Aspect Ratio

When printing all you want is to ask your printer to print an 8x10 or a 5x7 and have it happen. Why do we have problems with this? It is all about your camera's sensor size and the typical size of frames for prints and sizes of paper commonly available. If your camera has a sensor, and most do today, even the APS-C and Full Frame sensors, which are of the 1x1.5 aspect ratio you will then be able to print without cropping at the following sizes: 2x3, 4x6, 8x12, 16x24, 20x30, 32x48.

But that's not the common frame sizes for say an 8x10 or 16x20. If this is what you want to print, there is no way of getting around the fact that you will have to crop out a portion(s) of your image. And yes you will lose some of your valuable image real estate. Here is a graphic of what you would have to crop out if printing to an aspect ration other than the aspect ratio of your camera's sensor.


credit: johncornicello.com

This may or may not bother you, especially if shooting with a wide-angle lens for large landscape scenes, but when doing portraits, for example, pulling in tight on a face, you may find that you have pulled in so close that you are going to lose too much in order to get that printed in the size you are wanting, or offering your client. If this is the case you will be forced to print in the size which accommodates the aspect ratio of your sensor. One can argue that training oneself to back up in while shooting so that if a crop is necessary you will have the extra image real estate to do so without losing that critical space, but unless we are consistently shooting for these considerations, we are usually too caught up in the shoot to consider this important aspect.

If you'd like to read John Cornicello's entire article, and it is short and very clear, you can do so here

1st Angels Artistic Expressions 2

I want to preface this with a hearty congratulations to all of the artists and to Elizabeth Edwards who is the web master of 1stAngel Art Network. I am grateful to be included in this second edition, and look forward to the third.


Artistic Expressions 2 is the second collection of works of International artists publishing their work on the world wide web.

1stAngel Arts Magazine has a growing reputation for gathering some of the greatest artists of the age in one place.

This, the second volume of collected works from just some of those artists, should appeal to all tastes, from the abstract to the realist minded among us.

Each artist has chosen works they feel sum up best who they are and what they produce.

Each artist has included one piece of work that is not published elsewhere, either in print or on the www. In some cases this piece was created just for Artistic Expressions.

We hope you enjoy viewing ARTISTIC EXPRESSIONS 2 as much as we enjoyed publishing it.

****A smaller version of this book, hardcover and softcover will be available soon




About the Author
Elizabeth Edwards
1stAngel Manchester, England

Happy Thanks for all those who celebrate it

No photos to post, but I did want to wish all those who celebrate this famous Holiday a Happy Thanksgiving. We have a full house of relatives here today and the day is full of watching two football games, cutting and chopping, dicing and slicing, basting and pie-making, decorations laid on the main table, and many phone calls to far-off relatives and loved ones. A wish for all of you, a thankful spirit in all of us.

Shot of a Locomotive

Downed Alder log Poster Framed and Canvas Fine Art Prints from Imagekind.com

Available for purchase


Downed Alder log by Rich Collins




In Print sizes 7x10" up to 32x48"
On Canvas or archival papers
Framing selections are numerous
Shipping options to fit your needs
100% Guaranted

Asleep in a log

Available for Purchase

Print sizes 7x10" up to 40x60"
On Canvas or archival papers
Framing selections are numerous
Shipping options to fit your needs
100% Guaranted

Raw Adjustments in Camera Raw 5

This one will not be a showstopper to many of you, but for those of us who like to move a bit faster than we have become accustomed to with Photoshop and the Raw5 software application for adjustments, this article will address how to make those adjustments in some situations without even moving into Photoshop.

Photoshopcafe which is known for their incredible advice and great tutorials offers this seemingly basic, if Wow-style improvement.

But before you go, pick out an image you'd like to work on. Follow some of the steps if you like and enjoy. However if you don't have Adobe Photoshop CS4 and Camera Raw4 then this may just tempt you to look into upgrading.

How to Take Great Halloween Photos

Carving pumpkins is a national tradition and you can find dozens of articles with instructions for this, but taking a great Halloween photos is also a part of this holiday. I found this article at ehow.com submitted by marymac.

Costumed kids, pumpkin patches and spooky yard displays provide great photo subjects. Here are some tips for making the best of your Halloween photographs.

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• good digital camera
• nice sunny day for daytime shots
• lots of extra lighting/spotlights for night shots
• willing subjects!

1. Step 1
   
   Big inflatable pumpkins are nice too!

   Head to the pumpkin patch. Taking photos with fields of pumpkins behind your subject makes for a fantastic scenic fall shot. Let the kids sit right on the ground or on a pumpkin and stand back to get the full effect of the surrounding pumpkin patch.

2. Step 2

   Find an antique black iron fence. This great background for Halloween shots can be found in most historic cemeteries or old neighborhoods. Old gravestones in the background create a truly eerie effect.

3. Step 3

   Create a spooky lighting effect. Use a spotlight from below where the subject is sitting, or use yellow or green light bulbs.

4. Step 4

   Set the stage. Create great trick-or-treater pictures by having kids walk towards you on the sidewalk as you sit on the porch step- taking the picture from the angle at their level will create more compelling shots.

5. Step 5

   Costume ball. Instead of trying to take Halloween photos when kids are anxious to get outside for trick or treating have them try their costumes on a few days before Halloween in order to get higher quality photos when they are more relaxed. Or, you could take them to a studio for extra fancy Halloween portraits.

6. Step 6

   Candy Fun! Don’t forget to take pictures of one of the most fun times of the evening- the candy swap. When parents check for safety, kids trade one brand of candy for another, and mom and dad snag a treat or two; pictures of the kids with all their candy spread out in front of them will create fun memories.

7. Step 7

   Halloween Past and Present. Create a digital photo album that’s all Halloween through the years of costumed fun. You could choose a black album cover and label the album "Ghosts of Halloween Past."

8. Step 8

   Hayride Fun. Hayrides or kids sitting on haystacks create another great Halloween background for seasonal photographs.

I might add to this article that once Halloween is over, the night or the weekend after invite some of the kids over for a review with your photos.

Submit a Tip and Get a Thanks

The best ideas come from our readers and we want you to send them in. If we like the ideas, we'll include your link to your blog, website or shop just for telling us about it. Instructions for doing so, by clicking on the Title Bar above, or here.




And here's an example of a tip. Shooting into the sun presents multiple problems, but you really want that sunset. You could take your chances on getting a good shot by just aiming your lens into the setting sun and hoping for a nice capture. But what more than likely will occur is you will get a blown out upper and a darkened lower half image. The worst case is a burnt sensor, if you are using a digital body. Try adjusting the angle of the lens away but not at 90°, say slightly oblique and add a lens hood to further block any direct sunlight from entering the lens directly. The other tool many of us use is a Cirular/Polarizer lens which darkens down the brightest rays adding a saturated look to the blues and greens. This is merely a threaded filter which screws onto your lens.

Now it's your turn and you might want to share a site which offers tips rather than write your own.

Honoring Veteran's Day

I wonder how many of us spend time thinking about a Vet in our family? We see them and we greet them, perhaps even invite them over for a gathering or a meal. But how often have we planned a celebration get-together or a meal in honor of them and their service? Perhaps this November, on the 11th, we might take an extra step and do just that. We may or may not have heard much about their experiences, some of which may have been extraordinarily stressful, others which ring a grand sense of humor. Let them share some of it with you this Veterans Day. And as a tribute perhaps a few photos taken during their visit and a prints of a few special ones to give them once printed.

Or if your veteran is no longer with you, then consider a visit to their grave site or special place they spent time at or talked of often. And after that you might wish to hang a photo of your visit as a remembrance.