| How to Choose a DSLR Camera Posted: 13 Jul 2018 01:00 AM PDT You should consider your camera needs, desired features, and potential accessories when thinking about what DSLR camera to purchase. You can also base your DSLR decision around the camera' features, like sensor size, megapixels, video mode, and shooting modes. Whether you are a professional sports photographer or a mother looking to document the journey of her newborn daughter, a DSLR camera will help you capture beautiful, special moments to share with generations.[1] EditTaking Your Needs into Account - Consider an entry-level, amateur DSLR camera if you are a beginner. Amateur cameras are the easiest to learn and most affordable. If you don't have very much photography experience and are looking for a camera to record your life, capture family memories, or document a vacation, you should go with an amateur level camera.
- Examples of amateur cameras include: T3i, Nikon D3200/D5300, Sony Alpha A3000.[2]
- Think about a semi-professional camera if you have some photography experience. If you have a middle-range level of photography experience, where you have some understanding of basic amateur cameras but want to try to take your skills to the next level, choose a semi-professional camera. Semi-professional cameras have more complex features, more versatility, and better construction.
- Examples of semi-professional cameras include: Canon EOS 60D, Nikon D7100/D300s, Sony Alpha A77.[3]
- Buy a professional camera if you are looking to do advanced photography work. If you are looking to learn professional photography or looking to level up your semi-professional camera, select a professional camera. They have the most advanced sensor technology, focus system, construction, and speed.
- Examples of professional cameras include: Canon EOS 5D Mark III/EOS 1D X, Nikon D800/D4, Sony Alpha A99. [4]
- Set a budget to spend on your camera. A good DSLR can cost you anywhere from $500 to $3,000 or more, so cap a limit to what you want to spend. Narrowing your focus by sticking with your budget will help you pick out a camera in your price range.
- Amateur DSLRs cost around $500 to 800 for a camera kit including one lens.
- Semi-professional camera bodies alone costs between $1,000 and 1,800.
- Professional DSLR camera body alone is between $3,000 and $10,000.
- Also consider the cost of other camera necessities, like memory cards, batteries, and lenses. These expenses vary based on size and type. Typically, memory cards cost around $50, batteries cost between $40 and $80, and lenses range between $100 and $2,000. [5]
- Decide between DSLR brands based on your personal preference. Mostly all DSLR cameras are sold by either Canon or Nikon. Other brands include Sony, Olympus, and Pentax. All of these brands feature great DSLR options, and the choice mainly comes down to personal preference. Pick camera brand based on which camera has strengths in the areas most important to you, like camera features, appearance, and size.[6]
EditDeciding on Camera Features - Look for a camera with the largest sensor size within your budget. The camera's sensor helps determine clarity of your photos. Each camera has an image sensor inside, which records the image through the viewfinder and sends it to the memory card. The larger the sensor size, the clearer your pictures will be. "Full frame" or 36mm x 24mm is the largest sensor size. The exact size depends on the model of the camera, though you always want to look for the largest sensor size possible.
- Most amateur and semi-professional cameras have a sensor size of around 22mm x 16mm. [7]
- Ensure your camera has at least 10-15 megapixels. Megapixels are the total points of light (pixels) that the sensor receives in order to create the image. Megapixels affect the use of your image rather than image quality. More megapixels means more potential to make the image larger and not lose clarity. Nearly all new DSLR cameras come with at least 10-15 megapixels, and this is adequate for most photography purposes.
- Lenses and sensor quality affect the image itself more than megapixels.
- If you are pursuing professional photography, you may want a camera with 20 or more megapixels for extra potential to blow up your images.[8]
- Choose high definition capabilities if you are planning on using your camera to take video. If you plan on using your camera for taking videos, look to see if the video capabilities are in high definition. Many amateur cameras can record in full high definition, with 1080p. Others are non-HD and record in 720p.
- Also look at the different recording frame rates. Higher rates help smooth out motion.[9]
- Look for a camera with a variety of modes. All cameras shoot in either "auto" or "manual" mode, and they usually come with different camera modes, such as portrait, landscape, night, indoor, panorama, and action. Review the camera's shooting modes and select which one offers you the most option for your photography needs.
- If you are not looking to do advanced photography work, the "auto" shooting mode should work just fine. This is where you can access different camera modes like portrait, landscape, and panorama.
