[cpttango30]

1. Start with a decent quality digital camera. I know cell phones have much better cameras now than 4 or 5 years ago. Do yourself a favor and get a decent digi cam. It doesn’t have to be a $2000+ Pro Canon or Nikon. But a decent Point and shoot camera.
2. Make sure the camera has a MACRO setting. On most of my cameras the MACRO setting is depicted by a Flower.
3. Learn when to zoom and when not to zoom. Using the Zoom on your zoom can be good or it can be bad very bad.
4. Look at your dam pictures before you post them. Edit them for size and if they are blurry retake them.
5. When in doubt use a tripod.
6. Never fear take more pictures.
7. Backgrounds make or break a photo.



1. To get a little more in-depth on Cameras. There are many different quality digi cameras. I have a Canon SX110is. The thing to look for is to make sure it has a MACRO mode. MACRO is for close up shooting. Canon, Nikon, Kodak, Samsung, Casio, and many many more make quality cameras.
2. MACRO settings. What is this MACRO you keep talking about? MACRO or macroscopic is a way to have the camera focus at very close distances. On most point and shoot (PAS) cameras it is depicted by a flower. With my canon I can get so close that the lens blocks part of the flash in the pictures. In the picture below you can see the flower if I press this on the wheel it will access a small menu. This menu offers me Normal mode and MACRO mode. Some cameras may have it on the top of the body on a wheel offering other picture settings.



3. Zoom, if you are wanting to take a picture of a small mart or place that shows the problem you’re talking about switch to the macro setting on your camera and zoom in. This may produce an in focus picture on your LCD but on the computer it will look like pictures of Bigfoot, blurry. If this happens zoom back out and physically move the camera closer till you have a blurry picture then start backing out till you get a nice clear close up picture.
4. Ok now you need to get some photo editing software. Weather it is free or paid for it doesn’t matter. If you have MS Office 2007 then you have a good one already. Look for the Microsoft Office Picture manager. It is good for minor tweaks to pictures and resizing them to a more manageable size.
To find it Click START>>ALL PROGRAMS>>MICROSOFT OFFICE>>MS OFFICE TOOLS. This program will allow you to organize your pictures and edit them in an easy to use quick program. For god sakes start looking at your pictures before posting them and if they are blurry don’t post them and apologize for it just DON’T POST them. Look, a picture of Bigfoot running through the tulips that is blurry is not good if you want us to see something on your gun.



5. Got a tripod? NO well get off the computer and go to wal-mart and buy one. Hell you can get them for $30 or less. There is no need for a $400 ball headed omnimount carbon fiber 2oz 6 section tripod. Just get a darn tripod. Now use it, you’re shaky because you have been on FTF all dang day sucking on a bottle of Diet Mt. Dew. Caffeine makes you shaky. Using the tripod will remove your mt. dew shakes.
6. The best thing about digicams is that you can shoot till your card fills up. If you look at the pictures I post for everyone you see posted I bet I have taken 3 more than didn’t make the cut. Digicams are great because there is NO cost to develop the film anymore. You just take and take and snap and snap. There are times I fill up my 8gig card in a day taking pictures of stuff. On a good day 50% will make the cut. What pics you don’t like delete them and never look back.
7. Backgrounds are good unless they have toes, kids, lots of junk or clutter. I try to use a foam board with a piece of poster board on it. I tilt it at a slight angle to allow better angles with the camera on a tripod.

[DarinCraft]

I never thought about doing a thread on how to do easy and correct photography. Good read. I shoot a Canon Rebel with a Sigma 17 macro F2.8. I remember bracketing photos when you used film and had to wait a day before you found out you needed to throw away half the photos.

One thing I used to do (I've gotten lazy) is to get a sheet that compliments the color of the firearm(usually a tan or green) and drape that over your prop and place the gun on that to be photographed.

I vote this be stickied.

Thanks for the effort Tango

[canebrake]

Good stuff tango!

[CA357]

Thanks, this is good.

[dog2000tj]

He cooks, he shoots, he shovels snow and has his own Language! What can Tango not do?

Seriously, thanks for the info Tango.

[Gojubrian]

Rofl!! Thanks Tango. I am Tango learned!!

[opaww]

Some good info here thanks for posting it.

Now if I would just join the 21st century and get my own digital camara, but alas I still use an old Olympus OM-1 35mm SLR

[Highpower]

ATABOY!!!!!

