Astounding Words

As advanced consumer electronics like digital cameras, PDAs, multimedia mobile phones, and similar devices become increasingly affordable to the everyday user, we find ourselves having to keep track of more and more types of technology, which makes keeping all of our devices compatible with each other increasingly difficult. The technological marvels that have opened up so many new avenues to the common home user, which used to be reserved for the wealthy, are all sold to us with the advice that they will somehow make our lives easier and better. Specifically looking at digital cameras, the biggest problem of this sort is the fact that there are more than 8 distinctly different types of memory storage card commonly used, and the devices that use them are rarely able to accommodate more than two types at best. SecureDigital, CompactFlash of two generations, Microdrive, SmartMedia (SmartCard), Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro, xD Picture Card, and MultiMediaCard: Just how many of these do you use? If you know, do you know which device uses which? Fortunately, with the advent of multi-format flash-card readers, you can now safely know that no matter which camera, phone, PDA, or PC storage card you use, you can transfer data between any of your other devices quickly and easily.

A multi-format flash card reader is simply a device that plugs into your PC via any of a number of different types of data cable, which has a series of slots that accept one or more of the above types of removable media. It can read and write to these cards, transferring data - be it photos, mp3’s, word documents, or anything else - between the memory card and your computer’s hard drive. From there, you can transfer data back to another card via the card reader, if you wish, or perhaps edit and print off photos from the computer, burn data to a data CD or DVD, or simply keep them in your collection on your PC. They are surprisingly affordable for what they deliver, and there is a very wide range available to the market.

When deciding which card reader is for you, there are thankfully only a few things you need to consider that will make the difference in your purchasing decision. The obvious one is to consider what you actually need: How many, and which types of flash card do you use, and are you likely to add to this number in the foreseeable future? Naturally, then you consider which of the available readers has the features you need. It may be that you wish to be ready for every occasion, opting to simply buy the reader that offers the highest number of different formats.

Since finding a range of readers that support more formats than any one user is likely to need is not difficult, a more important thing to consider is whether a reader is compatible with your PC. The majority use either FireWire or USB 2.0 to transfer between your computer and the device. While there are a few important differences between them such as the maximum speed of the connection, the difference between their connection speeds is the factor least likely to limit how well it operates, and falls beyond the scope of this brief guide. What you do need to know is whether or not you have either a FireWire or USB port on your computer. Chances are, if your computer’s age is anything like your camera’s, you have already have USB support. For a point of reference, USB 1.0 (which is compatible with, but slower than USB 2) began to become standard around the time Pentium III’s were being released. If you’re not sure, you’re looking for a rectangular “female” socket - there will probably be more than one - either on the front or back of your PC measuring roughly 1/2″ wide by roughly 3/16″ high (or about 12mm x 3.5mm). As well as hardware compatibility, if you’re not using a recent version of the Microsoft Windows operating system, you need to consider whether you system will be able to run the software for the reader you buy. While all the software may not be compatible on Linux or Mac OS, flash card readers generally just act as a fairly standard mass-storage device, and the cards often use a slightly modified FAT-16 file system, meaning basic read-write operation is usually easy to set up, even without the software. Finally, there is the cost to consider.

Having laid down the criteria for judging the products, we can compare a couple of the more interesting models on the market. Obviously there are a lot more than just these two out there, however, they serve well by way of example. The SanDisk’s ImageMate 8-in-1, as the name suggests, supports eight different media types: Compact Flash (1 & 2), MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, xD Picture Card, Memory Stick Pro, and Secure Digital. While it does support it, it should be noted that SanDisk recommends against using Microdrive with this device. It has 4 physical ports, each acting as a USB mass storage device (4 virtual drives in total) with any version of Windows later than Windows 95, or Mac OS 9 and later. It uses a USB 2.0 interface, and features very fast transfer speeds from all of the card formats to the PC. If you want compatibility with just about every major flash card in use, then the ImageMate 8-in-1, manufactured by a respected brand in the industry, and usually retailing for just over $60, is a superb purchase.

