Whether you’re a photo nerd or a newbie to the camera – with the summer sun, comes the want to take photos, and flipping good ones at that!

Summer holidays, beer garden chills or a line up of festivals, whatever your reasons – you’ll want to arm yourself with some photography candy to really capture those precious memories. So, as lovers of all things image – we’re here to trade in your old cam with our camera exchange services and give you the cash to update your photography collection.

Here’s our rundown of our favourite cameras for the Summer season! Enjoy.
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We all cherish our cameras. After all, they capture some of our fondest memories, catalogue our travels, and make sure cherished family moments last a lifetime.

But that’s not all they can do, cameras have even helped fan the flame of the paranormal investigation. Ghostly images, mysterious creatures and UFOs have all been ‘caught on film’ in some way or another. Usually a whitish smudge or distant blur, but that hasn’t stopped pop culture, movies and people marvelling at them.

Perhaps the most influential has been the UFO, enthralling an entire generation. We’re going to a look at some of the more famous UFO photos, those strange spectacles that still today inspire some to look up – just in case!
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It will come as no surprise to you that we are passionate about photography. A camera can capture a single moment in time that can tell an epic story. In this slideshare, we present to you some of the most famous and iconic photographs of all time.

The Most Famous Photos of All Time from SearchQuest Europe

 
Here at Camera Exchange Store, we are excited to be able to provide for those who capture incredible images. The first step to great photography is a decent camera, so if you’re thinking of upgrading, get in contact with us today by calling 0208 371 4179 to speak to a member of our team.

“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, “This is what it is to be happy.”

― Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

Ah, celebrities. Is there a more photographed breed than actors? And for all their whining in the magazines and newspapers – and now Twitter and Facebook – about the paparazzi, some of them actually enjoy the flash, clack and whir of the camera. So let’s take a look at a few actors who’ve recognised the true art of photography. Let’s start with…

 

Viggo Mortensen

 

Viggo Mortensen may have made his name as Aragon in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but he’s actually done a whole lot more than reading lines in a script. Not only has he been a truck driver and flower seller, he’s also an artist, a poet and a well-regarded photographer. The photographs usually feature some form of scratching or scribbling, which can be seen in a number of books Mortensen has had published. Not bad going for the King of Men.

 

Jeff Bridges

 

Jeff Bridges has featured in some pretty awesome movies in his time, including Disney sci-fi Tron and starring as The Dude in the Coen’s cult classic The Big Lebowski. But he’s also kind of a big deal in the world of photography, having been honoured by the International Center of Photography. He says that his distinctive, blurred snapshots taken on film sets ‘is mainly focused on my work making movies. I think I have a perspective that not many people have.’ What a Dude!

 

Michael Madsen

 

Michael Madsen straddles that weird line between the brilliant and the terrible. For every stand-out character in Reservior Dogs there’s a phoned-in performance in Bloodrayne. But one thing he can’t be faulted for is his skills as a photographer. Madsen’s book, Signs of Life, shows his unique look at the many Americana signs across the United States. Oh, and his work has been exhibited all over the world.

 

Want to get to know the star in front of the camera? Get them behind a camera and all will be revealed. After all, whether you’re a professional or amateur, photography is irresistible. If you fancy upgrading your camera to a new model then let us know – here at the Camera Exchange Store we specialise in camera exchange. For more information about our services, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 0208 371 4179 or email us at info@cameraexchangestore.co.uk and our professional, friendly staff will be happy to help.

In almost every situation, a “proper camera” will produce a better photograph than a mobile phone camera. However, one of the elements of taking a great photograph is being ready for any photo opportunity, and what convenient device do you have on you almost all of the time? Your mobile phone. Mobile phone cameras can still produce excellent quality photographs if you use them right and this article will make sure that you’re prepared to do that.

Get close

Mobile phone cameras have a small sensor and a rather short lens, which means that they have a relatively wide depth of field. This means that when you’re taking a photograph of something up close, you can get the entire object in focus. A “proper camera” would have trouble doing this because of their larger sensors and longer lenses. These close shots can be very effective as phone cameras often show a lot more detail than you realise.

Crop instead of zoom

Few mobile phone cameras give you the ability to optical zoom and instead only have a digital zoom. This means that rather than actually zooming in on the subject, the phone merely enlarges the view. This reduces the quality of the photograph and more often than not ruins a good photo. Rather than zoom, you should simply crop the photograph later on with better software like Photoshop.

