Whether you've gotten a new digital camera or have an old one lying around - and you have decided it is time to learn the techniques of getting good photos out of it? Digital photography lessons can eliminate years of struggle and torment off your studies.
However , not all digital photography lessons are equally well done.
Getting an outstanding and creative shot truly isn't all that hard and learning how to shoot it should be relatively pain free.
Many of the courses around work at trying to make it sound difficult and confusing - just to make sense of their large prices. Of course , they feel the need to write the lesson so that it takes a PhD degree merely to understand it too!
Few courses give you easy to learn info that's going to really help you shoot better, immediately.
Here is the first step in creating stunning photos...
The top shooters ALL learned to master their camera by using a photo notebook.
They write down their vision of the shot they are trying to get, then they record the settings, lighting conditions and etc.
Once our shooters get the images back from the lab - or once they get to their computer to input their photos (you shouldn't judge a photograph by the viewing screen on the camera - it's just too tiny), they pulls out their photo notebook.
If their photo was exactly as desired, they record it in their journal and move on. If their photograph didn't turn out like the visualized concept, they record THAT result as well.
Next they determine some of the ways the photograph could have gone wrong and ways to fix the issue.
Finally they go out and try it again!
Rinse and repeat until you have mastered that shot. Then move on to the next one. Within a space of hours, you will have improvement in your photographs. Inside of a few weeks you'll have learned how to accurately create any sort of photographs you want.
Not very many digital photography lessons are stronger than simply keeping (and making use of) a shot journal. Give it a try, you'll like it.
Warning - Using a shot notebook will instantly make your photography better, but that's just the first step. Done correctly digital photography lessons can make lasting changes in your outlook on photos, creativity and art.
Your kids can make a puppet theater and an assortment of puppets all by themselves.
Materials Needed
a table for the theater
a cloth that can cover the front and sides of the table, leaving the back exposed
some stiff white cardboard or colored paper depending on the type of puppet they want to make
pencils and coloring materials
scissors
glue
sticky tape
I admit that this theater is nowhere near the kids puppet theaters you can get at http://www.toyskidslove.com/puppet-theaters.htm. Still, for the budget conscious, your kids can still get their makeshift puppet theater if you do it yourselves. A bonus is that your kids would be busy for hours just making their puppets. Ideal if you are broke and have with a bunch of kids that need to be kept out of mischief.
For the puppets, finger puppets are ideal for starters. My 6 year old boy thought up this puppet design all by himself. He used colored paper, wrapped loosely around a finger. He taped the the paper shut, loose enough so he could put on or take off the puppets as he wished. Then he drew a face on the tip of the puppet. His elder brother liked that design and helped him make a variety of such finger puppets with different colors and different expressions.
The puppets I had initially taught them to make required much more work. Here's how you can make some simple puppets.
Decide on the story line, the characters and what puppets are needed for the show.
Draw pictures of these characters on stiff white cardboard. Each picture has to be just big enough to cover 1 finger.
Color the pictures.
Cut out these pictures.
Cut a white strip of cardboard about half an inch thick, 1 and a half inches long. This is going to be like a ring around the child's finger, attached to the puppet so that your kid can make the puppet move around.
Form a circle with the white strip.
Glue this circle behind the picture so that a finger can go through it to support the puppet.
Let the glue dry completely and you have your finger puppets.
Once you have enough puppets, you can make the theater.
The Puppet Theater
Spread the cloth over the table, so that the front and sides are completely covered, but the back of the table is fully exposed.
That covered table is the puppet theater.
The children can hide behind the theater, put on the finger puppets on their fingers, lift their hands over their heads to perform the puppet show.
Pay attention when your kids perform their puppet show for you. Participate when they ask you to. Your attention means a lot to them.
Making wonderful glass mosaic tile art is easy! Let me show you how.
Ever wonder how to sign your indoor glass mosaic art so the signature won't rub or wear off? Nothing seems to stick permanently to glass. Permanent marker isn't permanent. Acrylic and enamel paint rub, chip, or flake off. Nothing works!
