Archive for September, 2008
Domen Lombergar asked:
Just as music builds mood, colors can also help create mood. A lot has been written on what each color denotes, what emotions it evokes. Colors also have an impact on one’s health. Did you ever think that the colors in a photograph can actually make someone look at it over and over again or probably turn-off the viewer. In fact the colors in photographs can set the pace and mood of your surroundings and impact you deeply.
Let’s understand the core of a photo or a painting for that matter. Human subconsciousness readily sees things in symmetry. Therefore, a symmetrical figurine or view would register faster. Asymmetrical view (in this case a photograph) would also catch attention but with some portions drawing more attention than others.
Next comes the color and texture. Colors in your photograph can have an impact in two ways. One, through the contrast created by using colors of
Just as music builds mood, colors can also help create mood. A lot has been written on what each color denotes, what emotions it evokes. Colors also have an impact on one’s health. Did you ever think that the colors in a photograph can actually make someone look at it over and over again or probably turn-off the viewer. In fact the colors in photographs can set the pace and mood of your surroundings and impact you deeply.
Let’s understand the core of a photo or a painting for that matter. Human subconsciousness readily sees things in symmetry. Therefore, a symmetrical figurine or view would register faster. Asymmetrical view (in this case a photograph) would also catch attention but with some portions drawing more attention than others.
Next comes the color and texture. Colors in your photograph can have an impact in two ways. One, through the contrast created by using colors of
Michael P asked:
then when i go to enlarge them i double click on them and it says no picture s selected. then when i exit out of the enlarged picture window all of the previews of the pictures turn back back into the jpg mountain preview thing and all the pictures disappear this has only done this on 2 of my card, but when i put them in my ps3 all the pictures can be viewed just fine? i am running vista and photo gallery is all up to date
then when i go to enlarge them i double click on them and it says no picture s selected. then when i exit out of the enlarged picture window all of the previews of the pictures turn back back into the jpg mountain preview thing and all the pictures disappear this has only done this on 2 of my card, but when i put them in my ps3 all the pictures can be viewed just fine? i am running vista and photo gallery is all up to date
mycuzzinvinnie asked:
when windows photo and fax viewer opens it seems to have content that it stores from the internet. How do you delete this content?
when windows photo and fax viewer opens it seems to have content that it stores from the internet. How do you delete this content?
htf0606 asked:
i purchased a Sandisk digital photo viewer brand new. i plug everything in and turned it on it was fine. but when i put my memory stick in it, it comes up card error. and i know that card works. so i tryed my other memory stick and still got card error. so i thought it was faulty wireing or something, so i bought another one brand new and the same thing happens. has anyone else had this problem? or does anyone know what could be wrong?
they both are formated to the camera, i use them all the time. and there is no switch or any on the card.
yes, my one card i have a bunch. and there is only one on the other card.
ok i got a hold of sandisk finally. and i figured out that it isn’t compatible with memory stick pro duo. it only work with the old memory stick pro so i got an adapter and it still comes up card error. i have a sony cybershot DSC-T10 and 1 sony magicgate memory stick pro duo 2gb and a sandisk memory stick pro duo 256mb.
i purchased a Sandisk digital photo viewer brand new. i plug everything in and turned it on it was fine. but when i put my memory stick in it, it comes up card error. and i know that card works. so i tryed my other memory stick and still got card error. so i thought it was faulty wireing or something, so i bought another one brand new and the same thing happens. has anyone else had this problem? or does anyone know what could be wrong?
they both are formated to the camera, i use them all the time. and there is no switch or any on the card.
yes, my one card i have a bunch. and there is only one on the other card.
ok i got a hold of sandisk finally. and i figured out that it isn’t compatible with memory stick pro duo. it only work with the old memory stick pro so i got an adapter and it still comes up card error. i have a sony cybershot DSC-T10 and 1 sony magicgate memory stick pro duo 2gb and a sandisk memory stick pro duo 256mb.
