12 Common Digital Photography Mistakes

With digital cameras at their most affordable, anybody can be a photographer these days. Problem is, it takes more than a camera to take good pictures.

It takes a certain eye, a way of seeing things, to take pictures that make people go "Wow!". Fortunately, it can be learned. And the more you practice, the better you'll get.

If you're interested in becoming a good digital photographer, I recommend the "Shoot Digital Pics Like the Pros," a free report.

Start by taking a look at these most common mistakes people make when taking digital pictures:
1. Not knowing your camera
If you never read your digital camera's manual and learn its features and how to use them, you won't be able to make the most of it.
2. Not using a tripod
Tripods allow you to take the sharpest pictures even in low light. Use one as often as possible.
3. Not giving the camera time to focus
Digital cameras need time to properly focus and get the right exposure. It can take a fraction of a second or a couple of seconds. Account for this when taking pictures.
4. Relying too much on zoom
Using the camera's zoom feature makes the picture grainier. Get as close to the subject as possible.
5. Taking pictures against the light
This makes the subject dark and the background too bright.
6. Relying too much on the flash
Natural light gives the best pictures, so use it as much as possible. Flash tends to make images look harsh.
7. Not taking enough pictures
It's almost impossible to take the perfect shot at one try, so take many pictures. With digital photography, this doesn't cost you extra. Try different angles and compositions.
8. Always putting the subject dead center
Learn the rule of thirds in composition, and you'll have more interesting pictures.
9. Forgetting to check the horizon
When taking pictures with the horizon showing, make sure it's level.
10. Selecting a low-resolution setting
Your camera will allow you to select different resolutions. Don't be tempted to choose a low resolution just to save on memory space. Instead, buy additional memory for your camera and always take your pictures in high resolution.
11. Trying to take too much
Don't try to include too many things in one picture, such as people and scenery. A picture is more effective when it's focused on a single subject.
12. Not using the camera
You'll never know when a good photo op will come up, so have your camera with you at all times.

It may seem like a lot to think about, but with practice, these things will become second nature.

For those who want to learn even more digital photography techniques, check out the free report, "Shoot Digital Pics Like the Pros." It's a short but info-filled guide that will have you shooting digital pictures like a pro in no time.

Find out more about "Shoot Digital Pics Like the Pros" here:
www.learndigitalphotographynow.com

Make Extra Money for the Holidays: Turn Your Photos Into Cash

Do you max out your credit cards during the Christmas holidays and spend the new year paying them off? Here's a better idea: raise extra cash for the holidays and actually have the money to celebrate and enjoy the season.

I've got a solution that's easy, fast and - don't worry - it's perfectly legal and legitimate. The sooner you get started, the sooner you'll be raising your holiday funds. What's more, this method will keep the extra cash coming in for months, even years to come.

I'm talking about turning your digital photos into cash. That is, sell your digital photos online through stock photo sites. It takes a minimal amount of time to get set up, and then it's a matter of adding pictures to your collections and tweaking them to sell more photos.

Here's how you can turn your photos into Christmas cash:
1. Sign up for free accounts in stock photo sites, if you haven't done so yet.
Make a Google search for stock photo sites, and sign up for those that allow photographers to sell their photos online. Make sure you can register for free, and read and re-read the terms of use to make sure everything's acceptable to you. You'll want to steer clear of sites that require you to pay for registration, or to give the copyright of your photos to them.

2. Look for sellable photos in your hard drive.
You probably already have sellable photos sitting in your hard drive right now. organize your photos a folder. To find out which photos sell fast online, check out this free report called "Make Money with Digital Photography."

3. Prepare your photos for selling.
Your photos may require a little polishing to turn then into best-selling gems. Use your image editing software to make your photos professional quality.
You'll also want to tag your photos with appropriate keywords. To learn why keywords are important and how to find the right keywords, read your copy of "Make Money with Digital Photography." It's free.

4. Make a list of additional photos you can take right now.
As you read "Make
Money with Digital Photography," you'll get ideas for more types of photos you need to be selling right now. Make a list of photo subjects you can take pictures of right away, to build up your catalog of in-demand photos.

5. Promote your photos.
Let everybody know that online photos are available. Send links your friends, family, clients and social networking contacts.

