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Disposable cameras are cheap and easy to use. If you just want to take some snapshots and have fun then this is the camera for you. You can buy them in bulk for weddings and other special occasions. You can even take some of them underwater. Whether you take them snorkeling or to a messy kid’s birthday party, you won’t have to worry about ruining your expensive equipment.

Disposable cameras are also called “single-use” or “one-time” cameras. You can get both digital and film disposable cameras. They’re available almost everywhere, from your local camera store to the grocery store. These cameras take all the work, worry and fuss out of picture taking and leave pure enjoyment. The photo quality is often quite good, and the point-and-shoot nature of almost all disposable cameras mean that you can capture those moments that are missed as you fiddle with all the buttons and wires and the 100+ pages of detailed instructions in your expensive camera’s owner’s manual. Additionally, when you point a little plastic camera at someone, the reaction you get will likely be very different; people are disarmed, more casual and open.

There are a wide variety of Disposable Cameras on the market — and many uses for them, too. Most models come with a rear monitor to view images. They are fully automatic, including the flash (if they have one), usually have a self-timer, and occasionally have an image-delete function. Prices for a camera with the capability for 25 or 27 pictures range from $9 to $19. These prices may or may not include processing, which adds around $10. You can get cheaper prices if you buy in wholesale in quantity or buy without a flash. They can be as inexpensive as $2.00 each!

Most models will yield an image of sufficient quality that it can be blown up to an 8 X 10 inch print, but not all. Some models that are under $10 create overexposed flash images when used with the camera’s short flash range (only 4 feet to 8 feet). Another drawback with some of the cheaper models especially is that the viewfinder can be difficult to see through. Typically, even the more expensive versions make you wait between flashes, limiting how many pictures you can take in a given period of time.

Many disposable cameras have a rear monitor that lets you delete the image you just took. However, on most of these, you cannot scroll through the photos you have taken, or use the screen to frame a photo. On some of the less expensive models, the delete function is useless because there is no rear monitor to see what you are deleting.

Both the film disposable camera and the digital disposable camera are convenient and fun, but if you are looking for professional results or a variety of options, stick with the higher end film or digital cameras. And if you shoot photos on a regular basis, it’s cheaper in the long run to purchase a regular, non-disposable camera even if you pay to process the prints.

However, having the option to take a disposable camera with you on a family vacation, work party or wedding can be great. Sometimes you don’t want to take an expensive camera on a trip for fear it will be stolen, you’ll leave it behind, or it might get broken — an alternative solution comes in the form of the less expensive but perfectly serviceable disposable camera. You get the photos you want without the worry you don’t need.

Disposable Cameras Info provides detailed information about digital, wedding, and underwater disposable cameras, as well as cheap and wholesale disposable cameras. Disposable Cameras Info is the sister site of Underwater Cameras Web.

Did you ever see an image where only a small part of it is sharp? Using the aperture ring correctly can maximise the artistic look of your image.

Not only does it determine the depth-of-field, it also has the power to direct the human eye.

The human eye is instinctively drawn towards noticeable points of an image. These are usually the sharpest and most important parts of an image. Using a wide aperture to limit the area of sharp focus can direct attention to the most important elements of your image and blur out any off-putting backgrounds.

This isn’t that hard to accomplish, and can be blissful if done correctly.

Lets start off with understanding depth-of-field, aperture and f/stops.

Depth-of -field: The distance from the front to back that is in reasonable sharp focus is called the depth-of-field. There are two ways of controlling depth-of-field: Use a small aperture or focus on a point farther away from your camera.

Aperture and f/stops: The aperture is an opening in the centre of the lens through which light passes. The amount of light, which passes through an aperture, is indicated by f/stops. The lower the f/stop the more light that passes through the aperture. Opening up one full f/stop doubles the amount of light entering the camera. F/4 admits twice the light of f5.6.

By selecting a small or narrow aperture (f/16 or up), all or most of the scene will be reasonably sharp. This is ideal for landscape photography. By using a small aperture you increase the depth-of-field.

By selecting a large or wide aperture (f/5.6 or below) you decide which part of your image is sharp. This is ideal for taking pictures of wildlife, portraits, sport and small objects. By using a large aperture you decrease the depth-of-field

The smaller the f/number, the wider the aperture.

There is about twice the depth-of-field behind the point of focus as there is in front of it, using any aperture.

Now you know how to isolate your subject, so it’s time to put it to use. Set your camera to aperture-priority (AV) mode, and then select a large aperture (f/2 - f/5.6). By doing this the camera will select the shutter speed automatically. If you are shooting wildlife choose a low viewpoint to maximise the image, try putting the camera lens at eye-level with the subject.

While the above will help to isolate you subject, it’s only a start. Know your subject, especially when shooting wildlife. Don’t be fooled into thinking all elements of an image must be sharp to be considered a good photo.