Alex Don asked:
People often have problems finding balance in their photos because they simply do not know how to start. Most of them lack any professional training in photography and don’t have the knowledge to get the most out of their photos. Others have the knowledge but do not know how to use a specific, sophisticated model. However, the secret of taking a balanced photo does not lay in the specific functions of the camera, but in mastering the main principles of positioning, lighting and contrast. Here are ten tips to help you improve your work:
1. Start by setting the proper contrast. The contrast is that feature that brightens or darkens the image accordingly to the background. When it is dark outside you should use a lighter contrast, while during the daytime when there’s a lot of light go for a darker one.
2. Position your camera right. There are several methods to choose a good positioning. These include the Lines, the Rule of Thirds and the Portioning. The lines use the natural angles of the things in the picture. If you are photographing a mountain landscape, you can either follow the lines or go against them depending on how you want the picture to look. When using the Rule of Thirds, the picture is divided in nine sections and you balance it accordingly. Portioning refers to placing the subject of the photo to one side to create a more interesting picture. These techniques help you to highly diversify your photos.
3. Focus the image in different areas to get more varied effects. People tend to focus more on sharper, clearer images than on blurred ones. Focusing on different areas will help you achieve a three-dimensional view.
4. Use your zoom function to improve balance. You can either zoom out to include more things in your photo so that the viewer has more to see or zoom in to focus on a certain aspect.
5. Take advantage of the flash function. Although flash is generally used in dark conditions, you can use it in broad daylight to in order to achieve some interesting effects. For example, you can make the background lighter giving the picture a whole different look.
6. Play with colors to express the ideas you want. You can use darker tones for warmer images which have more emotion and lighter hues to express freedom. There are a lot of color coordinations you can experiment with.
7. If you have attachable lenses, use them. They make a lot of difference in the picture. Attachable lenses help you achieve the so-called ‘depth of field’. Although this effect can also be achieved through other methods, it is stronger when you use lenses. There are many different kinds of lenses, such as wide-angle and fish-eye, which help you achieve various effects.
8. Take several pictures of the same object. If you have a digital camera, you no longer have to worry about wasting film. You can take as many photos as you want and then erase those you don’t like. Taking more pictures of the same thing helps you improve your chances of getting at least one that looks just right.
9. Have patience. Good pictures may come hard and you need to be patient enough to wait for the right moment. It won’t turn out the way you want every time, but there will always be other opportunities so don’t despair.
10. If you don’t know how to lead the viewer into the photograph, you can include a foreground. This is a zoomed-in area that can be used as a starting point and leads viewers towards the rest of the photo.
People often have problems finding balance in their photos because they simply do not know how to start. Most of them lack any professional training in photography and don’t have the knowledge to get the most out of their photos. Others have the knowledge but do not know how to use a specific, sophisticated model. However, the secret of taking a balanced photo does not lay in the specific functions of the camera, but in mastering the main principles of positioning, lighting and contrast. Here are ten tips to help you improve your work:
1. Start by setting the proper contrast. The contrast is that feature that brightens or darkens the image accordingly to the background. When it is dark outside you should use a lighter contrast, while during the daytime when there’s a lot of light go for a darker one.
2. Position your camera right. There are several methods to choose a good positioning. These include the Lines, the Rule of Thirds and the Portioning. The lines use the natural angles of the things in the picture. If you are photographing a mountain landscape, you can either follow the lines or go against them depending on how you want the picture to look. When using the Rule of Thirds, the picture is divided in nine sections and you balance it accordingly. Portioning refers to placing the subject of the photo to one side to create a more interesting picture. These techniques help you to highly diversify your photos.
3. Focus the image in different areas to get more varied effects. People tend to focus more on sharper, clearer images than on blurred ones. Focusing on different areas will help you achieve a three-dimensional view.
4. Use your zoom function to improve balance. You can either zoom out to include more things in your photo so that the viewer has more to see or zoom in to focus on a certain aspect.
5. Take advantage of the flash function. Although flash is generally used in dark conditions, you can use it in broad daylight to in order to achieve some interesting effects. For example, you can make the background lighter giving the picture a whole different look.
6. Play with colors to express the ideas you want. You can use darker tones for warmer images which have more emotion and lighter hues to express freedom. There are a lot of color coordinations you can experiment with.
