Photos and Slideshows

If you have a digital camera and enjoy taking pictures, chances are you have thought about making some extra cash with your photos. Digital photography is a hobby that is becoming more and more popular, as most people today have a digital camera in their home. If you just have a little bit of creativity digital photography can turn into a money making business. There are several different ways that you can use your camera to make money.


All it takes is a little imagination, a flair for showmanship, a bit of salesmanship and the willingness to do some work - and you are set.


If you are a digital photography hobbyist, the chances are good that you already have the equipment you need to get started. The first thing that you are going to need for this is a digital camera with features similar to those of a SLR film camera, along with a tripod for some occasions. You will also need an excellent printer or printing service.


You will also need good digital photo editing software. The best applications that you can use are Adobe Photoshop CS3, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Corel Paint Shop Pro X, and Adobe Photoshop Elemts 5.


You might want to invest a few hundred dollars in these programs if you want to get off to an excellent start.


Before we move on, this is a good time to clear up one misconception. Many people believe it's impossible to make money at photography these days. They explain that almost every person has a digital camera or a camera phone. Most people think that no one will pay for pictures when people can take their own pictures.


The answer is simple. The fact of the matter is that everyone has some sort of camera. However, how many people can really use them?


If you look closely at the pictures that most people take, you will see what I mean. Let's be honest. They're horrible. There are usually motion blur pictures from holding the camera the wrong way. bad color or lighting, Akwardly positioned objects. No composition skills. There are shadows on the subject of the picture. Even those people that know how to use photo editing software may need help when it comes to taking amazing pictures. You can only do so much with correcting a bad photograph.


What do you think is going to happen when these people try and print their photos. Undoubtedly, you?ve seen some of these images. The prints have poor resolution. This happens when the photographer had no idea how to adjust the camera settings to produce printable photos.


This is where you come in. Use your extensive digital photography skills to work up a few samples that you can show to potential customers and reel them in.


Maybe you do not think this is likely. I attended a birthday party recently and I am going to tell you about it. The hostess hired an amateur photographer who was striking out to start her own business, much like you are.


Almost everyone at the party brought their own digital cameras - but once the party got rolling, who remembered to take pictures? Those of us who did take snapshots were poorly positioned and usually couldn't get a good view of the scene.


The photographer received payment for her services. She then uploaded the pictures to her own website. Party-goers received the link by email. The photos were then downloaded, printed, or saved to the computer of those that attended the party.


This photographer had a good gig, since she didn't even have to bother with printing and delivering the work, although she received generous pay.


Pretty awesome, huh?


You can do this too. So, learn all you can about photography and photo editing, create a marketing plan, and get out there!

Digital photography is quickly becoming the preferred method of taking pictures for both amateurs and professionals. This popularity is a result of the fact that digital photography has numerous advantages over traditional photography for most people.

Reduced Expense

Generally, digital photography is far less expensive than traditional photography, in the long run. Digital photos are recorded electronically in a digital format so they can be downloaded directly to your computer. This allows you to avoid the repeated costs of buying film and photo developing. You can also send unlimited electronic copies of these pictures by email at no extra cost.

Speed

Most digital cameras allow you to see your pictures right away. This is immensely satisfying and provides immediate feedback on your photography techniques. You no longer have to wait until you use all of your film and then get your pictures developed before finding out if they even turned out. This is especially valuable for capturing precious family moments that you can send right away to friends and relatives.

Editing

Most digital cameras have easy to use, built in editing features. You can easily crop and center the picture or sharpen the image to produce a picture that's worthy of printing. If you buy inexpensive photo editing software, you can do much more with your digital photos including applying special effects.

Convenience

You can avoid the hassles of running out of film, because even a small memory card for a digital camera can easily store many hundreds of pictures. There's no need to ration your pictures. You can easily take several and just delete the ones you don't like.

It's not surprising that digital photography is becoming so popular. Digital cameras and digital memory are becoming so inexpensive that it makes it pretty easy to get started with digital photography. Even an inexpensive digital camera can often produce good results in the hands of a beginner. You can always invest in more expensive equipment after you become more experienced.

Digital cameras come in a wide variety of different sizes, shapes and colors. Features and quality also vary greatly form one model to the next. It's no wonder that choosing a digital camera can be a very confusing experience for many people. However, there are simple ways to make this process easier and to ensure that you'll find a digital camera that will satisfy your needs and fall within your budget.

Here are five criteria to help you choose a digital camera that's appropriate for you and your photography needs.

Cost

It's helpful to first consider the amount of money you can set aside towards purchasing a new digital camera. You can then limit your research to just those digital cameras in your price range. This will help you to avoid becoming distracted by a lot of fancy features you may never need or that are unsuitable for your current level of experience.

Your Photography Needs

What kind of pictures do you want to take? Will most of your pictures be portraits? Or do you favor landscapes and nature photography? Will you use the camera mostly indoors or outdoors? If you will be taking a lot of the pictures of people, it can be helpful to have a camera with face recognition and red eye reduction features. However, if you will be taking a lot of pictures of moving objects, such as at sporting events, you may want a camera with high speed burst shooting.

Printing Your Pictures

The way you share or print your pictures can help you determine the quality of camera and how many megapixels you will need. For example, if you plan on printing poster size pictures, you will probably want to a camera with ten megapixels are more. However, you won't need that many if your printing needs are more modest. If you only share your pictures online or by e-mail, then you can get by with even fewer megapixels.

Who Will Use Your Camera?

You might not mind learning the advanced features of an expensive camera, but if your friends, spouse or children will be using it, then you may want to choose an easier to use camera with automatic program settings and image stabilization features. Some of these cameras are even easy enough for children to use.

How Serious a Photographer are You?

Do you expect to always remain an amateur photographer or do you plan on become an advanced user or even a professional who earns income from photography? If you want to grow in your photography skills, then look for a camera with features that will grow with you. For example, a camera which allows you to set your own aperture, shutter speed, focus and other settings will give you plenty of room for experimentation and the ability to gradually improve your photography skills.

You can use these criteria to make a short list of digital cameras that will meet your needs and expectations. You can then take this list to a nearby electronics store and personally look at the cameras on your list. You will want to pay attention to how each camera feels and how easy it is to reach the buttons. Be sure to consult the salespeople if you have any questions. I hope your new digital camera will bring you many years of enjoyable use.