Light writing is a form of stop motion animation and is created by capturing various still images and placing them together. The technique has become increasingly popular in recent years. Its use in television adverts had seen a huge increase in its popularity and usage. It is a really creative way to share and send a personal message.  It’s simple and easy to do and in this article we show you how you can carry out this effect.

You will need a digital camera with an adjustable exposer to create light writing. You will need to be in a dark area to carry this technique. You can either use your room and turn the lights off, or be outside at night. To show some background in your photos you can use street lighting, or illuminate some objects in the background, such as trees.

Place your camera around 10-15 feet away from where you will be writing. Use a tripod to keep the camera steady. Check that your picture will be in focus first using the regular shutter speed. If you are happy with the focus and the angle then set your shutter speed to around 20 seconds or longer. This will depend on how much you have to write and how quickly you can do it.  F-stop will need to be set at around 5.6. Put the shutter on timer for however long it takes to walk 10 to 15 feet away.

Then grab your light source and start writing! The most common source for light writing is a flash-light, although you can use pretty much any light source. Using LED flashlight will give your photos a colourful look or you could use glow-sticks for a cheaper alternative.

Go quickly to get the best effect. Try not to shine the light source directly at the camera as this may create a blur in your photos. To start a new line simply turn off your flash-light until you get to where you want to start again. If you’re using a different light source, just cover it up with your hand. Make sure not to turn on your lights until your camera has stopped shooting as this will ruin your photos.

Although this technique is really simple to carry out it may take some experimentation to get the perfect shot. You can experiment using different settings in your camera as well as different light sources.  Have fun!

Check out some great examples below:

Here at Photoble, we talk a lot about cameras, photography tips and tricks, post production and inspiration through examples of extraordinary photography (take a look at the recent article with examples of risk taking photography!)  What we haven’t discussed much of are the different ways to display your photography on the wall.  For those that are only familiar with traditional frames and canvas, this post might be an eye opener for you.

Of course, with the advancement of printer technology over the past decade or so, it has become possible to print on a variety of materials.  There are several sites that will print your photo onto everything from coffee mugs, to pillows, to iphone cases, to tiles and t-shirts.  You name it and it can probably be printed on.

This post aims to focus on modern, gallery quality presentations of your photos – for photographers that want to stand out from the crowd or even just a family who wants a high end, dramatic look for their favorite vacation photo.   Many opt for canvas prints because they are relatively cheap and have an old fashioned look to them, but they aren’t all the unique anymore considering the explosion in popularity of canvas photos.

A much smaller percentage of people are discovering acrylic prints which offer a stunning, vibrant look for their images. This particular method of photo display was introduced in 1969 with the invention of the Diasec process which uses patented adhesives and methods to produce an acrylic face mount where the image is adhered to the front of the acrylic without air bubbles using silicon.  To the best of my knowledge there are no companies in the US with the rights to produce these using the exact Diasec method (if I’m wrong please use comments below).  Most companies without the Diasec rights will emulate the process and achieve identical results using a double sided, pressure sensitive adhesive.

The end result is often stunning, particularly with sharp, colorful images, but sharp black and whites look terrific as well.  The acrylic enhances the colors and creates for a more vibrant image.  With the right gallery lighting, the piece almost appears to be backlit and in a gallery it is sure to stand out from the crowd.  Did you know that in 2011 the world’s most expensive photo was displayed in this way and sold for $4.3 million?  This color vibrancy is achieved due to the unique properties of the acrylic where light penetrates and refracts within the acrylic.

At this point, you’re probably at least curious about the acrylic face mounting process and what it can do for your images.  It’s important you be aware that no acrylic print is created equally and you want to make sure you’re getting a high quality product that looks its best.  Here are a few things to keep in mind when considering purchasing an acrylic print, but do have a look at this article from Bumblejax which goes into more detail.

* Direct Print vs Face Mount:  quite a few of the companies offering these are printing directly onto the acrylic which doesn’t achieve the same vibrancy or color gamut but it can be considerably cheaper.

* Stand Off Bolts:  Most companies will use stand off bolts in each corner of the acrylic piece to attach another piece of acrylic to the back in a sandwich frame and/or for adhering to the wall.  In my opinion this greatly distracts from the image and many others feel the same way.  You might consider a company that doesn’t use this method but rather uses a dibond backer with the hanging mechanism hidden on the back.