- If you want to get more hands-on with your photo settings, look for a camera where you can use "manual" mode to adjust camera specifications, such as aperture and shutter speed. [10]
- Choose a camera with internal editing capabilities if you do not have photo editing software. Many amateur cameras include quick editing features to instantly alter your images. You can apply filters, make adjustments, or change the exposure, for example. Photo editing software makes these changes much easier, but using these editing features lessens your reliance on these often expensive programs. [11]
- Hold the camera to decide on its body detail and visual appeal. Make note of the quality of camera's body, size, and overall look. Does the camera fit in your hand well? Is the camera too heavy? Do you want the option of a touchscreen for the camera's view screen? This is more personal preference, but picking up the camera and inspecting it helps ensure you purchase a camera you will love and use often.[12]
EditBuying Accessories and Tools - Determine the type of lens to add to your camera. Look for a lens where you can zoom in or out with the same lens, as opposed to fixed lenses that do not offer the option to zoom in. Some stores offer camera "kits," which include lenses and other items for your camera. Most kits have lenses in the 18-55mm range. Lenses are crucial for your photo's quality and sharpness.
- Landscape are shot with a wide angle, about 18mm.
- Portraits are shot at a normal angle, about 55mm.
- If you plan to shoot nature, wildlife, or sports, look for a lens with a telephoto zoom, about 70-200mm range.
- Lenses range in price from about $100 to $2,000.[13]
- Consider purchasing an accessory flash. While many DSLR cameras come with a basic pop-up flash, they may make the brightness of your photos inconsistent. Think about investing in an accessory flash, which you mount to the top of your camera. Accessory flashes are more powerful, allowing you to shoot at a greater distance.
- Flashes cost about $100 to $500, based on brand and quality.[14]
- Purchase a camera bag to protect and store your DSLR camera. Your camera is an expensive investment and deserves to be protected. Camera bags are not usually a major expense, costing around $30 to $80, depending on brand, material, and size. [15]
- Get a back-up battery just in case. Your camera will come with a battery, but it is helpful to have a second battery as a back-up. They are particularly helpful when traveling. Batteries cost between $40 and $80, based on camera type. [16]
- Invest in a tripod to help with photo clarity. A tripod is a 3-legged stand used to help stabilize your camera. Tripods are useful because they help cut down on image blurriness They reduce potential poor focus and reduce potential camera movements. Tripods screw into the bottom of your DSLR, and with them you can take pictures while hands-free.
- Tripods cost on average $50 to $100.
- You can also use monopods or table tripods.[17]
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| How to Increase Nitrogen in Soil Posted: 12 Jul 2018 05:00 PM PDT When you cultivate a garden, you want to make sure your plants grow in the healthiest conditions possible. There's no nutrient more important to the health of your garden than nitrogen! However, not all soil contains the best amount of nitrogen for plants to grow to their fullest potential. Use the right types of plant or animal waste to provide your soil with more nitrogen, so your garden can flourish the way you want![1] EditBoosting Nitrogen with Fertilizer - Use chemical fertilizer when you need a quick solution. Synthetic fertilizer is fast-acting and easy to apply. If you're in the middle of a growth season and your plants are suffering from nutritional deficiency, consider using chemical fertilizer to revive them. You can buy a wide range of chemical fertilizers at any home improvement center or nursery.[2]
- Keep in mind that chemical fertilizers are not a long-term solution. Over time, synthetic fertilizers diminish soil fertility.
- Buy fertilizer products tailored to your specific plants. When it comes to chemical fertilizers, the formulas make a big difference. If you're trying to boost nitrogen in your vegetable garden, buy fertilizer made specifically for vegetables. If your lawn needs a nitrogen boost, get a fertilizer formulated for grass. Specific formulas will release nutrients in a targeted way that is ideal for that plant type.[3]
- Read the N-P-K numbers on fertilizer labels. All fertilizers are categorized by a 3 number rating system. The first number is nitrogen (N), the second number is phosphorous (P), and the third is potassium (K). These numbers represent the percentage of each nutrient found in the fertilizer. Always check the N-P-K before purchasing a product.[4]
- Choose a nitrogen level that matches your soil's needs. For example, 27-7-14 and 21-3-3 are popular nitrogen-heavy fertilizers that will also deliver a small amount of phosphorous and potassium to the soil. A 21-0-0 fertilizer will deliver only nitrogen to your soil. You can use a balanced blend like 10-10-10 or 15-15-15 if your soil needs all 3 nutrients replenished.[5]
- Go with a quality, slow release fertilizer. Slow release or controlled release fertilizers may cost a little more, but in the long run they are the best choice. With slow release formulas, you will be fertilizing your soil less frequently because they are longer lasting. They're also more effective because they release nutrients slowly and steadily.[6]
- Cheaper products can sometimes shock and burn plants, causing a horde of new problems.
- Since chemical fertilizers can negatively affect the soil over time, less frequent applications can help preserve the health of your soil.
- Slow release fertilizers often come in the form of pellets.
EditUsing Plant Waste - Create compost out of vegetables, coffee grounds, and other food waste. Collecting food waste from your kitchen is the easiest way to enrich your soil with lots of nitrogen. It will take several months for your compost to "ripen" enough for use. Start the composting process in early summer so it will be ready by the following spring planting season.[7]
- Some other ingredients to use include tea bags, old condiments, rotting bread, corn cobs, leftover nut shells, fruit rinds, and much more.
