4 Easy Photoshop Techniques to Make Your Pictures Pop!

#1: blur/overlay

Duplicate your picture layer by dragging the layer to the ‘new’ icon in the layers palette (ctrl+j).

Apply a gaussian blur (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur…). Blur it enough that the detail disappears but the shapes mostly keep their form.

In the layers palette, change the blending mode from ‘Normal’ to ‘Overlay.’

If you look at the before and after, you can see that this method makes the light tones lighter and the dark tones darker while softening it a touch. Basically, it softly boosts the contrast. If you want a more dramatic effect, try changing the blending mode to ‘Vivid Light’ instead of ‘Overlay.’

Try it on all kinds of shots: portraits, nature shots, you name it. I use this method ALL the time. It works so well with everything!

#2: filter the background

This one can be fun… With a picture open, duplicate the layer (as always). Use your lasso tool to roughly select the subject of your image.

Feather the selection by going to Select > Feather (ctrl+alt+d). We want a pretty large feather, so what you input depends on your picture. Try 50 pixels. Go to Layer > New > Layer via copy. You should end up with just your subject on a new layer with a nice feather to it (fades at the edges).

Select the layer copy below your subject layer. Start trying out filters. I used Filter > Brush Strokes > Dark Strokes for this example. Most of the Brush Stroke filters work well with this effect. Using blurs tends to look a little funny. When you’ve got it all done, your layers palette should look a little like this:

That’s it. Try this out with lots of different filters. If you want to tone down the effect, change the opacity of the effect layer. If you want to get more advanced with your subject selection, you can duplicate the layer, mask it out, and use a large soft white brush to paint the subject back in.

#3: neon glow

Have you ever played with neon glow and wondered when the heck you were ever going to use it? Well, it’s time to give it another shot. This can add a touch of color and drama to your shot.

Duplicate your layer, then pull up Filter > Artistic > Neon Glow. Pick a color that you think will complement your shot. In mine, the cat is lit with sunlight, so I went with a yellow to exaggerate that. Start with a glow size of 4 and a glow brightness of 18, then tweak it to suit your shot. This is what I ended up with:

I’ll bet you can guess what’s next. You got it — change the blending mode to ‘Overlay.’ Also cycle through those modes: soft light, hard light, vivid light, and linear light. I prefer overlay and vivid light with this effect.

#4 easy blur

This one nearly passed me by… it’s a wonderfully easy effect to soften a picture. Try it on portraits.

Duplicate your layer and apply a Gaussian Blur (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur) so that the details start to go, but not too much.

Set the opacity of the layer to 50%. This is a great, super-simple way to soften a picture. It can give it almost a dreamy look. Play with opacities until you find something that works really well with your shot.

(From: digital-photography-school.com)

The Most Popular and Favorite DSLR Lenses - According to Our Readers

Today I spent a few hours collating the 233 responses to the question in the hope that it might turn out to be useful information for those in the market for a new lens.

Overwhelmingly the most popular brand of lenses mentioned were Canon and Nikon. Of the 302 lenses mentioned 52% were Canon, 24% were Nikon, 12% were Sigma and the rest were a mixture of Pentax, Olympus, Tamron, Tokina, Minolta and a couple of others.

As a result of the makeup of these results I’ve decided to give you some overall winners and then drill down a little further into three categories of Canon, Nikon and ‘Other’. I could have drilled down into the ‘other’ section more but there were just not enough lenses for each manufacturer.

Overall Most Popular Lenses

1. Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens (pictured right)
2. Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens
3. Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens
4. Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Standard & Medium Telephoto Lens
5. Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom Lens

I was quite surprised by the the first place winner because by no means is it a cheap lens but the result was extremely clear - 22 of the 302 lens mentions were for the 70-200mm f/2.8 IS lens. Of course following it up are the ‘nifty 50′ lenses which are always popular.

