by: Rick Blythe

Many new cameras will come with built-in shutter speeds of up to 30 seconds or longer, which is enough for most long-exposure photography. Other cameras will have a B (bulb) setting that will keep the shutter open as long as you keep your finger on the shutter release button or a T (time) exposure setting that will keep the shutter open until you press the shutter release button a second time. Cameras with bulb settings can also be fitted with a locking cable release so that it isn’t necessary to keep your finger on the shutter for long exposures. If your camera doesn’t have a cable release, you can use the self-timer option found on most cameras. This will eliminate camera vibration from your hands.

A tripod, or something to rest your camera on, is essential because the camera must be completely still during the time that the shutter is open. If you want to make a fast-moving car blur as it speeds by you, a relatively fast shutter speed of 1/20 of a second may give you the results you are after, however, if you want to make stars in the nighttime sky look like glowing rings as the earth rotates, your exposure may last all night.

The light meter on your camera may not be able to accurately judge the best aperture setting for longer shutter speeds, especially in low-light situations, so your best bet is probably to “bracket.” This means taking up to six pictures of the same subject, but doubling the shutter speed each time. This will give you a variety of effects and exposures and allow you to choose the best shot. In general, slow shutter speeds will allow a lot of light into the camera, which means that you will want to use a small aperture (ie. f/22) to avoid over-exposing the shot. In bright daylight it will be necessary to use the lowest ISO available and a neutral density filter to cut the light down.

Some great effects and shutter speeds to try are:

Moving stars: several hours
Moving cars at night: 10 seconds
Waterfalls: 4 seconds +
Amusement park rides: 1 second

About The Author
Rick Blythe authors Better Digital Photography.
This and other articles can be found at http://betterdigitalphotography.blogspot.com/2004/10/slow-shutter-speeds-and-long-exposure.html

Author: Matthew Reider

Plan in advance: If you have a plan to visit out of your country, start your plan at least three to six month prior to your visit. Know the country and destination where you are planning to visit. Know more about the climatic condition of that country and find out the travel advices for the country. Select best time of travel for that particular country or city.

Book air tickets in advance: If you have finalized your tour program, book air tickets in advance as many airlines offer a discount for tickets booked in advance. Now get your passport, visa and other travel documents ready.

Learn the local expenses: You might not know whether you are paying the right amount for taxi, hotel and other commodities in the particular city, therefore it is better to search for the basic information about the city and you will get plenty of information on Internet. You should also have the fair knowledge of exchange rate, as this will help you in converting your currency.

Visit local shops: We all do shopping whenever we are on tour and you should try to do shopping from the local shops instead of big malls. In local store, you will find things cheaper and affordable.

Keep essential medicine: You should have a fair idea of the medicines that may be required to you while you are on tour. In addition to your daily medicine, you should also carry away with you some common medicines such as medicines for cough, cold and fever. You should also see that if immunization is required for a particular city or country.

Keep Traveler’s checks: Instead of taking a lot of money with you, it is better to take traveler’s check or credit card with you. In case if you miss these, you should immediately report to the banks or credit card providers. You should also avoid bringing valuables with you.

Dress casually: Your dress sometimes indicates about yourself to thieves and that is a risk for you, so you should dress casually. It is better to stay alert while you are in another city or country. If you see something wrong in your neighborhood, keep yourself in safe position.

Travel Insurance: Many insurance providers are also offering travel insurance and you should ensure a suitable insurance policy for you and your family.

Stay in medium to large Hotels: Never stay in very small hotels, as the security arrangement in these hotels is insufficient. Try to take a medium to large hotel. In most of such hotels adequate arrangement of security are made. Do not go out alone or with your family out of the hotel especially during nighttime and if you have to go, ask hotel staff to provide taxi.

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesBase.com

About the Author:

Having travelled to over 40 countries around the world, Matt Reider started CanuckAbroad.com as a resource for finding cheap flights, travel advice, and information for expats abroad.

Author: Carol Miller

I admit it - I’ve been slow to embrace the digital photography phenomenon. As a hobbyist, I have two film cameras, an old manual focus Nikon and a newer autofocus Canon Rebel, and I resisted the temptation to indulge in a digital camera up until recently, even though each of my children had them for years now. But recently my father gave me his mid-priced Olympus (he didn’t like the menus), and I’ve been giving it a try. And, to my surprise, I even like it.

My favorite thing about the camera is pretty obvious - no film. My father gave me two (bless him) substantial memory cards, and I just don’t run out of film. I don’t pay to develop photos that I don’t really want now that I’ve seen them (I don’t pay to develop photos period), and since I can actually see how they look on the spot, I can delete bad shots to save the space for more. Taking lots of shots helps me improve, and improves the chances of a better than average photograph as well, and now it’s free. My camera has settings on it that allow me to pretend I have film - I can set film speed and worry about aperture/shutter speed combinations just like with my other cameras, so I can still use what I already know about photography, which I really like. And I love not having to wait to see how the pictures came out.

The other really cool thing about digital photography is photo editing. I haven’t invested in Photoshop yet, but I have my eye on the Elements program for next year. I just use Google’s free Picasa and sometimes my PhotoDeluxe editor (came free with my scanner), and even then I can do an incredible amount of really exciting things with my pictures. The best is being able to correct poor exposures (I admit, I often don’t notice backlighting). With a couple of adjustments, what would have been a throwaway photo can become a keeper! I remove red-eye easily, sharpen focus, adjust contrast, warm up colors, and remove excessive unwanted tint (such as from lamplight). Cropping is my favorite - those lucky few who have their own darkroom crop their photos routinely, but us regular folks used to have to take what we got - no longer! We can pick and choose, and glory in removing unwanted background, excess sky - we can even remove most of the shot and make it a close-up. Resizing is a snap - want some wallets? No sweat. 8×10, 5×7, some oddball size - just a simple selection will do it. And don’t forget special effects. Depending on the editor, you can turn your photo into a painting, add glow, filters, neon - your imagination can go wild!

When you have your masterpiece ready to go, you can print it on photo paper at home, or you can send it out for processing. Through Picasa, you can click and send it to a processor via the internet, and get your professionally printed photos in the mail - but only the ones you have decided you want. You can upload your photos to a web page, email them, use them in a blog or on MySpace - they are easy to share.

So, as you can see, I am a digital photography convert. There is so much fun in having this kind of control over your work that it has actually rejuvenated my love of photography. If you haven’t already converted too, think about it. It really is a blast.

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesBase.com

About the Author:

Interested in learning more about digital photography? Then try visiting DigitalPhotography4All.com where you can get real information for regular folks, and lots of ideas to improve your own digital photography.

125 ml orange juice
2 tsp grenadine
a little salt
a pinch of cayenne pepper

Shake well with ice in a cocktail shaker.
Serve either over lots of ice in a highball glass, or in a cocktail glass.

From Drinkalizer.com

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