Photography BLOG

by Chris Nicholson

You can’t know for sure if a sunrise or sunset will be as spectacular as you and your camera hope. But by paying attention, you can make a good guess as to what colors to expect when that sun hits the horizon. And if you don’t like those colors, you can, to a certain extent, if you want to get artistic, change them.

Know the default colors

Sunrises and sunsets come in many colors, from cool blues to warm reds, with many stops in between. Knowing how to predict and manipulate those colors will help you get the results you want; photos with cool colors will often give a feeling of relaxation, while those with warm colors create a powerful feeling.

Weather can be fickle, and atmospheric conditions can change unexpectedly. But you’ll almost always find that when it comes to sunrises and sunsets, dry air produces cool colors, while humid air produces warm. Henceforth, because warm air holds humidity better than cold air, you’ll generally see cooler colors in winter and warmer in summer. (Other factors can throw this off, such as pollutants and atmospheric dust, which will make sunsets look warmer.) And, following the same logic, sunrises tend to be cooler-colored than sunsets.

Also, be aware that the colors of a sun event change very quickly. The blues and yellows seen while the sun hovers 15 minutes over the horizon may morph into reds and oranges as the sun dips lower.
Manipulate the colors

I like to photograph a scene the way it exists in the real world. But if you want to use some photographic knowledge to shift your colors a bit, there’s nothing wrong with that — after all, photography is an art. That said, you can’t really do anything to make colors cooler (cooling filters aren’t very effective for sunrise/sunset pictures), but you can certainly make them warmer.

One way to do this is by underexposing your film. Many slide films (I use Fuji Provia and Velvia) will render warmer colors when underexposed. Slightly stopping down your exposure can make the colors around the sun shift more toward the red end of the spectrum. Experiment with your favorite slide films to see what effects you can produce. (This doesn’t work well in reverse; overexposing will just blow out the scene.)

A way to create the illusion of more warm colors is to use a telephoto lens. Often a cool sunset will still have warmer colors immediately around the sun. If you desire, use a long lens to better isolate the small section of horizon with the warm colors. This will give the illusion that the whole sky was that rich, warm color.

Lastly, you could use filters to slightly alter the colors of a sunrise or sunset. I rarely, rarely do this, but it can be quite effective to use a warming filter to bump up the reds and oranges in a sunrise or sunset photo. An 81a or 81b filter is very sufficient. Anything warmer than that (or anything along the lines of “sunset” filters) would probably be overkill.

by Chris Nicholson

A key to good landscape photography is knowing when to use a polarizing filter. If water, foliage or sky is in your shot — and at least one of them often will be — then your color can almost definitely be improved by using a polarizer.

But sometimes predicting the exact results of a polarizing filter can be tricky, and the only way to do so is to put it on a lens and have a look. However, if your filters are in the bottom of your bag under thirty pounds of camera gear or in the car a hundred yards from where you’re shooting (shame on your for leaving them there), then you may lose your inspiration to try the filter, especially since you know it may not deliver enough of the effect you’re hoping for.

To avoid that temptation, wear polarized sunglasses when you’re shooting outdoors. A good pair will approximate the effect of a polarizing filter. Also, when wearing the sunglasses, if you tilt your head to the left or right you will increase or decrease the polarizing effect, and you’ll see changes in the sky, on leaves and on the surface of water — just like when you rotate a polarizing filter. If you don’t like the effect you see through the sunglasses, you can feel comfortable moving to a different angle or location. And if you do like the effect, you’ll feel more inspired to rummage through your gear to find your filters.

I use Native Eyewear’s F2 sunglasses with polarizing lenses, but many other companies make polarizing sunglasses, too. Use neutral lenses, though; any sunglasses that also warm the scene will change the color much more than your good warming filters will.

by Chris Nicholson

We all know the value of using tripods: Regardless of the situation, they will keep your camera more still than any other standard photography tool.

But sometimes you may not have your tripod handy. After all, if you’re just out for an afternoon errand, you may carry a camera with you, but not a 10-pound tripod. Or maybe your tripod broke. Or perhaps you just can’t access your tripod before a fleeting photographic moment is over. Whatever the situation, there are alternative methods for holding your camera more stable than you could with just your hands.
Use a monopod

They’re more portable and quicker to set up than a tripod, but they’ll still keep your camera relatively still. In fact, it will add about two stops to the 1/lens-focal-length rule for hand-holding a camera. For example, it you’re using a 60mm lens, you may feel comfortable hand-holding your camera for a shutter speed as low as 1/60; in that case, figure a monopod will let you use as slow as a 1/15 shutter speed and give the same results.