Of course the question of this reader survey was asking about favorite lenses - and the winner is a worthy one as it is fast, has image stabilization, has a great focal range for all kinds of applications and is superbly sharp.

Now lets drill down further and look at manufacturer specific lists.

Popular Canon Lenses

You’ve already seen the top 4 - so let me give you the top 10. I’ve included a few comments on each which I’ve taken from the comments left in the previous post as well as my own experience as a Canon user with many of these in my bag.

1. Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens - fast, great for portraits, weddings, sports, versatile focal length. Quite a heavy lens and not cheap.
2. Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens - for its price perhaps the best value lens in terms of the quality of output.
3. Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Standard & Medium Telephoto Lens - a step up from the f/1.8 in terms of build quality and results but more expensive.
4. Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom Lens (pictured right) - a great walk around lens. Faster than the 24-105 but no image stabilization.
5. Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens - often compared with the 24-70mm this lens is not as fast but has image stabilization and an extra 35mm reach. A worthy contender for a great walk around lens.
6. Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens - not as fast as the 70-200mm f2.8 and without image stabilization but still a very sharp lens, a considerably cheaper option and lighter too. Note: between these two lenses is also a 70-200 f2.8 lens without image stabilization (this lens came in at #11).
7. Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens - another alternative for a walk around lens if you take wide angle shots. A fast lens and loved by many.
8. Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Telephoto Lens - a prime lens that gets great reviews. Also check out the f/1.2 version which is super fast but pricey.
9. Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens - I love this lens. It’s not as fast as some but has been great for landscapes.
10. Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens - another of my personal favorites. If you want to take Macro shots this is well worth considering. Interestingly it also takes great portraits.

Popular Nikon Lenses

I’m going to keep this list to a top 8 rather than a 10 - simply because there were less Nikon lenses mentioned and a few less clear favorites. Please excuse my comments on each lens - I’m not a Nikon user and so have relied upon the comments of others more.

1. Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens - Nikons ‘nifty 50′ is a much loved lens and similar to the Canon version - for its price and quality it is a must have in your bag.
2. Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Lens - this lens makes a great option for everyday shooting with a fantastic focal range which gives both a reasonably wide angle and reach. The vibration reduction makes it particularly attractive and it is a reasonably affordable lens.
3. Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens - this lens has had some great reviews and is renowned for being a high quality camera. Again it has vibration reduction, is relatively fast and is great for portraits, weddings, sports. It’s not cheap though.
4. Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF Zoom Nikkor Lens - lenses in this focal range featured heavily in both the Canon and Nikon lens and it is no wonder - its a really handy focal range. This one is quite a bit cheaper than the previous 70-200 but you lose Vibration reduction. Those mentioning it in our survey raved about it.
5. Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens - it is interesting that Macro lenses feature on both Nikon and Canon lists. This one however has vibration reduction making its fast aperture even more useful.
6. Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Nikkor Zoom Lens - another fast zoom lens with wide angles yet a little length - making it a good choice for every day use if you don’t need lots of reach. On Amazon this lens has 52 reviews and only 3 of them didn’t give it a perfect score of 5 stars (and two of those gave it 4 stars). I guess it isn’t just DPS readers who love this lens.
7. Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Nikkor Wide Angle Zoom Lens - another zoom with a 2.8 aperture and a reasonable focal range. Those recommending it say its sharp, fast focusing and a joy to use.
8. Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8G ED AF DX Fisheye Nikkor Lens - rounding out the Nikon list is a fisheye lens which looks like being a lot of fun.

Other Popular Lenses

A few other lenses were mentioned multiple times and in while most of them (with the exception of one) were not as popular as the above lenses I thought I’d mention a few:

1. Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens (Nikon) (also for Canon) - this lens was actually mentioned quite a few times - so many that it only just missed the overall winners list! It looks like a fun wide angle lens to have in your camera bag.
2. Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG APO Macro Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon - (also for Nikon) - this lens certainly has a wide focal range and is certainly on the more economical end of the spectrum of lenses in this category.
3. Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Lens - again the 50mm lenses pop up.
4. Pentax-m 50mm 1:1.7″ (Asahi) - the Pentax nifty fifty.
5. Olympus 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 Zuiko ED Digital SLR Lens - The winning Olympus lens with 3 people recommending it.