* Quality of Backer:  The acrylic, particular at large sizes, may bow over time.  You need rigidity at the back and this is best achieved with a dibond back.  Some companies will use the cheaper sintra option or offer no backer at all.   Know what is being used!

Hopefully, this has provided a good intro for further exploring acrylic prints.  While not cheap, you’ll find they aren’t more expensive (and often cheaper), than quality traditional frames.  Some companies will also offer special pricing for commercial and pro photographer clients as well as reduced price proofs.

Bumblejax is a company based in Seattle that offers high quality acrylic prints using the face mount method, with no stand off bolts and a quality dibond back.  Each piece floats off the wall and comes ready to hang.  Special pricing is available for commercial clients and pro photographers and proofs are offered at a fraction of the price.  There are a few other companies out there that meet all the requirements for a quality lab, but this is a great place to start.  They also offer photos mounted to bamboo and raw aluminum for another unique look.

Here’s a video showing a bit of the process used to create an acrylic print over at Bumblejax (note sintra used in this video, but was replaced with dibond early on).

To some people it might be stepping out of a plane and pulling parachute. For others it could be betting the whole lot on red. In life we all have our own definition of a risk and how much we are prepared to gamble in order to gain. And the same is true when it comes to photography. It may be waiting that split-second longer before we press the button. Or it could be pushing the boundaries of health and safety – and in some cases sanity – in order to snap the ultimate shot.

Here we have a collection of beautiful and inspirational examples of risk-taking photography. And while we’re not suggesting you go to the extreme lengths that some of these guys are prepared to go, perhaps they may encourage you to be a touch bolder next time you head out with a camera.

Teenagers aren’t known for their moderate behaviour, but when you look at the work of the  Skywalkers you may thank your lucky stars that the worst thing yours does is stay out after curfew. Skywalking is new craze with young Russians who go to exceptional lengths, and heights, to capture incredible photographs.

An elegant shot that manages to combine the unlikely elements of beauty and extreme danger. Lounging on to of the Golden Gate Bridge may not be the most obvious way to escape the city, but it sure as heck looks peaceful up there.

Faced with a pouncing tiger at what point would you back down? Wildlife photography and risk taking do go hand in hand, but this incredible face-on photograph goes the extra mile in terms of commitment to the cause.

Risk taking in photography isn’t only about putting you and your camera in danger. It takes bravery to hold your fire in pursuit of the perfect picture.  Timing is everything, as we can see in this magnificently balanced action shot. Note the way in which the diver’s legs perfectly frame the swimmers below; shot a fraction of a second earlier or later, while you’d still have an exciting shot, the harmony would have been completely lost.

Hawaii’s legendary volcanoes are like a magnet to daredevil photographers, and many have lost their lives trying to capture their ferocious beauty. Thankfully Nick Selway and CJ Cale survived the ordeal of 110F waters to capture these incredible images as they swam a mere matter of feet from the scorching lava.

By day James Charwick is a web designer, but by night he’s a risk-taking photographer who’s scaled dizzying heights to capture jaw-dropping cityscapes. He’s been know to climb some of London’s tallest buildings, landmarks and cranes, going as far as 570 feet for some of his shots.

The maritime photographer Kos is also prepared to climb sickening heights in the name of risk photography. He’s pioneered the art of masthead photography, which involves scrambling as high as ten stories to capture miniscule sailors, drenched decks and the roaring ocean below.

The skier in this photo is Tomas Bergemalm, who agreed to leap 600 feet off a snow-capped cliff face while being photographed by Patrick Lindqvist. It was to be Bergemalm’s last stunt before retiring from daredevil antics to live a quiet life with his wife and young son – thankfully they pulled it off without a hitch.

Denis Maitland is a photographer from Detroit who has helped to shape the the shooting-style known as rooftopping. He gets his kicks by climbing old and ruined buildings, heading for the roof and taking a photograph with his legs dangling over the edge. What makes his achievements even more stomach-churning is that Maitland admits to being scared of heights when he initially started out.

And finally a trip back in time to one of the all time greats of risk taking photography; Ivan Unger and Gladys Roy playing tennis on the wings of an airplane in flight. Don’t try this one at home!

To create images with drama, impact and a sense of story, you should explore photographing silhouettes. Silhouettes obstruct the view of the subject of the photograph, which is usually a person, and this allows the viewer to project some elements of the story onto the image. For example, the viewer has to decide what he or she thinks the subject is feeling or the reason that person is in that place at that moment because crucial details like facial expressions or clothing are often impossible to make out.

