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".
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How to Use Natural
Light for Portrait Quality Photos
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. |
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