By no means are any of the above lenses complete. There were many other lenses mentioned - but these were the ones which kept coming up again and again in the comments left on the previous post. I hope you find them interesting and useful as you think about your next lens purchase.

From: digital-photography-school.com

Tips for Photographers for Working with Web Designers

In this post Ramsay Taplin from Taplin Web Design talks about photographers and their interactions with web designers.

Image by photographer padawan

Over the years I have worked with many freelance photographers to produce photos for my Adelaide website design clients. In that time I have seen the best and worst of photographic creativity. I have seen “professional” photographers turn up to a corporate shoot with no shoes on. I have lost a hundreds of dollars worth of shots because a photographer thought it would be a good idea to leave a USB on my home front porch. But, I have also worked with photographers who know how to work magic with their cameras.

In this post I want to show you the 9 worst mistakes that freelance/professional photographers can make when taking photos for a web designer. I hope this information will be a useful resource for any budding young photographers out there who are just starting to work for and establish relationships with some bigger firms.

Warning: This post may contain rage fueled tangents of utter frustration!

The 9 Worst Mistakes Photographers Make When Working for a Web Designer

1. Looking unprofessional

As I mentioned in the opening paragraph I once had a charming young photographer turn up to a corporate photo shoot with no shoes on. She was extremely good at what she did and turned some pretty boring “suits” into powerful looking businessmen (much to their surprise!). But, unfortunately, her dress sense really let her down.

I don’t mean to sound like a starchy old fuddy duddy here. I’m really not like that. But I have to emphasize how important it is to look professional when you are performing a professional service.

There are three things at play here. Firstly, dressing like a slob who just woke up makes my firm look bad. I hired you to take photos for my client and therefore would love it if you brought some shoes to the shoot. Secondly, it reflects badly on you and makes me reluctant to hire you again. And thirdly, it doesn’t make the guys in the photos feel very secure. They need to feel like they are in the hands of a professional and are going to end up looking like superstars.

To be honest, I kind of envy the girl who rocked up with no shoes on. I wish I was brave enough to do that! But we live in a vain world where first impressions are very important. For that reason it is vital to look like a professional.

2. Understating your abilities

Something that really bothered me when I was first starting to work with professional photographers was how they were reluctant to tell me how good they were. I realize, now, that they were just trying to be humble and graceful but at the time it made me really stressed because I didn’t know whether they’d be able to achieve the results that I wanted.

If you have been hired by a website design firm to take photos for a new web creation please make sure you let them know exactly what you can do. If you feel you know how to turn a buggered up drab old office-front into a vintage looking workshop of fairy-dust then please let me know! If I know what your capabilities are I will push you to achieve something better for my client. Try and find a balance between humility and selling yourself. It’s hard but worthwhile.

3. Overstating your abilities

The opposite end of the spectrum is admittedly a much worse predicament to be in. I remember working with a very young photographer I had met at a cafe who really overstated his abilities. The kid had the gift of the gab but that was about it. He “seduced” me into using his services but looking back I think he had probably just purchased his first Canon SLR and thought that he would automatically be taking superb photos. He was wrong. The photos were blurry, over exposed and extremely unprofessional. I ended up paying his fee and making the embarrassing move of calling up my client to organize a re-shoot. A big waste of time.

If you do not feel like you can get the photographs that the web designer is asking for then please don’t take the job. Both you and the designer will be better off. Sure, you won’t get the fee but you will save a lot of face and possibly your reputation. The last thing a freelance photographer needs is a bunch of website designers badmouthing your photos.

