Tips For Taking Great Holiday Pictures (NAPSA)—For many people, the holidays are about spending time with family, and wherever there is a family gathering, the camera is never far behind. If you’re like most Americans, chances are you are snapping up memories with a digital camera. In fact, according to the Consumer Electronics Association, the digital camera was the most popular gift last holiday season. Kevin T. Gilbert, president of Blue Pixel LLC, a company dedicated to making digital photography fun and exciting, lends some helpful tips and simple guidelines to capture great holiday photos: * We’re all family here. Making your spouse and mother stand next to each other and smile might result in an unnatural-looking shot. So move away from the poses where everyone stands in a line. Have fun, move around, go outside and experiment. * Get that mistletoe out of the way! Wreaths and presents create clutter and take the focus away from your subject. Try moving around to make the picture simpler. You can also have the subject move closer to the camera, to reduce the emphasis on the background. * Don’t be flash happy. Know when (and when not) to use your camera’s flash. It may seem funny, but sometimes turning the flash off in low light or on in bright light can make your photos really shine. * Red-eye is for the weary. Red-eye can ruin an otherwise perfect picture, but there are ways to overcome it. Use your camera’s red-eye reduction feature. It sends out a quick series of flashes to reduce the dreaded red-eye. But remember, don’t stress if Picture this: Your holiday photos can be easily improved with the help of certain software and suggestions. your pictures aren’t perfect. One of the greatest benefits of digital photography is that you can use your computer to change and correct countless aspects of an image after it’s taken. You'll want a software program that makes it easy to get started, but lets you enhance your skills once you are ready. If you are a Windows XP user, Microsoft Corp.’s Digital Image Suite 2006 (ERP $99.95) has everything you need to enhance, create, share and organize your photos. With simple tools such as one-click Auto Fixes, along with more advanced features such as RAW support, Digital Image Suite grows with you as you advance from a novice to a seasoned digital photographer. With a few simple photography tips and the right software, you can have a collection of digital memories to cherish throughout the year and for generations to come. For more information about Digital Image Suite, visit http://www.microsoft.com/discover. For more digital photography tips for all levels of users, visit http://www.bluepixel.net.
