Photo Size and Resolution for email and Facebook

Photo friends:

    In order to make your email and Facebook photos look good and move fast, use the following basic figures in regard to file Size and Resolution. Size in inches and Resolution in dpi (dots per inch).

   

    The larger the dpi, the better quality prints will be when printed....but....the slower they will move when being called up.

    The lower the dpi, the faster they will move, but they will NOT print clearly.

    Standard Printing uses 300 dpi.

    Standard email and Facebook use 72 dpi.

    Now, you must have software that will Re-size your photos....change them from whatever they are to what you want them to be.

    Recommended sizes are 9 inches wide, or less. (Height doesn't matter). (Width is stated first).

    Go to Google and search for FREE re-sizing software.

    I, personally, use Adobe Photoshop, but a full Professional version is expensive. eBay constantly has Photoshop Elements for much less and it will do most Sizing and Resolution adjustments easily.
     Click on http://RHAphotoPRO.blogspot.com/ to join us twice a week for more detailed and varied information about how to make Great photos.

     

Making Portraits

PhotoPals:

    How to get started taking great Potraits.

    I like to call it, "Concepts".

    The dictionary says a "Concept" is an Idea, Theory, or a Premise. A plan, on which to build.

    So, our first step in taking Portraits is to have a concept.

    Since I first met 20th Century Fox Head Portrait Photographer, Max Munn Autrey, in 1958, and served as his Gopher at the first Ole Miss 3-day Conference on Professional Photography, the "First Continuing Education Seminar of its kind" in the world, I have built upon a concept I learned from him.

    While the full fledged concept is complicated, the general idea applies to ALL types of Photography.

    It is divided into several parts, which I will strictly, only partially, generalize here.

    • Type subject.    

    • Type Theme and Clothing.     

    • Type Lighting.    

    • Environment.    

    • Use or size.   

    I think you get the idea. No Pro, worth his salt, ever takes a single photo without some premise, on which to proceed.

    The one I use, I have named the "GAHS", or "Golden Age Hollywood Style". This came along with talking movies, when the studios needed something new to accent the new twist in movies....Sound.

    Up until then, Portraits were just glorified snapshots with little dramatic Highlights and Shadows. They just looked like everyone else's.

    The Hollywood Photographers got together and determined that Fresnel Spotlights, as were used in Ocean Lighthouses, to cast bright, long distance lights for ships to see, would fill the bill for audience-attracting, glamorous Portraits.

    The GAHS idea used these Spotlights instead of softer Floodlights.

    Since most folks today don't have, or want, these spotlights, we'll use what we've got....a point and shoot camera with a small flash. Usually that will produce an acceptable image, if we use them correctly.

    For Portraits, get out of the bright sunlight and in the shade, if possible, for outdoor photos. Rotate the subject until the light appears even to your eye. Take a photo. Check your monitor and add or subtract darkness in the camera controls until the monitor image appears correcct. If it is too dark, add "Fill Flash". 

    Below is a photo made just that way with no flash.  

   

    I made this one day when I was just passing by and they called to me, knowing I usually have my Point and Shoot with me. This is about as near to a snapshot as I ever get.

    Note the soft light caused by the porch overhang shade and the slight side light "bouncing" in..not direct. The shadow side of their faces has enough "fill" light bouncing in to be pleasing.

    You will note that I tried to make the photo as near the shape and size I want the finished one to be. In this case, vertical, and the shape of an 8x10. (Width is always spoken of first).

    Take care to hold your camera veritcal, if you want your photos to end up that way. When you always hold the camera horizontal (level), you often waste precious Pixels and hence, sharpness.

    If you join our group and order the $25 Once-Time Payment Membership, you will get, by snail mail, a 30 page CD about the GAHS Style....then for no more payments, an indefinite BONUS of a weekly Public Post on the http://rhaphotoprp.blogspot.com/  Blog with a weekly copy of it on Facebook, PLUS a further, and more important, BONUS of indefinite twice-a week emails that go much deeper into all subjects. Only the CD costs money. All the further Posts are FREE and at our discretion. 
    We hope to hear from you.    

Flowers....Everyone Loves Them

Since everyone loves flowers, let's give them a go.
Now this session is a relatively simple one of just photographing the lily.
How to enhance it and put the lettering on, comes with the twice-a-week, more concentrated course. You need to join up with us for that....Call up the main Blog:   http://rhaphotopro.blogspot.com/  for instructions how to join until I get this Blog upgraded.

For good, pretty much unlimited, photos, you'll need a good point and shoot Digital Camera. I use a Nikon Coolpix L24 14 MB one. They sell for less than $100 at Amazon. That's where I have my book, "Mississippi Moments" listed.
First, choose a day that is btight, but not too glarey. Set your camera on the "Next to the best quality". I use that all the time, as I find the very highest quality level serverly limits the number of images you can get on a card.
Be sure your camera has its "White Balance" or "Color Balance" or "Kelvin Temperature" (all mean the same) set on "Daylight" for correct color. If you take snapshots inside with no flash, be sure to change your camera Color Balance back to "Incandescent".
Walk around the flower and choose an angle that shows its petals best. Choose an angle with a good background.
Be sure your shadow doesn't show in the photo. (The mark of a rank amateur).
Make several different photos, watching the monitor and correcting any mistakes you might have made.
Now the email course will go into enhancement, addition of the mat, and adding lettering. Blossom on!
Here is my Lily.



Greetings to you.

Hello to you -
For your information, here are ny credentials that I feel qualify me to help you, as a Teacher!

 Many decades of concentrated Professional Photography have resulted in my being included in 5 National and State Official Archives and Histories, including:

        1.  University of Mississippi, Special Collections Division. (alongside William Faulkner). 

        2.  United States Naval Aviation Midshipmen,  (alongside Neil Armstrong of Moon Fame).

        3.  Professional Photographers of America, History and Timeline, (alongside George Eastman, who founded Kodak).

        4.  State of Mississippi Department of Archives and History for 50 plus years of Military Reunion Photos.

        5. Professional Photographers of MS-AL Past President & National Award Winner for the Photographer who contributed the most to the profession.

 I welcome you to my Blog.

 In it I will show you how to make Great Photos almost every time.

 I spent a lifetime perfecting a "Style" and have put it on a 30 page CD, called the GAHS, "Golden Age Hollywood Style".  Now, admittedly, this CD is a Professional approach to Photography, and mostly consists of Portraits and Portrait Lighting, however, the principles will lead you straight to a system that you can apply constantly on any type Photo.

In order to be of the most help, I am offering you this CD for a modest One-Time-Price of $25.00.  It is worth far more than that and represents a Lifetime of experiments and actual productivity and achievement. Your BONUS, for which you will pay nothing, is an average of 2 Posts a week, sent by email directly to you, indefinitely, featuring all types of new and proven ideas for producing exciting photographs. Also, there will be one lesser detailed Post each week on the Blog for the public. It will be just the "Tip of the Iceberg", as the "Two Emails-a-week" ones really get into the real "Tricks of the Trade". We are almost 18 years into Digital Photography and I was fortunate to be able to teach Digital Photography and Photoshop in college for several years.

I look forward to many nice Photographic experiences with you.

Below is a sample of how great Photography is Timeless and Priceless.

This photograph was taken 50 years ago and

appeared in the Beauty Section of the University of Mississippi 1962 Yearbook.

To contact me by email: robertalex@comcast.net