Edit afterwards, don’t filter

Filters are an irritating feature for any photographer who has sense. They add an effect to a photograph before it is saved rather than afterwards, which limits what you can do with the photograph. If you think a photograph will look great with a particular filter, note this for later, take the photograph without a filter and add in this effect later on. You’ll be able to play around with different effects and it may turn out that the photograph looks better with a different filter on it. Additionally, you’ll be able to add more effects than a simple filter after you have taken the photograph.

 

Avoid flash

The flash on most mobile phone cameras isn’t actually a suitable way to light a photograph. The LED flash often makes everything close to the camera appear very whitewashed, and ruins a photograph in a way that is very difficult to fix. Unless you have a mobile phone like the iPhone 5s and 6 that have natural coloured flashes, avoid the flash all together and simply try to position yourself and your subject in a place where the lighting of the photograph is best if it is at all possible.

 

Hopefully after reading these tips you will be better prepared for taking a photograph when you don’t have your trusted main camera to hand. If you are looking to upgrade your main camera, our camera exchange services can help you get money for your old model, making it easier and more affordable to get a new camera. For more information, contact us today on 0208 371 4179 and we’ll get a quote to you within two hours.

So now we know precisely what it was Apple had up their sleeve – or in their pocket. Tuesday’s much-hyped press event hosted by Apple CEO Tim Cook saw the tech company unveil the Apple Watch, alongside the new iPhone 6 and its bigger-screened brother the iPhone 6 Plus. And it’s good news for photography enthusiasts.

 

At first glance there seems to be little difference between the iPhone 6 range and its predecessor, the iPhone 5s. Both have 8 megapixel cameras, for instance, with pixel size standing at 1.5 microns and an F/2.2 aperture. But that’s where the photographic similarities end. As Apple is acutely aware, with the smartphone market continuing to grow, they’ve had to seriously up their game.

 

Sure, as we said, it may only be 8 megapixels, but it’s what comes with that that really counts. Dubbed the iSight, the iPhone 6’s camera has been significantly improved since the iPhone 5, with a whole host of great specs coming with it.

 

Firstly, there’s a definite improvement on facial recognition and exposure control, and the camera now captures 81% more light. So whether you’re using the camera for Apple’s video conferencing app FaceTime, or to take photographs, you won’t be left in the dark. The HDR – or high dynamic range – means faster processing of your photos too. There is also a new burst mode with the capability of snapping 10 photos a second. iPhone 6 will even take the guess-work out of choosing which photos to keep, as it suggests which photos are best.

 

One of the big announcements was that the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus now has an on-sensor phase-detection autofocus. This is a serious upgrade from previous iterations of the smartphone which used contrast-detect autofocus. Apple is calling this Focus Pixels, with the on-sensor pixels dedicating themselves to focus distance.

 

The iPhone 6 Plus also comes with enhanced image and video stabilisation. Video recording, too, have been vastly improved upon. The new iPhone has the ability to capture images at 1080p HD at 60fps. There’s even a slo-mo option which records at 240fps, and the ability to take time-lapse videos. Although we’ll have to wait until we get our hands on one to really test its mettle, the iPhone 6 is shaping up to be a great camera phone. Some commentators in the industry are even suggesting that the photos represent near-DSLR quality, and if these sorts of advances continue, phones could well begin competing seriously with traditional cameras in the public sphere.

 

Here at the Camera Exchange Store, we’re truly passionate about photography. So if you’re looking to sell your digital camera, just contact us today and discover how our professional staff can help.

 

Many individual bloggers, at some point in their online career, will want to add photos to their blog. Humans are incredibly visual, and followers of blogs will appreciate photos alongside textual descriptions.

Beauty bloggers like to take photos of the various products that they use or include make-up tutorials, food bloggers often take photos of the dishes that they make and review blogs could benefit from adding photos of various products to their blog. However, many bloggers blog as a hobby and don’t necessarily have any background in photography.

Here are some tips for bloggers who want to take good quality, clear and professional-looking photographs!

 

Aperture

The aperture of a lens is the opening at which light passes through and most cameras have a setting to change the aperture. The openings have been standardised into specific sizes, called aperture stops, or F-stops.

The larger the F-stop number is, the smaller the opening is. In other words, a larger number means that less light will enter the camera. A smaller F-stop number means the opening is larger, meaning more light will enter the camera.

A smaller F-stop will have a faster shutter speed and smaller F-stops (larger openings) are great for portraits, where the main subject of the photo is a person. By the same coin, larger F-stops (smaller openings) are great for landscape shots, where there is huge landscape that is the main subject.

Low F-stops mean a blurry background. High F-stops mean a clear, sharp background.