Until recently, I signed my indoor glass mosaics with enamel paint. I covered the entire mosaic (except the signature) with old rags and towels, and then lightly sprayed on two light coats of clear acrylic sealer to protect the paint. That method works okay, but it doesn't seem to be as permanent as my new idea.
I had an epiphany a while ago and I've been signing all my indoor glass mosaics with this method ever since. Try it and see how it works for you. Use this method only for indoor mosaics. Do not use this method for outdoor mosaics or mosaics that will be displayed in a wet environment (e. g., a sauna or shower area).
CAUTION: Try this method on a piece of scrap glass before trying it on your mosaic art. Trying it on scrap glass first will let you know if this is how you actually want to sign your mosaic art. It will also give you practice before doing it on your mosaic art.
Using a fine-tip permanent marker, sign your name on the glass. I usually put my signature on the bottom-right corner of my indoor mosaics. Put yours where you like it best. I find a piece of tessera big enough to hold my entire signature so I don't have to write on any grout lines. If I have to write small to fit it on a single piece of tessera so I don't cross any grout lines, then I write small.
Lay your indoor mosaic art on a flat surface. Do this so the wet glue won't run or drip. If your mosaic is flat, the glue is thick enough so it stays where you apply it (i. e., it won't run or drip). With your indoor mosaic lying flat, carefully apply plain white Elmer's Glue-All over your entire signature. Don't touch the tip of the glue bottle to the signature or the ink might smudge. Slowly squeeze out enough white Elmer's Glue-All to cover the entire signature. (White Elmer's Glue-All is the stuff we all went to school with. I can usually buy a big 7. 625-oz bottle at Walmart for about $1. 50. )
Allow the glue to thoroughly dry overnight. White Elmer’s Glue-All dries clear. When wet, the glue doesn't absorb or blur the ink. Instead, the ink stays intact and the signature looks good after the glue is dry and clear. The glass color also shows through so the glue doesn't affect the mosaic's appearance. The ink is entombed in the glue and the glue provides strong, permanent protection for my signature on my indoor mosaics.
Don’t try to get cute by using a cotton swab or other tool to spread out the glue evenly. While trying to spread out the wet glue, if you press just a hair too hard and touch the ink, it will smudge. If you leave the ink alone, it won’t smudge or blur, but it will with the slightest touch. Therefore , I suggest that you don't try to even out the glue lines. Instead, hold the tip of the glue bottle close to the glass and carefully squeeze out the glue. The edges will look a bit ragged (i. e., not perfectly straight and square with each other). In my opinion, that’s okay, they don't need to be perfectly smooth, straight, and at perfect angles with each other. When the glue is dry and clear, I don't notice the raggedness unless my nose is right up to the mosaic.
As noted, don't use this method for outdoor mosaics or for mosaics that will be displayed in a wet environment (e. g., a sauna or shower area).
This process is explained on my website for free with lots of pictures, so if you don’t quite understand it, go to my website and look at the pictures. Try this method on a piece of scrap glass and see if you like it. If you do, then you'll know a neat trick that allows you to sign your indoor mosaic art masterpieces and be comfortable that your signature won't rub or wear off over time.
Remember, making mosaic art is easy. You can do it. Yes, you can!
Will listening to music make you smarter? Will learning to play a musical instrument make your brain grow larger than normal?
Questions like these ones have been popping up all over the place in the past few years, and not just in scientific journals either.
In recent times the media has been fascinated by the research surrounding brain development and music, eagerly reporting on the latest studies to the delight of the music-loving parents of young children.
But all this information - and some misinformation too - has led to generalized confusion about the role of music and music training in the development of the human brain. The bottom line is this: if you're confused by all you read about music study and brain development, you're certainly not alone.
In part, this is due to the manner in which the phrase "the Mozart Effect" has been popularized by the media and bandied about to describe any situation in which music has a positive effect on cognition or behavior.
