BATTERY FOR CANON DIGITAL CAMERAS

NB2L LI-Ion batt for Canon Digital camera 7.4 V 570MAH PL2LB-143 For models: PC1018, PowerShot S30, PowerShot S40,

Professional photographers rely on the flash on their camera to capture the action at a wedding or other social event. They are probably not aware of the effect of their flash on the faces of their subject. Here is an analysis of the effect of
different distances between the flash head and the lens.

The proper position of the flash is directly over the lens. This will ensure that any shadows from the flash will occur behind the head and body and not to one side. Of course, when shooting square format like Hasselblad, the flash can be fixed in that one position. For shooting with a rectangular format like Bronica ETR or Canon DSLR, the flash must be mounted on a swinging bar so that the flash can be positioned over the lens in either a horizontal or vertical shot.

I have determined through many tests that the ideal distance of the flash head above the lens is twelve inches. There are many advantages to using this distance. First, the unavoidable reflections on the forehead, nose, cheeks and chin are conducive to making the subject look good. The forehead reflection is positioned higher on the forehead, almost into the hair line and much diminished in strength. This leaves the flat portion of the forehead reflection free and retaining the natural color of the skin.

The shape of the nose is determined by the fall off of light along the sides and the position of the reflection on the bridge of the nose. When the flash is positioned closer to the lens, the bridge or indentation receives no highlight but rather the bony lower part of the nose is emphasized. The tip of the nose also benefits from the twelve inch distance of the flash head by appearing smaller and less intense.

Cheek reflections are considered acceptable when they are centered on the upper portion of the cheek. With a lower positioned flash head, the reflection highlight the unattractive line of muscle from the cheek to the nose. The twelve inch flash position also enhances the cheek bones. Chin reflections lower down on the point of the chin are unattractive and make the chin look wet. Alternatively, the twelve inch flash position just places a small crescent shaped highlight under the lip. An added benefit also occurs in the form of a more defined chin line and the placement of some double chins in shadow.

Those terrible eye glass reflections are greatly minimized with the twelve inch flash. The flash highlight now appears near the top of the eye glass, completely avoiding the area of the iris and pupil. The eyes are the most important feature of the face and ugly flash reflections can wipe out the eyes completely. An added benefit is a slight darkening at the bottom of the picture, enhancing the composition with a natural fade out.

Remember that since most natural light comes from a position over the horizon the most natural flash lighting will do the same for the face. Dont let convenience prevent you from capturing your flash subjects in the most attractive light.

Retired portrait and wedding photographer. Modestly, I was once awarded the title of Best Wedding Photographer in Passaic, Bergen and Hudson Counties in New Jersey.

Electric Mower

Canon Pixma MP470 Photo All-In-One Inkjet Printer (2177B002)

The Canon Pixma MP470 is a versatile, all-in-one unit that lets you quickly print beautiful photos and laser-quality text at home. Compact and easy to use, the MP470 delivers results that are truer to your originals, plus it scans photos or forms, even thick notebooks, with ease. This unit also lets you print directly from memory cards, digital cameras, and camera phones, and you can even enhance your images before you print by using the 1.8-inch color LCD display. All these great features come in one stylish machine that will enhance any home or office setting.

The MP470 uses Canon's FINE technology with microscopic droplets as small as two picoliters for incredible detail, and a maximum 4800 x 1200 dot-per-inch (dpi) resolution for vivid, lifelike prints. It also works fast, printing a borderless 4-by-6-inch photo in approximately 46 seconds. Before printing, you can preview and fine tune your images by using the color LCD display. For added convenience, you can print from memory cards, cameras, and camera phones--no computer needed. You even have the option of click-connect-print: Just capture an image with a PictBridge-ready digital camera/DV camcorder, then connect and print. And if you're not completely satisfied with your print, the Easy-PhotoPrint EX software and automatic image-fix help you troubleshoot and create a wide variety of beautiful shots. In fact, using select Canon inks and photo papers with the MP470 will produce photos that last up to 100 years.

Exceptionally easy to use, the MP470 is ready to go when you are; simply press the power button and you can begin inputting commands immediately. The USB 2.0 interface enables the fastest possible image transfers and scanning speeds. For added convenience, you can print from a compatible Bluetooth device in another room, using the optional USB Bluetooth adapter. When it's time to make copies, trust the dual color gamut processing technology to automatically optimize quality based on the type of originals you're copying. And all your scans will have superb detail, thanks to the high resolution of up to 2400 x 4800 dpi.

