A digital photo revolution caused by a steep fall in the price of digital cameras and introduction of relatively easy-to-use software has created new standards in business communications. You too should learn how to use digital photos in business if you want to make full use of the new technology.

Gone are the days when a printed document was used to make a sales pitch. A house-hunter today skips any online home listing which does not have photographs. He prefers to look at those sites that provide “virtual tours” of properties.

This is because photographs bring out key selling points in ways that you can never describe. For example, it is tough to explain to a potential customer about different types of wooden doors you sell. But if you send them a few photographs, they can immediately spot the difference.

Businesses use photos in different ways. Construction companies use pre and post –project photos. In retail trade, photos of sale items or specials are used. Hospitality service providers rely on photos to promote their facilities, food and events. Banking and finance companies similarly use photographs of their facilities to make a point.

You should certainly add photos to your marketing pitches as they are powerful marketing tools and make day-to-day business administration stronger. It makes good sense to incorporate digital photos in print materials such as advertisements, brochures, fliers, newsletters, reports, proposals and even business cards and letters. Digital photos can also be used in power point and slide presentations, sent as e-mail attachments, or hosted on your company’s website or on a website where your company’s products are listed.

There are three steps involved in using digital photographs for commercial purposes. The first step involves taking a digital photograph and transferring it from the camera to a computer. You can also convert your existing print photos into digital images by scanning them.

The second step involves improving the image quality by using digital enhancement tools. This may include changing the size and shape of images, improving colors, contrast and brightness, eliminating defects, merging with another image and much more.

The third and last step involves hosting the image on a website or embedding it in a power point presentation. You can also add background music to make the presentation livelier.

There is no more difficult an assignment than shooting fireworks with a digital camera. You may go click, click, click like a mad shutterbug but still you will be unable to capture the best fireworks. This is because the fireworks streak through the night sky one after the other. Even before you have clicked one there’s another that explodes right over your head throwing a brilliant shower of light. And your face falls, because you realize you haven’t got it. To avoid this from happening, you must learn how to take pictures of fireworks.

This involves arriving early, and finding out the direction in which the fireworks will streak through the sky. Next is to take a vantage position that can capture this angle. You should ideally set up your cameras at a slightly elevated place.

This position should be in the corner of the field. Otherwise, there is the danger of crowds tripping over your tripod or jostling for better view in front of your lens. You must also make sure that a streetlight is not shining on your lens or a tree branch curving just above it. Both these can disturb your light settings and focus.

You must ensure that you have a tripod with you. This is essential because you need long exposures to get the best light effect. Also, the tripod must be kept on flat ground, and should not be wobbly. To further eliminate the possibility of shaking the camera you should use a cable release. This will allow you to release the shutter without touching the camera.

A good precaution is to carry a flashlight. Remember, it’s going to be dark, and you will not find sufficient light to set your camera controls. Also, don’t forget spare, stand by batteries. There’s no point in being stranded with a camera without power.

Finally, don’t forget memory cards. Make sure that you have at least half a dozen, if not more. This will help you shoot photographs without worrying about running out of storage space.

Also, be patient. Don’t start shooting from the word go. You must remember that each firework ends up with a great finale. Keep enough memory to capture this. Maybe, you should keep one set of batteries ready only for this. This way you will be able to capture the best fireworks.

This is about getting ready. Now, you have to get the right camera settings. For this, you need to put your camera in the landscape mode. On most digital cameras the landscape mode is designated by an icon that looks like a small mountain range.

Don’t use JPEG to store the images. Instead, go for eps or tiff format. These images take more space but there is no loss of pixels on account of compression.

You must also be careful about exposure. Short exposures will not capture the fireworks properly while long exposures will produce a blurring effect. The best is to open the shutter when the firework explodes in the sky and to close it when the fire shower peaks. This may take anything from one to four seconds depending upon the strength of the fireworks.

One has to learn how to take great pictures, because it is the photographer who takes the photos, not the camera. You may take excellent pictures with an inexpensive digital camera, while someone else might shoot pathetic photographs with a top of the line SLR.