One saying I have always identified with is “under promise, over deliver“. I think it works well for the art of photography. Don’t get your client’s expectations too high and then surprise them with an amazing end product.

4. Showing up late

I grew up in very business-minded family. My father always taught me that being late was one of the most unprofessional things you could do. As a result I am always on time and I expect the same thing of the people I hire. If I am paying you a few thousand dollars to come out and meet my clients and take photos for their website then I ask that you rock up when I want you there, not when you feel like it.

I am sure for most people out there this one is a given. But I need to emphasize it because it really is important. Quite often photographers will be hired by their friends and as such there is a temptation to think that one can be a bit more relaxed with the “rules” of business. Please don’t fall into that trap.

5. Not asking questions

I once had a photographer pull me aside and say “aaahh… the guy in the front has a massive wad of snot on his lip…. does that… ahh… matter?” Bloody oath it matters! I am glad she asked me though because that little boogie could have ruined the whole shot.

Any professional photographer will tell you that one of the worst feelings you can have is when you go home after a shoot, plug your camera into your computer and look at a whole bunch of photos that turned out nothing like what the client wanted. It is the pits. Asking questions, however, often solves this problem.

When you are out on a job the website designer will usually be with you. They will probably give you some instructions on what they want and how they want the final product to look but other than that you are on your own. Please do not feel embarrassed to ask questions during this time. It doesn’t matter how silly they sound, it is better to ask them now then have to reorganize the shoot because the photos didn’t turn out how the client wanted.

6. Not working within the instructions

This is where the rage fueled rant comes in! One of the most irritating things a freelance photographer can do is assume that they know better. The worst thing you can do as a photographer is ignore the instructions and take bunch of photos that you think will suit the website.

Here is why it is annoying. A good website designer will have created a preliminary design before he/she goes out and gets the photos. This means that the photos need to “work” with the design and not the other way around. Let me give you an example of how it should be done:

I recently designed a simple brochure website for one of South Australia’s largest landscaping businesses, Garden Works Landscaping. The client wanted some elegant photos that showed off their products and their office site. I explained to my photographer that the website was going to be quite wide and that space for the photos would be very narrow. Portrait shots would not work.

She took the advice on board and when we rolled up to the Garden Works premises for the shoot I was extremely impressed to see that she had brought along a vast array of wide angled lenses and even spent some of her own money hiring a super wide lens for the weekend. This showed me that she had listened to my instructions and was ready to work within them.

Needless to say I have hired her for every outdoor job since.

7. Not bringing everything you need

As a photographer you are being paid for two things: your skills and your equipment. If you fail to bring some of that equipment the job is not going to be complete.

One idea my crack photographer has is to develop a “Shoot List”. On that list she has all of the things she will need at a photo shoot - camera, point and shoot camera, lens cleaner, lens cleaning pen, USB, lenses, etc. Then, the night before the shoot, she just pulls out the list and goes through ticking off each item. That way she is always prepared and never has that feeling of “oh I left something at home”.

8. Failing to remember your manners

This tip comes not so much from my web design business, but from a wedding I attended last weekend. The photographer was a very talented man but he was grumpy as all hell. He spent the whole time yelling at people to get in the right position and almost made one of the bridesmaids cry!

As I said in number seven, part of what you are being paid for as a photographer is your skills. This does not just mean your photographic skills but also your skills in dealing with people. The world’s best professional photographers are probably no better at taking photographs than many other professional photographer - their point of difference is their ability to deal with and manipulate people. And people love good manners. Just look at TV shows like Americas Next Top Model or American Idol - the photographers who get the best results are the ones that know how to schmooze the people in front of the camera.

9. Not sending the files when you say you will

I think I have some bad karma when it comes to receiving things on time because it seems as though no one sends things when they say they will. It is quite annoying. But, if it karma I must deserve it right?

