Photography ~ Marie Leslie

Meural Canvas is the Modern & Creative Way to Showcase Art

Wouldn’t it be awesome to be able to change the artwork on display in your home or office with a wave of your hand?

Imagine having an entire art gallery at your fingertips and the ability to change the art on display with a wave of your hand. Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? It isn’t. It’s real.

The new Meural Canvas does just that. It’s a beautiful new twist on a digital photo frame. It’s available in three styles: white or black wood frames with a white mat, or the Light box style with a light wood frame and a white mat that floats within the frame. The frame is 29 x 18, with a 27” 1080p display with anti-glare technology. Meural sent me one of their canvases to test in exchange for a review.

What makes this even cooler is the ability to hang it in either vertical or horizontal orientation, and to change your artwork with a wave of your hand—literally. It is controlled by a gesture sensor that allows you to change images, learn more about the displayed art and access your device settings. It connects via wifi to your phone or desktop computer to make set-up and image loading quick and simple.

meural frame styles — Image courtesy of meural.com

Setting Up the Meural Canvas

My canvas came at the perfect time since I’ve pretty much run out of wall space to hang new art. Unfortunately, my first canvas was damaged in shipping, but it was quickly replaced with a perfectly functioning model. Hanging the frame was easy. I just needed a screwdriver, drill and ruler to accompany the provided level and hanging hardware. Because the frame is fairly substantial, following the hanging instructions carefully is vital. Fortunately, it really was easy to hang. You will need to either hang it near an outlet or add an extension cord.

Once the frame is up, plug it in and get started. You’ll want to download the Meural app for your phone (android and iphone) and follow the onscreen to connect the frame to your wifi network. I also use my.meural.com on my desktop computer to update and add photos. As a photographer, my own artwork is my first choice. However, if you’re not so fond of your own artwork, the Meural website offers thousands of pieces of art. They offer everything from old masters to contemporary art and photography by both well-known and up-and-coming artists that you can choose from.

Although I am tech savvy, I am not exactly coordinated, so it took me a few tries to get the hang of syncing my art to the canvas and working the gesture controls. Now that I’ve figured it out, though, changes and updates are a piece of cake. One important thing to note is that the help files are at meural.com, not my.meural.com, at the bottom of the page under FAQ. Hopefully, in a future update, they’ll add a link on my.meural.com.

My Meural Canvas at home — My canvas has found its home above my fireplace. Ignore my, um, lovely vintage wallpaper, and just notice how perfect it is for displaying art of all types.

Who is the Meural Canvas For?

Not only is the Meural great for home display, but it would be an ideal display piece in a business. As a professional photographer, I would definitely have at least a couple of these in my studio to display my favorite works for clients. I could envision displaying this at a wedding reception or other event with a running display of the engagement or bridal portraits.

I could also envision using a Meural Canvas in any creative business that wants or needs to display a portfolio for customers. It’s much more elegant and classy than a computer screen or television, and would easily blend with and complement any business decor. Whether you’re a florist, event planner, interior designer, or a myriad of other businesses with products or work to display and highlight, a Meural Canvas would enhance those portfolios.

I’m guessing this may be just the tip of the iceberg, and as the Meural Canvas continues to evolve and develop, there will be even more cool reasons to own one. You can purchase your own Meural Canvas here. And yes, if you buy one, I do get a small commission. But don’t let that stop you. You’re going to love the Meural Canvas. So visit Meural today and order yours. And to sweeten the deal a little more, if you add the code MARIE50 at checkout, you’ll save $50 on your purchase.

Marie Leslie Leave a Comment

How to Make Your Own Fabulous & Fun Family Portraits

Everybody wants great and fun family portraits. But going to a photography studio or hiring pro isn’t always an option.

And there’s no shame in that. You can make fabulous and fun family portraits yourself. Here are some of my top tips for making your own great portraits. I know they work because not only have I used them with my clients, I’ve used them to photograph my own family.

Follow these tips and you can make your own fabulous and fun family portraits too.

