Here is a top 10 from sourced from some of the world’s most successful online retailer, Amazon. You will find that Canon is very well represented here. As an owner of not one but two Canons, I know why: I love both cameras.

I bought my first camera in Akihabara, Tokyo’s electrical district. It was a Canon AE1. With initially no knowledge other than ‘here’s the button to press’, I have made the most amazingly successful photos with it, right from the beginning. My absolute love for this camera, let me to buy a digital Canon a decade later.

One aspect I love so much about the Canon camera are the lenses and the overall making of the camera. This is why, even as a complete novice, my photos made with my Canon have always been impressive. Of course, professional photographers, who actually understand all the features on the cameras can realize their photo visions even more.

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Copyright 2008 by Fine Craft Guild .com. All Rights Reserved.

The best portrait painters will excel at skin and hair. They will be masters of drawing skull structure and muscle tone. And, as with Leonardo Da’ Vinci’s Mona Lisa there will be the enigmatic smile you could capture with your artwork.

But, as an artist, you will fail unless you understand the essence of personality that shines through your portrait subject’s eyes.

Take a long deep look into the eyes of any human being and you will see…

• The roundness of the eye
• The white that sets off the iris color
• The deep black of the pupil

But that is just the obvious stuff. As a portrait painter, what else do you see?

• The way outside light reflects to give highlight?
• The way veins can give a tired, bloodshot look?
• The way the pupils grow large and small as they focus?

This is only superficial technicality. Art needs more. Now, consider what a friend or lover can see… You will see far more…

• You will see character and determination
• You will see emotion and feeling
• You will see warmth and affection
• You will see hurt and pain

There is a great deal more you need to see, as an artist, when you draw the eye…

• Look for the roundness of the eyeball
• Look for the shape of the eye lens cone
• Look for the color of the iris
• Look for the way the light reflects differently from the lens
• Look for the highlights and see the depths

Most of all, try to let your painting show emotion…

“Make your painting smile with the eyes”

Remember, when you paint a portrait, you know that your sitter is real and will give you everything you need… shyness, pleasure, anger and pain. Only when you learn to paint mood, character, personality and feeling and catch the glint in their eyes can you call yourself a portrait artist…

“This is how a great artist’s portrait painting comes alive as the eyes follow you across the room”

By Michael Dale

Michael Dale is the author of 1- Color Is Best (the quick and easy way to learn to paint watercolor) and 3- Colors Are All You Need (mix any color you want fast using only 3 colors). Contact http://www.Paint-And-Draw.com to find out more.

Copyright 2008 by Fine Craft Guild .com. All Rights Reserved.

Colour grading

You know how some movies have a ’special look’, golden brown, sick yellow-greenish, cool blue etc.? You can get the same effect in your photos if you want. The simple way is to go to ‘Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation’, click ‘Colourize’ and use the slide bars to select your preferred grading. If you are going for a well-defined colour, it’s better to use the ‘Edit > Fill’ function. Simply select the colour you want and set the ‘Blending mode’ to ‘Colour’. Either way, it’s good first to duplicate your layer before you start. This will allow you to preserve some of the original colours by turning the colour grading down. Use the ‘Opacity’ slider in the layer box to do this. If you want a duotone image, simply make 2 duplicate layers and give them different colour gradings. Mix them together, again with the ‘Opacity’ slider and the different ‘Layer blending mode’ options in the layer box.

One example: To give your image a warm golden-brown colour tone, first make two duplicate layers. Use ‘Edit > Fill’ to make the first one brown (#963A12) and the second one yellow (#EDC715). Set opacities to 30 and 60% respectively and select the ‘Multiply’ blending mode for the top (yellow) layer. Tweak it in place to get it exactly like you want. Also try adding a soft glow, as described above.

Micro contrast

This is a really neat trick to enhance your contrast and draw out texture details in your photos. You can even use it when your overall contrast is already maxed out, using all tonal ranges from pure black to pure white. The procedure is similar to the normal ‘Unsharpen Mask’, but with some special settings. Go to ‘Filter > Sharpen > Unsharpen Mask’ and set the ‘Amount’ to around 20-30%, the ‘Radius’ to 50-100 pixels and zero on the ‘Threshold’. You will get a subtle contrast enhancement that, for some pictures at least, works really well.

