Proud Photography Blog

Here is an exciting software package to create interesting effects with your photographs. HDR Soft (http://www.hdrsoft.com/) offers a software package called Photomatix, which combines a series of photographs into a single image while retaining the qualities of the individual photographs. Although the photographs appear surreal, they are actually not enhanced “lies” where improperly exposed photographs are enhanced through filters. Each photograph processed through Photomatix are unenhanced. The magic happens in layers within a system called High Dynamic Range, or HDR for short. Here is how it works in a nutshell.

The photograph depicted here was taken on Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana and was processed through tone mapping using HDR Soft Photomatix Pro. Read the rest of this entry »

In the not so distant past it was necessary for a photographer to have a solid understanding of photographic principles to avoid burning excessive amounts of film on bad photographs. Processing photographs generally meant sending the roll of film to a processing lab. For those who had the resources, a darkroom with chemicals, enlargers, and cropping equipment set the photographer back several paychecks. Digital photography has not only made photography easier with immediate review, but processing has become a breeze. Unfortunately, the cost associated with post production has limited many photographers from reaching their potential. No longer is cost a factor in digital photo processing. This article covers three fully functional and free photo processing applications.

GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP)

http://www.gimp.org/

The GNU Image Manipulation Program, affectionately known as GIMP, is by far my favorite open source photo retouching application. GIMP is very similar to other high-end applications, but without the price tag. Read the rest of this entry »

Adrenaline junkies have spoken and they have been heard! Many people who are active in extreme sports cannot take the time to stop what they are doing to snap photos while they are engaged in their sport or activity. In the past few years, Point of View (POV) camera systems have exploded within the consumer market. Once only available through high-end systems, the POV camera and mounting systems are now within reach for most applications. Whether you are into cycling through the back trails of a mountain pass or rowing down a river, there is a solution available to accommodate your photography needs. Read the rest of this entry »

Although, digital SLR cameras have redefined photography, until five years ago they were meant only for professionals. For the average person, they were quite exorbitantly priced. When Canon launched its EOS 300D five years ago, it shot to fame, as the 300D (Rebel) was preferred by many as an affordable solution.

After launching the 350D (Rebel XT) and the 400D (Rebel XTi), Canon hit upon the 450D, or the Rebel XSi, which gave exceptional photos at a cheaper price. When competitors responded by downgrading their existing cameras, Canon once again attempted to come to the fore with its downgraded model, the EOS 1000D, as it was known in Europe, and later came to be known as the Kiss F Digital or the Rebel XS in the U. S. Canon touted the Rebel XS as its entry level camera. In this review the 1000D is referred to as the XS.

The XS basically features a 10 megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor. These sensors are comparatively smaller than the conventional 35mm sensors. Read the rest of this entry »

Although the old point and shoot camera is becoming trendier, the digital SLR is evolving at a pace that is difficult to catch up with. Most people prefer the point and shoot camera because it is compact and trendy, and can be easily slipped into your bag. Moreover, you don’t have to bother about shutter speed and aperture size. It seems to do all the work silently with its preset modes. Also, there are no huge round lenses glaring at you. But as you acquire experience in photography you will feel the need for some fine tuning. If you want to go beyond your point and shoot’s built in presets, you need to go in for a good digital SLR or digital single-lens reflex camera. With the latest camera craze, every new camera becomes obsolete within no time. If you want your camera to be on the frontline for a longer time, it is better to look for the latest one, even if you have to wait for it to hit the market. One such camera is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1. Read the rest of this entry »

It is official three giants Hitachi, Matsushita (Panasonic) and Canon are joining forces to take the LCD world by storm.
On one hand Panasonic and Canon have both accepted to take 24.9% ownership of Hitachi Displays, and will use the investment to continue their advancement in LCD technology.
And on the other hand Hitachi’s small- to medium-sized LCDs and, OLEDs will be made accessible to Canon for its cameras and other products.
Furthermore,Canon will continue to develop various types of displays in order to realize cross-media imaging which is a sophisticated combination of imaging input and output equipment for data and still images that allows users to intuitively process images and information in any context in daily life or industry.
All of that sounds like some excellent news for the digital photography world and you can expect to see fruits off that alliance by March 31, 2008.

Japanese Company Ricoh Ltd has been hard at work to improve its GR Digital II premium digital compact camera.
Ricoh recently revealed the fruits of its labor which is the firmware v1.12.
This update improves image quality at lower resolutions and also fixes a couple of issues regarding the ADJ lever.
Additionally the lens will now initialize when you excite the macro mode therefore improving the focus accuracy.
v1.12 revisions are as follow:

* Improved an image quality in a small size (VGA etc.)
* Modified the following phenomena.
* If you operate the ADJ lever in the macro mode, display switching speed may change.
* If you operate the ADJ lever while compensating exposure, any keys will not work.
* When you exit a macro mode, the lens unit operating will become initialized in order to improve a focus accuracy.

Click here to download the Ricoh GR Digital II firmware v1.12.

Samsung Electronics America Inc. has launched the Samsung SPF-83V which is a new 8 inch digital photo frame.The frame uses Microsoft technology which enables photographs to be viewed wirelessly from sharing sites such as Windows Live Spaces or from your PC of course. Additionally the 8-inch frame sports an 800 x 600 resolution display with a 500:1 contrast ratio and 200 nits of brightness.The Samsung SPF-83V frame also communicates with Windows Media Player and open standards such as RSS.Christopher Franey, vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing at Samsung Electronics America explained:

“Our latest digital photo frames, based on cutting-edge technology from the Microsoft Research labs, are easy to use and are one of the few offerings in the marketplace that offer a network approach to digital photo sharing.” The Samsung SPF-83V Digital Photo Frame is expected to come with 64MB of storage .This perfect little Christmas gift is priced at $230.