TJ Tierney. Irish landscape photographer. www.goldprints.com

Digital Photography Tip One - Busting The Dust:

Digital SLRs with removable lenses are prone to dust landing on the sensor. Static electricity around the sensor can possibly contribute to attracting dust particles, or other elements to this sensitive area of your camera.

To get rid of the dust you can use a camera blower brush, and tilt the camera down while blowing. Take care not to get any of the hairs snagged inside!

Digital Photography Tip Two - Shedding Light On The Night:

For night photography using only a flash can leave you with a well exposed - but isolated - subject against a dark background. Most digital cameras nowadays have a slow-sync flash feature, which combines the short flash exposure with a proper exposure for the rest of the background. On a camera such as the Olympus SP500, this feature is a preset mode called “Night Portrait”.

To ensure expert nighttime shooting, a good digital photography tip is to look for a digital camera with the following features: shutter speed of up to 30 seconds; shutter priority mode; manual ISO settings at least to 400; slow-sync shutter mode.

Digital Photography Tip Three - Nit-Picking About Pixels:

When buying a digital camera you will be confronted with a vast choice of various megapixel specifications. It is worth knowing that not all pixels are created equal!

Some cameras have more pixels crammed onto the same sensor size as another model. More pixels in this case means smaller, and therefore less effective pixels. In this situation the camera with fewer pixels on a similar-sized sensor, might actually produce better images all round.

Digital Photography Tip Four - Spice Up Your Space:

With digital photography you will find yourself taking more pictures - and chances - than ever before, without the worry of the cost of failure. However, that means you will need a lot of digital storage space, especially if you are diligent about making backup copies of your best work.

If you’re doing out-of-town nature photography, a digital photography tip to keep in mind is to make sure you take along enough storage devices, such as a laptop, DVD’s, and external hard drives. RAW images can quickly get you into storage problems!

Digital Photography Tip Five - Remember To Flash:

For great outdoor portraits, make sure you use your digital camera’s fill flash, or flash on mode. Don’t wait for the camera to decide whether or not the flash is necessary. It might decide that there is generally enough outdoor light.

The fill flash mode will ensure proper exposure for the background and enough flash to expose the subject in the foreground, leaving you with a professional looking portrait.

Lastly, remember that, if someone offers expert advice, they may expect a generous digital photography tip!

For more information visit Best-Digital-Photography.com

Rika Susan of Article-Alert.com researches, writes, and publishes full-time on the Web. Copyright of this article: 2006 Rika Susan. This article may be reprinted if the resource box and hyperlinks are left intact.

There are a large number of top 10 digital camera lists available on the Internet today. Each one of them is different and they all have different sets of criteria, on the basis of which these lists are compiled.

However, it is not necessary that a top 10 list by a particular site is the top 10 list for you. Since every camera user has his/her own preferences, it is not really correct to assume that one top 10 list works for everyone.

So, the best thing that you can do is to develop a set of top 10 criteria for yourself. Once you do this, then you will be able to develop your own top 10 digital camera list. So, now the question arises that how do you develop your criteria list.

The first and foremost thing to do is to determine the reason why you want to buy a digital camera. What are you going to use the camera for? How do you plan to use the photographs? And the most critical question of all, what is your budget?

Let us assume that you answer the above questions in the following manner :
You want a digital camera to take pictures of your family and during holidays.

You plan to use the photographs by printing them out to put into family albums, calendars and to post them on your web site.

Your budget for the camera is $200-300.

The above statements are enough to narrow down your choices quite a bit.

You specifically need to look at the battery life of the camera - since on vacation you will not be able to charge your digital camera at all times.

You also need to see the storage space available on the camera as it will not be possible for you to keep on transferring images at all times.

You need a camera with zoom options but whether you go for an optical zoom or digital zoom will get decided by your budgetary constraints.

You need flash since family photographs are normally taken indoors.

Your camera should be user-friendly, since it is likely that other/younger family members will be using the camera as well.
The camera should be sturdy as well, especially if you are on vacation with young children.

The camera should be compact and light-weight as it is not possible to carry big, bulky cameras while traveling.

A digital camera which can shoot good images to be put on a web site and in calendars needs to have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. So this is another factor to be considered.

If you visit the beach while vacationing, then you might want to consider a water-proof camera. However, to fit this into your budget might be a bit difficult. Hence, there are digital cameras which come with water-proof cases and are cheaper. So, this might be the next best option for you.

You can also go for a digital camera which supports MPG files, so you can click mini-videos. This is a great option for those people who do not possess digital video cameras.

Kevin Rockwell worked as a network TV cameraman for 20 years shooting news and sports. Now a devoted fan of digital photography and video he works to gather information, tips and news for digital camera users. Oh and he loves to shoot pictures of his kids playing sports.
http://great-digital-cameras.com/gdcj.html

First impressions last. The first time someone sees your house will probable be a picture in a real estate office or a snapshot taken last summer. Subjects affecting the appearance of your house are light, angle, distortion and setting.