Using any of the above mentioned effects can improve your photos and make them really eye-catching. However, learning when to use them and when not to use them is just as important as learning how to use them. When to use special effects in your photos is a matter of personal taste and judgment. Use it, but don’t overdo it. Often, less is more.

By Morten Svenningsen

The author, Morten Svenningsen, is a professional freelance photographer in Nepal. He is offering a free tutorial and an eBook on photography from his web site, msmediaservice.com, along with fine art prints and more.

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Copyright 2008 by Fine Craft Guild .com. All Rights Reserved.

Lens-like effects

Using the layer masking described above, you can apply ‘Gaussian blur’ which will make the selected areas appear soft-focused, a bit like if you had used a large-aperture lens. With ‘Curves’ you can make your corners darker than the center, replicating the lens effect called vignetting. Technically, vignetting is considered a lens dysfunction, but subjectively it can add an extra feeling to your photo, a kind of frame that will have a ’sucking’ effect, bringing more attention into the centre of your photo. You can also just lower the contrast and/or colour-saturation around your main subject, helping to separate it from the background clutter. There’s many other options, be creative!

Soft glow effect

Great for creating a ‘romantic’ look for portraits. Here’s what you have to do:

1. Duplicate layer.

2. Apply ‘Gaussian blur’ to the new (top) layer. Make it blurry, but leave a little detail.

3. Play around with the blend modes and opacity till you get what you want:

‘Darken’ or ‘Multiply’ blends darkens image details while also softening features and adding a halo. Good for soft, expressive shadows.

‘Lighten’ or ‘Screen’ blends lightens the image instead. Nice for adding high key or highlight glows.

‘Soft Light’ and ‘Overlay’ adds contrast and saturation. Especially useful for landscapes and still life photos.

Black-and-white-ish

A cool metallic black-and-white’ish look, in my opinion very suitable for documentary work and subdued portraits, is easily obtained by setting the contrast high (curves) and colour saturation low. Do it with Photoshop’s ‘layers’ to be able to tweak your exact settings it in place.

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Quick masking

In Adobe Photoshop find the button called ‘edit in quick mask mode’. It’s located near the bottom of the main tool bar and looks like a circle in a rectangle. There’s also a short-cut key: Q. Once in quick mask mode, you can select and deselect areas simply by painting them with white and black respectively, using the standard brush tool. Zoom to 100 or 200 % for best accuracy. You might want to use a soft-edged brush to avoid hard edges. Alternatively, when you’re done, exit the masking mode and go to ‘Select > Feather’ and set the feather radius to 5-10 pixels or so. A nice option is that you can set the opacity to anywhere between 0 and 100%, allowing you to apply the effect stronger or weaker in one part of the image that another.

Layer masking

Slightly more complicated, you can add a layer mask. This allows you to apply any effect gradually from any point in your photo. Follow these steps in Photoshop:

1. Select ‘Windows > Layers’.

2. Right click on your layer and select ‘Duplicate layer’.

3. Click on the little icon in the bottom of the layer box called ‘Add layer mask’.

4. Select the ‘Gradient tool’ on the main tool box.

5. Choose a gradient style from the top ‘Options’ bar (linear, radial etc.).

6. Now click on your image on the point you don’t want to change, then drag the mouse away to the point where you want the full effect to take place. The effect will be applied gradually more and more along this line you’ve now create.

7. Finally, go back onto your original background layer and apply any effect you want. This will apply the effect in a soft, gradual way. Use opacity to turn the effect down to less than full strength if you want.

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Copyright 2008 by Fine Craft Guild .com. All Rights Reserved.

However, while the tulip fields offer a visually colorful inspiration to make artistic photographs, taking memorable photos can be a challenge.

Whether you are taking photographs with a $150 point and shoot camera or a $3,000 outfit with tripods, wide-angle and color lenses, the same photography techniques apply to realize successful results.