Inspire Yourself

Before you head out with the camera, scout the web for inspiration and ideas for posing, clothing and backdrops. Check out the websites of your favorite portrait photographers, do an internet search for family portraits (and if you want them in a certain place, like outdoors, add that search term), and check out Pinterest. Having an idea of what you want will help you keep your session on track.

Plan Ahead

The key to a great portrait is a plan. Take some time before the big day to plan out your portrait session. You don’t need to plan every minute. And you shouldn’t expect it will go exactly according to plan. But planning ahead will definitely make it all go more smoothly. Some of the things to plan ahead of time are:

Where and when you want to make your portraits
Who you want to include in your portraits
A helper for your session (more on that later)
Some of the different groupings you want to get (mom & dad, just the kids, etc.)
Clothing—what is everyone going to wear? Do you want them to match or just coordinate? Choosing and laying out clothes ahead of time will avoid last-minute stress and meltdowns.

Good light makes good portraits

Lighting can make or break your portrait. As a rule if you are making portraits outdoors, the early morning or late afternoon/early evening (starting about an hour before sunset) is the nicest time to make portraits. You can make good portraits during the rest of the day as well. If you need to make mid-day portraits, choose your location carefully. Find a shady place where your family won’t be looking into the sun with squinty faces and harsh shadows.

Make the Most Important Portraits First

If the key purpose of this session is a photograph of all of you together for a holiday card or a print above the fireplace, take those pictures first. Save other groupings for after you’ve gotten your main pictures. This way, if your littles have a meltdown and decide they’re done with portraits, you’ll still get your most important photos.

Ask a friend to help

Sometimes family portraits work best if you bring along reinforcements. At the very least, bringing along a friend who can actually push the shutter button for you so you don’t have to set the timer and run to get into the picture can make the whole experience much more relaxed. If you want to include the family pets in your portrait, you definitely need a pet wrangler in case Fido decides he’s not going to cooperate. An extra pair of hands and eyes to help keep everyone in the right place and looking in the right direction will definitely increase the likelihood of great portraits.

Keep it simple

If you’re new to this—and/or if you have small children—keep things simple. The simpler your session, the more likely it is to be successful. Skip the fancy props or complicated poses. The more complicated you make the session, the less fun it will be and the quicker your family is going to check out and decide they’re done. Remember to keep the focus on a fun family portrait session and you’ll be much more likely to end up with the fabulous family portraits you want.

Manage Expectations and Have fun — It doesn’t matter if you’re a pro or how old your kids are–expect that they won’t always be cooperative, though I will take goofy over tantrums any day.

Manage Your Expectations

Be realistic. You’ve looked at dozens of “perfect” portraits on the internet. They were made by professionals and are the best of a portrait session where they may have taken 10 or 15 or 100 different images and picked that one portrait to share. You aren’t going to get “perfect” portraits.

You can get great portraits, but remember you’re dealing with your kids, who may or may not be having the best day, who may or may not want their portraits made and who may or may not want to cooperate.

Don’t focus on perfect or even on “just right.” Focus on making this experience fun and enjoyable, and on capturing their personalities at this moment in your family. And remember, bribery is not a bad thing when it comes to a portrait session.

I can’t promise you perfect portraits—perfect is so boring anyway—but with these tips, you can get fabulous and fun family portraits while making fun family memories.

And don’t forget to come back and let me know how your DIY portrait session went.

Marie Leslie 2 Comments

My Ireland Adventure: Cities, Castles and the Irish Countryside

You can find Part 1 of my Ireland adventure here.

As we left the Burren and headed for Limerick, we had a relaxing drive through the Irish countryside with lots of photo stops. One standout was this ruined church turned cemetery in Killinaboy.

Limerick

We spent the next days in Limerick for their St. Patrick’s Festival and our band’s second parade. Limerick was such a surprise to me, as I’d been told by more than one person it wasn’t a city worth visiting. On the contrary, I was captivated by its beauty and history and wished we had more days to spend exploring. We spent a good portion of the morning wandering the streets of Limerick, admiring the architecture, marveling at the history and photographing the doors. The doors of Ireland are wonderful. Unique and colorful–our American front doors are pretty boring by comparison. Here are the results of our wandering. This is absolutely my favorite photograph from Ireland (and it’s available in my Ireland gallery–by clicking on the photo).