If you want to photograph an object, and you’d like the object to be clear and the background to be blurry, pick a low F-   stop on your camera.
Alternatively, if you would like the whole picture to be crisp, pick a high F-stop.

 

Shutter Speed

The higher the shutter speed, the darker the photo will be, and the lower the shutter speed, the brighter the photo will be. It is best to set up the shot, adjust the settings as needed, and then take the photo as you may wish to have some photos brighter than others.

 

Background

Invest in a suitable background if you are going to be photographing products. A tri-fold white foam board or a plain white poster board will work well. Alternatively, use a black or white tile for smaller items.

It is always best to shoot in natural light, like near a window. However, if you don’t have the option of being close to a source of natural light, you may wish to invest in some daylight light bulbs, which mimic real daylight.

 

Get Creative

Are you a food blogger? The video below shows you how to get amazingly appetizing shots of food!

 

 

If you are looking to be creative on a budget, this short video shows seven ways to use household objects in your photography!

 

 

If you feel that you need a more advanced camera for your blogging endeavours, and are looking for a camera exchange, then look no further than the Camera Exchange Store! You can sell your old camera to us in three simple steps, and will offer you a quote in less than 2 hours. For more information about the process, please feel free to contact us by phone on 0208 371 4179 or by email at info@cameraexchangestore.co.uk.

Nikon has recently unveiled the latest edition in their series of mirrorless cameras; the Nikon 1 V3. This compact camera will surely attract amateurs and professionals thanks to its revolutionary and powerful features.  Nikon’s new addition features the following:

• 18.4MP Sensor
• Built-in WiFi
• 1080/60p video capability
• Top ISO of 12,800
• Powerful new image processing chip
• 720p slow motion video recording
• Tilting 3 inch touch screen with 1,370 dot resolution
• 18.4 millon-pixel imaging sensor
• Sturdy hand grip

The V3 is able to shoot high quality stills continuously at up to 20fps without blur; thanks to its brilliant autofocus feature. This camera has an Expeed 4A image processor that allows it to realise 20 frames per second. The V3 also uses a hybrid AF system that features 171 AF points. This interchangeable lens camera is one of the fastest of its kind; therefore it is great for photographers who love to capture spontaneity and fleeting intimate moments.

With features like this, the Nikon 1 V3 can truly help photographers and filmmakers alike to create outstanding imagery. We would recommend this camera for wedding, action, sport, and wildlife photography. It certainly allows you to be more creative and produce high quality, professional photographs.

As a compact camera that offers you 720p slow motion recording, it is perfect for experimental photographers and artists. The camera is due to go on sale on the 17^th of April, and is expected to retail in the UK at a body-only price at £729.99.

Here at Camera Exchange Store we specialise in camera trade in, so that you can get your hands on the latest equipment and capture the best photographs possible. If you would like more information, take a browse through our website and trade in your camera today. If you have any queries, simply email us at info@cameraexchangestore.co.uk, or give us a call on 0208 371 4179.

 

 

 

 

The camera phone, like many complex systems is the result of evolving technology. A major breakthrough for camera phones occurred in 1997 when technology innovator and entrepreneur Philippe Kahn shared the first pictures of his daughter from a maternity ward. This cell phone transmission is the first known publicly shared picture via a cell phone.

As technology has improved so has the functions on mobile phones, with cameras being a significant feature and selling point. In 2008 it is reported that Nokia sold more camera phones than Kodak sold film based cameras, and as a result of this Nokia became the biggest manufacturer of any kind of camera. Cameras on phones were becoming more and more popular and in 2010 the worldwide number of camera phones was over a billion. Phones are continuing to improve and Nokia’s Lumia 1020 that was released last year has a has a 41.3-megapixel BSI CMOS image sensor.Although digital cameras will always be popular amongst photography enthusiasts, camera phones are unavoidable, even if you haven’t bought your phone specifically for the camera the chances are that you will use it. As you will no doubt have your phone on you most of the times, camera phones are ideal for nights out, as they make it exceptionally easy for you to send pictures to family and friends. Camera phones are so advanced now that many phones having red eye reduction, auto focus, and zoom, among other features.If you are finding that you are using your camera phone more and more and your current digital camera is largely redundant then you should cash in on it. Not only will you reap the rewards of this financially, but you will also be giving an enthusiast the chance to purchase your unwanted camera and get hours of joy from it. We have a wide range of customers who sell used Canon digital cameras to us, in addition to Canon cameras we are willing to purchase Casio, Fuji, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, Samsung and Sony cameras. We will work hard for you to get the best price possible for your camera, and once we have received and inspected your camera we will transfer the payment straight into your account.