Blog – 2HPhotography.ca

5 tips for buying a DSLR camera

On June 10, 2018

If you are planning to take photography seriously, then you should invest in a good DSLR camera. A good equipment can make your learning journey more enjoyable. Here are some tips that can help you buy your first DSLR camera.

Budget

The price of DSLR cameras varies and they can be as expensive as $15,000 if you go for the higher end cameras. So, you should first decide on the budget. If you have just started photography then you should go for the entry-level cameras and those won’t be that expensive. You don’t need the sophisticated features of the high-end cameras if you are an amateur photographer. A budget of $500 to$700 will be just fine.

Accessories

You should buy some accessories along with the camera. You will need extra lenses as you learn the advanced techniques of photography. You can invest in a flash, reflector, tripod, etc. You must have a good bag to carry your camera and other accessories with you. A good memory card is essential so that you can store all your beautiful photos in it.

Brands

A camera is a very sensitive equipment; you should go for the top brands. You will easily find accessories for those brands and if needed, can find the replacement parts as well. Nikon and Canon are the most popular brands. But you can go for Olympus and Sony as well.

Your objective

You should decide what type of photography you want to do. People do travel photography, sports photography, product photography, etc. There are cameras and accessories meant for the specific type of photography. So, you should choose a camera according to the type of photography you want to do.

Features

Different cameras have unique features. You should consider these features before buying a camera. These features will affect the quality of the photograph. The sensor size is important, for example. You should buy a camera that has a large sensor. Megapixel is another feature you should consider. You should go for cameras with 7 megapixels or more in order to get sharp images. Some cameras have video recording capabilities, anti-shake or editing capabilities, etc. Cameras come in various modes like Landscape, Night or Paranoma.

You should read reviews of cameras before buying. You can read online blogs or magazines on photography to learn about the latest cameras. You should spend time understanding the various features of the camera. If necessary, you can ask a professional photographer for advice. The camera is an investment and you should take the decision to buy the best camera after doing a lot of research.

6 tips for choosing the right driving school

By Darren Diaz

On June 10, 2018

In Cars, Choosing driving school, Promo

Learning how to drive properly is not only an exciting experience for a young person but also a life saving one. You need to choose the right driving school in order to be an expert driver. You will find many driving schools around the corners of streets, but all are not good. You need to do some research and use the following tips to find the right driving school.

Check for accreditation

You should first make sure that the school you choose is accredited. You can do some online research to check the certifications of the schools. You can also check if the schools have any membership with important driving or automotive associations or have a partnership with a renowned luxury car rental agency, like Apex which offers to tour Paris in an exotic vehicle.

Read reviews

You should read the reviews of different driving schools in order to choose the right one for you. By reading reviews, you will get to know the learning experience of others. It is one of the best ways to select your driving school.

The curriculum

Many driving schools will just teach the basics. But there are driving schools that will teach beyond how to turn signals, breaking, gears, etc. They will also teach how to drive in traffic or difficult roundabouts.

Cost

Driving schools can be expensive – and so can a Ferrari hire in Paris. They usually charge by the hours. You need to compare the driving schools and see which one is most cost-effective for you. You should also consider the location of the driving school and make sure that you don’t incur much travel expense just to get to your school.

Condition of cars

Check out the conditions of the cars using which they teach. The cars must be in good condition. There are schools that are meant for the specific type of cars; for example, you can get BMW driving car where they will teach you how to drive a BMW. So, a car is an important factor to consider.

Driving instructor

The driving instructor must be experienced and knowledgeable. Look at the certifications the instructor has. You can read testimonials as well from previous learners to find out about the instructor. If you are going for a specialized driving school, like the BMW driving school, then you must make sure that the driver is experienced in driving a BMW car and knows the ins and outs about the car.

When you are driving, you have a huge responsibility. You are not only responsible for your own life, but also for the life of the others who are inside your car. Going to a driving school will not only teach you driving techniques but will also tell you about the traffic rules and the recent changes in the driving laws. You will be able to get lots of practical advice from the instructors regarding real-life situations. So, choosing a good driving school is very important.

