Made Moon Blog

Battery life and Your Digital Camera
With a traditional camera, you can take pictures even when your batteries are empty. So, how are you going to take pictures with your digital camera, when the battery is empty? There is not much choice. To get the most out of the cameras batteries, you should start using some energy saving tactics, that are easy to remember and implement.

• Switch off the camera when not in use
• use the motor driven zoom lens only when you really need it, don’t use it to show off
• shorten the time for previewing the picture on the LCD screen
• shorten then time for the automatic shut down of the camera (only do this when timing isn’t an issue, like it is with snapshots, animals or sports photography)
• in cold climate, keep the camera warm. Batteries loose their power rapidly when they are getting cold.
• When working in cold climate, take a spare set of batteries along
• always use the best batteries you can get. Usually the more expensive batteries keep their voltage for a longer time on a steady level.
• When using reloadable batteries, get the more expensive NiMH types with the highest capacity available. They have a very long life between reloading and no memory effect.

Tom has spent most of his free time behind cameras of different types. He specializes in close-up work and travel photography. To share his experiences and fascination about digital photography, he has set up http://www.digitalcameratips.de which covers topics for beginners as well as advanced users of digital cameras.

Restoring old family photographs can easily be done from our own personal computers. Years back, prior to home software, old black-and-white images were restored in photo labs by lab technicians. In the past, the process of restoring old memoirs was much of a mystery; but today, children can do it. Photoshop CS is amazing softwareit has so many capabilities and special effects. Each family can become their own master photographer and lab technician now. With Photoshop CS, you can crop, clone, rotate, enhance, and change tones and values, just to name a few of the features!

As time passes and our photographs age, oxidize, and scratch, we have the ability to personally reformat all of our old, priceless family keepsake photographs. After restoring your images in Photoshop CS and reprinting them, it is best to store them in acid-free albums. Since the deterioration process is ongoing, the photographs will continue to deteriorate beyond repair. Without intervention, the photographs will fade away right along with the memories of our beloved ancestors.

I not only have some of my ancestor’s wedding photographs, I have some of their cameras too! Call me sentimental, but I think some of these old-dated items create great home accents and can complement a warm family atmosphere. Restored family photographs are fun to work with too. Depending on the paper used to print them, old family photographs can be decoupaged to a chest or keepsake box or wall papered onto end tables or table tops.

Actually, restoration looks good, but aging photographs looks good too. When using old photographs for art projects, take the original photographs that were scanned into your computer and age them digitally in Photoshop CS. Collages made from photographs make great wrapping paper, wall paper, and scrapbook material. As Saul Bellow once wrote, “Everybody needs his memories. They keep the wolf of insignificance from the door.” (revised 2/15/2006)

Debbie Jensen, Graphic Designer and Photographer http://www.debjensendesigns.com.