- In the case of shells (from shellfish, nuts, or eggs) and fruit pits, it's best to smash them up with a hammer or another heavy tool before putting them in compost.[8]
- Avoid adding bones, cheese, meat, oils, or animal waste to your compost.
- Add leftover grass clippings and garden trimmings to your compost. The garden waste you create while manicuring your yard can still be put to good use! Before you sprinkle garden waste into your batch of compost, shred it up into small pieces by hand. Mix the garden waste into the rest of the compost to distribute it evenly.[9]
- Spread the grass clippings across a towel for a few hours to let them dry before dumping them into your compost. Otherwise, the grass may rot in a wet mass and leave behind an unpleasant odor.[10]
- Spread alfalfa meal on top of your soil. Alfalfa meal is very strong; it heats up as it decays, and acts quickly. Because of this, you don't want to add it deep into the soil or it could overload it. Alfalfa meal will provide the soil with plenty of nitrogen, as well as potassium and phosphorus.[11]
- Plant legume seeds, like peas, alfalfa, and beans. Legume plants are naturally much higher in nitrogen than other types of garden vegetables. As your legume plants grow, they will contribute extra nitrogen to the soil, making the soil richer and giving your other plants the nutrients they need.[12]
EditDistributing Animal Waste - Mix feather meal with fertilizer and spread it during autumn. Feather meal is dried and ground chicken feathers. If you don't keep your own chickens, you can obtain feather meal from a local garden center. Measure out around of feather meal for each plant or for every of your garden. Mix it into your fertilizer of choice before spreading it over the soil.[13]
- Work crab meal into your soil before planting your spring crops. Crab meal is made from blue crab organs and shells, and can be obtained from a garden center. Distribute the crab meal (with fertilizer) across damp soil before running a tiller across the area. The crab meal will not only nourish your soil with plenty of nitrogen, but also protect your plants from being eaten by nematodes.[14]
- Turn your tiller to its medium depth setting (if your soil is moist) or its most shallow depth setting (if your soil is hard). Move the tiller in straight lines all throughout your gardening area.[15]
- Let the crab meal rest within the soil for anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks. The nutrients will begin to break down and seep into the soil.[16]
- Soak fish emulsion into your soil. Fish emulsion is ground up fish parts. Look for it at your local garden center. Add the fish emulsion to your soil on a monthly basis; make sure to distribute enough for it to soak into the soil. Alternatively, add it to a large amount of water and sprinkle it over your plants.
- You may want to cover your mouth and nose as you use fish emulsion; it has a very strong, unpleasant smell![17]
- Keep pets away from your fresh fertilizer if you use fish emulsion so they don't dig up your plants.
- Water your garden with blood meal. Blood meal is dried animal blood. You can obtain it from your local garden center. While the idea of using blood meal to nourish your soil may sound gruesome, blood meal is actually rich with nitrogen. Blend the blood meal with water prior to using it, then distribute it with a simple watering can.[18]
- Alternatively, you can sprinkle it in a hole in the soil before you plant your next crop.
EditFertilizing with Animal Manure - Pick manure produced from poultry or livestock. Sheep, chickens, rabbits, cows, pigs, horses, and ducks are all excellent sources of nitrogen-rich manure. The manure of these animals will nourish your soil with nitrogen and many other nutrients, including zinc and phosphorus.[19]
- You can also buy aged manure from your local garden center.
- Use only 6 month old (or older) manure. It isn't necessarily the disease potential that makes extremely fresh manure unsafe to use (though that's a contributing factor). New manure contains far too much nitrogen for your dirt to absorb. Too much nitrogen can keep seeds from sprouting after planting, as the excess nitrogen will burn them up at the roots.[20]
- Put on gloves prior to handling animal manure. Manure can easily spread disease. Protect yourself from any negative effects by wearing the right gear. After distributing the manure, scrub your hands and nails under warm water with antibacterial soap.[21]
- Add manure-based compost a minimum of 60 days before you plant. Wait a minimum of 60 days so that your soil can absorb the nutrients in the manure. This will also reduce any potential health effects from eating produce that made contact with the manure. Either add it in dried form to a compost, or spread fresher manure directly over your soil. If you decide to turn the manure into compost, be sure to mix it well with the rest of your ingredients.[22]
- To really revitalize your soil and prepare it for the next planting season, distribute manure-based compost across your garden during the autumn months. The nutrients will soak into the soil over winter.[23]
- You can also buy nitrogen fertilizer from your local hardware store or gardening center.