You can make a monopod even more stable by leaning against an immobile object, such as a wall or a tree (see Figure 1). This effectively gives you a pseudo-tripod: One leg is the monopod, the second leg is the wall, and the third leg is the friction between the wall and the camera body that will keep the camera from moving forward or backward. You can bolster that “third leg” friction by gently pushing the camera into the wall.

(For more on monopods, see the article “Monopods: The next best thing to a tripod.”)
Rope support

Keep an 8- to 12-foot piece of rope with you. If you need a makeshift camera support, tie the ends of the rope together to form a loop. Hang the rope over your lens near where it mounts to the camera body, and let the rest of the rope fall. Next, place each foot along the rope on the ground, so that you can pull up with the camera to make the rope tight (Figure 2).

The upward tension you apply to the rope should be enough so you can shoot with some stability.
Put your camera down

Find a firm surface that’s at the same level you want to shoot at. You can use a table, a rock, the ground, etc. If the surface is dirty, put something on it to protect your camera, such as a jacket or a magazine. Now rest your camera on the surface and frame your shot. You’ll almost always find that you need to adjust the height of the lens or the camera body; for that you can use almost anything, such as a wallet, or a small book.

Apply pressure

If you must hand-hold the camera, find something immobile that you can lean against. Again, a wall or a tree will do. Hold the camera against the wall to create some friction that will help the camera stay still.
Use your body

If none of the other options are available, position your body to give yourself a lower center of gravity, thereby making your stature more stable. If you need to stand, spread your legs to shoulder-width and shoot sideways; your stance will give you a wider base, and your shoulder joints are less vertically mobile in that position (Figure 4).

An even better option, if you can work from a low angle, is to put one knee on the ground, put your elbow on the other knee with your arm sticking straight up, and use your hand on that arm to support the camera (Figure 5). This will give you more support because you won’t be using your muscles to hold the camera up, only to keep it from moving from side to side with your other hand.

Final tricks

Whatever you do to give your camera more support, take other measures, too. Use a cable release to avoid the minor shake caused by pushing the shutter release. If you don’t have a cable release, use the camera’s self-timer set at a couple seconds; by the time the shutter opens, any shake caused by pushing the release will have stopped. Also, fire off a few frames at a time using continuous-frame mode; one of the frames is likely to show less motion than the others.

by Chris Nicholson

Any beginning photographer wielding a camera in snow gets pretty surprised when they see his or her first results: All that fluffy white stuff, more often than not, turns gray in the picture.

The solution? Do not to trust your in-camera meter when shooting snow scenes.

In winter settings dominated by white, your camera’s meter tries to make the snow gray. This results in “dirty snow” and “bad exposure.” If you’re shooting digital, you’ve made “extra work” for yourself; if slide film, you’ve created “lots of trash.” Basically, the snow in your photos is dull and dark, the shadows have lost all detail, and your mid-tones are muddy.

Here are two options for saving yourself from a drift of deficiently exposed snow scenes:

1. Spot-meter on an area of bright white snow, then open up 1.5 to 2 stops under sunny conditions, .5 to 1 stop under cloudy skies. This should give you an accurate exposure.
2. If you don’t have a spot meter, use your camera’s matrix meter to attain an exposure estimate, then open up one stop and bracket for three frames (a half-stop in either direction).

If you’re shooting digital, check your histogram. You’ll want it to read high on the right (indicating that there’s a lot of white in the frame) without being clipped too much (use the highlight-warning feature, if your camera has it).

This technique is applicable in warm weather, as well — when shooting at the beach on a sunny day, that bright sand will fool your meter just the same the snow did.

by Chris Nicholson

There are many ways to fail to execute a good photo shoot, and, at some time or another, I’ve done most of them. In fact, most photographers have blundered in almost every way at least once. The trick is to ensure that the same mistakes don’t happen twice. Sometimes to learn how to do something well, you first need to learn how to do it poorly. So here is how NOT to make a good photograph:
1. Auto-meter off something light or dark

Built-in camera meters assume that everything in the world that you want to take a picture of is medium-gray. However, most things aren’t. A solid blue sky is the same tone as medium-gray, as is green grass (usually), and some tree barks, and some rocks. And when the tones of all the colors of a scene are averaged, the result is sometimes equivalent to a medium-gray. But if all those factors aren’t perfect, you’ll get a bad exposure. So if you want to expose the scene incorrectly, then take your meter reading with a lot of light or dark areas included in your frame, such as large white clouds, or spans of deep-blue ocean. Because those are not medium-toned, you’ll end up either over- or underexposing your film.