We also stumbled across the Frank McCourt Museum and my hubby, sport that he was, humored me with a visit to the childhood school of one of my favorite authors. You can find Frank McCourt’s books here—they are well worth the read (warning–they do contain strong language).

Limerick St. Patricks Festival — The Smoky Hill High School Marching Band performing in the Limerick, Ireland, band festival.

Limerick St. Patricks Festival at St. Georges Quay — Watching all the bands perform for one another in Georges Quay (pronounced key) after the Limerick Parade.

Another highlight of Limerick, besides the parade and watching all the bands perform in George’s Quay, was discovering King John’s Castle and also visiting historic St. Mary’s Cathedral, still in daily use after nearly a millennium. I am awed by both the history and the workmanship of the many historic cathedrals and churches we saw in Ireland. To create such architecture and beauty without any of our modern tools or technology always leaves me amazed.

St. Marys Cathedral Limerick — St. Mary’s Cathedral in Limerick. It was built nearly 1000 years ago, and is still in daily use. The workmanship and beauty of this cathedral are awe-inspiring, especially when you realize it was built long before power tools and cranes. All built by hand, by loving craftsman to honor God.

Cahir

From Limerick, we parted company with our band and went on to our final stop in Cahir, where we were fortunate to stay at the Cahir House Hotel. The historic manor house turned hotel was another fun stop. We had a view of Cahir Castle from our room. The hotel is located on the town square, so we were able to easily walk all through the picturesque village. We had dinner in the hotel pub, where I had the most delicious seafood pie ever. Think Shepherd’s Pie with seafood in it. Yum.

Along the way, I had to make a stop for more sheep. I really stopped because we finally came across a black sheep, but he wasn’t nearly as interested in me as I was in him. This one, on the other hand.

The next morning we decided to visit the Castle before heading to the Tower of Cashel.

cahir castle — Cahir Castle. Such a lovely experience. We were the only visitors on a misty Monday morning and had the castle to ourselves.

Next up was our visit to the Tower of Cashel. When we arrived at the Tower, though, it was under restoration and covered in scaffolding (but still open). So we went for a walk around the outer walls while deciding whether it was worth the visit. Imagine my tremendous delight when we rounded the hill and found the breathtaking ruins of Hore Abbey in the valley below. What a wonderful way to end our visit. We spent our time wandering the ruined abbey and pondering on those who built this beautiful structure and then abandoned it to history. I guess we’ll try again for the Tower of Cashel on our next visit.

Hore Abbey. Build sometime in the 1100s and abandoned a century of so later. Perhaps one of my favorite spots in Ireland (and my favorite photograph) .

And Too Soon Our Ireland Adventure Came to An End

To make our departure easy and less stressful, we spent our last night in Bunratty at the Bunratty Courtyard. This might have been my favorite lodging of everywhere we stayed. The hosts were so welcoming, the room was spacious and comfortable, as was the rest of the house, and we ended our trip with a filling and delicious last Irish breakfast. We wish we had found this for our first night as well. Next trip, I suppose. Its close proximity to the village of Bunratty and the Bunratty branch of the Blarney Woolen Mills made my last-minute shopping easy as well.

Bunratty is only about ten minutes from Shannon, and flying out of the Shannon airport back to the states is quick and easy. We were able to go through American customs in Shannon and the whole process took less time than it takes me to go through airport security in Denver. My daughter’s experience in Dublin was far less enjoyable and it made me glad we chose Shannon.

I loved my Ireland adventure. The people were delightful and welcoming, the scenery was beautiful, and I felt like I had come home again. I am sure there will be return visits. After all, I still have a long list of places to visit—and that is only in one corner of the Emerald Isle.

The photographs you see in this article were all taken by me and many of them can be found for purchase in my Ireland gallery here.

Marie Leslie 2 Comments

Photographing Ireland: Favorite Images of the Emerald Isle

Eight days was not nearly enough for photographing Ireland. Even though we only planned to visit the southwestern corner of Ireland, an eight-day trip was still much too short for this Irish girl to visit and photograph the land of her ancestors.