If you tell me you are going to send the photos on Wednesday chances are I will set some time aside on Wednesday to work with them. That means I will sit in front of the computer all day with a coffee waiting for my inbox to flash “1 New Email”. Not really. But, when they don’t arrive it can put a bit of a dent in proceedings. Try to send the photos when you say you will - it makes you look really professional.

Conclusion

Honestly speaking, it is the photographers who make our websites beautiful. Sure, our designs make a difference but it is often the quality of the photos that really make the site pop off the screen. Sadly, however, it is not just your amazing photos that dictate how successful your career is. It is also important to look nice, talk politely and so on. If you remember this other (boring business) stuff I am sure you will go far.

Have you ever made any of the mistakes above or worked with someone who has? Have I missed anything important that young photographers might need to know? Leave a comment below - it might really help someone!

From: digital-photography-school.com

Creative Solutions for Indoor Lighting: FLASH

In this post Christina from Christina Nichole Photogrpahy shares a few tips on flash photography for indoor lighting.

The rainy season in full swing in many parts of the world demands photographers to retreat indoors and shoot in often low-lit settings.

Instead of producing bad pictures – or worse – not even shooting at all, practice this technique used by professional event and wedding photographers everywhere. And the best part? You can use this with any all-manual camera – whether point and shoot, dig cam, or SLR.

Dragging the Shutter

Have you ever wondered how the big time wedding and event photographers seem to have perfectly lit photographs even in dark reception venues? Wonder no longer. With a deep breath and a single flash, you too can have perfectly exposed images inside even the most dimly lit venue.

This technique is actually quite simple. Just remember these 3 steps.

1. Shoot TV priority with a Slow Shutter Speed

This is your friend. Don’t worry about blown out pictures, or a completely blackened background. When you have a slow shutter speed, you let in the ambient light from the background. (Add flash, and there is a more even exposure.)

2. Add Flash

Simply turn on your flash. Whether point and shoot or SLR, your camera will evaluate how much flash it needs to add based on your camera’s settings (and remember, we have a slow shutter speed so we don’t have to worry about blown out images!)

3. Get Creative!

This technique will work for basic snapshots, but you can also do some really fun creative things!

• Set your subject in front of activity. The flash will freeze your subject, but the slow shutter speed will capture the movement behind them.
• Set your subject in motion. Once again, the flash will freeze your subject, but the slow shutter speed will catch the movement around them, like this newly wed bride and groom on the dance floor.

Canon EOS 50D dSLR [Review]

Today Sime reviews one of the latest DSLRs to be released by Canon - the Canon EOS 50D.

I was very excited when Canon told me that they were sending me out the Canon EOS 50D to review. I have been a long time Canon user and currently I am shooting with a Canon EOS 30D. I have had it for a few years now and am starting to think about an upgrade. Could the Canon 50D be THAT camera?

Canon EOS 50D 15.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

There was a fair bit of confusion when Canon announced the all new Canon 50D dSLR this year, only a year after the 40D was released and already a new model is announced! But then, 2008 saw some great advances in camera technology that are much better off in your camera bag than hidden away for a later date, no?… That said, I would understand your frustration if you’ve just purchased a Canon 40D, sadly this looks to be the norm in the electronics industry these days. You still have a very nice camera in the 40D - Don’t be sad!…..

The Canon 50D is a great mid range camera. Not quite a professional level camera in that it’s not using a “full frame” sensor but by no means “entry level” This camera will produce great results for you. I guess to put it in perspective I have seen many images from my good friends Canon 20D and indeed my Canon 30D (even if I do say so myself!) that have come out and been blown up and placed on a wall or on brochures or in magazines, and the 50D performed significantly better than my 30D so you have nothing to worry about there - will it produce professional results in the right hands? Yes, it will!