However, if you want an accurate exposure, then spot-meter off something that you know is medium-toned, such as the objects mentioned above. If your camera doesn’t have a spot meter, then temporarily fill the frame with medium-toned objects that are in the same light, and use that meter reading.
2. Hand-hold the camera

Regardless of how stable you think you can hold your camera, I guarantee you that you’ll get more motion in your shot by hand-holding than by using a tripod.

Always use a tripod if you can. At least use a monopod or some other method of making your camera more stable. If a photo is worth taking, then it’s worth applying the extra effort to make it as sharp as possible.

(Also see my article on alternatives to using a tripod.)
3. Don’t allow for a masked viewfinder

Most cameras’ viewfinders show only a portion of the scene that will appear on film. Even many pro cameras will show only 90 to 95 percent of what’s actually coming through the lens. If you disregard this fact, then you’ll find that your images will have more space around each edge, which, if you’ve composed carefully, will often be dead space or space that introduces unwanted elements.

But to fix this problem, look in your camera’s manual to learn what percentage of the scene your viewfinder shows. If your manual doesn’t tell you, call the manufacturer and ask, or shoot some test frames to find out for yourself. Once you know what’s missing in your viewfinder, you can easily compensate for it by adjusting your framing.
4. Don’t consider using a filter

Some photographers never use filters, and some always do. Most photographers are somewhere in between. But if you don’t even consider using a filter, then you may be missing an opportunity to make your image better.

If you’re photographing sky or foliage, consider adding a polarizing filter. If you’re shooting in the shade on a sunny day, think about using an 81A warming filter. If you’re working in overcast light, try using an 81B warmer. You don’t need to carry a bag full of extra filters, but learning the uses of the most basic filters can help you make some just-decent images extraordinary. (In addition to those mentioned, learn how to use split neutral density filters, too.)
5. Don’t look before you shoot

If you want to throw away more film when it gets back from the lab, then don’t bother taking one last look before your open your shutter in the field.

However, if you want to save yourself from possible aggravation later, then learn to be alert to subtleties in the environment; there are many things that can weaken an image that you may not think about while you’re distracted with exposures and filters and lens choices. So, when you think you’re ready to expose the film, take a few seconds to look for these things in your scene:

Distracting elements. Is there a branch you didn’t notice? A person in the background looking at the camera?

The four corners. Does every quadrant of your frame contribute something to the composition?

Trash. Nothing else can better ruin a good nature shot. Picking up the trash will probably improve your photo, and will definitely improve the environment.

by Chris Nicholson

One look through this website will make clear that I love making sunrise and sunset pictures. Most photographers do.

Here are five considerations to making great photos of sunrises and sunsets:
1. Meter carefully—then throw out the reading

Many beginning photographers are disappointed with their photos of sunrises and sunsets because they let the camera do the metering. Big mistake. The burning ball of fire in the middle (or, rather, on the two-thirds rule line) of a photo will throw off any built-in camera meter.

Your best bet for determining the exposure for a sunrise or sunset is to spot-meter off a medium-toned area of the sky, close to where the light sky falls into dark. Then bracket by about as much as two stops in either direction. Often I’ll bracket 2/3 and 1-1/3 stop in either direction, and end up keeping four of the five exposures.

If you don’t have a spot meter, then frame the sky just next to the sun, but do not include the sun in the frame. Get a light reading from that, set the camera, then move the sun back in the frame. Again, bracket to two stops in either direction.

Another important point: When framing and taking light readings, never look directly at the sun through your camera’s viewfinder. Your lens, especially if it’s telephoto, will magnify the damaging effects of the sun on your eye.
2. Shoot more than the sun

Usually a photo of just the sun on the horizon will not make a sufficiently interesting photograph. So look for something else to liven it up.

