The must have Free photo editor GIMP 2.8

After a long time GIMP is here with its much awaited single window interface .The interface is updated heavily and its much easier to use now .GIMP offers most of the features need for a photographer and there is cool plug ins to play with and all these comes for free . 

 Gimp web site

Windows version download

Other platforms

 http://www.gimp.org/downloads/

How to install GIMP on Ubuntu 12.04

Gimp 2.8  may not be available in software centre so execute these commands in your terminal  
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:otto-kesselgulasch/gimp
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gimp


So have fun with GIMP

Three must have "affordable" lenses for Photography beginners with Canon DSLRs

1. Canon EFS 18 55 IS

       Most probably you might be having one, as this comes as the kit lens of most of the recent crop sensor Canon DSLRs like 1100D,550D,600D etc . This lens covers the frequently used focal length of most of the hobbyists .With its 18mm wide end (effectively 28.8mm)  and relatively high depth of field you can capture  good landscape images .  Its image stabilization is effective and comes in handy in low light (not ultra low light ). If you have non image stabilized version ( which used to come with 400D and 1000D) of this you should  consider upgrading to the IS version . 

2. Canon EF 50mm 1.8 

      For me this lens was one of the reasons why i chose a Canon system , light in  weight but gives spectacular results. with its wide aperture of "f1.8" ideal lens for beginners to learn the use of Depth of field . The Nifty Fifty as it fondly called gives excellent color contrast and sharpness which is not possible with lenses costing five times as this one . On the crop sensor canons it offers a equivalent focal length approximately 85mm which is good for portraiture. You can easily blur the background and create a separation of you subject from background . 50mm 1.8 also excels in low light photography . Really a must have lens for all Canon DSLR beginners  . 

3. Canon EFS 55 250 IS 

     Another highly useful lens which covers the tele range , its a very sharp lens even in its tele end  for its price . 55 250IS offers image stabilization which is a must for handheld usage in its range. Although similarly prices Canon 75 300 mm  offers more reach but its not as sharp as 55 250 and dosent have IS . any thing better than 55 250 will cost at least three times .  you can get a taste of bird photography and street photography with this black beauty .With its tele end you can capture fine portraits with good background blur . 

Long Exposure Photography , Step by step

   You must have seen Beautiful pics of frozen sea waves , frozen waterfalls and spectacular city scapes with light trails . These are done by exposing the camera for a long time. Where the shutter speed goes to low values like few seconds to insane slow speeds like few hours for a  single click .

What you need to Take Long exposure photos, 

1.A Camera with manual controls , 

   You can use any camera only two features you need is manual exposure controls and a timer for shutter release most of the SLR have this features ,some of the point and shoot cameras doesn't have manual exposure functionality .

2. A Sturdy tripod 

   Get one which can handle your camera.Stability of your camera matters a lot in long exposure shots, the more stable the tripod the more sharper picture you get. So when ever you buy  a tripod always go for the best one you can afford. Its a good investment and doesn't lose it value like camera body .

How to take long exposure shots 

Step one
Fix the camera the firmly on tripod , frame the shot by zooming, adjusting height etc as usual, 

 you can use rule of thirds , symmetrical framing or no rules as you like.

Step two
  Once you finalise the frame you can put the cam in  shutter priority mode ("TV" in canon "S " in Nikon ) where you can decide shutter speed ie how long the shutter should be open during shot.

Step three
  Change the "iso" value  to the base one like iso 100 or 200 go for the lowest possible iso to  avoide noice whch is more prevalent in long exposure.

Step four

  For long exposure photography you have to select slow shutter speed like 1 sec or 5 sec .

Step five
  Now put the camera on shutter release timer . putting the camera on timer is to avoid camera  shake during shutter button pressing .

Step six
  Focus the cam either in autofocus or manual focus at the desired object and press the shutter button . Repeat with different shutter speeds and various "iso" settings to get the desired result .

A walk around my house with my new Canon EFS 55 250 mm

Its been a long time i wanted a tele lens for my cam , i researched for many months Googling the net and going through the reviews and drooling over the white 70 200 Ls and black 70 300s  etc . The white beauties of canon used to come in my dreams  and started saying "take me in your hands my dear". Only problem as usual was the cost. I had to spend around 35k for a 70 200 that to without Image stabilization. so years passed with out a tele lens did many trips and i desperately wanted a tele  and finally i stopped listening to my heart and settled for the "EFS 55 250 IS". Last week during Vishu holiday i took her around my home in my moms garden here are some pics with it and it dint disappoint me too.

Hmm My first post ..

:)
Hi, my new and shiny blog......