digital camera.

My husband looked at me askance as he repeatedly asked me if I still wanted to take my DSLR camera.  I told him, firmly, “No.”  That I would take my chances.  And that I would live with my decision.  Only time would tell if I had made a terrible mistake . . .

(more…)

Rule of Thirds: Be sure to BREAK this photography rule AFTER you learn it!

Friday, March 14th, 2008

Would you like to improve your photography?  In a split second?  Then try “splitting” your frame.  Into thirds. It’s a tried-and-true photographic compositional technique called the “Rule of Thirds.”Photographer by Sheree Zielke

Once you’ve learned the rule, you should break it.  But only with intent.

Read on . . .

(more…)