Clouds are a great place to start. A rising or setting sun will throw light upwards onto the bottom of clouds, which can create some startling effects of color. Look for patterns in the clouds that can nicely complement a landscape.

Another option is to silhouette something in the foreground. Try animals, or trees, or people, or anything. To achieve a silhouette, just photograph the sunset at your chosen exposure, and anything in front of it in the frame will appear almost, if not completely, black.
3. Know where the sun will be

Ask people where the sun sets and almost every one of them will say: “West.” For most of the year, they’ll be wrong.

Aside from the vernal equinox (mid-March) and autumnal equinox (mid-September), the sun does not set due west. Its position on the horizon at either sunrise or sunset will vary depending on the time of year and your location on the planet.

Knowing where the sun rises or sets is important if you want to scout a location and pick your best angles beforehand. For more information on this, read my article “How to determine sunset & sunrise times and locations.”
4. Use a tripod

I’d say this for any photo taken at any time of day, but I’ll stress it for sunrise and sunset shots. Especially if you’re silhouetting a foreground element, you’ll most likely want a good amount of depth of field (blurry-edged suns rarely work; blurry-edge silhouettes never do), which means stopping down to slow shutter speeds. Despite claims by some people with cameras, I guarantee that you’ll improve the sharpness of your sunset photos by using a tripod.

5. Pace yourself

The colors of a sunrise or sunset change dramatically over the course of the event. So be prepared to try angles over and over with different skies. If you’re working one angle, get your shots, then wait ten minutes and you may get some more with very different results.

More often than not, the colors of a sunset grow warmer as the sun approaches the horizon; the opposite happens for sunrises (colors grow cooler as the sun climbs into the sky). For more on determining and manipulating sun colors, read “Predicting and manipulating colors at sunrise or sunset.”

Looking at the most intricate details of the digital camera as a technologically advanced device a lot of functions come into play. Such a point is that of digital camera metering. This discussion focuses towards that intention of understanding and knowing the details of the component. Basically speaking the metering system in a digital camera measures the amount of light in the scene and calculates the best-fit exposure value based on the metering mode explained below. Automatic exposure is a standard feature in all the digital cameras. All that is requires to be done is select the metering mode, point the camera and press the shutter release. Most of the time, this will result in a correct exposure. The detailed explanation and analysis of the entire process is as follows in the next lines of this discussion.

The metering method defines which information of the scene is used to calculate the exposure value and how it is determined. Metering modes depend on the camera and the brand, but are mostly variations of the following three types. Primarily, matrix or evaluative metering. This is probably the most complex metering mode, offering the best exposure in most circumstances. Essentially, the scene is split up into a matrix of metering zones, which are evaluated individually. The overall exposure is based on an algorithm specific to that camera, the details of which are closely guarded by the manufacturer. Often they are based on comparing the measurements to the exposure of typical scenes.

Next comes the center-weighted average metering. This is probably the most common metering method implemented in nearly every digital camera and the default for those digital cameras that don’t offer metering mode selection. This method averages the exposure of the entire frame but gives extra weight to the center and is ideal for portraits. Another important is the spot or partial metering. The spot metering allows the user to meter the subject in the center of the frame or on some cameras at the selected AF point. Only a small area of the whole frame is metered and the exposure of the rest of the frame is ignored. This type of metering is useful for brightly backlit, macro, and moon shots.

Again a lot has been revealed and a lot remains to be done so, yet the rudimentary foundation of string fundamentals can be established via the lines of the above lines of this discussion. It is only hoped that the lines get their true respect from the readers of them and users of the digital camera to properly deliver the due respect that the digital camera metering technique deserves.

About The Author: Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.snapjunky.com. Visit his digital camera guide and learn how to take better pictures with your digicam.

I have made nice images of waterfalls in my travels
around the USA. But right here in my home state of Washington, 40 minutes from Seattle, is a waterfall that is 100 feet higher than Niagara Falls. It’s the 268-foot Snoqualmie Falls.

Snoqualmie Falls was a popular tourist attraction well before the power station was built. The site was sacred to members of the Snoqualmie and Yakima Indian nations, who met near the falls for trading and winter camping. For more than 100 years, the falls have provided power and inspiration for millions of people.

The falls are located next to the Salish Lodge in Snoqualmie Falls Park. The Lodge is a posh resort nestled in a scenic area at the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. It’s just a few miles from I-90, just minutes from Seattle, yet it seems worlds away from the hustle of the city.

