Hi,

Welcome to the March edition of Digital Photos 101 Newsletter. If you've been wondering why some of your photos come out blurry or why, by the time the shutter clicks on the cute shot you were about to take of your kids, they've moved and it's too late, you'll want to read the article below on taking better action shots. I've also found an interesting photo website -- dotPhoto -- that lets you create free multimedia slideshows with music and narration that you can share with friends, post on your website or upload to YouTube.

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How to Take Better Action Photos

We tend to take digital pictures the same way we've used our film cameras or disposables, basically, point and shoot. With practice, it's easy to master all of the features your digital camera offers, and the terrific action shots you'll get will make it worth the effort. From Jeffrey Housenbold and Dave Johnson, co-authors of the book, The Shutterfly Guide to Great Digital Photos (McGraw-Hill/Osborne, 2005), come these tips for getting your best pictures.

Freeze the moment with the two-step shutter release.
Know how to use your two-step shutter release. By slightly pressing down on the shutter release button, you can lock the focus. Now, continue to hold the button so you can recompose the picture without changing the focus. Once you have the perfect photo, press the button all the way to snap the final shot.

Eliminate the "lag time" by presetting the white balance.
Cameras have an automatic way of adjusting for different lighting situations. It's called white balance. When your white balance is set to the "auto" default, your camera must adjust the colors each time you take a picture, and that creates lag time. Preset your white balance to the lighting you're in -- daylight, night, fluorescent, or incandescent -- and you'll get a faster response from your camera and bright, accurate colors every time.

Highlight the motion by panning the camera.
Panning captures your subject in sharp focus while blurring the background. Position yourself to follow the motion of the moving subject. Press the shutter release and hold it down for a few seconds as you swivel your body to follow the subject.

Catch your kids in the act by getting close to the action.
When photographing your next soccer game, move closer to the action and stay down at kid level by shooting from your knees or on your belly. Also, your picture will have more impact if you frame the action tightly and keep one or only a few players in the shot.

For more tips and ways to preserve your memories go to Shutterfly.

dotPhoto - Free Multimedia Slide Show Sharing and Beautiful Photo Books

I found a free photo sharing site that offers something a bit different than the standard album sharing. Check out dotPhoto. You can create amazing multimedia slide shows with your favorite photos and choose from an array of soundtracks, decorative themes, and moving transitions between photos. You can even upload or record a sound caption for each photo. I don't know of any other site that offers this for free. You can share your shows by sending an email to your friends with a link to your show or by uploading it to YouTube. You also get unlimited free, secure photo storage and you can create your own personalized photo website using a selection of templates layouts and color schemes.

Another great feature of dotPhoto is their outstanding EuroBook Photo Book. The quality is excellent - just like books you'd find in a bookstore, with lots of binding and cover options and the prices are very reasonable. Using their free downloadable software you can create a beautiful 8x11 book from $19.95 (price varies depending on cover option). There is a buy 1 get one 50% off deal through March 31 - use coupon code MAR50 .

dotPhoto offers some unique photo items. I especially like their very cool Peel-n-Post Vinyl Cutouts -- durable wall decorations of your favorite photos with a self-stick adhesive that can be stuck on the wall, removed and reused repeatedly without damaging the wall. Perfect for kids' rooms or college dorms. For chocolate lovers: get edible photo chocolates. See below for current dotPhoto promos and check out dotPhoto's website here.

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Have a great week!

Valerie
www.digitalphotos101.com
How to get the best from your digital camera

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