[cpttango30]

Originally Posted by a

1. Start with a decent quality digital camera. I know cell phones have much better cameras now than 4 or 5 years ago. Do yourself a favor and get a decent digi cam. It doesn’t have to be a $2000+ Pro Canon or Nikon. But a decent Point and shoot camera.
2. Make sure the camera has a MACRO setting. On most of my cameras the MACRO setting is depicted by a Flower.
3. Learn when to zoom and when not to zoom. Using the Zoom on your zoom can be good or it can be bad very bad.
4. Look at your dam pictures before you post them. Edit them for size and if they are blurry retake them.
5. When in doubt use a tripod.
6. Never fear take more pictures.
7. Backgrounds make or break a photo.



1. To get a little more in-depth on Cameras. There are many different quality digi cameras. I have a Canon SX110is. The thing to look for is to make sure it has a MACRO mode. MACRO is for close up shooting. Canon, Nikon, Kodak, Samsung, Casio, and many many more make quality cameras.
2. MACRO settings. What is this MACRO you keep talking about? MACRO or macroscopic is a way to have the camera focus at very close distances. On most point and shoot (PAS) cameras it is depicted by a flower. With my canon I can get so close that the lens blocks part of the flash in the pictures. In the picture below you can see the flower if I press this on the wheel it will access a small menu. This menu offers me Normal mode and MACRO mode. Some cameras may have it on the top of the body on a wheel offering other picture settings.



3. Zoom, if you are wanting to take a picture of a small mart or place that shows the problem you’re talking about switch to the macro setting on your camera and zoom in. This may produce an in focus picture on your LCD but on the computer it will look like pictures of Bigfoot, blurry. If this happens zoom back out and physically move the camera closer till you have a blurry picture then start backing out till you get a nice clear close up picture.
4. Ok now you need to get some photo editing software. Weather it is free or paid for it doesn’t matter. If you have MS Office 2007 then you have a good one already. Look for the Microsoft Office Picture manager. It is good for minor tweaks to pictures and resizing them to a more manageable size.
To find it Click START>>ALL PROGRAMS>>MICROSOFT OFFICE>>MS OFFICE TOOLS. This program will allow you to organize your pictures and edit them in an easy to use quick program. For god sakes start looking at your pictures before posting them and if they are blurry don’t post them and apologize for it just DON’T POST them. Look, a picture of Bigfoot running through the tulips that is blurry is not good if you want us to see something on your gun.



5. Got a tripod? NO well get off the computer and go to wal-mart and buy one. Hell you can get them for $30 or less. There is no need for a $400 ball headed omnimount carbon fiber 2oz 6 section tripod. Just get a darn tripod. Now use it, you’re shaky because you have been on FTF all dang day sucking on a bottle of Diet Mt. Dew. Caffeine makes you shaky. Using the tripod will remove your mt. dew shakes.
6. The best thing about digicams is that you can shoot till your card fills up. If you look at the pictures I post for everyone you see posted I bet I have taken 3 more than didn’t make the cut. Digicams are great because there is NO cost to develop the film anymore. You just take and take and snap and snap. There are times I fill up my 8gig card in a day taking pictures of stuff. On a good day 50% will make the cut. What pics you don’t like delete them and never look back.
7. Backgrounds are good unless they have toes, kids, lots of junk or clutter. I try to use a foam board with a piece of poster board on it. I tilt it at a slight angle to allow better angles with the camera on a tripod.

If you have windows you have a tool to resize pictures.

Paint.

Go to

Start>>>All Programs>>>Accessories>>> Paint

Or on your picture icon Right click and click open with and choose PAINT.

When it opens click Image>>> Stretch and Skew it will open a pop up window and give you 100% in the top two change them to 75% and see how big it is. If it is still too big for you do it again using 75% till you get it the size you want. then save it bang your done.

I am going to try and find a program to make movies of my desktop and run through it and talk at the same time. I dunno know because that is doing more than 2 things at a time and I gets confused when that happens.

Link to youtube MS Paint resize video. YouTube - resizing pictures

Link to youtube MS Office Picture Manager resize video. YouTube - resizing a picture with MS Office Picture Manager

If you want a video on how to do something with pictures or something on your computer PM me and we will see what we can do.

[cpttango30]

Here you guys and gals go another short video on how to post pictures.

YouTube - Posting Pictures