Photographers have two basic choices for falls photos. Choose between an observation platform built in 1968, and a three-hour round trip hike to the base of the falls. I had limited time so I opted for the easiest route, a jaunt 1,000 feet from the Lodge to the observation platform. The deck hangs over a sheer drop of three hundred feet and offers a panoramic view of the falls, the river gorge and the forest. You can use both a super wide angle lens (20mm) and a medium telephoto (200mm) to get panoramic and close up shots of the falls. You will want to use a tripod so you can experiment with slow shutter speeds. This gives that cotton candy effect that you see in so many waterfall pictures.

The best time of year to shoot the falls is in May. The winter weather has usually cleared by then and the sun stays out long enough to offer some great late afternoon shooting possibilities. The falls are best photographed an hour or so before sunset. The low light comes across the gorge to perfectly illuminate the water. There are no unsightly shadows, which are a problem during the mornings and early afternoons.

I focused on several views of the area including the gorge, which features the big falls, and a smaller backwash falls. You can also isolate just the falls or the rocks below. Let your creative imagination flow.

On clear days, you will be able to use normal contrast film like Agfa’s 100 speed B&W or Fuji Acros film. If you go on an overcast day, take Ilford Pan f 50 film, which will noticeably bump up the contrast. Digital cameras will also offer great results since you can generally underexpose to hold detail in the highlights, and restore shadow detail using Photoshop.

You can also move on to the town of Snoqualmie to photograph the old train graveyard if you are into railroading and have time for a side trip. Hotel rooms at the Lodge run from $250 to $1,000 a night and if you can afford them, they are worth it. If you are on a budget, you’ll find some inexpensive options in nearby North Bend, just five miles east of the falls exit on I-90. Hotels there are usually in the $75 range.

If you want information on the area, I found the people at the Salish Lodge to be very accommodating. There are also many other scenic vistas on Snoqualmie Pass and in the surrounding area. But I was after the falls and found the trip to be a pleasant one that produced nice images for my collection.

Contact Information:
Salish Lodge: 6501 Railroad Avenue, P.O. Box 1109,
Snoqualmie, Washington 98065
Tel: +1 425 888 2556, Toll Free: (800) 826 6124,
Fax: +1 425 888 2533

More than two million people each year make the trek to Mt. Rainier National Park. For more than one hundred years, the park has attracted climbers, hikers, naturalists and of course photographers. The Northwest’s highest mountain (14,410 feet) anchors this area. It is replete with old-growth forests, flowery sub alpine meadows, and rivers born from the glaciers that streak the peak’s upper slopes.
Getting There

Mt. Rainier is located about 90 miles south, southeast of Seattle. If you are flying, Sea-Tac International Airport is the closest major airport. (You can also get train and bus serive to Seattle.) Rent a car and head south on I-5. If you want to concentrate your visit on the park’s west side, exit I-5 near Tacoma, Wash. and follow Washington Highway 7 to Washington Highway 706. This will take you to the Nisqually Entrance of the park. If you want to work the park’s eastern flank, take I-5 south all the way to Washington Highway 12 going east.

As you drive past Packwood, Wash, take Washington Highway 123 north to the park’s Stevens Canyon or White River Entrances. July through September are the park’s peak months, although portions of the park are open year-round. A one-week vehicle pass that gains the vehicle and all occupants access to the park (but not camping areas,) costs $10.00.
Where To Stay

You can camp in the park or stay at one of the national park lodges on Rainier. These sites fill up quickly so visit the NPS web site link at the bottom of this story for more information.

If you want to stay in a hotel, there are several to choose from. Since I prefer starting my Rainier trips on the park’s east side, I suggest Packwood, Wash. as a base of operations. It is only 20 minutes from the park’s entrance and offers four or five small and affordable hotels. There are also some basic restaurants, gas stations and a grocery store. Hotel rooms run from $50 to $100 during peak season.