In fact the Mozart Effect refers specifically to a 1993 research finding by Frances Rauscher, Gordon Shaw and Katherine Ky and published in the prestigious journal Nature. The scientists found that 36 college students who listened to 10 minutes of a Mozart sonata performed higher on a subsequent spatial-temporal task than after they listened to relaxation instructions or silence.
An enchanted media reported this interesting research as "Mozart makes you smarter" - a huge over-simplification of the original results.
As Rauscher explains in a later paper, the Mozart Effect was studied only in adults, lasted only for a few minutes and was found only for spatial temporal reasoning. Nevertheless, the finding has since launched an industry that includes books, CDs and websites claiming that listening to classical music can make children more intelligent.
The scientific controversy - not to mention the popular confusion - surrounding the Mozart Effect, has given rise to a corresponding perplexity for parents. They wonder: "Should my kids even bother with music education? "
In fact the answer to this question is still a resounding yes, since numerous research studies do prove that studying music contributes unequivocally to the positive development of the human brain. Other researchers have since replicated the original 1993 finding that listening to Mozart improves spatial reasoning. And further research by Rauscher and her colleagues in 1994 showed that after eight months of keyboard lessons, preschoolers demonstrated a 46% boost in their spatial reasoning IQ, a skill important for certain types of mathematical reasoning.
In particular, it is early music training that appears to most strengthen the connections between brain neurons and perhaps even leads to the establishment of new pathways. But research shows music training has more than a casual relationship to the long-term development of specific parts of the brain too.
In 1994 Discover magazine published an article which discussed research by Gottfried Schlaug, Herman Steinmetz and their colleagues at the University of Dusseldorf. The group compared magnetic resonance images (MRI) of the brains of 27 classically trained right-handed male piano or string players, with those of 27 right-handed male non-musicians.
Intriguingly, they found that in the musicians' planum temporale - a brain structure associated with auditory processing - was bigger in the left hemisphere and smaller in the right than in the non-musicians. The musicians also had a thicker nerve-fiber tract between the hemisphere. The differences were especially striking among musicians who began training before the age of seven.
According to Shlaug, music study also promotes growth of the corpus callosum, a sort of bridge between the two hemispheres of the brain. He found that among musicians who started their training before the age of seven, the corpus callosum is 10-15% thicker than in non-musicians.
At the time, Schlaug and other researchers speculated that a larger corpus callosum might improve motor control by speeding up communication between the hemispheres.
Since then, a study by Dartmouth music psychologist Petr Janata published by Science in 2002, has confirmed that music prompts greater connectivity between the brains left and right hemisphere and between the areas responsible for emotion and memory, than does almost any other stimulus.
Janata led a team of scientists who reported some areas of the brain are 5% larger in expert musicians than they are in people with little or no musical training, and that the auditory cortex in professional musicians is 130% denser than in non-musicians. In fact , among musicians who began their musical studies in early childhood, the corpus callosum, a four-inch bundle of nerve fibers connecting the left and right sides of the brain, can be up to 15% larger.
While it is now clear from research studies that brain region connectivity and some types of spatial reasoning functionality is improved by music training, there is growing evidence that detailed and skilled motor movements are also enhanced.
Apparently the corpus callosum in musicians is essential for tasks such as finger coordination. Like a weight-lifter's biceps, this portion of the brain enlarges to accommodate the increased labour assigned to it.
In a study conducted by Dr . Timo Krings and reported in Neuroscience Letters in 2000, pianists and non-musicians of the same age and sex were required to perform complex sequences of finger movements. The non-musicians were able to make the movements as correctly as the pianists, but less activity was detected in the pianists' brains. The scientists concluded that compared to non-musicians, the brains of pianists are more efficient at making skilled movements.
The study of music definitely affects the human brain and its development, in a staggering number of ways. But what to make of all the research, especially in terms of deciding the best course of music study or appreciation for yourself or your offspring?
