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d-p-t.net Ezine, Issue #014
April 21, 2008

Dear Stay Focussed reader!

Welcome to the digital-photography-tips.net monthly ezine Stay Focussed, and a special welcome to all our new subscribers!

We love to get your feedback here, so if you have any comments please don’t hesitate to let us know.

We have finished our 'Photogenic Places Of The World' series, and this month we move onto general photo tips.

And, of course, there are some Photoshop Elements tips too!

Photo Tips #1 –
capturing the character of a place

When out and about with your camera, it is sometimes quite a job to capture the character of a place. Especially so if you have thousands of photos that are all a bit 'same-y'.

Here's a tip for you, stand and watch for a few minutes. Maybe get yourself a coffee, and just sit down, taking in wherever it is you may be.

As you watch, try to identify what it is that makes the place what it is. Is it the architecture? Is it the people? Is it the cars? Is it the food?

Once you have established what it is that gives the place its character, hone in on it. If possible, combine a few of the elements.

Take a look at the photo below. It was taken in Cuba, and has a few elements that make Cuba the place that it is – the cars, the beach, and the sassily dressed people!

Cuba - cars on the beach



Photoshop Elements tip

This month’s tip is to try out a few blending modes.

Blending modes are largely ignored by most users of Photoshop. But they can give a photo instant impact, often in some very funky ways!

Here’s what to do:
  • Load up any photo in Elements 'Full Edit' mode.
  • Make sure you can see the 'Layers' palette (by default it will appear at the bottom right of your screen)
  • Go to 'Layer' and choose 'Duplicate layer'
  • After clicking 'OK' you should see a copy of your original layer in the Layers palette.
  • Look to the top of this palette for a drop-down menu box that says 'normal'
  • Open the menu, and you will see a variety of blending modes. Simply pick one!
WARNING! You will see some strange effects applied to your photo, so make sure you save any changes as a new file. If you don’t like any of the looks, just set the blend mode back to normal.

If you want to find out more about photography, these are our RECOMMENDED eBOOKS:
Buy Digital Photography Secrets "Digital Photography Secrets"
Buy 267 Simple Tips For Sensational Photos "267 Simple Tips For Sensational Photos"
Buy Income From Photography "Income From Photography"

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