Digital Photography Tips from around the Web

There are innumerable resources on the internet to help collectors take better doll photos. I'm going to start posting links or copies. The first few posts will be about lighting mainly  because most of the mis-information I am hearing concerns lighting.
Some of this information will be good and some may be useless to you.  Take what you need and leave the rest.

How To Use Your Camera's Flash for the Perfect Digital Photography by M.Mark

 It takes time and experience to learn how to control your digital camera's flash and shoot the perfect digital photography, but it's definitely worth waiting and trying because it's so rewarding! After all a picture worth a thousand words! I hope you will like and benefit from these flash tips for the perfect digital photography!

You have to take full control of your digital camera's flash. Why? Because digital cameras and their build-in software are pre-programmed and make a few assumptions.

For example:
There are sensors inside your camera that measure the percentage of illumination in the scene at which your camera points. If the sensors measure low illumination then your flash will fire. That is because your camera is pre-programmed with the assumption that flash will improve the photograph in a low-illumination environment. On the other hand in a high-illumination environment the flash will not fire because the camera will assume it's not necessary. After all it's dark out there!

The issue with these assumptions is that there are certain situations when you want an opposite result.

For example there are times when you want to shoot the perfect digital photography in a low-illumination environment without using the flash. e.g. when you are in a dark room with a candle burning and no other light sources. If that's the case you need to be really steady for the photograph to be sharp. You may want to use a tripod to achieve better results. If you do it right you will have a perfect digital photography with beautiful warm orange/red colors. Remember that the straight light coming from the flash gives a cold commercial look to your photographs. That could be ok in some cases but not in all cases.. You should decide whether to use flash, not your camera.

But what happens when working in Bright Light, high-illumination environments?

Then, the flash will not fire! Of course that saves battery-power but what are the results of your perfect digital photography? You definitely don't want to lose in quality right?

Imagine when you want to take the perfect digital photography of a person wearing a hat and the sun is overhead in the sky shining.. Then you will notice that the person's face will be in dark shadow because of the hat! But even if there's no hat, you will usually see shadows under the chin or under the person's eyes. So what you should do is fill those small shadows with light using your camera's flash!

Again, YOU should decide whether to use flash or not, and not your camera. YOU should take control of your camera's flash.

Today's digital cameras have five basic flash settings:

- Setting #1:
Automatic Flash: This is where your camera is pre-programmed to make assumptions depending on the level of the environment illumination and use the flash accordingly.

- Setting#2:
Automatic Flash with Eye Reduction: Again, the camera uses its software to determine when the flash will fire but there's also some type of red eye filters to reduce the red eye effect.

You camera will probably automatically select, by default, one of the above two settings. I recommend to never use the above settings if you're aiming for the perfect digital photography. And why is that you may ask. As I said before YOU should be the one who decides whether to use flash or not. And furthermore the eye reduction filters will not always do a good work and will confuse your subjects in most cases.

I recommend to make use of the following settings depending on the scene and the subject you're trying to shoot.

- Setting #3:
Flash Always: With this setting enabled your flash will fire in all cases. You may want to choose this setting when you want to fill small shadowed areas with light.

- Setting #4:
Flash Disabled: Your flash will not fire no matter how illuminated the environment or the scene is.. Make use of this setting when you want to shoot in a low-illuminated environment e.g. a dark room with a candle burning. Just remember that in a low-illumination environment you have to be really steady in order to shoot the perfect digital photography.

- Setting #5:
Slow Shutter Flash: This is a very underestimated setting and the least used.. If you choose this setting your flash will fire occasionally but the shutter will remain open for a longer time than usual. This will allow you to capture the subject illuminated by the flash, but it will also allow other lighting sources (like a candle's light) to record themselves. This setting is perfect if there is high illumination on the background while in-front of the subject there's certain darkness. For example when you want to shoot a person in front of a casino at night.

So.. If you're aiming for the perfect digital photography you should be able to switch between those five flash settings found in almost all digital cameras these days. Have a look at the camera's manual for more information on these settings. They are really important.