A 2000 article by N M Weinberger in MuSICA Research Notes makes the following excellent point: Although the Mozart Effect may not list up to the unjustified hopes of the public, it has brought widespread interest in music research to the public. And listening to ten minutes of Mozart could get someone interested in listening to more unfamiliar music, opening up new vistas.
Irregardless of the hype surrounding the Mozart Effect, the overall academic evidence for music study as a tool to aid brain development, is compelling.
At the University of California School of Medicine in San Francisco, Dr . Frank Wilson says his research shows instrumental practice enhances coordination, concentration and memory and also brings about the improvement of eyesight and hearing. His studies have shown that involvement in music connects and develops the motor systems of the brain, refining the entire neurological system in ways that cannot be done by any other activity. Dr . Wilson goes so far as to say he believes music instruction is actually 'necessary' for the total development of the brain.
So the bottom line is this: Music study and practice probably does aid in the development of the brain in various important ways. And after all, if you enjoy music, there is nothing to lose by trying, and everything to gain!
Thinking about what to give as the perfect birthday gift for a parent, family member or friend, for any occasion, can feel like a chore at times. After all, some people are absolutely impossible to buy for. However the process can be made much easier by using the one thing you know someone will love – you. It is always nice to get a framed picture of a loved one as a gift, however for the next birthday event, give the old idea a fresh twist and print your photo to canvas.
When you print your photo to canvas, you create a birthday gift that is unique and distinctly personal. One of the best things about putting your photo on canvas is that it is birthday gift that is perfect for him or her. Whether your gift will be a man or woman, putting a photo on canvas will hold a special meaning to them.
How To Do It There are a number of digital programs and other supplies that will help you get your photo on canvas to be painted. Depending on your level of comfort with the painting medium, you may decide to paint the canvas yourself. If so, this will take the unique birthday gift to a whole different level. Painting is not as much about perfection it is about expression. Creating a personalized painting as a birthday gift for a mom or dad or another man or woman, shows them that you not only care, but also that you have deliberately put in the time and effort to make their birthday gift truly unique.
Painting is not a style that requires a strict adherence to form, per se. When you put your photo on canvas, there are still a host of options such as the style in which you will create your painting. Depending on if the birthday gift is for a mom or dad, or is a birthday gift for a man or a woman, you may decide to use certain colors or shapes to decorate your photo on canvas. Whether you are creating a birthday gift for him or her, the possibilities can range from simplistic and classic to modern or Victorian. Find out what the tastes and styles are of the person you are creating your unique birthday gift for. Think of the décor in their home. What would be the most appropriate type of painting to give as a birthday gift for him or her?
Ask for Help You may decide that you want to commission an artist to help you put your photo on canvas and paint it. This will cost much more money that doing the process yourself. However , it may be worth the price to be able to give the most unique birthday gift to the man or woman you have in mind that will reflect professionalism and a more accurate representation of your photo on canvas.
Art Classes with Australian Fine Artist Cherie Vize
Whether alone or with friends, backpacking can be a fun and adventurous way to spend a weekend. It gives you a chance to escape the madness of the city, explore a natural surrounding and get some great exercise to boot.
One should never go unprepared, however. Take it from me, not having the right gear or equipment can make a backpacking trip go from an exciting weekend to a frightening two day disaster with no end in sight. There's nothing worse than being stuck on a mountain in a sudden and unexpected rainstorm, without the right water resistant protection. One of the most very important items a backpacker should bring to avoid such a watery suffering is a good backpacking tent.
Though important, backpacking tents are a tricky commodity it can be difficult to pin down exactly the kind you should get. If you are planning on going backing soon and are in the market for a tent, here are some simple tips that may give you a place to start.
First of all, the kind of environment you plan to be mountain climbing through is important to keep in mind as you choose your tent. Even if it is suspect to rain, it is a good idea to purchase a tent that is completely water resistant and closed on all sides.