I finally had the opportunity last spring to put my passport to use and visit Ireland when my youngest daughter’s high school marching band planned to participate in St. Patrick’s parades in Cork and Limerick, and that certainly was an event I didn’t want to miss.

Rather than travel with her band, though, my hubby and I planned our own adventure, paralleling much of their trip, but allowing us the time and flexibility to see and photograph at our pleasure. I will readily admit to not being much of a tour bus traveler. Not being able to stop and photograph the sights makes me a little cranky. Thankfully, my husband understands that well.

We found a series of charming bed & breakfast inns and small hotels in nearly every city we visited. Irish B&B’s are definitely the way to go, and far more enjoyable than the two nights we spent in hotels. It was so much more personal and we met so many lovely people as a result. That’s not to say that the hotels we stayed in were anything but top-notch, clean and well-appointed. The smaller lodgings just felt more homey and comfortable.

We flew into Shannon (the band flew into Dublin and drove across Ireland in tour buses) and spent our first day at the legendary Blarney Castle, where I did indeed kiss the Blarney Stone.

Kissing the Blarney Stone. It’s much more complicated than it looks. You have to climb to the top of Blarney Castle and then lean out on your back, bending over to reach the Blarney Stone. An attendant is there to help people up and down and to hold them so they don’t slip.

St. Patrick’s Day in Cork

We stayed the next night in Cork at the Belvedere Lodge. Apparently, Google thinks there is more than one of these (yes, it took us somewhere else first—we call that “having an adventure”) but the Lodge where we stayed was conveniently & coincidentally across the road from the Silver Springs Moran Hotel where our student was lodged. It’s also right across the road from the River Lee. Our room was clean and spacious with a view of the courtyard and garden. We also had our first Irish breakfast here, and it definitely did not disappoint. When I return to Cork, I will be staying here again.

irish breakfast at belvedere lodge — Irish Breakfast. It did not disappoint. The Irish bacon was amazing (had a funny story about what the Irish think of our wimpy American bacon). I will admit to not being a huge fan of the black pudding. But I did try it. Out of respect for my jeans I did not eat this every day, though it was offered everywhere we stayed.

Courtyard at Belvedere House — Our courtyard view at the Belvedere Lodge. The hotel in the backyard is where our daughter stayed & where we ate dinner our first night. They had fabulous fish & chips.

On our way to the Belvedere Lodge, we most definitely had an adventure. Google was being somewhat uncooperative and we found ourselves on the scenic tour of old Cork, which I really didn’t mind until we got a flat in our rental car. We couldn’t get ahold of our rental company (apparently the holiday started early) and so stopped into a local flower shop to see if we could get directions to a tire shop. Not only did we get directions, but the shopkeeper just hopped into our car and drove us right over to her trusted mechanic who replaced our tire for far less than we would have paid back home. Pretty much everyone we met on our trip was just as friendly and welcoming, and just as helpful.

The following day, being St. Patrick’s Day, we spent the morning wandering through Cork and the afternoon watching the Cork St. Patrick’s Day parade. I had not realized before we arrived that 2016 is the Centenary of the Uprising, and so it was a particularly significant occasion. I took advantage of the opportunity to greatly update my knowledge of Irish history. While I know much of the culture and bits and pieces of the history of my great-grandparents who all emigrated from Ireland in 1890, I do not nearly know enough about Irish history. I think learning the history and culture of other countries is one of the primary reasons I love for traveling abroad.

Cork Row Houses — We passed these row houses walking into the city of Cork. I love all the bright and vibrant colors. We Americans are pretty boring by comparison.

Row Homes on the River Lee, Cork, Ireland — A view of Cork from one of the many bridges over the River Lee. A beautiful city.

Waiting for the St Patricks Day Parade in cork — Waiting for the parade in downtown Cork. We were lucky enough to be right next to the reviewing stand so we could hear the announcer & learn some Irish history & trivia while we were there.

Cork St. Patricks Day Parade — Our band marching in the Cork Parade. The piccolo player in the middle of the front row is the girl I came to see.