If you need a better guarantee of compatibility with your system, then you should consider the Addonics Pocket Ultra DigiDrive (UDD). It supports all of the formats of the ImageMate, plus a few less common ones too. Also operating as a USB 2.0 mass storage device, the feature that sets this one apart form the rest is the compatibility. In addition to being compatible with Windows and Mac OS, it includes drivers and support for Sun Solaris 8 and higher, and Linux Kernel 2.4 and higher. This device represents the ultimate in inter-compatibility, and also being priced at around $60, it is a tempting purchase.

Flash card readers are highly affordable devices that take the headache of compatibility issues away. Whether for your camera, PDA, multimedia phone, PC, and any similar device you care to name, these ingenious devices are so affordable that you almost can’t afford not to have one.

Ron Donnelly is editor of the website, buying-guide-for-digital-cameras. You can view the site at http://www.buying-guide-for-digital-cameras.com

Wherever you live, there will be a time when it is dark and dreary. Dark evenings can be a bit depressing but also great for photography!

When it’s dark it can be refreshing to take pictures of …. lights! No, it’s not a misprint. And, of course, light is needed for all photography otherwise we would never see an image. But seeking out artificial lights on dark days can be rewarding.

Where do you find these lights? That’s an easy question to answer - everywhere!

Street lights, house lights, lights for bars and restaurants. Monuments lit up. Boats on water (don’t forget the reflections), piers, lagoons. Cities and towns, buildings, shops, institutions. Roads and thoroughfares - lights form street lighting, cars, bikes. Fireworks, fairgrounds …..

Everywhere!

The great thing is that you can capture some fantastic images by using long shutter speeds at night (you will HAVE to use a longer speed in any case due to the lower ambient light levels). Longer shutter speeds will result in trails of light across your image if the light source is moving. This is particularly so when photographing moving vehicles - the front and rear lights can produce exciting and interesting effects.

Shooting at night can give spectacular effects and can make a familiar subject appear totally different. Worth a go.

Eric Hartwell runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com.

Photography is art. Photographing is to be in love with your art. We will be talking about the light side of photographing wildlife in just a minute. First, may I ask. What impresses you about photography? One of the best landscape photographers I ever knew was Ansel Adams. He was a master at what he did but in addition to this, he photographed areas that after his photo changed dramatically. He photographed the exact location of the San Francisco bridge, without the bridge. He was an artist in control of his light. Another photographer’s name escapes me but he did city landscapes. His photos had just the right light at just the right moment. Although he never saw what he was photographing, he saved the moment for us. You see, he photographed from the feel of the sun on his face to determine just the right moment as it were since he was totally blind.

I know a photographer that was flown 1500 miles to photograph a horse. Although he was impatient to photograph the horse, he waited for 3 days hanging around a pool and swimming while relaxing in the sun. He had deadlines to make so when he did photograph the horse, he was then flown several hundred miles to develop the photos then several hundred more miles to deliver them. Although impatient, his patience paid off with superb photos that were the making of his reputation. He waited the 3 days because the sun was not just right on any of those days. The person who hired him was impatient because he had a close deadline to make and the photographer had already arrived a few days late. The photographer was impatient because he wanted to get back home to see his newborn baby. The newborn baby was the reason he was late in the first place, and it was the lack of sun that detained him after he arrived.

Photographing wildlife is no different. You still have to be patient. The wildlife you seek may come to you if you are in the right place. In the process of going to them, you must follow some rules. The rules are to use common sense but most people don’t have common sense around animals. This is because they don’t live around them and don’t know how to behave around them. Let me give you an example. When visiting a National Park, I read about a gentleman that thought it would be cute to take a picture of a bear behind his steering wheel. He baited the bear with a trail of food, which the bear followed, right into his car. He then slammed the bear in his car, which, you guessed it; scared the bear and the bear trashed the inside of his car. When the Ranger arrived, he had to climb on top of the car, reach down and opened the door (putting the Ranger in danger). The door opened and the bear flew for cover. He had met more than his match. The visitor asked the Ranger why they kept such dangerous animals in the Park? Lesson 1. Don’t bait animals.