As you can see, it only takes a few hours work to start making extra cash for the holidays. In fact, some digital photography enthusiasts do this to earn a full-time income.

To find out how to make your digital photos profitable, get your free
copy of "Make Money with Digital Photography." In this report, you'll learn:
- What you need to know about making money with stock photo sites
- Four tips for creating photos that others are eager to buy
- Tips and tricks to draw more traffic to your photos online
- Four in-demand subjects you should be taking photos of
- How to edit your photos so you can sell more of them
Click here to download your free report right now.

Top 18 Reasons Digital Photography Makes a Great Home Career

With jobs becoming increasingly hard to find and difficult to keep, many are looking for ways to earn money from home. Digital photography is an excellent way to work for yourself and make extra - or even a full-time-income at home.

If you're interested, download this free report called "Make Money with Digital Photography."

If you're still undecided, this might change your mind. Here are 18 reasons why digital photography makes a great home career:
1. Minimum equipment required
To make money with digital photography, all you need are: a digital camera, a computer, and Internet access. In fact, you may already have all three.
2. No need for special training
Anybody who can take decent pictures can make money by selling digital photos. You don't have to have formal training, or so many years of experience. You can be young or old, male or female.
3. Low start-up costs
Aside from the equipment required, you don't need to make any other investments. This means you can get started immediately.
4. No need to leave home
If you like, you can do sell digital photographs completely from home. Yes, that includes taking photographs.
5. Money in your hard drive
You may already have pictures in your computer that you can sell right away. In fact, you should begin with those.
6. Make money when traveling
If you like to travel, you can make your trip pay for itself by taking pictures on your trip and selling them online.
7. Location independent business
You can have sell your digital photographs from anywhere, as long as you have your equipment (see number 1). This means you could be a nomad and still make a living.
8. Flexible hours
Work when you want, as much as you want. Do it full time or part time. It's up to you!
9. No need to build websites
Although you'll be selling digital photographs online, you absolutely don't have to build a website - unlike other online marketers.
10. Stock photo sites do the marketing for you
You don't have to do any marketing, either, because stock photo sites do it all for you. All you have to do is take high-quality photographs. More on that in "Make Money with Digital Photography."
11. No fees to sell online
You don't have to pay any fees to sell in stock photo sites. It's completely free to become a member and start selling your photos.
12. No need to set up a shopping cart
Again, stock photo sites take care of processing payments for your photographs. You will have to be able to accept payments from stock photo sites. A PayPal account should be enough.
13. Enhanced creativity
This business forces you to become more creative, such as in the way you choose the subjects of your pictures, to how you edit them.
14. Sharper photography skills
You have to improve your photography skills if you want to succeed in this business. The longer you keep at it, the better you'll become.
15. Build your portfolio and expertise
Selling digital photos online helps build your reputation as a photographer. You can easily build a portfolio based on your best-selling pictures.
16. Profit from passion
You can easily combine this home business with a hobby or special interest you have. Because of the wide range of subjects that are in high demand, you don't have to take pictures that you don't care about.
17. Steady demand
As more and more stock photos are sold and bought, the demand for fresh photos increases. Marketers always want unique pictures for their materials, which further increases the demand for more digital photos.
18. It's profitable
Because of low overhead costs, it's easy to earn a full-time income from selling digital photography. University students are doing it, stay at home Moms are doing it, and you can do it too.

However, you have to know some insider secrets. Which types of photographs sell easily online? How do you avoid legal problems? How do you work with stock photo sites? How can you sell more photos?

You'll find the answers in "Make Money with Digital Photography." It's completely free, so go and grab it now.

10 Important Mistakes to Avoid When Submitting Photos to Stock Photo Sites

A quick and easy way to make money with your photos is by submitting them to stock photo sites online. You can start earning money with the photos that are already in your hard drive; you don't even have to take new photos right away.

If you want a step-by-step guide to monetizing your digital photos through stock photo sites and other ways, check out Turn Your Photos Into Cash.

