I’ve always loved photography. In high school, my friends nicknamed me “Paparazzi Pam” because I was always the one with the camera. When I upgraded to my point-and-click Canon in college, my interest in photography blossomed beyond dance team and house parties. With the freedom beyond a disposable camera’s 24 pictures a roll, this is when I started becoming more creative. And as my passion for travel developed, my desire to capture those images was sparked even more. So…it was only a matter of time that I actually took the leap. I’ve signed up for a photography 
class!
Two weeks ago, I started my photo journey. I signed up for a Basic Photography class at Santa Monica Community College and now I’m the proud owner of a digital SLR, a Canon EOS Rebel T1i…sounds fancy doesn’t it? Even does HD video, although not sure when I’ll actually use that part. In fact, it does a LOT of things that I’ll probably never use.
Although reminded of all the things I don’t miss about sitting in a classroom (you know, rambling teachers, obnoxious know-it-alls, and uncomfortable desks), I had a great time. We started with the basics (Apertures, Exposures and Shutter Speeds- oh my!) and were given our first weekly homework assignment.
Assignment #1: Pick a color, take 5-7 photos where that color is the focus and fills at least 60% of the frame.
Each week, I’ll share the assignment and my work. If you’re up for it, give it a try yourself, even if only on your camera phone! If nothing else, you’ll find it as an amazing excuse to enjoy the outdoors.
Most photos were taken while bike riding along Venice Beach. Well, 
not while riding, there are too many buttons to twist and turn in Manual mode! Others were taken around the ScanDigital neighborhood.
Hope you enjoy my images. And to all those pros out there- don’t judge!
If you’d like to share your favorite photo as a comment below, you’re more than welcome. Otherwise, I’m always available on Twitter at @PamelaSD by email at weiss@scandigital.com. Hope you hear from you soon!
These days, photo scanning has become an integral part of the modern “digital experience.” Though many people have digital cameras, most of us also have large collections of old family photos, and a professional photo scanning service like ScanDigital is the perfect way to preserve and share those memories. But what if you’re on the go, and you need a quick scan of a receipt, a contract, or other document? These situations pop up all too often. Perhaps you’re on a business trip, and you need to submit a hefty receipt for immediate reimbursement. Or maybe you have a contract that you need to sign and send off, but there’s no fax machine in sight. Or you have a printed document, and you need to turn it into a PDF before the big meeting starts in 10 minutes. You have What do you do?
With the right tools, photo editing can be a lot of fun. When it comes to fine-tuning digital photos, the possibilities are limitless. Crop, resize, rotate. Add colors, filters, and special effects. Turn a casual snapshot into a work of art. Turn a family portrait into a holiday greeting card.
On February 23rd, 2010, CNN published a story about two men who call themselves “ethical hackers.” In an effort to highlight weaknesses in current airport security measures, Adam Laurie and Jeroen Van Beek exposed how easy it is to fool a passport scanner with a fraudulent biometric chip. Laurie and Van Beek used a doctored passport at a self-serve passport machine in Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport to clear a very special passenger for travel. That passenger’s name was Elvis Presley.
With digital cameras and photo scanning becoming more and more common, many of us have large collections of digital photos. And though this trend of moving photos to digital has made life easier in many ways, it brings with it new complications. Sure, emailing photos is a piece of cake, but what’s the best way to display your digital photos in the kitchen? Or in the living room? And how should you show grandma the photos of your latest trip to Disneyland when you visit her this weekend?
There are 4 simple things you can do to preserve your photos.
Ask Maureen to Analyze Your Family Photos
On February 12th of 2010, The International Data Corporation (IDC) published the 2009 U.S. Consumer Photo Scanning Survey, which focuses on the use of key consumer imaging applications. This top-level study of digital camera, camera phone, and scanner owners contains the results of a nationwide survey that allowed IDC analysts to quantify how many images and video clips American users tend to capture, delete, print, and archive. According to the 14-page document, photo scanning is on the rise.
Perhaps more than any other sporting event, the Olympic Games are steeped in tradition, as each set of games has its shining moments and its tragedies, which live on in history. The 2010 Games have already seen a share of both. One memorable victory came to Canadian native Maelle Ricker, won the gold medal in snowboard cross racing on February 17th. She was the first Canadian woman to win a gold medal at the Winter Games in Vancouver, and received her prize in front of an adorning, cheering crowd in B.C. Place Stadium. But as much as the Olympics are all about being in the moment, there is also an element of nostalgia, and of history, as athletes compete both against one another and against the all-time greats. Records are broken, legends are remembered, and the Games of years past are celebrated.
Before the days of photo scanning, digital cameras, and personal computers, it was all too easy for memories to be lost forever if photographs were damaged, misplaced, or destroyed. And that’s exactly what almost happened to a phenomenal collection of nearly 70,000 United Press International photos taken between the 1930s and the 1970s. These remarkable photos were rescued by United Press International photographer Henry A. Scheafer, who worked at UPI for 54 years before the company closed its doors in the 1970s.