Tips to create Outstanding Pictures

• HAPPY FACES SELL. Where permitted by signs, to take a good picture, send your children out into the middle of the farmers’ field.
• EARLY RISERS WIN. Light is everything when you hold a camera, as you probably already know. Go out into the fields early morning or late in the day. The light will be warmer and more complementary to your children’s faces.
• ANGLE UP. If you lay on the floor to get eye-to-eye with the tulips, you obtain a fresh perspective that will delight.
• SCALE IT. Use people to help show scale.

• BREAK THE LINE. Look for barns & other eye pleasers to break the horizontal line of your photo, and to add interest, angles, a look and meaning. Talking about lines, avoid cluttering powerlines and other clutter in your images.
• SIMPLE RULES. Make your image simple. That means, focus on a single bloom instead of an entire field.
• TAKE GEAR. Just pop that tripod in the car for low light conditions that can give you the best mood shots ever.
• USE YOUR CAMERA’S PHOTOGRAPHIC FEATURES. Use a small f-stop and slower shutter speed for a greater depth of field to have more of the image of the tulip field in focus. Or, when focusing on a single bloom within this field, use a large f-stop and a faster shutter speed to isolate your background from your subject by making it blurry.
• 1001 PICTURES. Film is cheap, digital storage even cheaper. Go ahead and shoot all you like. You will love at least 1 if you have many.
• MAKE LEMONADE. When the weather is a ‘lemon’: rainy, dreary…., take advantage of it!!! A family huddle under an umbrella with tulips fields in the background will trigger emotions and memories. An early morning rainfall leaves pedals laden with glorious water drops that make great close ups.

About the author
Astrid Lee is a healing and spiritual artist who mostly works in acrylics, however, the tulip festivals bring her in touch with her Dutch heritage, and out comes the camera, as it continues to do so till well into the Fall.

She is also a writer for the Contemporary Art MAGAZINE, eArtfair, at http://www.eArtfair.com/blog.

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By Vera Lang
copyright 2008 ~ all rights reserved

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Making a living out of travelling the world is something many ‘world nomads’ aspire to, and we’re hoping to be able to help a few talented individuals make that their reality through our scholarship support, which sets them up with industry leaders as mentors and provides them true ‘once in a lifetime’ experiences.

National Geographic Channel and WorldNomads announced the 2008 photography scholarship, which will award one exceptional student the ‘chance of a lifetime’ assignment.

The winner will get to accompany renowned wildlife on-assignment National Geographic photographer, Jason Edwards, to photograph the Arid Lands Festival and The Great Hughenden Endurance Camel Race, a quirky 160km camel endurance race run in August.

The Festival and Race are being held in Porcupine Gorge in Outback Queensland, Australia, from 22 - 24 August, 2008.

The scholarship “gives aspiring photographers almost unparalleled initial exposure, with the opportunity to have their images seen by hundreds of thousands of travellers worldwide,” says Managing Director of WorldNomads, Simon Monk. As such the photography scholarship is part of a broader educational program, which includes travel writing, documentaries and podcasting opportunities.

“Making a living out of travelling the world is something many ‘world nomads’ aspire to, and we’re hoping to be able to help a few talented individuals make that their reality through our scholarship support, which sets them up with industry leaders as mentors and provides them true ‘once in a lifetime’ experiences.”

As part of the assignment, the winner will work alongside and receive mentorship from Jason Edwards, gaining valuable hands-on experience in everything from shot set up, technique and composition through to insights into his many years of diverse experience as an award winning photographer.

As well as the opportunity to travel and be mentored, the scholarship also includes airfares from the successful applicant’s nearest international airport plus an Olympus E3 digital camera with 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 Standard Wide Zoom Lens and a new Lenovo Ideapad Y-510 laptop computer to store your photos and keep your journal.

Judges will select a winner based on their ability to photographically ‘tell a story’ about a place that they have visited in an original and compelling manner.

For full judging criteria and to apply, go to WorldNomads.com. Applications close June 30th.

In order to be eligible to enter, applicants must be at least 18, must be currently enrolled and actively studying at a recognised educational tertiary institution anywhere in the world, speak and write fluent English and hold a valid drivers licence.