Meantime, you can get started right now. But do make sure you don't make these 10 mistakes when you submit photos in stock photo sites:
1. Submitting low-quality photos. Don't waste your time and energy. Nobody wants blurred, under-exposed and other types of low-quality photos.
2. Not doing keyword research. The right keyword list can make or break the profitability of your photos.
3. Submitting photos that you don't own. You can get into real big trouble for doing this.
4. Submitting photos of people without a "model waiver." Know when you need a model waiver and always get one when necessary.
5. Submitting photos of objects owned by other people without a "property waiver." This is another legal requirement you should be aware of to avoid future headaches.
6. Submitting photos that don't meet the stock photo site's standards. You may think your photo is perfect but each site has its own standards, including minimum size, etc. Double check before submitting.
7. Submitting photos that have unwanted elements. Some items are simply unacceptable in photos. Find out which ones they are and either edit them out or avoid them altogether.
8. Submitting photos to stock photo sites which require exclusive contracts. Don't submit to these sites.
9. Submitting photos of mundane objects. Why bother when demand is low and they're all over the web already?
10. Submitting over-edited photos. Over-editing can drastically reduce the quality of your photos, causing them to be rejected.

If you want more detailed guidance on submitting to stock photo sites, I recommend Turn Your Photos Into Cash.

Aside from making money on stock photo sites, this fact-filled Ebook teaches a number of other ways you to turn digital photography from a hobby to a home business - a profitable one at that.

Click here to find out more about Turn Your Photos Into Cash.

How to Share Your Digital Photos on Flickr

Flickr is an online digital photo sharing site, which has become a great place for
professional photographers to showcase their work.

If you haven't tried it yet, here's a step-by-step guide to uploading your digital photos on Flickr.

(Note: This describes the basic steps to upload your pictures in Flickr,without using the uploader tools for PC and Mac.)

1. Get a Flickr account
If you already have a Yahoo! account, then all you need to do is sign in using your Yahoo! ID and password.
2. From your flickr homepage, click on the "Upload Photos & Video" button.

3. Click on "Choose photos and videos"

4. Select the file you want to upload. You upload more than one picture, by clicking "Add More"
5. Choose the privacy settings you want (private or public). Then click the "Upload Photos and Videos" button.
6. A progress bar will let you know how the upload is going. When it's done, you will see, "Finished! Next: add a description, perhaps? Click on the link if you'd like to add a description.
7. From this window, you can do several things: add a description, add tags, save the photo to a set (or create a new set, if you like). You can also change the privacy settings of the picture.

8. If you're satisfied with everything, click on "Save". You can go back
and change any of the settings, and even delete and reorganize photos later.

Wasn't that easy? Now you can show off your best photos to the world. You could even have your photos used in websites and other materials - that is, if you want them to.

If you'd like to take digital photographs worthy of being displayed,shared and spread all over the Internet, check out "Shoot Digital Pics Like the Pros."

It's a free report with plenty of tips for taking digital picture you'll be proud of.

15 Ways to Make Money with Digital Photography

Ideas Presented by Your Guide to Digital Photography

It’s easier than you may think to make money as a digital photographer. There are many different ways to make money doing digital photography and here are 15 to get you started.

Method #1 – Selling Stock Photography
Selling stock photography is easier than you may think. Just take some of your best photos and submit them to stock photography sites. They will be reviewed and if it’s a good photo, it will hopefully be accepted. You’ll get paid about $1-2 every time someone uses your photo.

Method #2 – Screensavers
There’s a lot more money in screensavers than people realize. Take a series of photographs along a theme and make your own screensaver. If the photos are good, they’ll do great on screensaver sites or on eBay.

Method #3 – eBay Sellers
Speaking of eBay, eBay can be a great source of business. eBay sellers often have very poor photos of images they sell over and over. Set up a local service photographing eBay items.

Method #4 – Wedding Photographer
One of the more popular ways to work as a photographer. The key to getting wedding photography business is to have a very credible website and profile.

Method #5 – Restaurant Photographer
Restaurants often need photos of their restaurant or their dishes for their menu’s and websites. You can work directly with restaurants or make yourself available to designers who work with restaurants.

Method #6 – Real Estate Agents
Real estate agents need listing photographs of new homes they’re listing. Get yourself a few real estate agents you work with regularly and you could quickly be booked with work.

Method #7 – Insurance Photographer
People are usually required to photograph belongings they’re insuring. Often times they don’t want to bother learning how themselves. By positioning yourself as an insurance photographer, you can do it for them.

Method #8 – Online Dating Photographer
Both men and women often want to have great photos of them taken for online dating profiles. This is a great way to make some quick cash.

