Samsung WB210

                                   Taken on the Samsung WB210 at 8x zoom

                                                                  Negative Filter

                                                                        Template

The Samsung WB210 is an amazing camera. When I first saw it I right away assumed I would not like it because it was a touch screen. I decided to have a look at it anyways and I am glad I did because this camera is probably one of my favourite point and shoot cameras that has been released in 2011. There are so many different features that the Samsung WB210 has to offer that makes the camera even more enjoyable to play with. It is a $299.99 camera, that consists of 12x optical zoom, 14 megapixels, and a large 3.5” LCD screen. The battery life is great ensuring that it will last through many shots on its Samsung BP85A lithium ion battery.

One feature I like that this camera offers is the smart filters. The smart filters consist of 12 different features that help to enhance and make taking photos that much more fun! Such options as the Negative filter, Sketch filter, Old Film filter, and Fish Eye filter are only a few of the many different effects this camera has to offer.

The Samsung WB210 I find reminds me a lot like the iPhone. The different camera settings are laid out on the screen in such a way that looks like the apps on the iPhone and which then allow you to scroll through the pages by sliding your finger across the screen. Another feature the camera offers that is similar to the iPhone is the “tap of the screen” to take a photo. By simply holding your finger down on the screen to focus, you can then snap a photo quick and easy.

Not only does this camera offer some really cool features like the iPhone, but it also offers SD video recording, HD video recording, special filters when recording a video, in camera photo templates, different in camera editing options and much more!

The only thing I do not like about this camera is that it takes a Micro SD memory card. The only reason I say this is because all the memory cards I have bought in the past are SD cards or CF cards so it would mean I would have to go buy a different card to store my photos on. Although some may consider this to be a downfall of the camera, it is also considered to be something unique that Samsung has to offer that no other camera company does. Some may not like the sounds of a different style memory card but I ensure you that Micro SD cards are very cheap, and reliable to buy. If you do not like the Micro SD cards for the size, most cards will come with an SD adaptor that you can plug your Micro SD card right into for uploading purposes.

All in all, the Samsung WB210 is a great camera and I would definitely recommend it if you are looking to upgrade your point and shoot for 2011.

Making an image with light

                                     Taken on the Nikon D5000

Painting with light is a very fun thing to experiment with. In order to do this task, you must have a DSLR camera. To get the greatest results, shut off all the lights in the room so it is completely dark. Next, grab a flash light or some sort of strong light source that is easy to move around. Once you have done both of these steps, turn your camera on and set it to a very, very slow shutter speed. When I paint with light I usually set my camera to about a 20-30 second exposure depending on what I want to achieve. When drawing something simple such as a shape, you can easily set your camera to a 5 second exposure. Once your exposure is selected, flash the light in front of the camera lens and start to draw.

In the picture above taken on a Nikon D5000, my settings were as followed:

S-13 seconds

A-F/22

ISO-600

I had my aperture set to a closed aperture so I could ensure a sharp end to end photograph. My ISO was set to 600 so I could let a bit more light in to make the picture stand out a bit more. Lastly, I set my shutter to a 13 second exposure so I could take my time drawing and to get the picture I had in mind.

It is very important that you keep in mind that since you are working with slow shutter speeds, you MUST put your camera on a tripod. If you do not use a tripod on these settings, your image will not turn out and rather look very blurry.

Photoshop Techniques Pt:1

In this photo taken on the Nikon D5000, I decided to play around with some effects to help enhance and create a feeling when looking at this picture. The first thing I did was upload this image into Lightroom where I then enhanced the exposure a little bit. After I did that, I moved the picture into Photoshop where I desaturated the colour so you could only see a little bit of blue in the clothes and so that the rest would remain in black and white. For the third and final step, I added the water colour effect to give it a grainy look.

I did this to the photo to add a more artsy feel to it and so I could create something different from all my other photos. I found by doing these few quick steps it changed the original photo drastically making it look more desirable.