(Photo © Madeleine
Openshaw |
Dreamstime.com)

The challenges of parenting in the new millennium are both helped and hindered by the flood of technology at our fingertips. From do-it-all mobile phones and web content that answers nearly every question to online gaming addictions and cyber-bullying, the world is a much different place. Some of the greatest digital tool developments continue to arrive in the form of digital cameras. Entire books are written regarding how to choose one, but here’ we’re going to assume you already have one – a camera, that is.

Mobile phones are great for capturing occasional life events, but we still strongly recommend a true camera for documenting the important moments in life. An actual camera has much higher quality optics, better image processing, and more advanced exposure technology than the tiny pinhole camera on most phones. Once you have selected your camera, here are five tips to help ensure you have great photos – both for your family archive and so you can wow your friends on Facebook. These are tips that have applied to photography technique for upwards of a century, but still apply, and can bring amazing results when implemented with a digital camera.

1) Always keep your flash set to ‘on’
How many times have you seen someone in a beautiful sunset photo or mountain background scene with their face too dark to recognize? As long as the camera is within about five feet from the subject, modern electronics virtually assure that both the background and subject will have a great exposure. Sometimes the sun may be just too hot to equalize the exposure; in these cases, wait until the sun drops closer to the horizon and try again. Unless you have a specific reason to turn it off, like a tripod scenery shot in low light, set it and forget it. Most cameras will let you manually force the flash always on, but some require you to reset it every time – either way it is worth the effort.

2) Get down
Literally, lower the position you shoot from. Try several levels – knee-high to shoot your little ones with ice cream all over their face, and even flat on the floor to capture your sleeping angel or pet. You’ve probably seen hundreds of Facebook photos of friends’ kids shot from above. Get down to, or even below the level of the activity, and you will be amazed at the results.

3) Try macro
Every point-and-click digital camera I have seen has had a MACRO option. Basically, this is for close-up photos. The cat photo at the right was captured using tip 1, 2, and 3. Macro usually lets you shoot from a few inches to a foot or two, and is perfect for snapping that first lost tooth, million-dollar smile after braces are removed, or first self-make-up job as a toddler. Get close, try several angles and zoom levels, and this is one time to try a few shots WITHOUT the flash, since there can be some odd shadow effects.

4) Set DOWN the camera
No, don’t give up taking photos, but take advantage of a tripod or even set the camera on the ledge when you are shooting in lower light to ensure a crisp image. It’s quite inconvenient to carry a full-blown tripod on vacation or an amusement park visit, but even a small table-top version in a purse or man-bag can be a big advantage when you want to capture a low light scene especially if there are people in it. However, anything will work, including posts, trash cans, and even tree branches. Using the timer is a great way to both make sure you don’t jiggle the camera or capture the whole family when there are no passers-by to capture your magic moment with a castle in the background (or to avoid being one of the 100 million people on Facebook with your arm in the photo with just your faces in the frame). Be wary of where the camera will fall if you are not supporting it because retrieving it from the gator pond can be difficult, but take advantage of your camera’s ability to get an amazing shot in low light. This even works for stage shows where they ask that there be no FLASH photography. Rest the camera on a seat in front of you or railing when there is little movement on the stage (to avoid blurry characters) and hold it steady while the image is captured.

5) Use more than one memory chip
It is easy to get mesmerized into purchasing a super-size memory chip to store your whole week of amusement park visits. But with a 99.9% reliability rate for memory chips, you don’t want to lose your entire trip if your chip is the one in one thousand that dies – taking your vacation with it. Plus, any number of maladies can ruin your storage, from dropping the camera in the drink to having it stolen. So we recommend grabbing two to four 2-gigabyte (2GB) chips, rather than a single 8GB chip. That way you can store a day or two of memories in your room safe, rather than risk losing your whole trip.

6) Back up your data
This sounds complicated, but most people don’t have a backup system in place for their computer. Unless you are writing a best-selling novel or have career-critical presentations on your computer, your photos are your most important data. Put your photos in folders organized by year. That way you can back up a half or whole year onto one DVD and put in a safe or at grandma’s in case the worst happens.

