Nokia 920 - is this the camera you're looking for?

How to snapshoot your pets for Hallowe'en

How to snapshoot a family portrait.

How to get sharper snapshots.

How to snapshoot lunch - the theory

How to snapshoot a concert - the settings

How to snapshoot a concert.

How a free piece of software can turn you into a photo wizard.

Well, colour me pleasantly surprised.

As a professional photographer, I tend to process my work with the big editing software packages out there – big editing software that can be expensive and needs to be upgraded every year or two.

My friends at Intel recently asked me to take a look at the ASUS Zenbook, which comes with a bundle of free multimedia software for video, photos and webcamming. It’s the same deal they’re carrying at most Best Buys right now.

I know. You’ve been down that “free” softrware route too. When I popped open the copy of the photo editing “PhotoDirector3,” I was expecting the same sort of “light” (read: hobbled) software I’ve seen so many time times before. I mean, there was no way that PhotoDirector3 could possibly keep up with the big boys of photo processing. Right?

I also wasn’t sure about the system itself. Holding the Zenbook in your hands makes you look cool – it’s crazy thin and light. How would something this small deal with some big time photo editing?

This is where the surprise part happens. Short story – PhotoDirector3 is more than capable and the ASUS Zenbook not only looks good, it works fast.

I started my testing by snapping a bunch of photos of our month old kitten (still unnamed) with a Canon 5D Mark III. The photos were in RAW format on a camera that’s reasonably new to the market. I expected that I’d have to upgrade the drivers to import the photos, the same way I did with the other software I use.

First surprise – no need to update. I downloaded the software and was importing photos from my Compact Flash Card in just a few minutes.

Second surprise? The software felt familiar and natural. It had all the bells and whistles of the apps I typically use, organized in a way that anyone could understand. I sliced through the imported photos in no time using methods familiar to any photographer. I was really impressed at how easy and how powerful this program worked.

And PhotoDirector3 wasn’t done. After importing (easy) and processing (straightforward) the shots I took, I grabbed a peek at the “Edit” menu and found pre-developed commands for all sorts of things. I used the “eyes” setting to focus on the – you guessed it – eyes of the cat. With two clicks of the trackpad, my image looked even better.

Great interface. Wonderful colour correction.

Overall – impressed. The Zenbook is a capable machine for photographers on the go. Your shoulder will appreciate the light weight, your professional self will love the performance.

PhotoDirector proves that you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on software to get photos that look like you spent hundreds of dollars on software. PhotoDirector makes a great companion for starting photos and pros alike.

Want to learn more about Intel’s® ASUS Zenbook dealio that comes with PhotoDirector and a bunch more great software? Check it out here http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/category/pc/ultrabook-software-starter-pack.aspx.

How to snapshoot motion.

How to snapshoot a pet - the settings.

How to snapshoot a pet portrait.

How to snapshoot fireworks with a mobile phone.

How to snapshoot fireworks.

How to snapshoot an amusement park.

It's summer and you're heading out for a day of rides and goodies. Grab your camera and remember these tips!

How to snapshoot a baseball game - the settings.

How to snapshoot a baseball game.

You can just smell the grass growing on the field. I recently started (assistant) coaching t-ball with my son and want to get the best shots possible. Here's what I'm thinking...

How to snapshoot a landscape - the settings.

How to snapshoot a landscape.

The settings to snapshoot a portrait.

How to snapshoot a portrait.

Trying something a little new at Frame One. Posts are join' visual to make it easy to understand and follow along. Friday's post will be all about the basics on something like shooting a portrait. Monday, we'll show off the settings you need to make a photo. And from time to time, we'll talk about our topic from the perspective of mobile phones.  

Five ways to snapshoot an Easter Egg hunt.

It’s rabbit season.

This weekend marks a couple of pretty big family holidays – Passover and Easter. Your family’s going to be getting together, and in between the disagreements over the upcoming election and why you-know-who shouldn’t have been kicked off of Idol, you’re going to want to get a snapshot or two of the day’s festivities.

I’m focusing on the classic “Easter Egg Hunt” here, but these tips are good for just about any springtime photos of kids.

Put some green in the picture.

Spring is colourful, so make it work for you. Take a shot in the grass or (if you’re luckier than us up here in Toronto), put a few eggs among the crocuses and tulips for a bright shot. I particularly like shooting colour blocks – a big field of green (grass), a bright blue (or orange) sky.

Get down low.

Most kids are short, so you should be short too. Get down to their level for good looking portraits. Get down even lower (belly on the ground!) for nifty distorted perspectives that make them look big.

Break down the story into smaller photos.

Snap one of just the hand reaching for an egg. Capture the look of surprise on a toddler’s face when she finds something new and exciting. Take close ups of the eggs nobody has yet found.