7. If you have attachable lenses, use them. They make a lot of difference in the picture. Attachable lenses help you achieve the so-called ‘depth of field’. Although this effect can also be achieved through other methods, it is stronger when you use lenses. There are many different kinds of lenses, such as wide-angle and fish-eye, which help you achieve various effects.
8. Take several pictures of the same object. If you have a digital camera, you no longer have to worry about wasting film. You can take as many photos as you want and then erase those you don’t like. Taking more pictures of the same thing helps you improve your chances of getting at least one that looks just right.
9. Have patience. Good pictures may come hard and you need to be patient enough to wait for the right moment. It won’t turn out the way you want every time, but there will always be other opportunities so don’t despair.
10. If you don’t know how to lead the viewer into the photograph, you can include a foreground. This is a zoomed-in area that can be used as a starting point and leads viewers towards the rest of the photo.
John S asked:
I have multiple photo editing programs on my computer. I would like to make the Microsoft Picture and Fax viewer my default opener for the photos, how do I do this?
I have multiple photo editing programs on my computer. I would like to make the Microsoft Picture and Fax viewer my default opener for the photos, how do I do this?
Monique Stephen asked:
Using large photo printing services, you can make your message highly visible to the targeted viewers. Once your product or service secures the required exposure, you can promote sales and increase the productivity of your business.
With large photo prints, you can promote your upcoming events or presentations. Mount these large photo prints on the walls of your rooms to make them the cynosure of all eyes. Whatever may be the occasion, you can give away large photo prints as unique gifts for all age groups. Make large photo prints of your favorite photos to treasure your memories in the coming years. If you are looking for a perfect wall covering, make use of large photo prints as these constitute perfect interior wall decorations for any room. Above all, large photo prints are impressive advertising tools when used as posters, banners, signs and exhibition panels, both indoors and outdoors.
Companies providing large photo printing services use state-of-the-art technology to print your beautiful digital files. In order to make your prints last longer in any weather condition, these printing companies utilize the best photo pigment inks that are UV resistant and exceptionally fade resistant. Moreover, the prints are made on high quality materials of your choice to achieve high impact image quality and looks.
A number of creative options are available to create large photo prints with custom photo borders and other features. Large photo prints can be created in the format you require, incorporating the messages and images of your choice in striking colors and styles.
Leading digital printing companies in the United Kingdom offer large photo printing services to create exceptional quality output in amazing colors for commercial and non-commercial clients. If you need to print large photos of your taste and interest, avail of high quality large photo printing services from a reputable company that assures print on demand service.
Using large photo printing services, you can make your message highly visible to the targeted viewers. Once your product or service secures the required exposure, you can promote sales and increase the productivity of your business.
With large photo prints, you can promote your upcoming events or presentations. Mount these large photo prints on the walls of your rooms to make them the cynosure of all eyes. Whatever may be the occasion, you can give away large photo prints as unique gifts for all age groups. Make large photo prints of your favorite photos to treasure your memories in the coming years. If you are looking for a perfect wall covering, make use of large photo prints as these constitute perfect interior wall decorations for any room. Above all, large photo prints are impressive advertising tools when used as posters, banners, signs and exhibition panels, both indoors and outdoors.
Companies providing large photo printing services use state-of-the-art technology to print your beautiful digital files. In order to make your prints last longer in any weather condition, these printing companies utilize the best photo pigment inks that are UV resistant and exceptionally fade resistant. Moreover, the prints are made on high quality materials of your choice to achieve high impact image quality and looks.
A number of creative options are available to create large photo prints with custom photo borders and other features. Large photo prints can be created in the format you require, incorporating the messages and images of your choice in striking colors and styles.
Leading digital printing companies in the United Kingdom offer large photo printing services to create exceptional quality output in amazing colors for commercial and non-commercial clients. If you need to print large photos of your taste and interest, avail of high quality large photo printing services from a reputable company that assures print on demand service.
Tedric Garrison asked:
It has been that said the most difficult thing for man to do is to judge his or her creative work, objectively. Be honest, can you tell when your work seems to be missing something? More importantly do you know what it is that’s missing? You can only improve your photos if you set a high photo standard to compare yourself against.