Method #9 – Working with Café’s
Café’s would often love to have your art on their wall for free. In exchange, you can post your photos with a price tag on their walls until you get a buyer for your art.

Method #10 – Sporting Events
Local sporting events such as little league games or high school soccer games would often love to have photographers photograph their games.

Method #11 – Church Directories
Churches often want to have photos of their members along with contact information in a booklet called a church directory. You can position yourself as the go to photographer for that.

Method #12 – Make T Shirts
A great way to make money doing photography is to take great photos and put them on T shirts. You can sell these shirts on eBay, on your own website or sell the designs to other T shirt websites.

Method #13 – Craigslist
You can advertise yourself on Craigslist, a free and very popular online classifieds website. Position yourself as a photographer and you’ll be exposing yourself to thousands of people who’re looking for your services.

Method #14 – Portrait Photographer
The portrait business is a big business. You can work with a studio or set up your own practice for doing portraits.

Method #15 – Photo Blogging
People love looking at images. If you continue to take images people like to look at and publish them, you can quickly build up a following.

Now you have plenty of profitable ideas you can use to start making money as a photographer. Whether you want to do it part-time for extra cash or make it your full-time work, there’s plenty to choose from.

Need to improve your digital photography techniques? Pick up your free
digital photography guide for better photos…instantly.

How to Shop for a Digital Camera

Shop for a digital camera today and you'll be overwhelmed with the choices available. Whatever your budget, you'll find dozens of cameras available at your fingertips. Some have similar features, some are small, others are clunky, and you can even buy one in your favorite color.

How do you pick the digital camera that's right for you? Here are 5 things we suggest you consider before making your choice.

Whatever camera you're using, you can take good pictures by knowing a few basic guidelines and some pro-level tips. Get them from "Shoot Digital Pics Like the Pros.

To create a shortlist of digital cameras, here are the top 5 things to consider:

1. Your budget
Decide how much you're willing or able to spend on your new camera, and limit your research to cameras within that budget. Why waste your time oohing and aaahing over the latest coolest gadget only to discover that it's beyond your means? Now you can look at the cameras within your budget. The next thing to consider is...
2. Your photography needs
What types of pictures will you be taking - portraits? landscapes? sports pictures? indoor or outdoor? The answer to this question will help you determine which features are important for you. If you'll mainly be taking snapshots of your children, you'll probably want a camera with face recognition feature and easy red-eye reduction. On the other hand, if you're always trying to capture action shots from your son's soccer game, you'll want a camera with high-speed burst shooting.
3. How you print your pictures
You also need to ask yourself how you print your pictures. Do you make 4 x 6-inch prints at home or at the drugstore? Then you won't need a camera with huge amounts of megapixels. On the other hand, if you sometimes make poster-sized prints, then look for a minimum of 10 megapixels. If you don't even print your pictures but share them online and via email, you need even less.
4. Who uses the camera
Will your spouse, children or co-workers be using the camera as well? Then you'll need a camera that's easy enough for them to use. Digital cameras that offer automatic program settings are easy enough even for children to use. Image stabilization also comes in handy when young ones or amateurs use the camera.
5. How serious you are with digital photography
Do you foresee yourself growing beyond a digital photography enthusiast to possibly becoming semi-professional? Then look for a camera with features that will grow with your skills. For example, a digital camera which allows you to make your own aperture, shutter speed, focus and other settings will give you enough room to experiment.

We suggest you use this guide to make a shortlist of digital cameras, and then head to the nearest electronics shop and look at each of the shortlisted cameras in person. Note how each camera feels in your hand, how easy it is for you to reach the buttons and manipulate them, and how solid the camera feels.

A camera can only do so much. The quality of a picture still depends on the person taking it. If you're serious about taking good digital pictures, download you copy of this digital photography report. This free report will give you tips on how to take digital pictures like a professional. Get it now.

Top 5 Cameras for Digital Photography Beginners

With all the choices available, shopping for digital cameras can be overwhelming. We've like to make it easier for you.

If you're in the market for a digital point-and-shoot camera for a beginner, here are 5 models we found which are highly recommended by the leading websites on digital photography.

These cameras are compact, easy for a beginner to use, yet has enough features for a budding digital photography enthusiast. They're also price reasonably for someone who's still exploring the world of digital photography.