In 2004 Jason Edwards was awarded the inaugural ‘Pursuit of Excellence’ Award by the Australian Geographic Society, “for his extreme efforts and absolute commitment to obtaining rare and amazing photographs.” Jason Edwards is a photographer with the National Geographic Society and is represented by the National Geographic Image Collection.

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So let me tell you how it all started, just in case you haven’t heard of wet on wet oil painting before.

Back in the 70’s a wonderful artist by the name of William “Bill” Alexander developed a quick and easy method of oil painting known today as wet on wet. He originally developed the method in order to speed up his own progress so he could sell more paintings. Bill realized that in order to make a living as a full time artist, he could not rely solely on traditional methods of oil painting because of the lengthy drying time required when layering paint. He needed a method that would allow him to complete paintings quickly, in a single session instead of the days or weeks that were required for traditional methods.

So out of necessity, a wonderful new painting method was born. Over time Bill refined his methods and his tools. Instead of the usual soupy oil paints, he developed firm paints that were rich with color. Instead of using a set of small brushes to paint everything, he learned to paint with large brushes that resembled house painting brushes. Possibly one of his most valuable tools was his painting knife. Originally he made his painting knife from putty knives. He would grind down putty knives for his own use and allow his students to bring him putty knives which he would grind down for their use for a very small fee. With this powerful tool, Bill would paint unbelievably beautiful mountains, rocks, trees and many other landscape features.

From what I’ve told you so far, you can see that the wet on wet painting method requires a particular set of tools in order for you to be successful. Traditional paints and brushes simply won’t work. Fear not. These special tools are available.

If you are wondering why you should get involved in wet on wet oil painting, let me give you the top 5 reasons right now:

1. Wet on wet oil painting allows you to complete a painting in a single sitting. It’s not uncommon for artist using this method to complete oil paintings in a few hours or less.

2. Wet on wet oil painting is simple, meaning that it’s easy to learn. You can start producing great looking oil paintings with minimal practice.

3. Since it’s easy for you to learn, it’s also an easy method of oil painting to teach to others. Every year people are becoming certified in Bill’s method, allowing them to teach others how to oil paint.

4. Wet on wet oil painting requires no previously acquired painting skills. Even if you have never painted before, you can learn wet on wet oil painting. It also requires no artistic ability. It is a method of oil painting that is truly accessible to everyone.

5. This is perhaps the best reason to get involved in wet on wet oil painting. Please read this very carefully. Over the years, wet on wet oil painting has declined somewhat in popularity along with many other forms of art. There are people out there right now that have no clue what wet on wet oil painting is. They have no idea who Bill Alexander is. Perhaps you are one of them since you are reading this article. Seems like a negative thing to say, right? WRONG. This little fact puts us wet on wet painters and instructors in a very unique position. Because so many people of today are unfamiliar with wet on wet oil painting, you can be the first to introduce this method to them! Many wet on wet artist are in the same position that Bill Alexander was in back in the 1970’s. Standing before the masses with a wonderful and valuable secret.

Remember, wet on wet oil painting is for everyone. But not everyone knows about it. In fact, very few people of today are even aware of it.

By Chad Marshall

Did you find this article helpful? Learn more about wet on wet oil painting and Alexander Certified Instructor Chad Marshall at his website. http://www.wichitaoilpainting.com

Copyright 2008 by Fine Craft Guild .com. All Rights Reserved.

For starters, keep in mind that human skin is composed of reds, yellows, and blues, also known as the primary colors. When you mix these three colors in the right proportions, you get a nice shade of brown. Add some titanium white to bring out the contours and highlights and you are on your way to creating realistic looking flesh tones. I say on your way, because you are not quite there yet. There is still the issue of which reds, yellows and blues you should use.

Blues: A nice, warm blue like ultramarine blue helps to dull the brilliance of the red and yellow, keeping your skin color from looking unnatural.

Reds: Cadmium red light will give your flesh a ruddy complexion, while alizarin crimson is perfect for darker skin tones.

Yellows: Throughout the history of western art, not too many palettes have lacked yellow ochre for use in skin tones. To make it darker, try adding raw umber or burnt umber.