Taking a silhouette photograph is fairly simple. You only need to find a strong source of light and place the subject in front of that light. Because it is so simple to take a silhouette photograph, you need to think more about the subject of the image than the technical aspects of the lighting and exposure of the camera.

Choosing and Framing The Subject

Consider first the shape of the subject. Because the subject will not be able to grab anyone’s interest with colour, texture or other visual cues, you’ll have to rely on its shape to make a compelling image.

Try to ensure the image is in front of a plain, bright background. If the background is not sufficiently bright or if the light shifts constantly, the silhouette could be lost amongst a darker background.

If you want more than one thing to be the subject of your photo, try to keep them separate. Since they will both be cast in shadow, it will be impossible to tell where one thing ends and the other begins, and it will be hard to tell what the subject of the photograph is.

Finally, silhouette photographs of people usually work best when the people are in profile. This allows some measure of identifying features, like the shape of the nose and chin, to be seen, which makes the subject more interesting to viewers.

Some Technical Aspects

Though most of the work of making a compelling silhouette photo is in the choosing and framing of the subject, there are some technical aspects to keep in mind.

First, make sure that your flash does not go off. You may need to trick your digital camera’s flash setting by pointing your camera at the brightest point in view, then pressing the button halfway down. This essentially tells your camera that you want to focus the photo there, and it will adjust its settings for such a bright shot. Keeping the button halfway down, move the camera so that the shot you want is now in view. Take the picture, and you should have tricked your camera into not using the flash. If you can use manual settings, start with the settings the automatic setting suggests, then experiment with aperture and shutter speed until you get the image you want. If you want to make the subject darker, for example, try slowing down the shutter speed a stop or two.

Make sure that the subject of the photograph is in focus most clearly. A clean, strong line surrounding the thing in silhouette will make the photograph that much more striking. You should either manually set the focus before metering the shot, or you should set a small aperture to increase the depth of vision and ensure the foreground is sharp.

Keep all these tips in mind, and you should be able to produce some gorgeous images like the ones below.

A lot of photos are beautiful all on their own and need very little editing before they are saved or shared. However, even if you do want to add some extra touches or give it a unique feel, you may not want to spend a bunch of money on editing software. There are plenty of web applications that photographers can use to help them edit their photos, store them, and even share them.

Fotor

Fotor is an in-browser photo editor that can apply different filters and edits similar to Instagram. You can easily upload a photo you would like to edit without needing to register. Within the app, you can change out the color filters, crop images, add text or graphics, and even turn your photos into cards instantly. It also has an HDR editor. Simply upload your 3 images and click start. Fotor then combines the 3 images to create one image with the best coloring and lighting. Besides being able to edit within your browser, the app is also available for Windows 8, iPhones, and Androids.

TiltShiftMaker

One big photography trend right now is Tilt Shift photography. One way to get this effect is using a Tilt Shift lens, which can be expensive, especially if photography is only a hobby for you. Another way you can get this effect is by some creative editing, or by using the TiltShiftMaker. This is an in browser app that lets you upload your photo from your computer or website and give it the Tilt Shift effect. You can change the focus area size, the defocus strength, gradient, as well as the aperture style. Once you are done changing up your image, you can download a copy of the new image. It is free to alter any image you want, but to use some of the aperture styles you have to be a member, which only costs $1 a month.

BeFunky

BeFunky is another editing app that has several different features to make any photo interesting and unique. You can do basic edits such as cropping, color hue and saturation, and resizing. It also lets has extra effects like Pinhole, Stencil, Underpainting, Watercolor, and more. Once you have finished making your edits, you can save, share, and even print your photo through Zazzle.com. It is free to use the basic version of BeFunky, or you can subscribe to a Premium ($4.45 a month) or Professional membership ($14.95 a month). While this app may not have the same powers and skills as Photoshop or LightRoom, it will get the job done in a pinch.

Dropbox

As a photographer, you know that your hard drive space is precious, which is why cloud storage is very helpful. Using cloud technology, you can easily store your photos on your account and access your files from any device that has the Dropbox app. With the free account, you get up to 2 GB of storage and can get up to 500 MB added on for any referrals. Of course you can also upgrade to a Pro account with up to 500 GB of storage. Dropbox also makes it easy to share your files with others, even non-Dropbox users. If you have clients you would like to collaborate with, Dropbox will instantly update changes that you or your client makes to any of the files. Since the app is available in more than just your web browser, you can view your photos and files no matter where you are.

