Digital Camera hints
Jun 1st
I was visited by a Digitor client to talk through his digital slr camera which he had been struggling with. I thought I would explain the basic camera setting here as a reminder. He had been using it in the auto mode which was fine but giving him no control over adjusting simple settings that the P setting would allow you.
P is a confusing setting as it is a second auto but it will allow you to access menu items like changing the exposure slightly or changing white balance settings. But P for photo will automatically adjust your aperture (hole) and shutter speed (speed of a gate opening and closing) to give you a correctly exposed photograph. The camera controls the shot giving ‘middle settings’. If you want to control your camera but you still want your camera to help put your camera onto A or S.
A is for Aperture priority. A is the hole size denoted by an F number which is dictated by your camera lense. A big hole (eg. f/1.4) lets more light in than a small hole (eg. f/22). The bigger the f number the smaller the hole.
A small hole will give you a large depth of field. Depth of field is the the amount of stuff you have in focus. If you want the foreground and background to be in focus turn a control dial and choose a big f/number. If you want the background to be out of focus and blurry choose a small f/number.
The camera will sort out the shutter speed that will give you the correct exposure.
S is for Shutter priority. The shutter being open for 1 second will let much more light in that a shutter being being open for 1/250 of a second. Also a car going past the lens for 1 sec will get much further than 1/250. So if you want a sharp image of a moving car choose a small amount of time eg1/500. If you want a blur effect choose a longer time eg. 1 second.
The camera will sort out the correct apperture for you.
M is for manual. The camera will do nothing automatically. You set the aperture and shutter speed. Good luck.
There were lots of other pre settings denoted by small graphics that can be worked out if you recognise the image. A runner image suggests a fast shutter speed to freeze the action. A night time portrait will provide some flash to light the foreground subject but have a long exposure to let more light in to register the background which is out of the flash range. There are plenty more.
The Digitor Dragon is installed and up and running.
May 11th
The Digitor Dragon
Christened the Digitor Dragon because of it monster like characteristics and ausome capabilities, the 170kg 44″ Canon IPF 8100 made it to the Gallery Level Digitor Creative Studio and is now firing on all cylinders.
Last week there was much scratching of heads but gradually the beast is being tamed, producing fine art prints, garden plans, drawing enlargements as well as cards.
In the coming days and weeks I will be looking to expand its available product range, buy in paper and canvas stocks and create and excellent service.
Any artists who would like their work reproduced on stretched canvas or photographer wanting elargements please get in touch. I am also looking for Shropshire scenes to be printed as cards.
Digitor Creative Studio set up
Apr 30th
The Digitor Creative Studio is now open at 50-51 Gallery Level, Market Hall, Shrewsbury. It houses Digitor services and will soon be equipped with a wide format printer providing graphic design services and speciality expertise and product development for artists and the public.
First 2 wax carvings coming out of Digitor Creative Studio.
Alongside the Digitor services the Creative Studio houses jewellery making facilities and is developing wax carving miniature charms as a speciality.
The first two pieces that have been produced are a parcel (or present) and a bell. They are now at the casting company who have commissioned them.
There is a jewellery display area and the stall will be producing and displaying fine art products all for sale.
Artwork based around Shropshire themes is being sought as well as locally produced cards and interesting jewellery.
New Digitor Home
Apr 13th
Digitor can now be found at 50-51 Gallery Level, Market Hall, Shrewsbury. The Digitor services are being run alongside a creative studio and is developing its speciality of providing digital advice and support for artists. Martin Smith can be found working in the studio on a variety of projects Monday – Saturday at the Shrewsbury Market Hall.
After 2 months of terrible broadband……
Mar 30th
After the painful start to Virgin broadband the fault has now been solved and the March photo of the month has been posted. Taken by one of my Welsh family who I remet after 30 or 40 years this month. She showed me an amazing photo of a tree near her home farm that was chosen for an album cover. Photography talent runs deep in the family I have discovered and I expect more to be showcased from the clan in the coming months. Jan’s photo will run into April to give everyone time to enjoy it.
Photoshop Layers
Mar 9th
One of the hard things to get your head around in Photoshop is Layers and controlling layers in the Layers Window.
There is a lot of control to be found in this window. Usefull bits are Opacity (dropping the opacity percentage will make the layer transparent). Right click (Ctrl click Mac) a layer will give you lots of options – a useful one is duplicate layer. Other useful options can be found in the Layer menu on the top menu bar. You can merge two ajoining layers by choosing merge down (make sure the uppermost layer is selected first). Also flatten image is a key command. Remember to save layer versions before flattening so that you can revisit it and edit it if necessary. Remember saving as a .jpg will flatten the image automatically. A layered version would be a .psd.
Changing broadband providers
Feb 15th
After getting fed up with BT broadband speeds dropping to a crawl as school kids got home around 3.30 and being told by a stroppy BT rep that speeds don’t drop, I decided to take notice of Virgin Media’s publicity. I thought having a week’s overlap between ending the BT contract and getting the Virgin broadband up and running would provide a seamless transfer. But no – after scores of phone calls to Virgin I still don’t have a service I can use.
They are in partnership with Cable and Wireless who provide the line and services. If Virgin can’t fix it through their clever technology (and plenty of friendly bright young things have tried), Cable and Wireless are issued a job ticket that takes 3 to 5 working days (i.e. only Monday to Friday counted) and in reality each ticket has taken 5 days. When one ticket action has proved not to work that ticket has closed and when I phone up Virgin another ticket ordered. I am now waiting for the outcome of the third ticket, which won’t complete till Friday 5 weeks after the start of the saga.
I can write this because I have friendly neighbours who are letting me piggyback their wireless connection. All I can say is at least Virgin Media answer their phones. If they ever get the line to work I will let you know if it is any good.
Microsoft Works advice
Feb 3rd
When you get a new windows pc microsoft won’t give you microsoft office programmes like word and excel unless you pay extra for it. Your new PC will come with Works – a cut down version of office which is functional and be able to open word documents. In the save as options their is a format drop down menu that has word .doc or word.docx format options which you need to use if you want your file opened by someone with word (most people working in offices). You need to remember to do this every time you save as or start a new document and I know for many people this remembering bit is hard. You can buy office on the internet pretty cheap – a simple google search for ‘cheap microsoft office’ will give many choices (Amazon always a good bet for non students) £39 for a student version today.
Photo of the month launched
Feb 2nd
The February photo of the month is an iconic rememberance of my visit to Ars Electronica 2009. It is a shot of an art performance where three people were shrink wrapped in huge plastic constructions. As air was sucked from the bags the human forms became suspended, restricted and suffocating. I knew I would get an amazing shot……visit the photography page.
Digitor.net now set up
Feb 1st
Digitor.net is now live with blogging facilities where information can be shared and hopefully solutions to common problems can be found here as the site develops. Register on the site and post your questions as comments or if you are a problem solver comment your own solutions.