Article 9--another funny one

So this one is pretty funny too! Although, they are pretty clever "tricks" if you could call them that.

(oh and these came from the PC world website.)

Six Clever Camera Tricks

Dave Johnson, PC World

Apr 20, 2009 12:30 pm

Photography can be a lot of things. For many people, it's just fun to take and share snapshots, and to do silly things with them. In the past, I've talked about how to make collages, mock up a magazine cover, and put yourself in a photo with Elvis. For others, photography is an art form. Take a look at the winner's gallery of our weekly Digital Focus contest to see how seriously many people take their hobby.

Let's look at photography from a completely different direction. This week I've got a list of unexpected, unconventional, and perhaps clever ways to use your camera when you're not busy photographing insects, weddings, and alien encounters.

1. Insurance Inventory

Remember how you're supposed to have a thorough inventory of all the valuables in your house for insurance purposes? Photograph them. In the old days, that would have been a big undertaking, but not with a digital camera. You can even store all the photos on a memory card and throw it in your safe or lockbox.

2. Memory Aid

How many times have you gotten lost in an unfamiliar place? I'm talking about forgetting your hotel room number or where you left your car in a big parking lot. This, my friends, is what the camera phone was invented for. Take a picture of the room number on your door. Photograph the parking lot marker post.You can refer to the picture when you return and zero in on your destination. (You could of course use your regular camera instead, if you're bringing it along.)

3. Shopping Assistant

Have you ever sent your kids to the store and they returned with the wrong item? You can write down the name of the product, or you could snap a picture of it with their camera phone and send them off with a visual reference. Come to think of it, this is a handy trick for anyone, not just the kids.

4. Portable Scanner

You need someone's class notes, perhaps, or need to make a copy of an important document--but you don't have access to a flatbed scanner. No problem; just photograph it with your camera. With a utility likeSnapter, you can even straighten and correct the document so it looks like it was scanned professionally.

5. Document a Problem

My wife and went to a concert last year and when we arrived, we discovered that one of our assigned seats was broken--so broken, in fact, it was barely possible to sit in it. There was no staff to help us, so I photographed the chair disaster and contacted management the next day. We ended up getting a full refund for the show. Apply this basic idea to fender benders, damaged merchandise, and any other glitch that comes you way.

6. Keep Track of the Little Ones

I'm a bit uncomfortable including this one, but a friend suggested it. I have to admit it's a good idea, though. When you take your young ones to a public event, snap a photo with your camera phone before you leave the house. If you get separated during the day, you have an exact record of what they look like and what they're wearing.