What quality are my photos going to be when I use an online photo finisher?

The quality of your photos can be anywhere on a very large scale when they are printed online. I recommend finding a informational site of recommended printers to narrow down the competition to a printer that will deliver the quality that you expect. After finding someone who will meet all of your expectations then I recommend sticking with them.

What paper will they be printed on?

They paper used by professional photo finishers to print digital pictures is usually a high quality print paper with different gloss finishes. The paper is similar to the feel of your prints from a film camera but the process for developing is very different. When film is use the paper reacts to light shined on it through the negatives. The digital paper is regular paper made to copy the feel of film paper. Almost always it is equivalent to the high quality digital photo paper that you can buy at places like Office Max or any other office supply store.

Will they look like film photographs?

It is amazing but they do. There are no printer lines like we are used to when the photos are printed on your personal printer at home. The only drawback is that there is no digital camera in the world that can match the clarity of a film photograph.

How do I get the best quality possible?

99% of the quality of your photos will depend on the number of mega pixels that your camera has and the quality of the lens. The mega pixels will decide how much detail is in your picture, the higher the mega pixels the better. Normal mega pixels now are between 3 and 6. The one thing to remember is that if the lens is not that high of quality then no matter how many mega pixels your camera has the pictures will never be very clear. For instance my family has an old 1.6 mega pixel Sony Cybershot camera with a Carl Ziess lens which is really high quality. The pictures are great and our 3.5 mega pixel camera still does not compare. The Carl Ziess lens is finely ground and can focus a clearer picture on the element of the camera that records the digital information. With a good lens and a high mega pixel camera your pictures should look perfect.

To view our recommended sources for digital photo printing online, visit this page: Photo Mugs.

Mindi Haehl is the owner of an informational digital photo printing website.

Posted by admin as Photographers Portal at 12:42 AM CDT

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When your inspiration runs a little dry, try a little exercise to get your photographic taste buds working again.

Here is the process:

Pick up your camera. Now.

You are going to take a picture.

It can be a picture of anything. Don’t look for something out of the ordinary. Perhaps a cup on the table, a saucepan, the cat, a shirt, your car. Anything. The subject is unimportant.

But, before you power up and take the snap, spend a few minutes looking at the subject. This is where the exercise pays dividends.

How is the subject lit? Is the lighting pleasing? Do the colours and textures stand out in the best possible way or can you move the subject to get a better lighting scheme?

Look further at your subject. What is the best distance away to stand? Can you fill the frame or do you need to get closer or move further back? What about taking an image of only part of the subject.

Is it going okay so far?

Right. What is the best angle to view the subject from? Left, right, low, high or straight on? Is there any part of the subject that would make that subject look better or is there an angle of view that gives an ordinary subject an unusual and refreshing twist?

What aperture might you like to use? The larger the aperture the shallower the depth of field. Do you want the background to be blurred or are you aiming for maximum focus depth?

There may be other considerations - more exposure, less exposure, polarising filters etc.

Now, with all this in mind, take your picture.

What have you learned about photographing subjects?

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

Posted by admin as Photographers Portal at 6:12 PM CDT

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