Off to Killarney

From Cork, we traveled on to Killarney, and spent a day traveling the ring of Kerry, with its stunning views of random castles, wandering sheep and the beautiful Irish coast. We finished our day with a jaunting cart tour of Killarney National Park. This also is on my list for a return visit, partially because we arrived 10 minutes too late to tour the beautiful Muckross House. I was sad.

But our other explorations of this beautiful park made up for the day and we even came across a bagpiper in the forest.

Rowboat on Muckross Lake — Muckross Lake at Killarney National Park

Sheep along the Ring of Kerry — A flock of sheep along the Ring of Kerry

Muckross House, Killarney National Park — Muckross House. I need to go back to Killarney because I really want to tour the Muckross House.

Jaunting Cart at Killarney National Park — A jaunting cart–Fun way to tour Killarney National Park. Our guide was friendly and informative and shared so much more than just the tourist guide info.

In Killarney, we found the Ardree House, another charming lodge. Our rooms there were comfortable, light and bright with a nice sunset view, and just a couple minutes walk from the center of town. Our hosts also gave us excellent recommendations for dining and sightseeing. One of my favorite stops in Killarney was Granda Charlie’s Auld Sweet Shop.

The Cliffs of Moher

From Killarney, we traveled on to the famed Cliffs of Moher. Fans of The Princess Bride will recognize these beautiful cliffs as the “Cliffs of Insanity.” And from the Cliffs of Moher it was on to the Burren. I have been told that the otherworldly landscape of the Burren—and it is unlike anything else in Ireland—served as inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels. It’s definitely a place I’d like to explore more and photograph more extensively. I was particularly looking forward to my visit to the Burren as some years ago I had read a series of mystery novels set in the Burren of the Middle Ages and wanted to see it for myself.

Cliffs of Moher 3 — O Brien’s Tower at the Cliffs of Moher with the Aran Islands beyond.

Cliffs of Moher, Ireland — The famed Cliffs of Moher, also known to movie lovers as “The Cliffs of Insanity”

The Burren National Park, Ireland — The Burren, inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien and other authors

Burren National Park, Ireland — The Burren–which looks nothing like anything else in Ireland, and nothing like what we all think of when we think of Ireland.

The photographs you see in this article were all taken by me and many of them can be found for purchase in my Ireland gallery here.

Find Part 2 of my Ireland adventures here with more lovely photographs —including my two favorite images from the trip.

Marie Leslie Leave a Comment

9 Things That Will Improve Your Photography Now

Do you want to be a better photographer? You don’t need a degree or expensive courses to improve your skills, though attending photography classes and workshops can be fun and rewarding. Independent study and practice can also improve your photography. While I definitely recommend workshops and classes, especially if you want to become a professional photographer, here are 9 things you can start doing today that will improve your photography now.

Take Lots of Pictures

Practice makes perfect, and that is definitely true for photography. Get out and use your camera. Give yourself assignments. With digital photography, it doesn’t cost you any more to take several different shots of a subject, experimenting with different angles and different camera settings. Compare and study your images to see what works and what doesn’t. Make note of that for your next outing.

Think Before You Click

Just randomly clicking the shutter is not the path to photographic happiness. Sure, if you take enough pictures the law of averages says something will eventually look good, but wouldn’t you rather have your artistic efforts not be subject to the law of averages?

If it’s an action shot, go ahead and click. But before you click again, stop and look at your scene. Could you move to the left, right, up or down for better composition? Are there things you see in the frame that distract from the subject? Could you zoom in or out for better composition? Can you change your camera settings to improve the image?

Take Your Camera With You

If you don’t have it, you can’t use it. Looking at a scene and thinking “that would be a great photo” is not the same as actually creating said photo. Get in the habit of having a camera handy so you can take advantage of every opportunity to practice.

Learn to Use More than the Auto Setting on Your Camera

If your camera is anything like mine, it has a raft of settings on it. If you haven’t moved it off the “P” setting or the “Auto” setting since you bought it, it’s time for you to get bold and learn to use those other settings. Your first reference for this should be your camera’s instruction manual. Did you toss that, thinking you’d never need it? Check the manufacturer’s website. They often have them available for download.