Beginning with lighter skin tones, take a little of the cadmium red light and mix it with yellow ochre. Then compare the bright orange mixture with the skin tone of your subject, adding more red or yellow as needed. Next, add the titanium white until you arrive at a color comparable to that of the inside of the arm or the lower portion of the cheek. What you will end up with will more than likely be too bright, so add a touch of ultramarine blue, just enough to make your mixture look more natural.

If the skin tone you are painting is darker, try the above mixture, but add ultramarine blue instead of white. You could also try experimenting with burnt umber or raw umber. Whichever color you choose, start adding it until you have a color near the value of the skin tone you are painting. At this point, the titanium white is added, giving you a more natural skin tone.

One caveat to the above: do not rely solely on white to lighten the color. Rather than a natural skin tone, you could end up with one looking pale and unhealthy. If that is not the look you are going for, try adding in some of the cadmium red light/yellow ochre mix and breathe a little life back into it.

By Robert Pitts

To learn more, please visit me at http://www.oilandpigment.blogspot.com for a look at my own paintings and works in progress.

Copyright 2008 by Fine Craft Guild .com. All Rights Reserved.

I am often asked by jewelry and craft artists what they can do to improve their photography. Here are my top 11 tips for anyone that has problems taking great digital photographs.

1.Use a tripod and the camera self-timer. Using these two items at all times will give you clear and sharp photographs.

2.Keep the background clean and uncluttered. Remove any unnecessary items from the area that you are taking the photograph. This will also keep your eyes from being distracted from the subject of the photograph.

3.Move the camera as close to the subject as possible. Use the viewing screen on the camera, and fill up the screen as much as possible. This may mean that you will need to use the macro setting on your camera. Refer to your owner’s manual for the distances that the camera is designed for using the macro setting.

4.Keep your subject of the photograph focused. Nobody likes to look at a photograph that is out of focus. If your photo is not focused properly, then retake the photograph.

5.Avoid dark shadows. Use indirect sunlight, flash or other lighting sources for photographing your jewelry or craft items. Indirect sunlight is the best lighting source for photography.

6.Before you set up your camera equipment, have an idea in your mind of how you want the photograph to appear, when you view the finished photo.

7.Enhance your photographs by resizing, cropping, sharpening, rotating (when necessary), and compressing the image. Try to take your photographs so that you only have to do a minimum amount of enhancement. For example, you should not have to remove unwanted objects from the photo.

8.Read the camera owner’s manual and become familiar with all of the features of your camera. For example, some of the things that you should become familiar with are the self-timer, setting the white balance and the exposure values, how to take photographs using the manual or macro focusing settings, how to use the built in flash, how to zoom in and out from the subject of the photograph, and how to set the resolution you are going to use for taking your photographs.

9.Don’t be afraid to experiment in taking photos. Try using different techniques for taking your photographs. Use a different camera angle, different lighting, rotate the object of the photograph, try different background colors, and try different exposure values for your photographs. You will never know what will or will not work unless you try using different techniques in your photography. You may be surprised at how well a new technique that you used actually makes your photographs turn out.

10. Do not expect to get the perfect photograph by taking just one or two photographs of an item. It may happen once in a while, but very seldom. I am rarely able to take just one or two photographs of an item that I want to photograph, and consider the photograph to be the best photo that I can possibly take. Expect to take five or more photographs before you are able to get the perfect photo.

11. If you use the camera’s built in flash for your jewelry and craft photography, use the power cord that comes with your camera to generate the maximum amount of light output from the cameras flash unit for every photo that you take. As the cameras batteries start to discharge as you are using your camera, with or without using the flash, the light output from the cameras flash unit will decrease.

By using all of above tips when photographing jewelry and small craft items, you should see an immediate improvement in your photography.

You may want to print this tip sheet so that you can refer to it when you are doing photography.

Jim Juris

Jim Juris is a photographer who specializes in craft and jewelry photography. He has written an ebook titled- Inexpensive Jewelry Photography Techniques: How to use inexpensive techniques to photograph jewelry, craft, collectible, and online auction items. To learn more about his ebook, please visit http://www.inexpensivejewelryphotography.com Jim provides two free excerpts from his ebook on his web site.

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