KickSend

KickSend is a great way to share photos without losing any quality. You can easily set up a free account with Kicksend to upload full sized photos and share them with friends, family and clients, even if they don’t have an account. Kicksend has worked hard to make sure you don’t lose any quality of your photos when you up load them to their app. That way it doesn’t matter if you are viewing the photo on a gaming laptop with an awesome graphics card, or an older desktop, you will still get the best quality image. The developers have also made it simple and easy for you to print your photos to your local Walgreen’s, Target, or CVS Pharmacy. All of the photos you upload can be safely and securely stored on Kicksend’s network to be viewed privately from any device that has the app. You can download the app for your Android phone, iOS device, or different web browsers.

Now you can easily edit, store, and share your photos all from within your web browser and access them no matter what device you are using. These apps help cut down on some of the basic problems that photographers face, whether they are professional or hobbyists. Don’t worry about computer space or not being able to afford software and lenses when there are free or cheap apps available.

Do you have a favorite web based service?  We’d love to hear about it in the comments!

I went to a wedding recently. It was the usual wedding crowd – a bunch of proud, dressed up oldies and their dolled up, ambitious, tech-savvy children.

When the bride was walking down the aisle I noticed something curious. A sea of lit up smartphones were hovering at eye level everywhere, displaying the whole procession in vivid detail. People taking photos. Shooting video. Uploading instantly.

My fiancee, standing beside me, was happily filming the whole thing with with her HTC Android. Where was her compact point-and-shoot camera?

She couldn’t find the memory card, the battery wasn’t fully charged and there was already too much stuff in her handbag – she listed her reasons without taking her eyes off the huge LCD screen.

There’s a whole bunch of compact cameras you can buy for between $100 and $500 – you know, all the Canon IXUS, Sony Cybershot and Nikon Coolpix varieties out there.

They all feature some zooming ability, a decent enough image quality and a respectable screen. And their main selling point for a long time has been an ability to pack decent photo-taking ability into your pocket or bag.

But at this wedding there was not one of those cameras in sight.

In fact, if you looked around you’ll only see the people wielding the aforementioned smartphone cameras, a few Uncle Bob types strapped to their Canon Rebels and the hired professional photographers cruising around in style with their Canon 5DMKIIIs (and typically being followed and annoyed by Uncle Bob types – but that’s another story).

So should we pay attention to this observation as a new trend in where camera trends are heading? And is this a reason for camera manufacturers to be worried?

A few years back no-one would consider their phone camera as a bona fide alternative to a compact point-and-shoot. Phone cameras were just a thing for kids to take fuzzy pictures with.

And perhaps the current smartphone cameras are not yet advanced enough to compete with the dedicated compact cameras, but how long will it be until they catch up?

And will consumers like my fiancee at some point completely stop caring about whatever technology gap still remains for the sake of not having to carry around two devices?

To answer these questions I think we need to take a look at the changes in how the photos are being consumed. Most oldies will remember taking photos, getting them printed and then glueing them into a photo album.

Today that photo album exists mainly online and the ease and speed with which one can get them there is becoming more valuable than the quality of the actual image. Heeelllooo Instagram!

Many photography professionals and “purists” criticise this trend; they view it as a dumbing down of the photographic medium. Thing is, photography at this end of the market has never been about creating masterpieces. It’s always been about telling candid stories of subjects through snapshots. And we’ve always created piles of rejected, bad images to get the one that we love and keep.

And to that effect, nothing has changed.

One of the things that has changed, however, is the technology in the slightly higher market segment.

Whereas before there were, broadly, two types of consumer cameras – the compacts and the DSLRs – there’s now a promising newcomer sandwiched in between them – the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) mirror less camera.

MFT offers a better low light performance, bigger sensors, more resolution (if you care), better lenses, better Depth Of Field (DOF) control, a much improved ability to use the camera creatively, and being able to make you look like a more “serious” photographer (status has never been an insignificant factor in camera-purchasing decisions).

At this stage the MFT is still relatively new. And because of that it’s still expensive and chunky enough to be cleanly in its own market segment. But I think as time goes on, the MFT will come down both in price and size, beginning to put significant pressure on the upper end of the compact camera market.

