|
HEY, it's the school holidays. Cut a little slack in your jam-packed schedule. It's time to get creative and to settle a few long-delayed PC housekeeping chores.
First, the creative bit.
One notebook looks pretty much like the next. Don't let your notebook get lost in a sea of look-alikes.
Get personal. Print a 'skin' that is totally you and paste it on to your laptop. Warning: It's sticky business - but in a good way.
Also, ditch that generic mousepad; the one that came with your PC from goodness knows when. Customise your own mousepad instead. Digital Life shows you how to do it with an inkjet printer.
Are you tired of endless snapshots of your child eating? After all, that's the only time he will sit still for you to take a photograph.
Digital Life has some ideas for portrait photography. Those that will ensure that at least one photograph can be hung with pride on the living room wall.
Now, to the PC chores at hand. Amid all the fun of IT holiday activities, don't forget to keep your PC system trim and clean.
Digital Life outlines the hardware, software and good practices you should have to safeguard your data. Yes, it is a chore but back up your PC today and you can thank us later.
Ready, steady... shoot!
CHILDREN, it seems, grow up overnight. But parents are still time-trapped.
The snapshots you have of them as babes and tots remain frozen in an eclectic array of metal and porcelain photo frames.
Well, if you need to freeze them in time, do it in style - portrait style. A big mugshot that you can blow up, frame and hang on the living room wall.
You'll need a good camera. A DSLR is recommended. For compact camera users, here are a few tips to maximise its use.
Aperture
USE the A (aperture) mode or portrait mode (usually the icon of a woman, sometimes in a hat).
Use the biggest aperture available (the lower the number, the bigger aperture) so that your child will be in focus while everything else in front or at the back of him would be out of focus.
Go for the lowest sensitivity (ISO200 or lower), the largest picture size and lightest compression possible.
This is to squeeze the highest quality out of your camera.
Focus
ONE of the biggest culprits of out-of-focus shots is hand shake. When you blow up a photo, every fault is magnified, including hand movement. A tripod helps.
If your camera has any form of image stabilisation, turn it on. In a pitch, lean against a wall or column or rest your camera on a table - anything to steady your hand.
If your child is able to keep still without stiffening up, ask him to do so.
| Hyperactive kids? Try this |
IF GETTING your child to stay still without drugging him is impossible, portraits are out.
Tons of snapshots may be the only way to nail that gem.
Take him to a place where he can have uninhibited play and let him loose. Play areas with water are great.
Venues to hit: Waterworks at the Singapore Science Centre, Children's World at the Singapore Zoo, Jacob Ballas Children's Garden at the Botanic Gardens and even the open-air water fountain at Bugis Junction.
Switch on your flash. |
Lighting
THIS is crucial in a portrait. It must be even with emphasis on the face, particularly the eyes.
An easy way out of pricey studio lights: Go outdoors and rely on natural light. Choose an overcast day. Avoid direct sunlight.
Inside a building, go near a glass wall if the light is even. Or pose your child under a large skylight.
Use your flash to get that spark in the eye. Called catchlights in the trade, they will liven up a listless photo. Lower the flash burst if you can.
Framing
GET your camera down to the height of your child. Imagine you are looking at your child through the eyes of another child. Your camera should be no higher than your child's eye.
Either fill the frame or compose your child to one side of the frame. Let the empty space be on the side he is facing.
Hands may be awkward in a portrait. Have your child hold or clutch a toy or book.
Background
WATCH out for the wall behind your child. If it is too close, a flash would cast an undesired shadow.
Choose a neutral, even background. Watch for wires, electrical fittings and plumbing that may stray into view in the shot.
Use the portrait or vertical framing and frame your child above the waist or just with his head and shoulders.
As a variation, you may want to include the foreground or background to give some context. It could be his collection of toys or his artwork or all his textbooks for the year.
With such shots, use a 28mm lens or wider so that the whole body is captured.
This article was first published in The Straits Times, Digital Life on 3 June 2008.
| 
