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Tiny Cameras, Big Pictures and Make Your Photos Great!
The path to picking a digital camera usually leads to a fork in the road. On one side is the small camera that's convenient to carry but doesn't take the sharpest pictures; on the other, a camera that crisply catches all the details and color but is comparatively bulky. Sometimes it's our fault that our photos didn't work out; we didn't notice distracting, extraneous objects in the image or forgot to ask for a certain pose. Sometimes it's the camera's fault; as impressive as many of today's cameras are, they're not perfect. And sometimes it's no one's fault; some lighting situations are just plain impossible to control. Fortunately, digital photography's marriage of the camera and the PC has made it easier than ever to get our pictures to match our memories, or even to improve upon them. To do so, you need three things: image-editing software, an understanding of what you can do with that software, and the vision to see what needs to be done to fix your photos. One way to overcome these problems and still have all the convenience of a pocket sized camera is to learn how to edit photos so that they end up looking professional even though the equipment used wasn't high end professional photo taking equipment. Go to http://www.abcphotoediting.com and check out their simple to read e-book that takes you through step by step exactly how to sharpen your images, take out any distractions from the photo, improve the lighting, or anything else you'd like to do. This e- book is easy to understand, and very good value!
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Imagine using a fixed lens on the Washington Monument, when you're half a block away! Zooms get my vote, even though they often don't have as wide an aperture, which limits their capabilities in low light situations.  Practically speaking, an SLR is the absolute best. They are lightweight, and can be used with top quality lenses. Film SLRs tend to be less expensive, but have the limitations of film, meaning you have to  get it developed and so forth. Digital SLRs are VERY expensive, so for the budget conscious either go with a film SLR or a high quality basic digital camera. With digital, resolution is also a critical factor, so look at the specs before you buy. OK, we've got the camera, emotions are running high, and that's great, but not too great! Sometimes I find a spot that is so wonderful, I start shooting like a madman, only to be disappointed by the pictures. What happened? Emotions. 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