In 2008, Canon announced the new Digic 4 processor and released it in the eos 50D and the eos 5D Mk II cameras. The Digic 4 is said to help provide you with the following…

• Much faster image processing when compared to previous processors
• Improved noise reduction in high-ISO images
• Improved performance while handling larger 14-bit RAW images
• Live Face Detection AF during Live View
• H.264 1080p encoding

While this may not mean a whole lot to you if you’re just dipping your toe in the big dSLR waters, You can rest assured that it means good things! Most importantly for me, it meant better noise handling at higher iso. When you set your iso to be 800 or above, sometimes you will see that your pictures become quite noisy or grainy. Generally when you start to get noise in a photo, you start to lose detail and clarity. Sure, you can reduce noise with various pieces of software, but I find it’s better that it’s just not there in the first place. The Canon 50D has ISO settings that go all the way up to 3200 The images were still quite acceptable at iso 800, Then the iso range is expandable to an ultra-sensitive 12800! which is pretty high if you’ve been using a 30D like me. At 12,800 there was still lots of noise but if you have to use it, it’s there.

This is a photo taken by my mate, Daz, with his Canon 50D at iso 800

I didn’t get to test the Canon 50D with the EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM kit lens that the 50D comes with. It’s not a bad lens from all reports, but you may find it giving you some chromatic aberration action (purple fringing) on some of your images. (This can also be caused by lens flare) Again, I’m not all that sure about this lens, I’ve not used it myself. I had heard that there was a kit released with the EF-S 17-85mm USM IS lens which I have owned and used for a year before upgrading when I first purchased my 30D - I had some fringing with that lens, It was a great lens to start with and learn from.

I found the Canon 50D to be quite similar physically to use when compared with the Canon 30D that I own, the menu and the general layout are almost the same. The new 3″ screen on the back of the new Canon is really nice! Reviewing shots is very nice on the larger screen by comparison to my 30D. The 3″ screen has a higher resolution and you can really see the detail in your shots to make sure you’re focus is on.

The addition of live view to lots of cameras, including the Canon 50D, has been received with mixed opinion. I admit, when I first heard about it I thought “Oh, here we go again!” But I have to say that since actually using it - I’m a believer! With the extra focus possibilities that it gave me, I think when I have a camera with Live view, I will actually use it. And with the ability to use live view with auto focus may be handy for some people as well, though it’s a little clunky.

I first saw live view on my mates Canon 1Ds MkIII. We were on the opposite side of the Thames river to St. Pauls Cathedral and he had his 50mm f1.4 lens on and it was all but dark in London with some fireworks still being set off around the cathedral after a march. Nathan switched on the live view and zoomed right on in to the top of the cathedral and manually focused his 50mm until it was just perfect and then took his photo - the result was very nice! The 50D has three versions of live view, “Quick Mode AF,” “Live Mode AF,” and a “Face Detection Live Mode AF” that detects up to 35 individual forward-looking faces for better focus and clarity when taking group or portrait shots. The camera’s Quick Mode AF setting flips the mirror down and carries out regular phase-detection autofocus, while the Live Mode AF and Face Detection Live Mode AF use the camera’s CMOS image sensor for contrast detection autofocus. Two detailed grid displays have also been added to Live View shooting as optional settings for easier composition. For me, live view gets a thumbs up.

There’s one big issue I have with the Canon 50D, “Creative Mode”. It’s handy, sure, you can visually work out what you’re trying to do, for example you get “blurred background” on the screen in front of you rather than working out how to change your aperture to adjust depth of field, and so on. This may be great for someone that has never used a camera and just wants to buy themselves a dSLR and make it work for them, but if you’re looking to learn about what all those buttons actually mean, I think you will find this a little unhelpful. Do yourself a favour and use it only until you’ve worked out what all the buttons mean and then try to avoid this function, it’s for your own good, I promise.

The camera takes your type 1 and 2 Compact Flash cards, including the UDMA flash cards. When you use the camera with a UDMA CF card you can take up to 90 jpg images or 16 raw (incidentally, there are three raw formats, with one regular and two smaller resolution formats) images at around 6.3 frames per second, I find this is usually quick enough for most people considering the next fastest camera is a serious chunk of cash more expensive.