Even though a 'lean to' or cover like tent with open sides is an well organized and simple form of shelter, these kinds of tents can only protect from the mildest of weather conditions. Additionally , most wilderness areas popular for backpackings are safe places for insects, such as mosquitoes, and an open tent will offer no protection against these pests.
Secondly, you should consider the length of your trip when looking for a backpacking tent. Also, what kind of land are you going to pass through? Are you going for a rough and nearly vertical thirty mile plus climb, or a pleasant and easy five mile trip through the woods? If the latter is the case, weight is not an issue and you can purchase as large a tent as you please. The larger the better; you can house all your equipment inside to avoid damage from morning dew or from night animals with a sufficiently large tent. If you are taking a more arduous journey, you'll want the lightest possible tent you can get that offers adequate protection.
Lastly, choose a good brand name. Ask for advice at the store you visit, or if you are ordering one online, choose a name that you are familiar with. Backpacking tents are important, and not an area to hold back on on financially speaking. If you are pressed for cash, bring cheaper food items. I'd rather eat freeze dried sauce while warm and dry in a nice, functional tent, than eat bone mignon while soaking wet in a heap of junk that fell apart as soon as it started really pouring.
Personally I prefer to sleep under the stars while backpacking, if the weather permits. A good insect disgusting can reduce the mosquito problem and there is something refreshing about waking up covered in dew. However , it only took one bad and very wet experience for me to learn that you should always bring a tent on a backpacking trip, whether or not you plan to use it.
Don't roll up your eyes and groan at the mere mention of "class". Not all classes are as bad as those in your school and college were. In fact , a digital photography class promises bounties of fun and it is guaranteed that it will be one class of your lifetime, which you would not want to skip at any cost.
The soaring popularity of digital photography has seen digital photography schools springing up in almost every nook and cranny of your locality. So , which one to enroll to ensure your money's worth?
Any good digital photography school worth it's salt will offer intensive training and impart comprehensive knowledge in almost all the aspects of digital photography. And this also includes enlightening you on the internal mechanism of a digital camera. You can expect there will be no shortcuts either.
Your digital photography class will start out with an introductory session that will give you an overview of the camera setup and what digital photography is all about. You will be trained on the functions and settings of your camera so that after the completion of the course you will know your camera like the palm of your hand and will be better able to appreciate the scope of digital photography.
Being well versed in the parts and workings of a digital camera ensures that when you go to buy one for yourself, you can make the right choice.
Digital photography classes, as a principle, concentrate on teaching you the manual mode of photography. This is because the hallmark of a great photographer is definitely his skills in wielding control over how his photographs turn out. And wielding control entails that you do not let the camera decide when the flash should be used or being spot on with the focus and exposure settings without the intervention of the camera's in-built scene modes.
There are many digital photography classes that arrange field trips for its students. And you will surely agree that a hands-on experience in outdoor shooting is actually far more beneficial than a theory class. Besides, a few bouts of outdoor filming will also ensure that your lighting issues are sorted out. Thus, the nitty-gritty of lighting like using filters to tone down the tints of a photo taken in the harsh midday sun or the details of night photography are best appreciated when tried first hand.
A stint at a digital photography class will hone your photographic skills manifold times with in-depth training in composition and blending the rules of traditional photography with the digital photography mode. The fine points of filming in different settings and churning out optimum results should also be a part of the curriculum.
Digital photography classes are particular about details. Therefore , you will not be stopping at filming lessons only. You will be taken through the editing and processing of digital photographs too. You will be taught the ways and means of accessing the images stored in the camera's memory cards and the PC editing tweaks that will transform even the drabbest image into an enchanting piece of art. Besides, you will also be educated on how to compress the digital image files and have them uploaded on the Net.
There are hundred and one things that you can do with your digital images. Printing is definitely one of them. And you can be sure that your digital photography class instructor will teach you the fundamentals of getting digital prints.
A digital photography class is an excellent way of acquainting yourself with the 'ins' and 'outs' of digital photography. Attend one and flaunt your skills with the lens and the shutter.