If you want to work the west side of the park, the town of Ashford offers the closest accommodations just outside the park’s entrance. During peak season expect to pay $80 to $120 a night on this side of the mountain. For lodging info visit http://www.mt-rainier.com/.
Equipment

Mt. Rainier has so much to see and shoot that you will want to bring everything. I advise you to make a decision on what you want to concentrate on and bring the equipment to do that job. For instance, if you want to shoot the wide variety of wildflowers on the mountain, bring a super wide-angle lens to make interesting landscapes that feature flowers as dominant foreground elements. You may also want to bring macro equipment since the park is filled with macro opportunities. Wildlife shooters will want their long lenses to capture the Roosevelt elk and black tail deer that make the park home. You may see a black bear as well as marmots. Long telephotos also work for landscape mountain scenes when you want to draw background mountains into the picture. If you like to shoot waterfalls, bring your mid-range zooms and have at it. Waterfalls abound on Mt Rainier. Panoramic photographers can use the variety of lakes in the area to frame panoramic vistas of the mountain’s reflection in pristine waters.
Hot Spots

I like to start my Mt. Rainier expeditions on the park’s east side. It seems less crowded and more remote than the west side. Even though the west side is closer to Seattle, the extra drive is worth it. From the Stevens Canyon entrance, you can start your visit at Grove of the Patriarchs. An easy walk of less than a mile (one way) along the Ohanapecosh River leads to the grove of old-growth trees that rise-up above an island in the river. Cross the bridge to explore mossy, gnarled limbs, and touch the rough, deeply furrowed bark of the huge trunks, some a good 10 feet in diameter. Many of these Douglas-firs and Western red cedars have lived more than 600 years. There are photo opportunities in the grove, from the bridge, under the bridge and along the river. Believe it or not, right after a rain is the best time to be in the Grove.

While you are on the east side of the park, you might want to take the winding road leading west up to Sunrise, which is the highest point in the park accessible by car (6,400 feet). Allow plenty of time to make your way up the 16-mile road. There are two vista points that lead to incredible views in all directions. From the Sunrise visitor center there is an extensive trail system that leads to views of the mountain surrounded by fields of flowers. From these vantage points you may get lucky enough to see and photograph Bighorn Sheep.

Moving east, you will come to Box Canyon. An easy, half-mile hike from the Box Canyon/Muddy Fork Cowlitz bridge leads to a deep and narrow river gorge, In some places it’s 180 feet down to the bottom and its chasm is around 20 feet wide. There are glacial rocks protruding everywhere and the canyon itself photographs well in all but the harshest light. Actually, photographs made mid-day work best here to get light down into the canyon. Be sure to use your polarizer to cut glare off the rocks.

I also like this point for both sunrise and sunset shots. This means that you will make the trip up (or down) the winding road in the dark but it’s worth the trip.

Moving east to west, you will pass the Reflection Lakes area. This shot has been made hundreds of times, but it is special to have your own version. Be here well before Sunrise or Sunset and have a split ND filter with you to hold the sky.

Moving to the west side of the park, I love the views of the mountain from Longmire. There is also a nice short trail around an old cabin, hot springs, various forest vegetation, etc. On the way from Longmire to Paradise you will pass Paradise River Falls (Located on the Paradise Valley Loop Road). This is a must-have shot if you are lucky enough to be there on a misty, foggy, rainy or overcast day. You can shoot the 169-foot falls from the top parking lot or hike down for a more dramatic view.

The view from Paradise Point is well–paradise. You can shoot the western view of the mountain, move up and down an extensive trail system, or just walk up to deer that are very used to being photographed. This is the wet side of the park, so you’ll probably see more flowers at this location than any other. (There are more than 30 varieties in the summer.)
Gotchas

There is no gasoline available once you are inside the park so make sure you have a full tank before you go. Distances inside the park can be deceiving. In the summer, bring insect repellant. Also try to avoid weekends. The place is packed, and photo opportunities are significantly diminished by the crowds.

For more information on park conditions, road closures, weather and more call 1(360)569-2211 or visit http://www.nps.gov/mora/.
Conclusion

Mt. Rainier is a huge place, and there is just too much to mention in one article. Explore the mountain and you will no doubt find your own hot spots.
Sidebar

If you want to photograph the Rainier area but avoid the clichés, try taking Highway 410 on the mountain’s east side to Tipsoo Lake. While technically outside the park, it offers some of the best views of the mountain and an inspiring set of lakes from which to base your photo expedition. Also try Forest Road 52 otherwise knows as Skate Creek Road. This road is only open in summer and runs along the park’s west side between Packwood and Ashford. It is incredible in every sense of the word and worth a day or two on its own. Lastly, two places that only locals visit are Packwood Lake (A good six mile hike that leads to a lovely jade-green lake high in the mountains) and Jody’s Bridge (Take Highway 12 to Forest Road 1270 to see a beautiful view of the Cowlitz River.)

