A lot of fuss has been made about the Miss USA scandal pictures.  After all it is a beauty pageant, what do they expect?  Yes the Miss USA photos may be a little more revealing or slightly erotic looking poses compared to the usual photos.  But they are certainly not worth all the fuss that has been made about them.  Probably just another media campaign to get some interest in the Miss USA contest taking place in Las Vegas.

If you would like to see the Miss USA contestants have a peak at their scandalous black and white pics. But if its Miss USA scandal that you after, you may be disappointed, might have to fly to Vegas for that… Lets see who will be the Miss USA 2010…

Are you brave enough to use this bathroom?

Nice view...

Taken from inside, the view looks like this. But in reality it is one way glass and so from the outside the bathroom looks like this…

Well maybe that would give people a bit more comfort, still I am not so sure that I would be that comfortable in there…

Here are two photos that will get you thinking…what the…

Hope you enjoy them.  With a little clever artistry, some fine strokes of the brush and some good photography, people will believe anything!

Dont forget to pack your parachute when you go to this bathroom!

Living in your own grave… I love the symbolism.

"We are gathered here today..."

My top 5  tips for taking black & white photographs.  B&W photography allows you to explore a whole new dimension other than color, like lighting, contrast, texture, tone & shape.  Not only do B&W photographs have a way of bringing back nostalgia of the “good old days”, but they can also be used to capture a romantic or sentimental atmosphere or the harshness of a landscape. Here are my top 5 tips to consider, next time you take a B&W photo:

No.1   Remove the color from the photo.

Before you are about to take a picture, if the colors just don’t look right for some reason, ask yourself, “what would it look like in B&W?”. Sometimes contrasting colors can be enhanced in B&W, yet in real life they clash.

No. 2  Use contrast and key to your advantage.

Use contrast and key to emphasize certain aspects of your subject or draw attention away.  High contrast helps to make something really stand out and draw attention, whilst low contrast softens the picture.

No. 3  Examine the texture of your photo and use B&W to emphasize texture.

Imagine how removing color will make the roughness or smoothness of the subject stand out.  Texture is expressed in B&W, use it to your full advantage.

No.4  Use line and shape in your B&W photos

If your photo has interesting lines or defined shapes in it, consider taking B&W photos.  A simple fence meandering across a field can be turned into a beautiful B&W picture.

No.5  Use your lighting

Use your lighting to full advantage to emphasize contrast and shadow.  Wait until the end of the day when there interesting shadows and lighting affects, this will enhance your B&W photo.  Different strengths of lighting will give your picture different affects and moods.

What are your top 10 black & white photographs?  Here is the wired.com top 10 list from last year, I’m not so sure on some of them, let me know what you think and if you have better photos send them in.

Here’s their no.1

No. 1 A Bit Spotty – Whiffleboy

No.2 Straw Dogs – Jason Flett

No. 3 Man In the Fog – David Gordon

No.4 Running Through – Harrison

No.5 Wicked Path – Shawn Kresal

No.6 Girl, Unafraid – Neil Bernhart

No. 7 Cape Fear – Vilhjalmur Ingi Vilhjalmsson

No. 8 Pitty – Charline Messa

No. 9 Silhouette – Andrew Scharlott

No.10 Hidden? – bushn

Which is the best digital SLR camera?  Everyone always asks this question and it usually breaks out into a heated debate amongst photographers, about which camera make is best.

The answer is that it depends on what your needs are and how far your budget stretches.  It also really comes down to personal taste of the functionality of each brand.  All the top camera brands are so competitive with their technologies, they are very similar and there is no clear leader.  Nikon, Canon, Sony have all developed great cameras with incredible functionality.

In fact there is so much technology built into the average digital SLR camera that most users will hardly ever use.  My advice would be to buy a camera magazine or go online and look for a camera guide. “What Digital Camera” will give you great reviews and news on the latest news updates, which is very useful before you go into a camera shop and start making your purchase.  Or join a photography club and speak to people who are using the different digital SLR cameras.

Generally there are two levels of user – the amateur photographer and then the professional photographer.  The pro cameras are a whole different league in terms of price and technology.  If you are just starting out in photography it is wise to spend less in the beginning, learn the art and skill needed first – earn your stripes first before you graduate to the big league!

Then there is the question of what lenses to buy.  Once again it depends on what you are going to be doing with your camera.  A couple of good general zoom lenses usually come in most kits – covering wide angles through to 300mm.  Starting out with these zoom lenses is a good way to get a feel of what you want to do with your new found hobby.  Once you have more of an idea then you can specialize and get the exact lense you need.

As your knowledge of photography grows, then so your photography equipment will evolve.  Try it you will never look back!