I remember Christmas morning several year ago (try 21 years), I was feeling sorry for myself because that was the first year I couldn’t go home for Christmas because I lived in the mountains and couldn’t leave for more than a day since I heated with wood. I decided to grab my camera and lens and set out for this peak to photograph elk. I knew where they would hang out so I headed back through 24-28 inches of fresh snow (uphill). I found the elk but I was too low and they were in the clearing. I sneaked back into the woods and popped out slowly where they had been, trying not to scare them. They weren’t there! I looked further up the mountain and there they were (Looking At ME). I tried to act like I wasn’t heading their way and back into the woods so I could come out where they were now. Out I came about 45 minutes later and they were NOT THERE! Up the hill I looked and there they were LOOKING AT ME! They had my number and I thought I heard them laughing that time. Lesson 2. Wait for them to give you the opportunity to be photographed.

Lesson 3. Never come between momma and her offspring. While hiking in a National Park on the trail, we came across some elk standing in the edge of the forest. The trail would be going right by them so I figured they would move on. They didn’t. They stood their ground and stomped their front feet and “barked” at us. Yes I said they barked at us! I never heard of this behavior before and no one that I knew confirmed hearing of it. We just left the trail and went around them. It was springtime and I would give odds they had calves hidden in the brush.

Lesson 4. Never get within the wildlife’s personal space. While out looking for an opportunity to photograph some Mule Deer, I wasn’t quite paying attention but just walking along. You know how you feel when you think someone is staring at you? All of a sudden, I looked down over this ridge I was passing by and there were about a dozen sets of eyes staring at me. They were watching me to see if I would be a threat. I was just out of their personal space so they didn’t take flight. I stopped, pulled out my camera with my long lens and took pictures for 45 minutes. They didn’t feel threatened and I got close with my lens instead of my body.

Lesson 5. Keep your pets under control around wildlife. I was riding horseback through some backcountry trails in the spring. I had a dog that found me so I always kept him on a leash even on horseback (be sure of your horse and don’t get in trouble with this one). We came up over this ridge at a good trot and down into a little sheltered opening. Before I noticed, I was in the middle of a calving area for elk. There were about 30 cow elk and their calves in that sheltered area and I just kept going as if we belonged there. If that dog would have not been on a leash, something terrible would have happened. Just a note also, the elk didn’t panic because of the horse. Chew on that a while.

Although there are a lot more lessons, I want to leave you with this. Enjoying wildlife is like enjoying children. You want them to have fun. You want them to feel safe. And you want them to have positive interactions. Horses have been domesticated for 2000-3000 years and yet if frightened, they will revert to the thinking of a wild animal. Wildlife are wild animals and they need to be respected as such. Think before you photograph and photograph when it feels just right like the sun warming your face.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Photography

Babies can be the most challenging and rewarding portraits to take, but can also be the most frustrating.

Babies tend to sleep, eat and cry a lot and won’t pose in front of the camera but don’t let that put you off photographing them. Creating the perfect baby portrait, when done right, will certainly be rewarding.

One of the most important factors in photographing babies is patience and the way you apply child psychology when relating to the baby. Babies over six months may be shy and won’t react well to a complete stranger. This is where child psychology comes in - you must try to play with the baby, or even become a child yourself while taking the photograph. The keys of your car can be very effective. But remember, your job is to take a baby portrait; you must be able to react quickly when the infant responds to your entertainment.

Shooting a portrait of a newborn baby can be difficult. At this age the baby will not be active, so it’s better to focus on close-up headshots. Try using natural light from a bedroom window to add mood to the portrait.

Babies over a few months of age will be more alert and will have a lot more movement in them. Shooting fast is a necessity, the infant will tire quickly.

Babies seven months or older can be very tricky to shoot. The baby will bore quickly and will not want to stay in the same position.

If you are serious about baby photography and you tend to shoot from your own studio make sure you have a lot of toys to amuse the infants. A light colour background will work best and shoot the portraits in colour and black and white.

Parents may be worried about the affect of studio lights on their baby. Point out that strobe lights have no effect on kids. Try to point this out before the parent asks.