What's in the Box
Pixma MP470 Photo All-In-One Power Cord Sample Media (five 8.5 x 11 sheets), setup instructions, quick start guide, setup software and user's guide CD-ROM, cross sell sheet, and one each PG-4 black and CL-41 color cartridges.
Customer Review: Research before you buy....
researched this printer on consumer reports and was able to purchase on here for less $$ even with the shipping. Ooh and it also prints well.
Customer Review: AVOID: Wastes Color Ink on B&W only Printing
I've owned this printer for 4 months and print only B&W, using my Epson 2200 as my dedicated photo printer. With the MP470, checking "Greyscale" printing AND going into Maintenance / Ink Cartridge Settings and configuring the printer to use ONLY black ink (per user manual), my color ink has been nearly depleted. I leave the printer on 24/7 because I know printers often use up ink on every power cycle to charge the cartridges (I have an elec. eng. degree). The printer will not work if the color ink cartridge is removed. There's no legitimate reason for this $70 printer, with these settings, to go through $25 worth of color ink when doing only B&W printing. When this is completely out of ink I plan on throwing it away and buying another brand. It'll be cheaper than paying Canon to waste my ink, to say nothing of the increased polution in printer cartridges.

This article series is designed to help beginning wedding photographers prepare for their first wedding.

My previous article discussed the mindset a photographer should have as they approach a wedding. I will repeat the core mindset: the wedding is the most important day in the shared lives of this man and woman, there are no second chances, and, as such, I will work my absolute hardest to capture the best possible photos during the day that will bless the couple as they begin their life together.

This article looks at two more real-life scenarios and how the above mindset impacts them.

Transporting Digital Files

You have an out-of-state wedding. There is an 8-hour drive. You leave early Friday morning so you can arrive with plenty of time to visit the venues and also attend the rehearsal. The next day the wedding goes great. You get in the car to drive home. A question comes to my mind: what will happen to the wedding photos if you were to (terrible thought) die in a fiery car crash on the way back? If the most important day of the couples life together is their wedding day and you have that thought in your mind, you will realize that you cannot take the slightest chance of losing their photos.

If you have a laptop computer you could burn a copy of all the photos onto DVDs, put them in a box, give them to one of the bride or grooms relatives that you trust, and then have them ship the box back to you. Doing so doesnt cost you anything since they are paying for the shipment. There is always the risk that they wont ship the DVDs to you or that they could download them to their computer. If you are concerned about those risks you could always ship the box yourself. Itll take extra time/effort/hassle but, it will keep it so that you have control over the RAW images.

Will you ever regret taking the time to ship a copy of the files back? I dont think so. And there are lots of different ways you could do it in handling the nitty-gritty details. But the bottom line is this: always be thinking worst-case scenarios to make sure the photos are safe and protected.

Spontaneous Additions to the Formal Shot List

You are in the middle of the formal photo session after the ceremony. These photo sessions are usually (for me) pressure-filled: people are everywhere (generally they are anywhere but where they should be); you have to arrange and then take top-notch formal photos in a very short amount of time for each grouping; you have to maintain overall control without appearing controlling and all while smiling! You worked ahead of time with the bride and groom to create a detailed list of who will be in each formal photo. The list they created was significantly longer than what you were hoping for but, you said it would be fine (remembering that the day is all about them and what they want). You did share how long you felt the photo session would take to make sure they were OK with that but, since they were, so were you. Then, in-between almost every single formal grouping the couple is coming up with new ideas for photos. Why dont we do a separate one with Grandma? How about a shot with both sets of Grandparents together? Lets do one with all the distant cousins. The originally-scheduled 20 minutes has already passed and they just asked for another formal photo grouping. What do you do?

By now, youll probably guess my answer! Think about it Its the bride and grooms day. If they want to spend it doing formal photos (which is normally something that is dry and boring!), then thats how you spend the day!! Maybe it is a testimony to your skill and personality in making the photo session fun but, either way, have a good attitude and keep on taking the photos.

This is how I usually handle such a situation: I work hard and fast so I can try and accommodate the extra photos into the original schedule while still doing quality work. Anytime the couple asks me if we can do an extra group or setting my answer is always absolutely. At some point Ill also glance at my watch with a goal of simply informing them (not controlling) and say we are running just a little behind schedule but I have all day and we can do whatever youd like. However, if they are aware of what time it is and that they are the ones delaying the schedule I wouldnt even mention the time or delays to them. Sometimes, in their original request theyll mention that they know it make take a bit longer but they would really like a photo of them with their great-grandmother. Other times the couple doesnt even really know what time it is and that they are already 30 minutes late to their reception

Whatever the situation or delay, always remember that the day is about the couple getting married, not (and this is a difficult thought especially considering how much time you are spending in preparation) you photographing your first wedding!

If you are about to photograph your first wedding and this article has been helpful for you, you'll want to visit my web site which has additional Wedding Photography Tips for amateurs. I'm a wedding photographer based near Kansas City.

Great Apparel