North Carolina, NC

North Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southern region of the United States of America.

It was one of the original Thirteen Colonies, originally known as Carolina, and the home of the first English colony in the Americas.

On 20 May 1861, it became the last of the Confederate states to secede from the Union, and was readmitted on 4 July 1868. It was also the location of the first successful powered heavier-than-air flight by the Wright brothers at Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk in 1903.

Today, it is a fast-growing state with an increasingly diverse economy and population. As of 1 July 2006, the population estimate is 8,856,505 (a 10% increase since 1 April 2000), and the capital is Raleigh.

North Carolina has a wide range of elevation, from sea level on the coast to almost 6,700 feet (2,042 m) in the mountains.

The climate in the coastal and Piedmont regions of eastern and central North Carolina is similar to other southern states such as Georgia and South Carolina, while the climate in the western mountains is closer to that found in New England or the upper Midwest.

While the coastal plains, especially the tidewater areas, are strongly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, the western, mountainous part of the state is more than 300 miles (500 km) from the coast, resulting in considerably less maritime influence.

As such, the climate of the state ranges from a warm, humid subtropical climate near the coast to a humid continental climate in the mountains. Most of the state falls in the humid subtropical zone.

Geography

North Carolina is bordered by South Carolina on the south, Georgia on the southwest, Tennessee on the west, Virginia on the north, and the Atlantic Ocean on the east.

The United States Census Bureau classifies North Carolina as a southern state in the subcategory of being one of the South Atlantic States.

North Carolina consists of three main geographic sections: the coastal plain, which occupies the eastern 45% of the state; the Piedmont region, which contains the middle 35%; and the Appalachian Mountains and foothills.

The Outer Banks form two sounds—Albemarle Sound in the north and Pamlico Sound in the south; they are the two largest landlocked sounds in the United States. Immediately inland, the coastal plain is relatively flat, with rich soils ideal for growing tobacco, soybeans, and cotton.

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "North Carolina".

by Autumn Lockwood

There's a lot to be said about a fully equipped photo studio, filled to the brim with expensive lights and equipment just waiting to be applied to some artistic task. Unfortunately, most people who love photography as a hobby, don't have the budget to spend money on a professional lighting equipment setup. If you're only shooting pictures as a hobby, there is really no good reason to spend money on lighting equipment that you won't regularly use. Here are some ways that you can get studio-quality images simply by using the light you have around you.

Reflectors You Make at Home

If you want to create soft and even light, you need to learn how to "bounce" the light off of the umbrellas or reflectors for the best results. Although you do need a few lights to do this properly, you can still mimic the effect by making a few homemade reflectors. If you need help softening the shadows created by one main light source (like the sun), you can reflect the light by using white surfaces like a large white poster board or a big piece of Styrofoam or even a white bed sheet.

Using Backdrops Creatively

You may not be able to offer the wide variety of backdrops found in a portrait studio, but that doesn't mean you can't have a little fun. Use sheets for basic colors, and also try splashing paint on a couple to see how the vibrant colors can spice up your portraiture. All you need to do is hang the backdrops opposite a big window or a garage door opening, and you'll get the same results as if you were using a fill light pointed at the subject.

Paint Your Walls

All surfaces either absorb or reflect light, so wherever you decide to shoot should be designed with this in mind. If you know you're not able to add a bunch of lights to a room, try painting the entire thing white (even the floor, if possible). The white walls will help to bounce the light around for a more even tone.

Get Command Over Your Flash

A direct flash will often make the subject have harsh shadows or look shallow but if used correctly it can be a great lighting tool. Focus on bouncing it off surfaces around your subject whenever possible, and only use it to fill in the shadows from the front. One good way to think about using flash, is that if the image doesn't look like it needs a flash, that's a good time to use one for additional fill lighting.

Keep an Eye on Your Time

The brightness and quality of the light will change depending upon the time of day. By using your homemade reflectors to soften the shadows and your backdrop faced towards the early morning light, you'll be amazed at the studio-like quality of your images. Try taking photos at different times of day to see how the difference in light impacts the way things turn out, then book your studio sessions in for the times in which you'll have the best light possible.

Don't forget that studio lights are designed to simulate natural light as this is the type of lighting that is the most appealing. By understanding how to harness the light, you can create beautiful even light in your images that will look like they were taken in an expensive photo studio. If you have a little creativity and the will to do it, you can easily create your own inexpensive makeshift studio with just a little effort. Really, the tools that you use to get studio lighting doesn't matter as long as you get the quality results that you want.

About the Author

Autumn Lockwood is a writer for Your Picture Frames. Shop online and see our floating picture frames in a variety of styles. Visit our website and see our archival floating picture frames and decorative green picture frames online or call 800-780-0699.