Don’t ever handle a baby without the parents consent. Most parents will be very protective and won’t react well to a stranger lifting the infant.

Watch out for the fingers - fingers in the mouth can be attractive but on most occasions they will obscure the face.

If you plan to resell the baby photograph to an agency make sure you get a release form signed from the parents. There is a large market out there for baby pictures but agencies or magazines won’t touch them without the parents consent. For baby portraits to be sellable they must be technically perfect, but the picture must illustrate the baby being active or some form of child care.

TJ Tierney is an award winning Irish Landscape photographer and a freelance writer.
He frequently writes for the shopping directory www.shop-4us.com and the photography directory www.goldprints.com
To view or buy some of his images visit his on line gallery @ www.goldenirishlight.com

In Part I of this article, I talked about the fact that many digital SLR cameras are quite similar in features and price.

It’s challenging to evaluate them all and find the best one. In fact, it’s a lot like comparing apples to apples.

But faced with a pile of apples at the supermarket you can pick out the exact one you want. How?

• If you love to make apple pie, then you’re going to go straight for the tart flavor of a Granny Smith.
• If an apple slice in the morning makes your day, you’ll want something mellower like a Fuji.
• If you enjoy pelting others with ripe fruit, you’re looking for an apple that is over the hill.

Can you see where I’m going with this?

Here’s how to find the best digital SLR camera: decide what photos you love to take FIRST.

Personal Photographic Profile

Before you compare prices or look at a single digital SLR camera, decide how you’re going to use it.

Are you a naturalist who loves to go on hikes and take photos of wildflowers?

Or are you more inclined to pull out the camera to take shots of your adrenaline-fueled children rampaging about the living room?

These two people should not get the same digital SLR camera.

Some digital SLRs are ideal to take on hikes, but won’t be able to keep up with kids in motion. The super-fast action camera may have way too many features for a budding nature photographer.

This means that the first step to find the best digital SLR is to develop your personal photographic profile.

Photographic Styles

Here are some common styles of photography that might appeal to you.

• Action - you enjoy photographing fast-moving subjects
• Portrait - faces fascinate you, and your subjects are willing to stay still
• Landscape - you want to capture the beauty of nature
• Macro / Closeup - flowers, bugs and other details are common subjects in your photos
• Low Light / Indoors - more often than not, you camera is used inside a house or museum
• Travel / Outdoor - you enjoy taking your camera on short hikes and long vacations

Decide which one of these best describes the photos that you love to take (it’s OK to choose several).

Now you’re prepared to go out and find the best digital SLR camera.

Instead of sifting though every single camera on the market, just find the one that matches your personal photographic profile.

Even though all digital SLRs are similar, you have a quick and easy way to evaluate them.

Since you know what photos you’d like the camera to capture, you can rest assured that the SLR you choose will help you take the photos that you love.

Chris Roberts dispenses practical plain-English advice and information about digital SLR cameras at the Digital SLR Guide. His 5-week ecourse in digital SLR technique helps beginners get the most out of their digital SLR cameras.

The photography industry has travelled through many eras since the introduction of the earliest cameras. Now there is such a wide range of equipment. There are cameras designed for underwater photography, panoramic views, cameras for portraits and cameras for architecture.

Most of us are simple photographers. But even so, adding to your equipment to allow for special circumstances makes you and your equipment even more versatile.

The SLR transformed photography and made a variety of photographic situations available and accessible to the ordinary photographer. Starting with 35mm models, and progressing to digital, SLRs have provided the user the versatility to add specialised wide-angle and telephoto lenses to his standard set up.

Since the introduction of the SLR, ordinary photographers have been able to take a wide variety of images without the encumbrance of hefty and often expensive equipment. Now, even basic amateur photographers have the ability to take landscapes, action, portrait and nature shots which can rival those of the professionals.

For the enthusiastic, there is the ability to widen the range even further. Now you can, if you wish, add accessories that will allow you to take ultra-wide shots, close-ups, microscopic and telescopic images. As you are able to see through the viewfinder exactly what the accessory attached to the lens mount sees, such photography is both easily available and accurate in operation.

Eric Hartwell runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com