Regardless of whether you follow these tips, take your camera everywhere and take as many photos as you can. Storage space is cheap, and time is literally priceless, so capture as much of it as you can.

Here is an introduction to today’s TV technology that should help you to choose a television based on your family’s needs; whether you’re watching cable TV, rented movies, streaming movies, or playing the latest video game consoles.

Big Screen TV Feature Evaluation

As much as you might buy a car based on price, seating capacity, cargo space, and number of cup holders, the factors for comparing televisions can be equally simplified for broad comparisons.

1. Size: How big is it?
2. Resolution: How sharp is the picture?
3. Off-Angle Viewing: Do the people at the ends of the couch see a blurry picture?
4. Online Capabilities: Can I surf the web on my television?

Size

The size of a television is measured diagonally. The average consumer television ranges from twelve to sixty inches, with premium screens approaching 108 inches!

Beware of ‘Class’. Many televisions, especially at Walmart, are advertised as being 40-inch Class. This means the television screen may be as few as 37” in size, but is ‘about the same size as a forty inch!’

Visit DisplayWars.com to compare the size of your existing television to the size of one you may buy.

Resolution

The best resolution is 1080p, the worst is 480i. The rest of the numbers you will see are somewhere in between. A higher number is better than a lower number, and p is better than i. If you remember these rules, you won’t have to keep track of exactly what they mean.

If you have PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, your kids will insist that you get a TV capable of 1080p for maximum gaming experience.

Resolution in ascending order of quality: 480i, 480p, 720i, 720p, 1080i, 1080p

Off-Angle Viewing

All three display technologies are best viewed from directly in front of the set. If you move to the left or right of the TV, the picture degrades the further you move.

Off-Angle Viewing varies by television, and is best judged by you.

Generally, Plasma has the best off-angle viewing, followed by LCD, and DLP.

Online Capabilities

Many TV’s sold in the last two years have an online offering, web-browsing or content delivery. These vary widely, and may not be a consideration if you have a PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, or Wii.

Types of Displays

In today’s flat screen television market, the technology you select is as important as the feature set, because the technology lends its strengths and weaknesses to the final product. These are three major display technologies:

LCD

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is the most commonly known. It uses the same technology as your laptop computer or even your digital wristwatch. It is very stable and lasts a long time.

Plasma

Plasma is electrostatically charged gas used to create a picture. Plasma televisions are generally cheaper than their LCD counterparts, but run hotter, consume more electricity, have a finite lifetime, cannot be laid flat, and have a higher risk of burn-in.

DLP

DLP (Digital Light Projection) is high-tech form of rear-projection that allows thinner TV’s than traditional tube-type televisions, but are still two or three times thicker than an LCD or Plasma.

VIZIO VF551XVT 55" TRULED™
LCD FLAT PANEL HDTV

Vizio is a brand of quality mid-range LCD televisions. You should be satisified with almost any Vizio television. If you're looking for high-end quality without the high-end price, consider the 55" LED TV from Vizio (VF551XVT)

It lists for less than $2,000 and its performance is comparable to sets from Sony and Samsung that cost almost twice as much.

Watching Hi-Definition Television

Almost any TV you buy today will be ‘Hi-Definition’, which means it will have a very sharp picture – but only when connected to a high-definition source! If you buy an HDTV and hook it up to your regular cable, your picture will not be any better than it was with your old CDTV (Crappy Definition TV).

Although there are some free over-the-air high-definition stations, if you want to watch HD cable programming, you usually have to subscribe to the high-definition service; this is true for cable, Dish Network, or DirecTV.

Examples of high-definition sources: DVD, Blu-Ray Disc, Streaming Netflix, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Examples of standard definition sources: Standard Cable TV, VCR Tapes

Finally

You now possess the basic knowledge to start shopping for a big-screen television. Do not buy a TV without seeing it! The television viewing experience varies by individual, and you should see the TV in person to decide if it’s the right TV for you.

An LCD TV is a strong all-around choice, and there are several sub-classes from which to choose (CCFL, LED side-lit, LED backlit).

A plasma TV is cheaper to buy, and has good off-angle viewing, but there are many drawbacks to consider before buying a plasma set.