However, with effort everyone can learn to take good pictures. Some of the points that need to be learnt are:

– Try to hold the camera level by aligning it with natural horizontal lines, like the horizon.

– If you aim your camera slightly downwards on the subject’s face, you will give a more complimentary effect. Take a view from one side, to get a three-quarter view of the face, which will give a better picture.

– Avoid putting the subject in the center of the frame. This is a habit most people find hard to break. Remember to move close and put the subject slightly off center.

– Think about the focus of your picture, when you frame the shot. If you are trying to capture the expression on your child’s face, you can leave out the other children, the swing, the dog, etc.

– Turn your flash off if there is sufficient light. A camera flash may make people look pale.

– Use soft ambient light that is available under a tree. The light filtering through a tree can give better results by warming up the skin and throwing a soft light on the features. You will get a similar effect if you shoot indoors near an open window.

– Always be conscious of the background. Many good photos are ruined by the clutter in the frame. Change your position to avoid a messy background.

– Change the white balance from auto to cloudy, for warmer, richer colors. The macro mode can open new possibilities for close-up photography, giving you new perspectives on everyday objects.

– A polarizing filter can improve landscapes by reducing glare and reflections. It can give richer, saturated colors.

– A small tripod can give you a much better shot, by lending stability. Tripods are not meant only for professionals, as some people think. Using a self-timer can put you in a number of pictures, where you are usually not visible.

– You can use the camera with a tripod and a timer, with a slow shutter speed, to capture the effects of moving water, in streams and waterfalls.

– Get a media card with plenty of memory, so you will not run out of space, at a crucial time. Shoot at the highest resolution allowed by your camera, to get the best results and sharper enlargements.

Some of the most common mistakes to avoid when using a digital camera relate to transmission and storing of images. Even today high resolution pictures are being transmitted by e-mail. The result is that you block the recipient’s e-mail inbox with large attachments. The easiest solution is to reduce the picture to a size that will fit your monitor screen and will take less time to download.

You can also use the photo-cataloging program that is built into WindowsXP. This program resizes photographs before e-mailing them. You can also use free programs such as Easy Thumbnails to resize your pictures. Alternately, you can reduce the size of your photos and send them to a photo-sharing site or to a personal web site. This is a good solution especially if you have many photos that you want to share with friends and relatives.

You must always take a backup of images. This is essential because you never know when your hard drive will crash, and you may end up losing all your digital data including the photographs that you have so lovingly taken. Currently, the most convenient backup solution is a second hard drive. However, the more affordable solution is recordable CDs and DVDs. They should be used to save multiple copies of the photographs, so that you always have a few copies available.

You need not break your head over digital or optical zoom. It requires great skills to get the correct focus and exposure. You can obtain the zoom effect with photo editing software. This software is especially useful in handling high resolution pictures. It can create some good quality prints with sensible cropping. However, for close-up shots, a higher optical zoom or an add-on telephoto lens is a must.

Many cameras offer options to let you choose the best compromise between picture quality and file size, provided you understand JPEG compression. The disadvantage is that every time an image is saved in the JPEG format, there is a permanent and irreversible loss in quality of the image.

You should use your camera’s highest resolution to preserve your digital photos with as many details as possible. You must also make use of user-manuals to understand your camera better. These provide several helpful tips of optimizing results, and can go a long way towards improving your photography skills.

PowerShot SD880IS Highlights

Slick 10.0-megapixel camera expands the Digital ELPH line to allow greater creative freedom
With the PowerShot SD880 IS Digital ELPH camera’s 10.0 megapixels of imaging power, you’ve got a passport to unsurpassed image quality and versatility. Go ahead, enlarge pictures bigger than ever before without worrying about the image quality. And look forward to much more creative flexibility when you’re cropping and printing. The SD880 IS Digital ELPH may be ultra-slim and sculpture-sleek, but its focus is on the power of visual impact.

4x optical zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer plus a 28mm wide-angle lens
When it’s time to take a closer look, the PowerShot SD880 IS Digital ELPH features a 4x Optical Zoom and advanced Optical Image Stabilizer, greatly minimizing camera shake and maximizing the brilliance of every detail. And Canon’s precision 28mm wide-angle lens lets you capture more in every frame, so everyone fits in a family gathering shot.