Of course, the camera can only do so much; the quality of a picture still depends on the skill of the photographer. Make sure to claim your copy of "Shoot Digital Pics Like the Pros," to get professional photography tips and tricks. It's a totally free report.

Here's our top 5 cameras for digital photography beginners:

1. Canon Powershot A1100 IS
A top choice in many digital photography sites. It takes 12.1-megapixel photos and includes all the features beginners will appreciate, such as shooting modes that automatically select the right settings, Face Detection Technology, and Intelligent Contrast Correction. Yet other modes will allow the shooter to select his own settings for exposure, shutter speed and other variables. And at only a little over $100, this is one affordable yet powerful camera.
2. Panasonic DMC-FS25
Another 12.1-megapixel camera that gets consistently high ratings from photography sites. Aside from face detection and intelligent ISO control, the Panasonic DMC-FS25 allows the user to lock focus on a moving subject. The shutter release is ultra-fast, with a time lag as little as 0.006 seconds. At the ISO 6400 setting, you can take pictures even in almost total darkness.
3. Casio EX-FC100
This 9.1-megapixel camera boasts of high-speed burst shooting, which lets the user take 30 shots per second - great for sports and other action-packed photography. It also records HD video and features fast uploading to YouTube.
4. Sony Cybershot DSC-W290
This camera's Intelligent Auto Mode, Intelligent Scene Recognition and Face Detection Technology make picture-taking foolproof even for the rank beginner. It even has Anti-Blink Function, which helps keep subjects from blinking, and warns the photographer when a subject has blinked. It has a range of other features, including 13 photo modes, image stabilization and a 9-point autofocus. This 12.1-megapixel camera also takes HD video.
5. Nikon Coolpix L100
This is a 10.0-megapixel camera with 15x optical zoom. The Smart Portrait System lets users take portraits without the dreaded red-eye, which the camera fixes automatically. It also has face-finding technology, so faces are always in focus, a Smile Mode, which shoots the picture when the subject smiles, and a Blink Warning, which lets the user know when the subject blinked. Other features include image stabilization, high-speed shooting, low-light shooting, and Sport Continuous Scene Mode of up to 13 frames per second.

Hopefully this list will help you find the perfect entry-level camera. Compare the features with your digital photography needs and, of course, your budget, to find the best point-and-shoot camera for you.

Even professional photographers use these compact cameras for situations when they cannot lug around a huge digital SLR camera. So don't think that using one of these makes you an "amateur."

The proof is in the picture. And if you'd like to take professional-looking pictures, then download your free copy of the report, "Shoot Digital Pics Like the Pros."

Sharing Your Digital Photos on Photobucket

Photobucket is a popular website where you can store and share your photos and videos. A free account gives you up to 500 MB of storage space for images and video clips, with a maximum bandwidth of 10 GB a month.

If you need more storage, a Pro Account gives you 25 GB of space for $24.95 a year.

Photobucket also makes it very easy to share or embed your photos on other sites, such as your MySpace or Facebook accounts, Blogger blog or any other website. Photobucket generates a link code for each photo.

If you want photos you'll be proud to display online, check out "Shoot Digital Pics Like the Pros," a free report from Dan Feildman.

It's easy to upload photos into Photobucket.
1. Log into your Photobucket account, or, of you haven't done so yet, register for an account.
2. Hover your cursor over the "My Albums" tab then click on "My Albums & Upload."
3. On the left-most column, you'll find an Albums box. Use this box to create a new album for the photo you'd like to upload. Or, choose an existing album where you'd like the photo to be uploaded.
4. Click the "Upload images & videos" button

5. Select the photo you want to upload. You can upload either from your computer, another website, mobile phone or email.
6. Wait for the photo to upload. Afterwards, enter the title, description and tags for your picture. In the same screen, you can share the photo on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, email and other sites.

7. Finally, click either "Return to album" or "Add tags to all albums."

As you can see, it's pretty easy. Photobucket even lets you share your pictures through printed products, slideshows, scrapbooks and online galleries.

Before you do, however, make sure your digital photos are worthy of
sharing. Pick up your copy of "Shoot Digital Pics Like the Pros." It's free.

Get it here:
"Shoot Digital Pics Like the Pros."