photos by richard

What Do I Need to Start Scrapbooking?

The best thing about scrapbooking is that although there are a plethora of scrapbooking supplies available on the market, you really don't need a lot to make your very first scrapbook. Basically, all you need to scrapbook is an album, some glue, a pair of scissors, and some photographs or newspaper clippings. Any fabric, ribbon, or bits of leftovers from other projects can be used to embellish your scrapbook.
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Once you start printing your digital masterpieces (with 4x6 prices as low as 10 cents or less it is inexpensive), you need to get them out of boxes and into albums so that friends and family can enjoy them. There are two main kinds of photo albums you can use-traditional albums or scrapbooks. Each has clear advantages and disadvantages due to the look you ultimately want for your photographs.

Traditional photo albums are a quick and easy way to get your pictures organized. They're also relatively cheap, which is important if you make maybe of your photos into prints. When buying a traditional photo album, always look for a label that reads "acid free," "photo safe," or "archival quality." This will ensure that your pictures will stay as safe as possible from the harmful chemicals in the world around us.
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What is Scrapbooking?

Do you remember those days as a kid pasting newspaper clippings onto paper and bundling dozens of papers together with some fancy ribbon or a string? Do you also remember all of your hard work falling apart two months later?

Now there's a grown up way to save and preserve your treasures: Scrapbooking.

The concept behind scrapbooking hasn't changed since grade school. You can still place photographs, newspaper clippings, poems, and tickets into your scrapbook to display and preserve your memories.
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When I bought my first digital camera (a 1.3 mp), I had a 16 MB memory card and took all my pictures in a low resolution mode, so that I got more pictures on the card. As each photo needed just under 100K I was able to take about 160 photos before having to download to my computer.

Those 100K photos looked great on my computer screen, and when sent to friends and relatives via email.

What I was not considering was that my screen only needed 72 dpi, whereas my favourite printer needed 150 dpi. When I finally got a real "keeper" and wanted to print it, I was disappointed to find out that the printer could only do 4x6 prints. My low-res photos did not have enough info for 5x7 prints.
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Camera Bag, that is

When you purchase a new camera, you should also buy a bag so that you'll be able to protect your camera while traveling. Camera bags are available in all sizes, and they are each designed a little differently, so you should research many different bags before you choose just one. Remember that you should look at your photography equipment as an investment, and a bag will help you keep this investment safe.

The most important thing to look at when buying a camera bag is use. You want a bag that will hold everything you'll generally need to bring with you when you are taking photos. When shopping for your camera bag, bring your camera with you to the store. Your camera should fit well in the bag, and there should be room for extra accessories. Make sure the bag you buy is big enough for your needs, but not so big that it will be difficult to carry or that your camera will tumble around in it as you travel.
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It's exciting to bring a new purchase home for the first time, and cameras are no exception. When buying a new digital camera, you hopefully did your research to find the best fit for you and your lifestyle, but when you get home with it, your reaction might be "Now what?" Here are the top three things to do when you get a new camera to make sure that you learn all you can.

Read

Read the manual. This step is the most important thing to do when making any new purchase, but often times we are too busy or too impatient to sit down for any amount of time. However, reading the manual for you new camera is very important. The manual will give you the important information regarding your camera that the salespeople at the store did not have time to tell you. If your camera has a good manual, it will tell you about every feature and function of the camera and may even give you tips on taking good photographs. Study the manual carefully.
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When you first go to buy a digital camera, chances are you will have no clue what a megapixel is or what kind of storage works best. The salesperson will probably bombard you with a variety of different options, making it even more confusing, so be prepared. Doing a little research on digital camera terminology before you head to the store can save you time and help you buy the perfect camera. Here are some of the terms you need to know.

Pixels

When most people first begin looking at digital cameras, the question in their minds is picture quality. On a digital camera, this is measured by megapixels. More is better. Pixels are tiny units of color that make up digital pictures. Pixels also measure digital resolution. One million pixels adds up to one mega-pixel. The less pixels, the more grainy your picture will be. To print a good quality 4x6 print ("good" meaning 250 pixels per inch) you will need 4x6x250x250 = 1.5 megapixels. For a 5x7 the requirement is 2.2 megapixel, and for an 8x10 it is 5 megapixels. In my own personal tests using well known photo printers, it was hard to see the difference between 200 ppi and 250 ppi, so at 200 ppi that 8x10 only requires 3.2 megapixels.
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