Quite often, many basic editing tasks can be done in the camera itself after the picture is taken including some simple cropping, removing red eye from flash photos, and rotation from landscape to portrait and vice versa. For many people, this is about all that they require anyway before printing out their snapshots, and this keeps things very easy and simple. But to start to realize the potential that digital photography puts in the hands of the average person, a photo editing software program will be needed where you upload your photos from the camera to your computer and then open them in the program. You can then begin to perform all kinds of editing tasks including more advanced cropping, change the file size or format, adjust color saturation, contrast and brightness, and apply special effects.

You can learn to make amazing enhancements to any photograph using the tools and functions available in Photoshop. The following are just a few of the improvements you can make to people pictures. Whiten stained teeth, Remove unsightly scars, Smooth age wrinkles, Clear up acne, Remove blemishes, Double chin removal, Fill in bald spots by adding hair, Open closed eyes, Remove tattoos, Hide body piercings, and even Change eye color.

Take sides. If you are going to print your images as, say, 4-inch by 6-inch frameable prints, crop them to the correct ratio before you save the versions you are going to print. Suppose you have a picture that’s 400 pixels on one side and 600 pixels on the other. That’s the correct ratio and you’re all set. But if it’s 500 pixels on one side and 700 on the other - a 5:7 ratio instead of a 4:6 ratio - you’ll have to do some cropping if you want the printed picture to fit perfectly into the 4-inch by 6-inch space. Run your calculator (all computers have one) and do some of that 5th Grade math you’ve almost forgotten.

The best thing about digital cameras is that it’s easy to take thousands of pictures. That’s also the worst thing about digital cameras. After you’ve owned your camera for a few months, you won’t be able to find that great picture you took a couple of months ago if your pictures aren’t well organized or named logically. Folders are the best way to organize groups of pictures, and the My Pictures folder is a great place to start. In your My Pictures folder, create a sub folder for each year: 2004, 2005, 2006, and so on. This might seem silly the first year you own your camera, but after five years, you’ll be glad you did this because you can go back to your 2005 folder and easily find a picture from a vacation you took that year. Arranging pictures by year is also helpful if you’re scanning older photos stored in shoe boxes or albums that you took before owning a digital camera. This is also a good way to start organizing the pictures that you currently have on your computer.

So what are the mechanics of this “through the lens” shot to achieve the ghosting effect? 1. Stabilize the camera - using a tripod is best, a stable surface is a second option or, a steady hand as a last resort; 2. Set number of multiple exposures you require for the frame to (N) - usually 1 to 9; 3. For the roll of film in your SLR, determine the film speed (S); 4. Reset the camera film speed (Yes, you can override the setting) to (N S) or, if not an exact match, set it to the absolute closest speed ((N S) adjustment); 5. Take your picture, depressing the shutter button for a total count equalling the number of camera exposures you set in step “2″. Example: 1. You want 6 exposures on the frame (N=6) so set the number of multiple exposures to ‘6′; 2. You’ve determined the film speed is 200 (S=200); 3. Reset the camera film speed to ‘1200′ (= 200 6); 4. Depress the shutter button 6 times (for 6 exposures). REMEMBER: Check and reset the SLR film speed and number of exposures to their original settings before continuing with your next shot. Some SLRs will automatically reset the number of exposures back to ‘1′ before advancing the film to the next frame. It’s always better to verify this.

In adobe photoshop changing the way the picture looks is as easy as 1 - 2 - 3, the tones you can create are amazing. A few examples are: Black and White, Everyone loves black and white photography. In the past you had to use separate film if you wanted black and white images. In digital photography all images are typically photographed in color and the converted to black and white on the computer. This means that you can experiment by turning your photos to black and white. Sepia Tone: Transform your photos into works of art using sepia coloring. Color/Black and White Mix: Mixing black and white with color has become a popular effect among wedding and artistic photographers. Typically, most of the image will be black and white while only certain objects in the image are in color. This can create a striking effect. You can easily learn this technique in Photoshop and amaze your family and friends with your photo creations.

Starting up a new photography business isn’t just fun and games. You’re going to need to do is advertise. You’ll have to print out business cards, take out ads in magazines and newspapers and more or less get the word out that you exist. If you’re hoping to break into the field taking photos for a magazine like Playboy, then you’re going to have to first get some private work photographing models in order to submit these photos to the magazine itself. Before you do that though, you’re going to have to write to the magazine for permission to send photos. Most publications do not accept unsolicited material.