About The Author: Scott Bourne is the author of “88 Secrets to Selling & Publishing Your Photography” and “88 Secrets to Photoshop for Photographers.” Both are available from Olympic Mountain School Press, http://www.mountainschoolpress.com. His work has also appeared in books, magazines, galleries, calendars, on greeting cards, web sites and on posters.

Scott is a professional photographer, author, teacher and pioneer in the digital imaging field. His career started in the early 70s as a stringer covering motor sports for Associated Press in Indiana. Since then, he has shot commercial, portrait, wedding, magazine and fine art assignments. His new passion is wildlife photography.

Scott regularly lectures on a variety of photo and media-related subjects. He’s appeared on national television and radio programs and has written columns for several national magazines. He is the publisher of Photofocus.com, an online magazine for serious photographers and also serves as the executive director of the Olympic Mountain School of Photography in Gig Harbor, WA.

So you recently bought a digital camera or perhaps your thinking about it. And perhaps you may be wondering how many pictures will your computer hold? First you need to answer a few questions to come to an accurate conclusion. First, how big is your hard drive and how much free space does it currently have? You can find the answer to that question by first left-clicking on “My Computer:” Right-click on “C drive.” A menu should appear. Left-click on “Properties.” A pie chart should be displayed that will show you the size of the hard drive and how much of the disk drive is free. Your next step is too know how many mega pixels does your camera have? A pixel is a light sensing cell on the image pickup device.

The higher number of pixels, the higher the resolution or picture quality of the camera. A higher pixel number will also require more storage space in your camera and computer for a picture. How much storage does each picture need? If you have a 2M pixel camera, a high resolution picture will require storage in the range of 500kb. Two 500 kb pictures would occupy 1 MB. If that one picture requires 500kB of storage, you should be able to store 2000 pictures of that size in 1 gigabyte of disk space. I usually store my pictures in one folder in my computer called “Camera Pics” and then create sub-folders within that folder with different names depending on the occasion the pictures were taken at for easy reference later on.

Most camera manufacturers will provide software to allow you to transfer and edit pictures from your camera. But some of that software is not the easiest to install and operate. There are a few ways to do the transfer without the camera software. If your camera has a memory card, you can buy a memory card reader and use it to read the pictures from your camera. The memory card reader plugs into a free USB connector on your computer. When you plug a memory card into the memory reader, you should notice a new hard drive on “My Computer.”

Your computer will consider the memory device to be a hard drive and will allow you to manage pictures as if they were files on a hard drive. Many new cameras are directly supported by Microsoft XP If you plug a USB cable into the camera and a USB slot on the computer, you might discover that your computer knows how to read the pictures off the camera. Digital cameras offer an economical way to get into photography. After you pay for the camera, it doesn’t cost anything to take pictures. You just need a computer to allow you to view and save your pictures. After you have saved a bunch of pictures in your computer, I suggest you to transfer them to a CD or DVD. If you do not, someday you may lose all your pictures if your computer ever crashes.

One other thing you need to be aware of is that older computers will have a hard time working the large megapixel cameras that are being produced today. If you have an older computer and go out and buy yourself a 8 or 10 megapixel camera, you may suddenly find you that you may have to buy a new computer too, or at least upgrade the one you have. The hefty picture files that are created by these large megapixel cameras use a tremendous amount of computer memory and can cause an incompatible computer a lot of problems.

The average needs of most people really do not require a large megapixel digital camera unless you plan on printing large photos. So it is best to keep this general rule in mind when considering a digital camera. A typical 2-megapixel camera will produce a very good 4 x 6 inch image using a typical desktop color inkjet printer. With a 4 -megapixel camera, you can turn out a very good 8 x 10 print, which is the largest print anyone who is not a professional is likely to need.

About The Author: Doug Rogers has worked as a freelance photographer for the past 25 years in various fields of photography. In the past two years he has become an avid and devoted fan of digital and video photography and a life long lover of new technology. For tips on better digital photography and the latest reviews on the newest digital equipment that hits the market, Subscribe to his monthly Newsletter “The View Finder” at http://www.best-digital-cameras-review.com