Move In

There are few pictures, at least portraits, that are not improved by moving in closer. As one of my early photography instructors said, you paid for the film, you ought to use all of it. If a person or people (or a pet) is the subject of your photograph, then make sure they are big enough to see.

Engage with Your Subject

When you are taking pictures of people, help them to relax and be comfortable in front of your camera. While it’s traditional to “say cheese,” that rarely actually produces a great portrait. Talk with your subjects, interact with them and get them to talk to you. Get your face out from behind the camera and help them to feel at ease. When you do that, you’ll get natural expressions that are much more pleasing than “cheesy.”

Learn and Use the Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is one of the key principles of art. Think of your camera’s viewfinder or viewscreen as a tic-tac-toe grid. Placing the focus of your image on one of the intersections instead of right will give your photographs more interest in the composition and produce more pleasing images. You can learn more about photography and the rule of thirds in this post.

Try Different Angles

To end boring photographs, try shooting from different angles. Instead of standing and taking all of your photographs from your eye level, try something different. Shoot from a high angle, shoot from a low angle, move right, move left. Different perspectives can completely change the look of a photograph. If you’re taking pictures of people, get up or down to their eye level. You can even tilt the camera, but be careful with this one—landscape photographs rarely look better when the horizon is crooked. A little experimentation can make a big difference in your photographs.

Study the Work of Other Photographers

Do you want to be a better photographer? Study the photographers you admire. Whether it means checking out books from the library, visiting art galleries or web surfing photographers (you can find a few of my favorites here). Look at the posing, the lighting, the composition, and then try to incorporate those principles in your own work. IMPORTANT NOTE: I am not telling you to copy the work of other artists. That is stealing and it is wrong. DO NOT imitate, duplicate or copy the work of other photographers. This is especially reprehensible if you claim to be a professional.

Choose one or more of these to try and let me know how they work for you. Do you have other photography questions? Please share them in the comment section below. I am always happy to answer questions—you may help me with the subject for a future blog post.

Marie Leslie 16 Comments

What You Need to Know to Choose the Right Camera

If I had to pick one question that I have been asked more over the years than any other, it would be “What kind of camera should I buy?” That question isn’t as simple as it might look. I have to ask you a lot of questions back to figure out what kind of camera might best meet your needs:

Why do you want a camera?
What are you going to do with it?
Do you want something you can stick in your pocket or purse to take quick pictures of your kids, or are you wanting to learn the craft of photography?

If you want something for easy family/vacation/fun photos, you will probably be happy with a point-and-shoot camera. They are generally compact and lightweight with simpler controls and lots of presets.

If you want to become a photographer (either by vocation or avocation), you want to look at DSLR cameras. DSLR stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex. SLR means that when you look through the viewfinder you are actually looking through the lens—the ultimate in “what you see is what you get.” DSLR cameras have interchangeable lenses—you can put different lenses on the camera body– from ones with a very wide angle of view, to ones with a very long telephoto for great distance shots, so you have many more options.

What’s Your Budget?

And then there is the question of budget. You can spend as little as $50 or as much as $10,000. For a good point-and-shoot camera, you should expect to spend somewhere between $150-$300, depending on the features.

An entry-level DSLR can go for as little as $500 with a lens and the prices increase from there, depending on the accessories and features you want.

I recommend that you not only read articles like this, but go to a camera store and look at the cameras, try different ones. How do they feel in your hands? How easy are the controls to operate? Once you’ve found cameras that meet your other needs, make sure it is going to be comfortable and easy to use.

And where should you buy? There are many options. I have purchased from local camera stores, I have purchased from the big camera stores in New York, and I have purchased from Amazon. I have been equally happy with all of them. Where you buy depends on how much hands-on help you want or need during the buying process.

And since you asked, I am a Canon girl. I have owned Canon cameras since college, and even after testing out all the others out there, I still like Canon best. So, if you scroll to the bottom of this post, you’ll find my favorites for Advanced Photography, Learning the Craft, Point-and-Shoot, and Pocket Cameras, along with handy links to order them from Amazon.