When Time-Life selected 250 photos for the Great Photographers volume of their Time-Life Photography series; they choose sixty eight photographers out of thousands. Those editors defined “Great” photographers based on three main factors.
The first factor was intent. What did the photographer have in mind when he took the photo, and did he achieve it? For example, did the photographer successfully make the viewer feel empathy when taking pictures of survivors of a major natural disaster?
The second factor was technical skill. Did the photographer show a thorough understanding of composition, light, exposure, and design?
The final factor was consistency. Did the photographer have just one or two great shots, or did they produce success time and time again? One great photo . . . or even several . . . does not a great photographer make.
Intent, skill, and consistency are the same three factors that will determine your own greatness. Study the masters like Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Imogene Cunningham, and Diana Arbus and you will see these three factors again and again. But the question remains, how do you get from where you are now to that level?
Have you ever heard the phrase, “being your own worse critic?” By the very nature of the words being used; most people tend to think of that as a negative phrase, when in reality nothing could be further from the truth. To learn and grow in photography, you have to be able to be strong enough to admit what does and does not work in your photos.
To that end here is a strength and weakness checklist for you to use when reviewing your own photographs. It’s not complicated, just look at your photo and mark whether it is strong or weak. There is no middle gray, your image either succeeds or it does not. Once you know your weaknesses you can work on improving in those areas.
1. Intent – Could any viewer look at this photo and KNOW what you had in mind?
2. Emotional Impact – Can this photo be described with words of emotion like; peace, calm, anger, rage, joy, or sadness? Does your photo make an emotional statement?
3. Center of Interest – When composing your images do you successful direct your viewers attention to a specific point? Would the viewer know where your center of interest is?
4. Illusion of depth – Have you used framing, balance, and contrast and other art concepts to make your image jump off the page, or does it just sit there?
5. Subject / Background contrast – Shooting a portrait of someone with black hair against a black background is NOT a good idea. Does your subject stand out?
6. Personal Style – Ansel Adams was known for extreme illusion of depth and all planes in very sharp focus. Jim Zuckerman is known for vibrant colors and simplified subjects within their natural setting. Henri Cartier-Bresson once said, “There is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment.” How will others describe your unique approach?
7. Selective Focus – Do you choose where the viewer will look? If the background is just as sharp as the foreground things can become very visually confusing.
8. Composition – Do you consistently use the rule of thirds, formal or informal balance, and leading lines? Take control of where the viewer’s eyes are most likely to fall in your image.
9. Exposure – Do you always shoot at whatever the camera says, or do you take control of the light? Can you see details in your shadows? Have you ever used a reflector or bounced a flash as opposed to straight on?
10. Story Telling – Is there a feeling of movement within your image, or does it just sit there? Does it leave anything to the imagination, or is it just a statement of what is? If your image doesn’t tell a story, there is no reason to give it a second glance. Great photos make you want to look, again and again.
Use this checklist A) to see where you are at the moment and B) to see where your work is going in the future. Having a photographic standard is like having a road map. It is possible to get from here to there without one . . . but it’s a whole lot easier with one. Knowing what areas you need to improve in, is the first step in becoming a better photographer.
It has been that said the most difficult thing for man to do is to judge his or her creative work, objectively. Be honest, can you tell when your work seems to be missing something? More importantly do you know what it is that’s missing? You can only improve your photos if you set a high photo standard to compare yourself against.
When Time-Life selected 250 photos for the Great Photographers volume of their Time-Life Photography series; they choose sixty eight photographers out of thousands. Those editors defined “Great” photographers based on three main factors.
The first factor was intent. What did the photographer have in mind when he took the photo, and did he achieve it? For example, did the photographer successfully make the viewer feel empathy when taking pictures of survivors of a major natural disaster?
The second factor was technical skill. Did the photographer show a thorough understanding of composition, light, exposure, and design?
The final factor was consistency. Did the photographer have just one or two great shots, or did they produce success time and time again? One great photo . . . or even several . . . does not a great photographer make.
Intent, skill, and consistency are the same three factors that will determine your own greatness. Study the masters like Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Imogene Cunningham, and Diana Arbus and you will see these three factors again and again. But the question remains, how do you get from where you are now to that level?
