Canon PSC-55 Leather case for use with select Canon digital cameras

Michael Guncheon is a contributing editor for PC Photo magazine and is author of "Helpline," one of the magazine's oldest and most popular columns. He has also written for Digital PhotoPro and Outdoor Photographer magazines. His resume includes a long list of professional assignments in video and film editing, which includes commercials, music videos, and documentaries. He has taught technical seminars and is a member of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. Canon's digital camera is going to be hot, hot, hot! It's high quality, reasonably priced, lightweight, and constructed to feel comford to feel comfortable in the hand. And the many avid amateurs snatching up this great equipment will want to understand how to get the most of every one of its state-of-the-art features, from its superb resolution to its super-fast speed. This Magic Lantern Guide has the answer to all their questions, because it explains in detail how to use all the wonderful enhancements: its ability to save large and fine resolution images direct to the CompactFlash Card, its user-selectable metering; and its single plate, high sensitivity, high resolution color CMOS imaging sensor technology. 5 x 7-1/2". b/w illus. throughout
Customer Review: Very useful
Wasn't for my XTI and very useful anyway. Different approach and you can always count on the Magic Lantern Series for being well written.
Customer Review: Good book
Good book on basic abilities of Canon Rebel EOS XT digital SLR camera. A little dated but the XT is alittle long in the tooth, being the Mark II chipset processor, now that the new Rebel TSi will be out April 27, 2008.

Here are some tips to make great pet photos.

Background. Think about the placement of the pet and the background that will be in the image. Is it cluttered or distracting? The best background may be a plain cloth or very dull setting. You are out to preserve your pet's image, not the environment it is in.

Attention. Try to have a couple of tricks to get your pet's attention. Often you can provide a treat or toy as a distraction. Sometimes making funny noises that they don't often hear will get them to perk up and look at you. Or, you may want to have them not looking at you for more of a character study. Be patient, and once they get used to you and your camera in that setting, the will settle down.

Added Things. Even though the background may want to be subdued, you can add toys or even certain people to the image without taking the emphasis off of the pet.

Lighting. Unless you have access to professional lighting, you may want to opt for subdued natural indoor light from a window, or shade outdoors. On camera flash will very often create harsh shadows and rough red-eye in pets. If you have an external flash, you can bounce it off of a wall or ceiling, or you can consider hanging some tissue paper or other diffuser material over the camera flash. Best bet is to find a nice shady outdoor setting or some streaming sunlight from a window. Side lighting is usually more interesting than front lighting.

Shutter Speed. Pets often move quickly. You want to be sure that your shutter speed is sufficiently fast to prevent any motion blur, and blur from your camera movement.

Depth of Focus. Controlled by the camera's f-stop setting, you can choose to have the entire image (high/narrow f-stop) or a small part of the image (low/wide f-stop) to be in focus. Think about how you want the focus in the image. If you're using a point-and-shoot which doesn't allow you to specify this, choosing the "people portrait" mode will soften the background and leave the pet's face in focus.

Composition / area of focus. Try not to center your pet's face in the image. The resulting image is not dynamic. You want to draw your viewer's interest to the eyes, which should be the sharpest element of the image. Consider the "rule of thirds", where you divide the image into three horizontal and vertical areas, and try to get the eyes at the intersection of these horizontal and vertical lines.

Camera Angle. Don't fall into the trap of standing and holding the camera at eye-level. Sometimes the best image is taken from overhead or from laying on the ground, at dog-level. Be creative and get a bit dirty...you'll be pleased with the results!

Finishing. Once you have the images, spend some time reviewing, refining and editing those images. Try special effects such as sepia tone, watercolor and embossing.

Enjoying. Make screen savers or background wallpaper. Make a mug at winkflash.com or other photo product sites. Get a sweatshirt with your mutt or cat. Have fun and be nice to your pets!

John Huegel is a photographer in the Erie, Pennsylvania area who specializes in Seniors, Dance Studio, Families and other groups. He is active in many charitable and volunteer activities in the Erie area. His work can be seen at http://jhphotomusic.com

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