Think about multiples.

Flip your camera into Av mode, turn up the aperture as high as you can and get a shot of a row of eggs. The further back the photo goes, the blurrier the look – very fun, very cool. Your friends will be jealous.

Wait.

Holidays are a bunch of moments strung together into a day. Put yourself somewhere you know a great moment will happen (at a table, around a corner), lock in your autofocus and wait for the moment to unfold. You’ll be ready to take some wonderful images when the time comes.

And that’s all there is to it. Post your Seder and bunny chomping photos here when you’ve got the chance. 

How to overcome the biggest lie in photography.

"Wow. Your camera sure does take great photos."

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

I take photos with a giant Canon 5d Mark II, a point-and-shoot Canon G11 and an iPhone 4s. And I can take wonderful snapshots (or more formal stuff) on all three.

Yes, a bigger, better SLR gives you more options, flexibility and sharpness, but it can't magically turn a bad photographer into a good one.

I was in a meeting yesterday and someone said "oh yeah smart guy -- try taking a good photo with this Blackberry Curve." Admitedly, it's not a great camera in the traditional sense. Poor in low light, lots of graininess.

So I made that work for me. I moved the subject to a nearby window. I turned off the flash. I did all the things you're supposed to do for good composition.

And I took a pretty decent snapshot.

It's not your camera that takes great photos -- it's you that takes great photos. And here's the best part -- you only need to get good at a few different things to go from "meh" to "marvelous:"

Know your camera.

What is your camera awesome at doing? What sucks about it? You've got to know both so you can take advantage of the good and compensate for the bad. My G11? Pretty good photos in low light, but sloooooow when I press the shutter. I use of for birthdays at a restaurant and am ready before a moment happens, so I get the shot.

Get enough light.

Indoor lighting is tricky. Like this much better than if I had used a flash.

Light is about half of a photo. Blast a snapshot with your flash and you'll get the same ugly photo every time. Instead, turn off the flash, dial up the ISO and find/wait for/pray for good light.

Move closer.

Lots of Five Guys Fries -- got in close enough to show there are fries in a bag.

This Is a big one for portraits. There's often too much headroom and distracting background junk in snapshots. Get in close (and if you're adventurous, blur out the background with a high aperture.

Change your perspective.

Big hand, low angle. Different perspectives can make even regular images look cool.

Get up high. Get down low. Turn the camera vertically. When you move around, you create a whole new photo. 

How to shoot a day out with the kids – the settings to use.

Blurry -- should have turned myself into a human tripod first.

You hear the giggling and you know what to do.

The kids are at the local dinosaur museum and they’ve the mummies exhibit. You have found your moment, so you reach for your camera – or cell phone camera – and...

And what? You could flip on the power switch, jam your finger down on the shutter button and hope for the best But there’s a better than average chance that your shot will be blurry, look all green or be entirely out of focus. If you’re heading out for the day, get ready beforehand – take a minute to dial in these settings for better photos.

With a Point-and-Shoot

Point-and-shoot cameras give you great creative control.

Mode	Tv or S.
White Balance	Outside? Use “Sunny.” Outside on a cloudy day? Try “Cloudy?” Inside? Take a few shots to figure out what kind of light you’re dealing with.  If you’re shooting in RAW, it’s easy to change this with your image editing program.
Shutter Speed	Set your shutter speed at 1/60 to capture slowish moving moments – 1/125th for something a little faster.
Aperture	Sets automatically if you’re in Tv or S.
ISO	Outside during the day? Try 100-200. Inside or at night? 400-800.
Autofocus	Switch to “Landscape mode.”
Light	Outdoor light works great – but remember that a sunny afternoon is going to make harsh light. Try to avoid flash unless your indoor pictures are still coming out super dark.
Don’t Forget!	Try to anticipate the shot and lock in your autofocus before an event happens. This makes taking the photo easier.

With a Cell Phone

We all do it – just turn on the cell phone and take the photo. Resist the temptation. Download a good program for your mobile and use the settings you see above. Oooooor you could just turn on the cell phone and take the photo. Just remember these settings:

Light	Be somewhere bright if you can. Flash only when you must.
Autofocus	Anticipate! Focus on the spot where the action is happening and wait for the action to unfold.
Shutter	Try using a program with a “big button,” one that allows you to tap the entire screen to take the photo.
Don’t Forget	You can “create” moments. Wait until your subject is in the right place and yell their name. They’l turn around fast, you shoot and you probably have a great picture.
Also Try	Got a “burst mode” on your software? Try that out – it takes a bunch of photos in a row, so you can be sure that one of your images doesn’t include blinking eyes, turned heads or unfortunate frowns.