By Timothy Lim TIMATWORK photography & digital art Pros of using Digital Faster turn-around time for better productivity No worry of wasted film and developing cost More zoom to your zoom lenses You can make test shots, compare, improve and try again on the spot. No more wasted film using exposure compensation/bracketing Several ISO settings can be changed at a flick of a button to suit different situations you will end up taking more photos than you normally thought you could and learn faster You will end up being more creative with your photography EXIF info embedded in the files help with recording the f/stop, shutter,etc for handy reference. Cons of using Digital CCD size factor means either buying the newer expensive ultra wide lenses or not shooting wide at all anymore Pixel resolution on some cameras don't match up with a 6 x 4 print size when scaled down. Some images get cropped. The thought of doing test shots may make you delete others. Sometimes those deleted could have been the best picture you ever had. You don't get that with film. The thought of test shots can make a beginner get very lazy and don't learn a thing about photography at all. Some cameras have very noisy high ISO settings, even at ISO400! You need lots of batteries!! You may run out of space on your memory card. A MicroDrive costs a BOMB!!! Dirty CCD can be hard to clean even with sensor swabs. The swabs can damage the CCD if done wrongly!! Some 'moire' on contrasty images A damaged CCD is costly to fix and can spell the end of your relationship with digital Understanding Your Camera Learn all its functions and understand its limitations and plus points (as with any camera) . Learn and practise the cameras' white balance modes for different effects. Using Gel filters is of no use as the CCD will colour-correct, causing a loss of effect. The white balance modes can be creative as a replacement for filters. If the camera has one, learn to understand the Histogram. It explains the exposure of the shot taken and can help you understand how your camera measures exposure. If the camera allows adjustment to the LCD, use a 18% grey card to calibrate the dinky LCD. Shoot the card and check it on the LCD. Adjust brightness/saturation to match it closely. You will then have a closly calibrated LCD. Learn and understand the CCD resolutions. Some, when scaled down don't match a 6" x 4" print. Know the limitations and CCD crop factor so you don't fall trap to it again when you print a 4R photo. Learn to use RAW files and learn how to adjust them in the software provided. There is more control than letting the CCD do it's thing with a JPEG. Understand how your camera works with your flash and work within it's range. Adjust flash exposure accordingly. All meters, digital or film, are not perfect. Practise, Practise Practise Practise Practise. Like any camera, you need to get out and do it! Getting the best from your PC Get a reasonable model with lots of RAM. Working with big images eats into your PC's resources. Disable un-needed programs that are running in the background Calibrate your monitor! VERY IMPORTANT. Some people don't and think what they see is correct. After sending it to the lab they get dissappointed at the results and blame the camera. Often, it's not the camera's fault. If you can afford it, get calibration tools. Otherwise use Adobe Gamma. It's not the best but offers reasonable calibration. Surf the net to learn more. There are lots of articles on this topic. Calibration is a lengthy process, but once you have it done correctly, it will serve you very well in the future. Don't forget to save your profiles after calibration. You don't want to go thru the hassle again! Calibration will help you get thru many printing problems. Check your calibrated monitor randomly, as your eyes, lighting and the monitor can change over time. Back up, back up, and back up on CD's!! Don't rely on your drives, as they can still crash!!! Keep your CD's away from humidity as they can contract mold! Using Your Home Printer Once your monitor is calibrated, calibrate your printer. Do test prints and try to match the monitor with your prints. Some tweaking may be needed to the printer settings. Compare prints and adjust accordingly. Try different printer profiles in the printer set-up to see which profile best matches your monitor calibration. Don't rely on the defaults. Do test prints with contrasty colours, grey coloured scales, black and white etc, so you get a full gamut of colors to test with. Some test images are available on the web and there are some good write ups on this. You may waste ink and paper but the time spent is worth it. Don't skimp on a printer or inks if you are going to do proofs or prints for people. Also don't skimp on paper quality. Keep your printer covered when not in use. Dust and humidity in Singapore can ruin the rollers and give you dirty prints. The Scanner The latest scanners have negative holders so choose one that gives a good resolution that will meet your end-user needs. Don't overspend. Keep the scanner clean! If you scan negatives/slides they become digital files, so you still need to do a monitor and printer calibration! The Lab Try to use a lab that gives consistent prints. Ask if they can help you do test prints. Tell them your needs and try to build a trusting relationship with them. Get prints done and compare them with your monitor and home printouts. It will show your camera/equipment's limitations and help you understand how your calibration affects the final print in the end. Understanding the results of the prints can help you with your limitations so you are more aware the next time you take pictures and manipulate them on your PC. Photoshop Editing Tool Use the filters sparingly. Don't overdo it. People know the difference nowadays as everyone's using those them!! Learn to use the "levels", "adjustment layers", "dodge" and "burn" to achieve the effect you want. Be creative but maintain the mood of the image. Make sure your working space and colour settings are set to the calibration profile you desire. Adobe Gamma is useful but not the best; however, it does help, so set it in the colour settings as your working space. Read up and learn from the Pros! Then Practise, Practise Practise! The software is a tool only and it needs your creativity! Don't wait for a project to start trying out things you have not done in Photoshop. Start building your creative portfolio today!!

© Copyright Timothy Lim 2003.