At the same time, I think it’s safe to bet that the smartphones will continue to evolve both the hardware and the software of their cameras, which will begin to put more and more pressure on the bottom end of the compact camera market.

The consumers will eventually take a pick – those for whom convenience, portability and connectivity are most important will continue using their smartphones for their everyday photography needs. Those with a requirement for more quality will be very tempted by the MFT; if they have even a hint of a creative flame then I think the deal will be sealed.

So it seems that the death of the compact camera is not so much a question of “if”, but of “when”.

And since the compact is squeezed by aggressively expanding and gifted competitors on both sides, I think that 2013 might just be the year in which manufacturers will see a significant enough decline in its sales for them to justify a complete axing of the category.

Water drop photography is an art of precision, timing and patience, resulting in surreal creations of liquid art.  In this post, we highlight three masters of this niche.  These photographers have perfected the art and produced some amazing bodies of work.  If you’re interested in water drop photography yourself, a good starting point is this guide by Corrie White.

Markus Reugels of Marktsteinach, Germany

You can purchase water drop photography prints of Markus Reugels  mounted to bamboo, acrylic and aluminum at Artprintstopia.com.  For a limited time, his “Take The Reins” piece is offered at 15% off.

Corrie White of London, Ontario

 Martin Waugh of Portland, Oregon

So many pictures, so little time. Do you feel overwhelmed by the amount of pictures you have, whether in boxes, photo albums or just strewn about? Have you thought about what would happen if there was some sort of natural disaster that took them from you? Now is the time to organize and preserve your history. As our memories fade over time, the only thing we have linking ourselves to our past are photographs.

It’s not as hard to pull your photographic past together as you might think. First, you need to label and sort them. The Minnesota Historical Society says to label the back with a soft 6B drawing pencil. Then, sort and store. Here are some storing ideas.

Archival Boxes

Archival boxes allow for better organization. You can group by subject, person or year. Be sure the paper you store your photographs with is acid-free. Acid eats away at things and your pictures are no different.

When loading up photo albums, same thing — acid-free. Also, if there are clear pages, be sure the plastic is made from polypropylene. Steer clear of vinyl.

Light isn’t a friend of the photograph. The damaging rays fade them over time. Keeping pictures displayed in the house is kind of a catch-22 because while they’re being enjoyed, they’re also fading away. If you must display them, do it in the darker areas of your home. If they are important to preserve, file them in an archival box and send to your sentimental storage unit.

Your Sentimental Storage Unit

Everyone has a collection or two that’s extremely important to them. At one time in your life, it was your mission to find Pinchers the Lobster to add to your 50+ Beanie Babies collection. Your Smurf collection is a must-keep, but it’s taking up space in your coat closet. Your photographs aren’t much different. You might pull them out every year or so and take a look at them but they really just sit in the house, taking up space. You won’t get rid of them. What do you do?

Get yourself a sentimental storage unit. This is a small off-site unit that allows you to keep anything you want as long as it fits in the storage space. Before you stash old photos here, though, you must archive them and protect them from damaging natural elements and chemicals.

Digitize Your Memories

Save your pictures into your PC. What you will need to do:

• Get a high-quality scanner – don’t chintz on this. Your pictures will be going through the machine and if it’s cheap, you might run into some damage to the originals. Also, some scanners will have photo/editing features that remove dust and scratches.
• Edit the photos in your computer’s photo editing software. You can purchase a specialty software like Adobe Photoshop but it might take a little education first.
• Set up folders to properly organize your history. You could do it by year, family, location…anything you want to do.
• Save the photos in an additional source to be sure you don’t lose them. Freaky things happen in the digital world, so always have a backup. You could save them to an external hard drive, burn them to DVDs or add them to an online photo sharing service like Snapfish, which allows you to share photos with family and friends.

Whichever method you take to preserve and store your photos, take the time to do it right and have fun with them!

Last night Sony teamed up with three photographers to host the first-ever real-time digital photography exposition. Three photographers from Paris, Berlin and London used Sony’s latest NEX-5R camera (REVIEW / BUY) to “capture the light” of their city and instantly submit their photos to the London Gallery via the camera’s built-in-wifi feature.

London’s Loading Bay Gallery will display the photos on several screens as soon as they are sent in from each location. For one night only, 100 people will get to experience the nightlife, the culture and the charm of each city through this evolving showcase of digital images while photographers work quickly to find their inspiration.