Is there anything that I didn’t like about the Canon 50D? I honestly don’t think so. It takes an amazing photo, It’s a great size for my hands and the way I handle a camera - I am very big on that one, lots of people may have narrowed a new camera choice down to “this Canon or that Nikon…etc” but one thing I find that people don’t do is to go into a shop and physically hold the cameras in this, the day and age of “online shopping”. When I hold a camera, it has to sit in my hands nicely, the buttons need to be “in the right place” the camera needs to talk to me - I don’t mean to sound odd, but it’s true… Your camera has to suit you. For me, the Canon 50D sits beautifully and I could quite happily shoot with it day after day. The only thing stopping me from buying a Canon 50D is the Canon 5D Mk II that has just recently been released. I have had the Canon 30D with its APS-C sensor for a few years now and if I am to upgrade, I think it has to be to a full size sensor. If I had been taking photos with a compact camera and wanted to step up and have a go at shooting with a dSLR, I’d seriously consider the Canon 50D.

This camera rates pretty well on my gold-star meter, coming in at 8.5 Stars - Nice one, Canon!

The Canon EOS 50D DSLR currently retails at Amazon for $1,085.95 (Body Only)

How To Handle Cold Weather Photography

Cold weather presents a few unique challenges to digital photographers. In this post, Peter Carey offers some suggestions to keep you photographing when the mercury drops.

When the weather outside turns cold, there are a few precautions every digital photographer should take.

First, give your camera time to acclimate!

This one is very important and it’s a two way street. If you’re heading outside from a nice warm house, or if you’re coming back in from a shoot out in the cold, give your camera lens time to adjust to the temperature change. Going either direction will fog up your lens and viewfinder. Leave your lens cap on when going either direction and give your camera plenty of time to adjust to the temps. The amount of time depends on the the difference in temperatures from inside to outside. The larger the difference, the more time you should allow. 15 minutes is usually fine but more may be needed depending on how humid each environment is. You want a slow, gradual change so if you can, leave your camera in a camera bag as it gets used to the change. While this may take a bit longer, it does help ensure condensation won’t become a problem.

Next, you’ll want to protect your batteries.

Besides the lens of your camera (even worse, your sensor) getting fogged over, batteries are the lifeline for digital photography. Unlike traditional film (with another set of cold weather challenges), digital cameras obviously rely on working batteries. The problem is cold saps batteries of energy even when they aren’t in the camera. Carry spare batteries in pant pockets where they are close to your body. The warmer the battery, the better it performs. Even when your camera indicates a battery is dead, warming it up in a pocket (especially one with a hand warmer!) can bring it back to life for a few dozen more shots. Get used to rotating batteries in this manner and you’ll be able to stay out shooting longer.

Let’s not forget your hands!

Once your camera has adapted to the cold, holding it for long periods of time can cause frost bitten fingers. Just having your hands exposed to subfreezing temperatures for more than a few minutes can make your digits fumble and feel quite painful. Obviously gloves are a requirement for outdoor photography, but what works well? You’ll need both the warmth of a puffy winter mitten but the dexterity and tactile feel of a thin, thin layer. Enter the Mountain Hardwear Power Stretch Glove! I’ve found these gloves to provide the best warmth while still maintaining all the feel of the camera I need. They keep the wind out and while they are no extreme winter glove, they get the job done.

Lastly, keep your camera out of the elements

While the snow may be falling and seem so much better than a rainy day behind the lens, be aware that snow can cause just as much damage. Carry a soft, water absorbent cloth to help dry off your camera while out and about. Also consider investing in a rain hood for your camera if it’s a DSLR, which allows you to keep shooting in the heaviest of downpours. In a pinch, wrapping a towel around your camera will keep the snow off.

There’s no reason to let the cold weather keep you inside or away from your camera. With a little preparation you can ensure great photo opportunities don’t pass you by this winter!

From: digital-photography-school.com