5 attractions of the Winterlude in Ottawa

By Darren Diaz

On June 5, 2018

In Promo, Travel, Winterlude in Ottawa

If you are looking for a great winter festival, then you should head to Ottawa. The Winterlude is an annual winter festival that is held in February every year in Ottawa. This event started in 1979 and still continues today. This festival draws lots of tourists every year. It is estimated that more than a million people attend the event. Here are some of the things you can do at the festival.

Skating

The Rideau Canal Skateway is about 7.8 kilometers and it is the largest rink in the entire world. There is another smaller rink, the Canada 150 Rink, that you can try as well. So, you should practice skating before coming to the festival so that you can participate in the skating event as well.

Snowflake Kingdom

It is a snow park with snow sculptures, ice slides and other interesting and fun activities for the children. At night, the snow sculptures are illuminated and the sight is breathtaking. You can make your own snowman. You can slip and slide on the snow and have great fun!

Sculpture competition

If you want to participate in sculpture competition, you should go to the Confederation Park, also known as Crystal Garden. You can go to the ice lounge and enjoy musical concerts as well. You can watch skating show, art displays and enjoy DJ dance parties. Workshops are organized for kids. They can learn how to make ice sculpture as well.

Museum exhibits

You will be able to see special exhibits in the Ottawa museums because of this festival. You must visit the Ottawa National Gallery. Other special events are also held in various streets in the city.

Skiing

You can participate in the cross-country skiing competition or watch the racers get ready for the awesome race. Thousands of spectators gather at the competition.

Besides these activities, you will enjoy the food there. You will find lots of restaurants and food stalls set up just for the event. You can simply walk around the city and enjoy the beautiful view. You will get Sno-Bus shuttle during the event, so you can easily take a ride. Most of the activities at the festival are free. So, you can participate. You can take lots of beautiful photographs and take the memory with you. Make sure you bring your best camera and other accessories with you. If you love winter activities, then you should visit Ottawa in February every year for the Winterlude festival. You will have a great time with your family.

All you need to know about the Canadian Auto Museum?

By Darren Diaz

On May 26, 2018

In Cars, My Blog, Promo

If you are a car enthusiast and planning to visit Canada, then you should visit the Canadian Auto Museum. It has the greatest collection of Canadian cars. You will be able to see the classic cars and the modern ones too. It is a great place to visit.

Tours

You will get guided tour and learn about each car. During special events like Mother’s day, there are special events. In Mother’s Day, for example, there will be a special guided tour where you will see the cars driven by remarkable women. You can take the alternative energy tour to look at the cars using alternative energy. Family days are organized often. There are activities, crafts and guided tours available for the entire family. The children can make racing goggles, take a picture with Lightning McQueen, etc. Each car has a story. In Valentines Day, cars that have a romantic story are displayed and you will be taking to a guided tour.

Know the car stories

You will learn about the Canadian automotive industry. You will know about the companies that manufactured cars in Canada. You will see cars from 1946 to the present time. You will see how the car design changed over the years. You will see the collection of European cars and American cars. Luxury cars are a big part of the Canadian automotive industry. You will see a number of luxury cars like Rolls Royce too. The library of the museum is huge and if you are an automotive researcher then this is the place where you should be.

Activities

A Canadian automotive museum is a great place for the kids and family. The huge collection of cars will astonish any child more than 5 years old. There are lots of activities available to keep you engaged throughout the day. You can take a picture with classic cars or the kid’s most favorite Lightning McQueen. Special crafts and activities going on around the year. They can learn how to make a race car craft, balloon cars, etc.

You will get guided tours and hear the amazing stories of cars from high-speed race cars to those driven by criminals or comical characters. The most fun part of the tour is taking photos with the amazing cars. The photos can be your lifetime collection.

Visiting the Canadian automotive museum is a great experience. You will love the guided tours and stories about the cars of various times. You will love the pictures of the cars you take and can show it to your friends.

How can you take low-key automotive photographs?