Terms to Know to Choose the Right Camera

Here are a few key terms you will hear or read while camera shopping. These are things you need to know to help you choose the right camera for you.

Megapixels—a megapixel is one million pixels. When you are making photographs that you will want to print, more megapixels are better than fewer megapixels. You can always use software later to make a high-megapixel photograph smaller (like for emailing), but you can’t improve a low-megapixel photograph and make it better. The more megapixels your camera has the sharper and more detailed your images will be.

Shutter lag--Shutter lag is the delay between pushing the shutter button and when the photograph is actually recorded. A longer shutter lag means you may miss the action you were trying to capture in a picture. Cameras with shorter shutter lags are always better than cameras with a long shutter lag. Shutter lag can range from .04 seconds in higher-end DSLR cameras to over 1 second in some very basic point-and-shoot cameras.

Autofocus–Autofocus means that the camera focuses for you. Some cameras, again usually higher end models, can focus very quickly, while some of the more basic models are slower to focus, making it difficult to capture quick action. Having the option of focusing manually is nice, especially if you are wanting to learn photography.

Flash—a camera flash can help you take better photographs (or photos at all) at night or indoors. It’s important to note that the flash built in to your camera is only good to about 12-15 feet away. It’s not going to help you light up the stage at your child’s school play.

ISO Range—ISO setting on a camera controls how sensitive it is to light. The higher the ISO number, the less light you need to make a usable photograph. Low ISO numbers work great for bright light and higher numbers allow you to photograph in darker conditions. There is a trade-off though. The higher the ISO number, the higher the “noise” or digital distortion your picture will have, reducing the image quality.

Optical zoom v. digital zoom—Zoom on a camera is used to bring far away objects closer and enable you to get closer to your subject without actually moving closer to your subject. An optical zoom is a true zoom lens like you would find on a film camera or a high-end DSLR camera (like the pros use). A digital zoom enlarges the middle of the image you are taking and discards the outer areas. It does basically the same thing you would do if you opened your photograph in a photo-editing program and cropped just to the middle of the photo. Digital zoom photos will see a decrease in image quality over a photo made with an optical zoom. If you are going to take lots of zoomed photos, you will want a camera with a larger optical zoom range.

viewfinder v. view screen--The viewfinder or view screen is what the photographer looks through or at to compose their photograph. A viewfinder is generally a small opening you would put up to your eye to look through. They are common on older film cameras and higher-end DSLR cameras. Many newer cameras, especially compact models have only a view screen much like using your Smartphone to compose a photograph. Which one you choose is entirely a matter of personal preference. I do find view screens to sometimes be a challenge outdoors in bright light.

Marie’s Camera Recommendations

For Advanced Photography

Canon EOS 70D Digital SLR Camera with 18-135mm STM Lens–this camera is great and this is my basic go-to lens. I have made many an outing where I never used any lens but this one and created some prize-winning photographs. This is the camera for serious amateurs and those pondering on the possibility of eventually turning pro.

For Learning the Craft

Canon EOS Rebel T6 Digital SLR Camera Kit with EF-S 18-55mm and EF 75-300mm Zoom Lenses--this camera kit is great for those who want to make the jump from point-and-shoot to something with more options and more creativity. These two lenses will cover just about anything you ever want to photograph. It’s less complex than the camera above, but still offers endless creativity.

Point-and-Shoot

Canon PowerShot SX420 IS with 42x Optical Zoom and Built-In Wi-Fi–This camera is great for on-the-go. It has a great zoom range and it’s wi-fi compatible, which means you can post to social media right from your phone. Yes, that’s better than cellphone quality (way better) and still social media ready to share those moments with your friends and family without being at the computer. and for the fashion conscious, this camera also comes in red (I have a red one).

Pocket Camera

Canon PowerShot ELPH 180 with 20.0 MP CCD Sensor and 8x Optical Zoom–This camera is light, quick and small enough to slip into your pocket or purse. It’s barely bigger than a smart phone, but the photo quality is way beyond what I’ve seen out of nearly any camera phone. Not surprisingly it’s the most affordable of the bunch as well. And this camera comes in red too.

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