How would you like to use your camera's flash like professional digital photographer? You may want to have a look at this Perfect Digital Photography Secrets Manual/Guide. M.Mark is a webmaster of the DigitalStarProducts Digital Products Directory.

Article Source: http://www.positivearticles.com

 

News About Kazue and Tom of Toy & Goods Trading

It was confirmed this past week by a good friend of Kazue, that her husband is Tom of Toy & Goods Trading. That shop appears to be up and running.

Please note, if you order from them that they accept only Paypal. Do not pay with a balance, pay with a credit card through Paypal. That way even if Paypal denies your claim (if you have to make one) you can always turn to your credit card company and do a chargeback. Paypal hates that but you are protected.

I thought it was very, very strange that no one except the person who confirmed the information to collectors knew this. It's rather unusual for a husband and wife to have very similar but separate businesses in the same area. Perhaps Kazue  was trying to prove to Tom that she could do it better.

Some who regularly order from T&G Trading are understandably concerned that he might go under as well. All I can say is that if you have a major credit card, use it through Paypal. Get all your funds out of your account before ordering and use as your back up funding source a credit card - not a bank account.

Tom has the prettiest duo for sale. They are "Good Morning Amelie" and "Good Night Misaki" from the Secret Code Collection. His price is 32,600 yen for the set. That's $403.31 USD; 244.59 British Pounds; or 270.50 Euros.  They are also available separately but they look so pretty together.

Link to Toy& Goods Trading

Now that I'm in love with this body, what am I supposed to do with my other dolls?

I hate to start off a blog post with the word CRAP but I'm in love with the FR2 body. This is a problem and a puzzlement. There's no way to replace even a fraction of my collection with the new body. Should I retire them? Seriously, this body is amazing - the best 12" body ever. The only problem is that we can't get replacement ones and the feet are too long. A rational doll collector (are there any?) would say to just keep the collections separate. That's kind of impossible. My dolls are begging for new bodies now. CRAP.

Anyway...how gorgeous is this? Vanessa is wearing a little dress from a much earlier doll. Many of the clothes fit beautifully. It's the shoes that are hit and miss (mostly miss.)

And this:

The doll is Aerodynamic Vanessa re-rooted by Susan Korba, (the Magnificent.) She is borrowing a Dasha body and wearing a Dasha gown and shoes. Sitting, reclining and standing are all done beautifully with this body. Can it get better? Yes. Sell us bodies!

Franklin Mint and Ashton Drake Dress their Princess Catherine Dolls

The Franklin Mint will be producing a vinyl portrait doll of HRH Catherine. You can have one (or more) for $295.  Click on the picture to see the description and/or to place your order.

Here is Ashton Drake's porcelain 16" doll for $149.99.  Their description says fully poseable. Hmmm...I wonder exactly what that means. They did a very good job recreating the look of the gown but it it likely a retouched photo for now. It's too good.  Click on the photo to go to the Ashton-Drake page.

Princess Catherine Commemorative Porcelain Bride Doll

Tsk, tsk. The Danbury Mint still has their artist's rendering on their website.

Personally, I would rather have a Pippa doll in the dress SHE wore. What a great-looking doll she would make!

Real Live Dolls

I couldn't resist posting a few pictures from the Royal Wedding.

Catherine and her sister, Pippa.

 

Will we see more doll hats?

Fergie's Daughters make a fashion statement. FAIL

No comparisons intended or necessary.

Image by Maria Arrozeiro

Wedding Frenzy Part III

Here are more wedding themed doll photographs.

Will you be watching the Royal Wedding? I'll see you there.

Ann/FL

Charles Colber

Shasha

Stratos Bacalis

This was a winter window display inside the Tonner Store. That's a life-sized mannequin who was dressed by the Tonner staff.

Mannequin's face seen in this shot.

Vin Trapani

Wilco

Unfortunately I do not have a larger version of the following image. I took this picture so long ago, I was still using film!  I had just retired from shooting weddings and decided to set up my equipment and lighting as if I were shooting real people. Sadly, I have no idea what happened to the rest of the pictures. I would definitely do this picture over focusing more light on Ken's face and blocking the highlights on his white jacket.