By Darren Diaz

On May 19, 2018

In Low-key Automotive Photograph, Photography, Promo

Low-key photography is a technique that can bring out drama to your image. However, it’s a great challenge and even the professionals sometimes struggle with it. It’s all about the right kind of illumination. A low-key image contains darker colors and tones. They portray a specific mood and atmosphere. You will find that a low-key image is full of mystery. Shadows are usually the primary elements of low-key photography.

The automotive industry is growing and millions of dollars of cars are sold every year. The manufacturers pay a big amount of money to take the pictures of their latest model cars. For professional automotive photography, you need an expensive gear and the right locations to shoot. But many times it’s not possible to get a warehouse-sized studio for shooting. So, you need to create such environment.

Camera setting

For low-key automotive photography, you need a reflector, a good camera, tripod, and flash. You should set up the camera to ISO 100. This way you will get a good image quality. You should then adjust the aperture and speed to capture the right image. You should set the shutter speed high.

Studio

The key to low-key photography is that you shouldn’t let the light reach the background. If you don’t have the appropriate studio, then you can use two separate rooms for automotive photography. You should block off all the light in one room. The other room should be used as the light source. You should use the door to control the amount of light entering the room. You can also choose between indoors and outdoors or daylight and night. You can use the moonlight and the streetlights. Parking lots are great places too for shooting pictures of cars. You can create a black background using your shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. It means underexposing an image.

Software

You can use Photoshop Creative Cloud. It is a very powerful tool. You should adjust the white balance, contrast, exposure, etc. You should remove reflections from your picture. You can use the ‘healing brush tool’.

You should visit ‘Flickr’ and look at the photographs of cars to get some idea. You should experiment with your photographs. You should use the right camera for your photography. You should think about the composition before taking photos. A tripod and flash are a must for automotive photography. After adjusting your camera settings and taking the photograph, it is important to edit it using the appropriate software. Learn the various features of this software so that you can give the final touches to your photographs. You should practice as much as you can to take better low-key automotive photographs.

Infographic by: Picture Correct

Top 5 tips for printing photographs

By Darren Diaz

On May 14, 2018

In Photography, Printing, Promo

The days of films are over. Now you don’t need to spend money on buying reels of films and weight long hours for your photographs to be printed. The cameras and printers are now much advanced. Most people now use digital cameras and smartphones to take photographs. You can take thousands of photos and store them on your memory card. There are instant printing machines available, so printing photos is not a hassle anymore. The latest model printers can print high-quality photos. You can print them right from your home. For printing photographs, here are some tips you should consider.

Choose the right printer

For printing photographs, you should use a color inkjet printer that is capable of printing photos or a printer that is specifically made for printing photos. For the normal printer, you should look for a printer with at least 2,400 dpi. The dedicated photo printers have about 9,700 dpi. The higher the resolution, the better it is.

You can find the latest model photo printers having a review screen. But the best thing would be to print a sample image first. Before you purchase a printer, make sure you read the reviews.

Use the high-resolution images

Your photo file needs to be original. If pictures are taken from a low-resolution camera, then your photos won’t come out good. You must use a camera with at least 5-megapixel photo capture. Your photos must be detailed and sharp if you want to print the photos in large sizes. Digital cameras having 10 megapixels or more are ideal.

Select the right photo paper

The type of paper you will use to print photo depends on the type of printer. Some printers can handle thick glossy photo paper; whereas, others can’t. For the best pictures, you should use the best quality photo paper. You should also check what size of paper your printer can handle. You can experiment with various kinds of papers. The common papers are the glossy ones. You can try matte papers as well.

Make sure the printer setting is correct

You should make sure that the printer is set to the highest resolution. The print speed should also be set at the maximum. If ink bleeding or color saturation occurs, then the speed must be set too low; so you need to increase the speed. On the other hand, if the image comes out faded, then the speed is too high and you need to lower it.

Software

You must make sure that your picture is in the best condition before printing. You should edit and retouch the picture. You can use tools like Adobe’s Photoshop Lightroom 5. You can edit the photo, resize it or retouch it to make it look better.

These tips will help you to print high-quality photographs. You should select the right photos to print from the hundreds you capture. Then take the time to edit those photos before printing in order to get the best results.