Large high-quality 3.0-inch PureColor LCD II
The PowerShot SD880 IS Digital ELPH gives you a large 3.0-inch LCD screen for excellent control when framing your shots. Canon’s PureColor LCD II offers spectacular color, resolution and contrast even when viewed at an angle. The screen is highly durable and easy to see in any light with a scratch-resistant, antireflective coating. It also features Night Display for easy viewing in low light–a perfect feature for gathering friends and family around to see your images.

New DIGIC 4 Image Processor improves Face Detection, adds Servo AF, Face Detection Self-Timer and Intelligent Contrast Correction

DIGIC 4 Image Processor
Canon’s proprietary DIGIC Image Processors have long set its cameras apart from the competition, and the new DIGIC 4 sets the bar even higher. Faster, more accurate noise reduction delivers better image quality, even at high ISO speeds.

iSAPS Technology is an entirely original scene-recognition technology developed for digital cameras by Canon. Using an internal database of thousands of different photos, iSAPS works with the advanced DIGIC 4 Image Processor to improve focus speed and accuracy, as well as exposure and white balance.

A new Face Self-Timer automatically detects an increase in the number of faces and makes the appropriate adjustments. For instance, to include photographer’s face in a group shot, there’s no need to rush in. Just put the camera on a stand or tripod, and specify Face Self-Timer, and the camera will wait for the photographer’s face to get on-camera before it takes the shot. Motion Detection now tracks moving subjects in a much larger range, and the new Servo AF retains focus on a moving subject after the shutter button is pressed halfway — allowing you to wait for the perfect shot without refocusing. Also, Face Detection and Motion Detection are markedly improved.

Intelligent Contrast Correction
DIGIC 4 also makes possible the new i-Contrast (Intelligent Contrast Correction) system, which controls the compensation level in pixel units to brighten dark areas while leaving bright areas unchanged for better images where the main subject is dark, and more natural transition. The PowerShot SD880 IS Digital ELPH can even use i-Contrast in playback mode to adjust images that were shot without the setting activated.

Red-eye Correction provides three options for removing red-eye from subjects in flash pictures.
1) The Red-eye Correction during shooting actually identifies and corrects red-eye in human subjects as pictures are taken.
2) The SD880 IS Digital ELPH can be set to automatically detect and correct red-eye during image playback.
3) You can manually locate any red eyes in a scene during image playback on the LCD screen, and command the camera to remove them.

Life doesn’t give you second chances to capture special times. That’s why the SD880 IS Digital ELPH features ISO 1600 and High ISO Auto settings that reduce the effects of camera shake and sharpen subjects in low-light situations, giving you greater shooting flexibility. ISO can be expanded to 3200 when you select ISO 3200 Special Scene mode.

A wide range of shooting modes to capture anything
Now you’re free to concentrate on what really counts–your subject. All you have to do is turn to the setting that best matches the scene you’re viewing through the lens. The PowerShot SD880 IS Digital ELPH does the rest. It chooses the perfect exposure, aperture and flash. You’ve got Special Scenes Modes to handle a wide range of common shooting situations–effortlessly.

With 19 Shooting Modes including 16 Special Scene Modes, you’re ready for whatever shot comes your way.

Print/Share Button for easy direct printing and downloading
The PowerShot SD880 IS Digital ELPH’s Print/Share button makes direct printing easier than ever. Simply connect the SD880 IS Digital ELPH to a Canon PIXMA Photo Printer or SELPHY Compact Photo Printer or any PictBridge compatible photo printer, press the lighted Print/Share button and print! Also use the Print/Share button to transfer images to a computer (Windows and Macintosh). Print your own ID photos in up to 28 different sizes or use the Movie Print function to output multiple stills from a recorded movie on a single sheet with a Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printer.

What’s in the Box

PowerShot SD880IS Digital ELPH body
Wrist Strap WS-DC7
SD Memory Card SDC-32M
Battery Pack NB-5L
Battery Charger CB-2LX
AV Cable AVC-DC400
Interface Cable IFC-400PCU (USB)
Solution Disk