Have you ever heard the phrase, “being your own worse critic?” By the very nature of the words being used; most people tend to think of that as a negative phrase, when in reality nothing could be further from the truth. To learn and grow in photography, you have to be able to be strong enough to admit what does and does not work in your photos.
To that end here is a strength and weakness checklist for you to use when reviewing your own photographs. It’s not complicated, just look at your photo and mark whether it is strong or weak. There is no middle gray, your image either succeeds or it does not. Once you know your weaknesses you can work on improving in those areas.
1. Intent – Could any viewer look at this photo and KNOW what you had in mind?
2. Emotional Impact – Can this photo be described with words of emotion like; peace, calm, anger, rage, joy, or sadness? Does your photo make an emotional statement?
3. Center of Interest – When composing your images do you successful direct your viewers attention to a specific point? Would the viewer know where your center of interest is?
4. Illusion of depth – Have you used framing, balance, and contrast and other art concepts to make your image jump off the page, or does it just sit there?
5. Subject / Background contrast – Shooting a portrait of someone with black hair against a black background is NOT a good idea. Does your subject stand out?
6. Personal Style – Ansel Adams was known for extreme illusion of depth and all planes in very sharp focus. Jim Zuckerman is known for vibrant colors and simplified subjects within their natural setting. Henri Cartier-Bresson once said, “There is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment.” How will others describe your unique approach?
7. Selective Focus – Do you choose where the viewer will look? If the background is just as sharp as the foreground things can become very visually confusing.
8. Composition – Do you consistently use the rule of thirds, formal or informal balance, and leading lines? Take control of where the viewer’s eyes are most likely to fall in your image.
9. Exposure – Do you always shoot at whatever the camera says, or do you take control of the light? Can you see details in your shadows? Have you ever used a reflector or bounced a flash as opposed to straight on?
10. Story Telling – Is there a feeling of movement within your image, or does it just sit there? Does it leave anything to the imagination, or is it just a statement of what is? If your image doesn’t tell a story, there is no reason to give it a second glance. Great photos make you want to look, again and again.
Use this checklist A) to see where you are at the moment and B) to see where your work is going in the future. Having a photographic standard is like having a road map. It is possible to get from here to there without one . . . but it’s a whole lot easier with one. Knowing what areas you need to improve in, is the first step in becoming a better photographer.
Denis tyler asked:
Photographs capture the memorable moment in anyone’s life. You can just click a picture and store it for a lifetime. The moment gets captured by a single click and you can open it anytime to see those fascinating moments of your life. Pictures can be captured and stored online or on a photo paper. After a certain period paper photographs can get damage but an online photograph remains as it is for years and years. Online photo sharing is medium to share photographs through web with your family and friends. You upload your photo on the internet and lots of people visits the site to see your photographs. It is done in two different ways, one medium is a way through which websites allow you to share photographs freely. You can upload photographs whichever you want to share with the site visitors. They provide you some space and you have to upload within the same arena.
Today, there are different softwares that can help you to upload pictures on the world wide web. It is called photo sharing products which are meant to help you to share photo with different people on the web. There are some free version of software which provides limited space to store your photographs. The viewers do response by giving some comment on online photo sharing. Any individual sitting at home can do online photo sharing with other online users with the help of a high speed connection. It is digital photographs that can be shared with users on the web. People enjoy sharing photographs of others. Some good photo sharing sites offers various features for a user. It allows users to categorize and organize images so that the visibility becomes clear for an individual.
It also delivers other features that can enable you to store your image in various sizes and one can view it the way he wants. Keyword tags are used by the online photo sharing sites to give you a clear message. One of the most important features is that it can enable you to do image manipulation and share images on their websites or even in blogs.You can also link your website with other site to upload photos that you want. If your photos are attractive then it will bring huge traffic to your site and thus your site will become reputed in this kind of business. Some websites offer subscription based services and you can buy the subscription to share your photos. Online photo sharing by the means of websites are a convenient place to share your photos, and it lets you to create slideshows and moreover you can put it on your website.
