Principles of Good Photography Lighting Lighting refers to our 'Exploitation and manipulation of available light and shade to enhance the presentation of points of interest within the picture-space' ; it is a crucial element which must be carefully considered in both outdoor and indoor photography, but which generally requires closer attention in indoor work. Lighting for outdoor photography Although very early and very late daylight conditions flatter landscapes with dramatic shadows and warm colours, they are less than ideal for taking pictures of buildings, where details become lost in the shadows, and colours are shifted away from reality. On the other hand, photographs taken around 12 noon will tend to appear flat, washed out and lifeless; happy mediums occur in midmorning and midafternoon. Choose a time when the entire front of the building is sunlit; avoid times when deep shadows obscure important details. If possible, choose a time when the building is lit from an angle, to make the most of the advantages of tonal contrasts and diagonal lines. An overcast sky softens and disperses available light, and often provides the best opportunity for displaying detail; cloud shadow conditions may also be exploited to good effect, with the added advantage of leaving a more brightly lit background more or less intact. Avoid taking pictures towards the sun or othe bright sources of light, for technical reasons related to exposure issues. A photograph taken from an angle often gains visual appeal from the dramatic interplay of light and shade; it may also convey a better idea of the structure of the building. Diagonal lines are generally seen to impart a sense of liveliness to a composition. A visual focus of interest is something in a picture that naturally draws the eye - bright colours, interesting shapes, striking textures and contrasting tones help to achieve such a focal point. Placing the visual focus in the centre may produce a boringly formal composition; a more lively artistic approach is to try imagining a noughts-and-crosses grid on the picture-space - the best composition often places the focus of interest at one of the intersections of the gridlines. This is commonly known as 'the rule of thirds'. Lower-impact objects placed close to a couple of the other intersections may be used to counterbalance the main focus. Select a room's best feature as the focal point if possible, as the entire room will certainly not be covered in any given picture. Draw extra attention to a 'Best Feature' with the srategic placement of a brightly coloured or otherwise striking decorative object - a vase of flowers or a lit table lamp can make all the difference. Rooms are most easily photographed using a wide angle lens. Coverage of a room may be maximised by shooting from a doorway or a corner; try kneeling shots, angling for a slight upward tilt. However, crooked verticals and horizontals are sometime distracting, and may be overcome by holding the camera square and steady; use a tripod if necessary. Editing software is also useful in this regard. Lighting for indoor photography Very bright windows can lead to exposure problems - if so, take photographs when outdoor light levels are low: very early or late in the day, or at night. Or draw the curtains. Indoor fluorescent lights may not photograph well - turn them off if possible. On the other hand, the warm light of tungsten bulbs will impart an attractive glow to the room; this effect is further enhanced by the temporary use of a stronger light bulb. Extra lights shining from outside the picture-space may be necessary in large rooms. If you must use a flash, be aware that a camera's maximum flash range is generally less than five paces - check your manual for the exact detail. The flash will impart an unnatural flare to foreground objects, which may distract attention from more important elements in the composition. For the most realistic rendering of interior spaces, use your camera on a tripod, with a long exposure and a fast film e.g., ISO 800. Digital Considerations Most of the photographs we take can be improved to suit our purpose. Digital editing software such as the programs supplied with most scanners will help you to crop pictures for better composition, adjust tonal contrasts, colour balance and image sharpness, adjust file formats and resize for quick access at the website. If you don't have suitable editing software, Google's Picasa 2.0 (a free download) is an extremely userfriendly program with all the functions listed above, and some very useful extra facilities - its 'import from camera/scanner' and 'mail to' functions make for a very smooth operation. Picasa 2.0 is available from Google - just click on 'more', and scroll down to 'Google Tools'. Scanning An alternative to using a digital camera is to scan photographs taken with a traditional camera - in some cases this may even produce a superior result. However, for the image to be suitable for quick access on a webpage, the scanning resolution should be set to 72 dots/inch, or as close as the scanner allows, rather than the 300 dpi recommended for other purposes. Basic facilities for cropping, sharpness, tone, and colour manipulation are generally included in the scanner's operational interface, but much better results are achieved if scanning output is processed through Picasa or one of the commercially available graphics manipulation programs - Adobe Photoshop is an industry standard, but too expensive and something of an overkill for the purpose. Adobe Photoshop Elements is a more affordable and adequate alternative - this is sometimes supplied free when you buy a scanner. Photographs taken with a digital camera are commonly delivered to your computer with resolutions in the 180 - 300 dpi range. They may be edited in whatever resolution your camera delivers; in general, if sharpening is required, it should be the final manipulation. Resizing and scanning After editing, make sure to reduce the resolution to 72 dpi and resize external dimensions to about 6 x 4 inches; saving such a file as a medium-setting JPG will will yield a file of 35 - 40 Kb - well within the 30 - 60 Kb size recommended for quick website viewing. Avoid further image manipulation and saving if possible, as image quality is degraded by successive saves in JPG format. Don't forget to name files in a meaningful way, e.g. kitchen1.jpg, with a nod to sequence as well as content. Sending your photographs Once you have established an account with Owner.com.au, you can start adding photos through our Listing Management Desktop. If you don't have access to a digital camera or scanner, our Scanning, Resizing and Saving Service can solve the problem - just mail them to:      Pacific Webs Pty Ltd      564 South Yaamba Road        Alton Downs, Qld, 4702 Please enclose your cheque or money order for $29, payable to Pacific Webs Pty Ltd. This price covers processing costs for up to five photographs and includes GST. Photographic Options Our PhotoTour facility allows you to present a visual walkthrough of up to five captioned views of the property for sale. These may feature selected spaces in your house, aspects of your fabulous yard, or even the great view from the back deck - let your imagination be your guide. From the potential buyer's point of view, a sequence flowing through the property in a logical way generally makes most sense. Virtual Tours are a powerful way of simulating walking through your property. They can be achieved by the use of specialist camera (a business in your local area may offer this service) or by the use of software which 'stitches' a sequence of images together. If you have access to the appropriate equipment or local services, aerial views can provide unique and valuable information concerning a property's layout and surroundings. Anyone for Kite Photography? No, seriously, this is becoming a time-consuming but rewarding hobby with the growing trend towards light inexpensive digital cameras. Just be prepared to lose a few.