Houses consist of straight lines and geometric shapes, both of which need a
point source light like the sun to define the edges. That leaves out cloudy days.
The best color light is on hour before sunset and one hour after sunrise. Get up
early one day and notice how the sun strikes the front of your house. Do the same
thing in the late afternoon. The better time will be the one when the sun strikes the front at an oblique angle, say forty-five to sixty degrees from the left or right. The object in to have the sun skim across the front while illuminating two thirds of
the area. A blue sky will make the house look cleaner. As long as your line of sight is not obstructed, a telephoto lens setting can be used for your framing.

An attractive angle shows four-fifths of the front and one fifth of one side.
Avoid any unattractive object that blocks the view. For an attractive look, include
some greenery at each end of the house. Sight a line from the middle of the hour
and place the camera at that height. You may have to use a ladder or shoot from the window of another building. Do whatever you can to prevent convergence of the
vertical line. Make sure the vertical edges line up with the sides of the view finder.
If some distortion is necessary, split the difference equally.

The best months for house photography are May and September when the lawn is
at its best. Use overhanging branches creatively, covering part of the blue sky and
even a corner of the house. No vehicles or people should be in the picture. Vary
the angle and heights of the camera and use a tripod. Give it your best shot and
I’m sure your house will appreciate it.

Early to rise has its benefits. Is this article helpful?

AVOID the photolibraries that sell pictures for under a dollar a time -I don’t think you can make serious money from these.Just don’t even CONSIDER it.
Some of those libraries trade on the inexperience of amateurs.
After they take their commission they’ll give you about 20 cents on each dollar !
They mostly make their money by selling advertising on their site - mainly adsense.you’re just a cheap content provider for them !!!!

ROYALTY FREE companies can be a useful source of income though
and they often sell pictures for MORE than a stock photo fee.
It’s worth investigating - use royalty free photo in a search on Google to find those companies.
Getty in particular owns a very large royalty free company called PhotoDisc and it’s responsible for a large portion of their turnover. Corbis and Alamy also sell RF pictures.
One thing you should consider about royalty Free pictures is that the CD’s are among
the most heavily PIRATED CD’s in the world -
you can buy RF CD’s outside any Moscow Metro station for $ 1.50 or in any street market
in Vietnam for a Dollar !!! Do you really want your pictures on those ?
That’s a decision YOU have to make …

If and when you become SERIOUS about selling stock photography

then you should take out a subscription to
VISUELL ( a magazine devoted to stock photography and has LOTS of adverts for agencies worth following up )

You might like to consider having your own website to display your work - then instead of sending cd’s all around the world
you can just email potential agents and customers with your website address.
You will also need a web hosting company to park your website.
Websites take an awful lot of looking after though.
But on the positive side a website with samples is a great promotional tool
DO NOT E-MAIL photos though …. (remember I already covered that !)

An EXCELLENT company with lovely professional website templates is Allwebco.

They are a very helpful company and their help pages take you through the setup set by step.

Prices are very reasonable and they will also host your website at a good rate too.

Here are a few useful Contacts:
A.S.M.P. The American Stock Photolibrary body http://www.asmp.org/
B.A.P.L.A. The British Photo Library Association http://www.bapla.org.uk/
C.E.P.I.C. The European Photolibrary Association http://www.cepic.org/
Photographers Direct http://www.photographersdirect.com/
Photo District News - theMajor USA Photo Industry website

Photonet Travel http://www.photo.net/travel/

Photoshop Tutorials http://div.dyndns.org/EK/tutorial/

You’ll find lots more contacts and suppliers on http://www.stockphoto.net

There are 685000 results in the stock photolibrary search on Google … so you can see it’s a BIG business !
I will not suggest any individual photolibraries since the photolibrary business changes rapidly and what may be a great photolibrary
one day may not even exist the next !

Here are a few hints to choosing a photolibrary
Avoid ANY photolibrary that charges a membership fee.
(Although it’s OK for a photolibrary to charge for picture storage if their commission is low enough !)
Avoid ANY photolibrary that promises to make sales - no one can do this.
Do NOT sign up all your work exclusively to any photolibrary. But supply individual pictures exclusively to single agents.
If you’re in the same country try to see their office and size up the people for yourself

(An agency is only as good as it’s staff)
I know one photographer who has over 150 photolibraries handling his work.
Look for credits to that photolibrary on Alavista.com - no credits to pictures means no sales !
Read http://www.stockphoto.net for latest stock photo news
(but some of the correspondents can be a bit outspoken and you should read their other postings before making up your mind)
This actually goes for any Site that permits people to put up postings - there will always be a few oddballs !