“The Real Time Gallery is unlike any project I’ve ever worked on because it’s so unpredictable,” said Lee Strickland, the photographer working from London. “I’ll need to keep a really open mind when looking for shots that capture my imagination, but the immediacy will really give me an opportunity to show how diverse London is, and the stories that can be found if you’re looking for them.”

William Daniels and Paul Sullivan join Lee Strickland in this innovative experiment. Perhaps we’ll see other competing technologies now that SONY has created this new trend that is sure to change how photographers share and display their work. While no one knows what to expect, this example of merging art-worlds through technology is sure to trigger big changes and expand possibilities for the future of digital photography.”

In today’s digital world, the ease with which a photographer can view pictures, pick out the good ones and discard the rest allows photographers to shoot first and ask questions later. The trend toward digital photography has many reasons. It’s cheaper, you don’t need to carry rolls of film, and digital cameras interface well with computers. Of course, digital files are also much easier to store and keep organized than negatives and prints. These and other reasons make digital the preferred format by most photographers, but regardless of the format, some common mistakes can be avoided.

1. Composition Too Busy.  Too many things in picture frame/ taken from too far away/ subject may be unclear.  Reduce the number of distracting objects or confusing the message you are trying to convey. Move closer to the subject so that extraneous objects are not in the picture.

2. Composition Lacks Impact.  Boring perspective or subject is not well arranged in its setting.
Consider unusually low or high-up perspectives and avoid boring snap-shot type photos. Try getting candid shots that capture natural expressions rather than staged and unnatural poses. Try looking at your subject from up close so the background is out of focus and using a wide-open aperture, for minimal depth of field. Now bracket your exposures by shooting different aperture settings and shutter speeds while maintaining the same exposure. Different settings will result in different depth of field effects to choose from. (To achieve the same exposure, increase your shutter speed by one click for every F-stop you reduce your aperture and vice versa.)

3. Blurry Image.  Camera motion/ shutter speed too long/ low light.
If you are using automatic focus make sure to give the camera enough time to focus on the right spot and lock-on to its target. (Typically with digital cameras set to Auto, holding the exposure button down half-way down will activate the auto focus so that when you are ready you simply push the button fully down to take a picture) For long-exposure shots try using a tripod if you can or otherwise stabilizing the camera. If you are manually setting your shutter speed try setting it to a faster setting. If your shutter-speed is on Auto, try opening your lens aperture to a lower F-stop setting to allow in more light. In low-light conditions you may need to increase the light available to the camera by using reflectors, lights or a flash.

4. Red Eyes (caused by a flash)
Software like Photoshop can remove red-eye after the fact but its not always effective so avoiding red-eye situations is always advisable. Try adding lights and/or reflectors and not using a flash. Longer shutter speeds can help in low light settings. Red-eye reduction flash settings are sometimes effective.

5. Poor Framing
Try to frame pictures to include the tops of heads and feet unless you are doing it for effect. If you severe a portion of the subject from your picture it can’t be put back later. Remember you can always crop it later if you think it improves the image.

6. Dirty Lens
Make a habit of checking your camera lens and cleaning your lens before shooting pictures. Also make sure to take care in how you handle your lens, to not scratch it with abrasive clothes.

7.  Glare
Sometimes by simply moving your camera to a different spot you can avoid unwanted glare from light sources and reflections. Using a UV filter is a good idea to remove unwanted glare from your pictures. A polarizing filter gives you different settings with which you can selectively remove or add glare for effect. Other filters can subtract excessive color levels and adjust lighting color for better color balance.

8. Dead Battery
Buy extra batteries and bring them with you. Remember to charge up your rechargeable batteries before you plan on using your camera; doing this the night before going on a photo-taking trip is smart. Having a rechargeable battery charged up pays off every time your camera is ready to use when you need it.

9. Out Of Memory/Film
Being prepared means bringing all the necessary equipment, including film and/or memory cards. When shooting digital pictures being aware of the resolution you are shooting at is also important. Shooting at the highest available quality setting can use a lot of memory so that you run out of memory too fast. Higher resolution pictures also take up more memory to back up and take longer to upload. If you are just posting some snap shots on Facebook you probably don’t need the highest settings. If you are printing or blowing up your pictures you may need the highest settings available. So, it all depends on what you are using the pictures for.