EditSources and Citations
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| How to Tie Dye with Bleach Posted: 12 Jul 2018 09:00 AM PDT Tie dyeing is a fun way to give new life to clothes, but darker colors don't always take dye very well. If you're looking for a way to update your dark clothes, try tie dyeing with bleach! You'll get a cool white design that stands out well against dark or bright colors. EditFinding a Garment and Work Area - Work outside or in a well-ventilated area. The fumes from bleach are extremely strong and they can be dangerous, so make sure you set up your project in an area with plenty of fresh air. If you can, try to work outside. If that's not an option, choose a large room and open a window or turn on a fan.[1]
- Protect your hands with heavy rubber gloves. Bleach is a strong chemical. Even when it's diluted it can cause chemical burns on your skin. Be sure to wear heavy rubber gloves (like the kind used for cleaning) to protect your skin while you're tie dyeing your clothes with bleach. You can get these wherever cleaning supplies are sold.[2]
- Choose cotton clothing in a dark color. Black is the best color for tie dyeing with bleach because you will get the best contrast, but you can use any color as long as it's dark enough to produce an effect. Experiment with different colors to find what you like![3]
- Avoid garments made from delicate or synthetic fabrics. Bleach won't affect synthetic materials like polyester because they are designed to be colorfast. In addition, bleach can damage more delicate fabrics such as silk.[4]
- Lay down old towels or a drop cloth. If you're working inside, you'll need to protect your work surface from bleach, so cover it with a drop cloth or old towels that can get messed up. If you're using an absorbent material like a towel, be sure it doesn't get soaked or the bleach will seep through and ruin whatever's beneath it.[5]
- If you're working outside, you'll want to have something laid on the ground to protect your garment from getting dirty during the tie dyeing process.
EditCreating Cool Designs - Twist your garment to create a pattern and secure it with rubber bands. Space the rubber bands several inches apart. The parts of your garment that are rubber-banded will stay the original color, while the exposed fabric will turn white when you bleach it.[6]
- You can get creative with your designs or you can just bunch up the fabric and put rubber bands on it to get a random and totally unique look.
- Twirl the garment to create a spiral pattern. To create a traditional spiral tie-dye pattern, hold your garment with 2 fingers and twirl it so it twists tightly. Keep twirling until the entire garment is twisted into a tight knot. Secure the twirl with several rubber bands, then apply your bleach mixture.[7]
- Create several patterns on the same garment with knots. If you want to create a haphazard tie-dye, try using rubber bands to create several tight, small knots on the garment. Bunch these all together and secure with more rubber bands, then apply the bleach.
- Relocate the rubber bands and re-spray for a multi-hue effect. If you want to create a layered look, twist up your garment and apply rubber bands, then apply bleach to your fabric and let it sit for about 5-6 minutes. Take all of the rubber bands off your garment, twist your garment again, put the rubber bands back on, and re-spray the garment with the bleach mixture. Leave the second batch on for the 8-10 minutes, then rinse.[8]
- Create an ombre effect on your garment by dipping it in a bleach mixture. After you've tie-dyed your garment, you can make a cool faded effect by dip-dyeing the fabric. In a large bucket, dilute another mixture of 1/2 bleach and 1/2 water. Dip the bottom few inches of your garment in the bucket and leave it for 5-10 minutes to create an ombre effect.[9]
EditApplying the Bleach - Fill a spray or squeeze bottle with a mixture of 1/2 bleach and 1/2 water. You can get a bottle for your project at almost any store which sells cleaning supplies. You can use either a spray bottle or a squeeze bottle. A squeeze bottle may produce a slightly more precise effect than a spray bottle, but the results will be similar with either one.[10]
- Apply the bleach mixture to the exposed fabric of the garment. Spray or squeeze the bleach mixture from your bottle onto your garment. You can vary the amount of bleach that you use depending on how intense you want the color change to be. A heavier application of bleach will cause the fabric to lighten more, and you can create different looks by applying the bleach only to some areas and not to others.[11]
- Allow the bleach to sit on the fabric for 8-10 minutes. You should be able to see the bleach changing the color of the garment within about 2 minutes, but it will take 8-10 minutes for the bleach to really seep into the fabric. If you leave it on much longer the bleach could damage your garment.[12]
- Wash the garment in a mild detergent when the time is up. You want to wash your garment right away to stop the chemical bleaching process. You can either put your clothing in the washing machine with a mild detergent or you can hand wash it in your sink or bathtub.[13]
- If you hand wash your garment, make sure to leave on your gloves until you've finished rinsing it so you don't come into contact with any bleach.
- Hang your garment to air-dry or place it in the dryer. Once your garment is thoroughly rinsed, you can either air-dry it or put it in the dryer, depending on how you normally prefer to dry your clothes. After it's dry, it's ready to wear, so put it on and enjoy your new style!
EditThings You'll Need - Bleach
- Water
- Heavy rubber gloves
- Rubber bands
- Spray bottle/squeeze bottle
- Old towels or drop cloth
- Clean colored T-shirt
- Mild laundry detergent
EditSources and Citations EditQuick Summary
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