Look at www.ephotozine.com and read the articles on selling photos.

You can also put your photos in the Gallery for free !

Consider joinng Photographers Direct - their subscription is a bit expensive
( but they offer a commission based alternative.)

Remember - you’ll only sell pictures if you send them to people !

Good luck with your Digital Photo Sales - let me know if you get a big one ! Keith

Resource Section :
Keith Jones has been a Stock and Travel Photographer for over 40 years
His Website is at : http://www.fotos4web.com
Where you’ll find lots of his photos and articles.
This article may be freely reproduced in print or on the world wide web providing :

This resource section is also published intact and the article is not altered in any way.

Entering photo competitions is a great way to practise and improve your photography and have some fun in the process. One of the greatest morale boosters a photographer can get is to win or even placed in a highly regarded competition. It means that others have seen your work and judged it worthy. There are a few pointers that you need to know about competitions that will increase your chances of winning however

First find your competition. Luckily photographic competitions can be found in many places such as in magazines (both photographic and other specialities), local newspapers, local promotions as well as here on the Internet. Why do people run competitions and give away lovely prizes? Well photographic clubs use competitions as one of their chief sources of entertainment and encourages the members to take photographs. Competitions are also used as promotional or advertising tools for products or companies.

The prizes offered can vary from cash, certificates, film, photographic goodies to cars and exotic holidays. Some photographers make a handy bit of extra cash by entering competitions on a regular basis. Though prizes are a definite draw, many just enter competitions to test their skill against others.

If you are thinking of entering a competition or you have had little success before, here are a few tips to set you on the right track toward entering and hopefully winning a photographic competition.

Shoot for the competition!

The best pictures in a competition are often those that are shot especially for the competition in question. Most competitions have a theme and certain guidelines to be followed. Sometimes even the organisation running the competition must be considered before even composing that winning shot.

The Theme - This is the most important thing to remember. Most competitions have a theme or a specific subject they want portrayed. For example, entering a dog picture for a landscape is a sure fire way of joining the rejection pile. Far too often shots are sent into competitions which, seen on their own merits are technically superb and artistically excellent. But, if the picture doesn’t fit the them then the judges have to reject the image.

The Organisation - Often the company or organisation running the competition will conjure an idea of the type of images they want to see. For example, a travel business that runs a competition for the best holiday snaps. They are probably expecting to use the winning images to promote their business. So knowing what holiday destinations they cover and supplying nice bright images of those destinations will probably score higher than others.

Use Impact in Your Entries
When you enter a competition just think how many other may or will be entering. It could just be a few entries in a local camera club competition or it could be thousands in an international competition. Whatever the numbers your image must stand out amongst them. In order to achieve this the subject of your photo must have an eye catching feature or form of impact.

Landscapes for example are a popular subject for competitions, everybody knows what a landscape is and can usually find a nice location not too far from home. But to stand out from the crowd you have to consider the impact and with landscapes its all about the lighting. Sunsets are pretty, and can be spectacular but if the judges have seen hundreds of them then the sunset is very ’samey’ as all the other sunsets and become mundane.

For other subjects for impact use colour, shapes or creative lighting, try unusual angles for shooting common subjects. You must find something that will make your image jump out from the crowd.

Technical ability
The last important aspect of your entry is purely technical. If the image is badly exposed, has washed out highlights for example or is out of focus or exhibits camera shake then the image will be rejected.

So with all the above in mind, happy shooting and just remember, shoot for the competition and go for impact with nice sharp well exposed images and you will increase your chances of winning those prizes.

Good luck

David R. Butcher Bsc., LRPS has over 35 years experience in photography and is a co-founder of School of Photography.com (http://www.schoolofphotography.com) established in 1999. He has been awarded the Licentateship of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain.

Have you ever visited a zoo? I mean, seriously?

Zoos are places for children, sure. But they are also a great place for photographers. For those who do not have the time or the money to travel the world in search of nature photographs, then popping along to your nearest animal park, sanctuary or zoo is just ticket.

And it doesn’t cost the earth. Most zoos have a reasonable entry fee and you can usually stay all day. Furthermore, if you buy a season ticket then you can visit in all weathers and seasons and the per-visit cost represents absolute value for money.

Parking is usually excellent and free. You have the convenience and the security of leaving your expensive and bulky equipment in your vehicle when not needed as well and the knowledge that you can just take a drive back home if you are bored or the weather turns nasty.

Best of all, you have access to a wide range of different and exotic animals at different times of the year and different times of the day. If you are patient, or lucky, you may be among the first to see new and unusual arrivals and you could even witness the birth of young animals and track their progress through your images.

The great thing is that you never need be under pressure and, instead of leaving when the going gets a bit tough, you can relax in the warm over a drink and a snack in the convenience of the thoughtfully provided restaurants and snack areas.

Think about the advantages and visit a zoo soon.

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