The photo sharing sites do provide convenient way to manage your own photo library. You can also customize also to make limited view of your photo on the web. Further more, there is a community on that site where you can engage in online photo sharing. Above all you can also print photos from the site that you want in different shapes and sizes like calenders, booklets, posters, prints, stamps and other sizes that you want from your photos. It is a wonderful medium to showcase your photos and others that you want.
Photographs capture the memorable moment in anyone’s life. You can just click a picture and store it for a lifetime. The moment gets captured by a single click and you can open it anytime to see those fascinating moments of your life. Pictures can be captured and stored online or on a photo paper. After a certain period paper photographs can get damage but an online photograph remains as it is for years and years. Online photo sharing is medium to share photographs through web with your family and friends. You upload your photo on the internet and lots of people visits the site to see your photographs. It is done in two different ways, one medium is a way through which websites allow you to share photographs freely. You can upload photographs whichever you want to share with the site visitors. They provide you some space and you have to upload within the same arena.
Today, there are different softwares that can help you to upload pictures on the world wide web. It is called photo sharing products which are meant to help you to share photo with different people on the web. There are some free version of software which provides limited space to store your photographs. The viewers do response by giving some comment on online photo sharing. Any individual sitting at home can do online photo sharing with other online users with the help of a high speed connection. It is digital photographs that can be shared with users on the web. People enjoy sharing photographs of others. Some good photo sharing sites offers various features for a user. It allows users to categorize and organize images so that the visibility becomes clear for an individual.
It also delivers other features that can enable you to store your image in various sizes and one can view it the way he wants. Keyword tags are used by the online photo sharing sites to give you a clear message. One of the most important features is that it can enable you to do image manipulation and share images on their websites or even in blogs.You can also link your website with other site to upload photos that you want. If your photos are attractive then it will bring huge traffic to your site and thus your site will become reputed in this kind of business. Some websites offer subscription based services and you can buy the subscription to share your photos. Online photo sharing by the means of websites are a convenient place to share your photos, and it lets you to create slideshows and moreover you can put it on your website.
The photo sharing sites do provide convenient way to manage your own photo library. You can also customize also to make limited view of your photo on the web. Further more, there is a community on that site where you can engage in online photo sharing. Above all you can also print photos from the site that you want in different shapes and sizes like calenders, booklets, posters, prints, stamps and other sizes that you want from your photos. It is a wonderful medium to showcase your photos and others that you want.
Chris Marshall asked:
Whether you are planning to build an online product catalog or a printed version including rich digital photos will enhance it and will increase potential sales. When building a catalog photos are a powerful tool that you must use. Here are a few tips for taking digital photos that will bring justice to your products and will help increasing sales.
Product catalogs that do not include photos are boring. For example imagine that you are looking to buy a new digital photo printer. You just found a new online catalog or got a catalog via regular mail. The catalog has plenty of digital photo printers and also a lot of information about them such specifications, capabilities descriptions and more but it does not have any photos of the printer. You are most likely going to dump that catalog and search for the printer in another place.
This behavior is common to most consumers especially in this era of immediate gratification and impatience. Consumers do not want to spend time reading and figuring out what the product can do. They want to see a photo and get a short snippet of what the main features of the product are and what the price is.
Just taking photos and adding them to your catalog is not enough. Good photos can add a lot to a product image but at the same time bad photos can really damage that image. Here are some tips and concepts that can help taking good photos that in turn help selling products online:
Variation: Take more than one photo. Show the product from many angles: zoomed in and zoomed out and in different positions for example if the product is a clamshell-phone you should show it both in the opened and closed positions.
Quality: The photo quality must be as high as possible. Don’t confuse quality with file size or resolution we refer here to photographic quality: Follow the rules of good photography, use a tripod when long exposure is needed make sure the photo is not overexposed or underexposed and that it is not blurry.
Background: It is very important to shoot with the appropriate background. Usually you would stage a background that is in contrast with the product and that has no details or distracting objects that can catch the viewer’s attention. Make sure that the background is matte color and that it does not reflect light. For example when taking a photo of a black digital photo printer use a white or light gray background.
Show details: Emphasize the product details. Every product has unique features or important details that you would like to draw the viewer’s attention to. The best way to do that is to take close-up photos of those details. You are not limited to physical details for example when selling an digital photo printer that has long battery life take a close-up photo of the digital photo printer’s LCD screen displaying how much battery is left. Such a photo conveys credibility and is much more powerful than the product battery life specifications text.
Support the product description: Take photos that support the textual description of the product. For example if the text claims that the digital photo printer comes in three colors: black, silver and red show three photos of the printer in those colors.
Convey physical attributes: If your product has unique physical attributes that you would like to emphasize take photos that convey them. For example if the product size is important use a known size object in order to help the viewer visualize the size take a photo of the digital photo printer next to a quarter coin to show how small the printer is. It is much easier for viewers to visualize and understand measurements if they are put in reference with objects they know very well. This is much more powerful than specifying inches and ounces in a textual specification.
Keep file sizes small: This is relevant for online catalog only. Keep the photo file size small. When viewing a photo on a computer screen low resolution photos are more than enough. In most cases a VGA (640X480) picture is all that is needed and such a photo file size can be 50Kbytes or less. It is important to keep this in mind and not be tempted to put high resolution big photos files. Such big files load slowly on the viewer’s computer and in most cases the viewer will get frustrated from the slow response and would just skip to the next site.
Whether you are planning to build an online product catalog or a printed version including rich digital photos will enhance it and will increase potential sales. When building a catalog photos are a powerful tool that you must use. Here are a few tips for taking digital photos that will bring justice to your products and will help increasing sales.
Product catalogs that do not include photos are boring. For example imagine that you are looking to buy a new digital photo printer. You just found a new online catalog or got a catalog via regular mail. The catalog has plenty of digital photo printers and also a lot of information about them such specifications, capabilities descriptions and more but it does not have any photos of the printer. You are most likely going to dump that catalog and search for the printer in another place.
This behavior is common to most consumers especially in this era of immediate gratification and impatience. Consumers do not want to spend time reading and figuring out what the product can do. They want to see a photo and get a short snippet of what the main features of the product are and what the price is.
Just taking photos and adding them to your catalog is not enough. Good photos can add a lot to a product image but at the same time bad photos can really damage that image. Here are some tips and concepts that can help taking good photos that in turn help selling products online:
Variation: Take more than one photo. Show the product from many angles: zoomed in and zoomed out and in different positions for example if the product is a clamshell-phone you should show it both in the opened and closed positions.
Quality: The photo quality must be as high as possible. Don’t confuse quality with file size or resolution we refer here to photographic quality: Follow the rules of good photography, use a tripod when long exposure is needed make sure the photo is not overexposed or underexposed and that it is not blurry.
Background: It is very important to shoot with the appropriate background. Usually you would stage a background that is in contrast with the product and that has no details or distracting objects that can catch the viewer’s attention. Make sure that the background is matte color and that it does not reflect light. For example when taking a photo of a black digital photo printer use a white or light gray background.
Show details: Emphasize the product details. Every product has unique features or important details that you would like to draw the viewer’s attention to. The best way to do that is to take close-up photos of those details. You are not limited to physical details for example when selling an digital photo printer that has long battery life take a close-up photo of the digital photo printer’s LCD screen displaying how much battery is left. Such a photo conveys credibility and is much more powerful than the product battery life specifications text.
Support the product description: Take photos that support the textual description of the product. For example if the text claims that the digital photo printer comes in three colors: black, silver and red show three photos of the printer in those colors.
Convey physical attributes: If your product has unique physical attributes that you would like to emphasize take photos that convey them. For example if the product size is important use a known size object in order to help the viewer visualize the size take a photo of the digital photo printer next to a quarter coin to show how small the printer is. It is much easier for viewers to visualize and understand measurements if they are put in reference with objects they know very well. This is much more powerful than specifying inches and ounces in a textual specification.
Keep file sizes small: This is relevant for online catalog only. Keep the photo file size small. When viewing a photo on a computer screen low resolution photos are more than enough. In most cases a VGA (640X480) picture is all that is needed and such a photo file size can be 50Kbytes or less. It is important to keep this in mind and not be tempted to put high resolution big photos files. Such big files load slowly on the viewer’s computer and in most cases the viewer will get frustrated from the slow response and would just skip to the next site.