Tuesday, 14 April 2015
10 Photography Tips for Beginners
Digital photography has democratized the medium. More people are taking more photos than ever before, and they're sharing them online with friends and family in record numbers. It's easy to place the blame on the camera if your images aren't as nice as some others you see online, but by following a few guidelines you can improve the quality of your photos—without having to shell out big bucks for a new camera. Keep these 10 easy tips in mind next time you head out to capture the world around you. And if you have any tips that have helped you take better pictures, please share them in the comments section.
1. Get Basic Composition Down. The heart of a photograph is its composition—the position of different elements in a frame. The easiest rule of thumb to learn and remember is the Rule of Thirds. Basically, you'll want to break your frame into nine squares of roughly equal size. Try and align the subject of your photo along these lines and intersections and imagine the main image divided over these nine boxes. This gives you a more dramatic, visually interesting shot than one where you subject is located dead center. Many newer cameras have a rule of thirds grid overlay that you can activate when shooting.
2. Adjust Exposure Compensation. As long as you aren't shooting in full manual mode, your digital camera is making decisions that determine the exposure of a photo—in English, how light or dark the shot appears. Generally speaking, a camera looks at a scene and tries to determine the appropriate exposure based on the correct lighting of an 18-percent gray card, which is why there are special scene modes for snow—without them, the camera would try to make the white snow gray.
If a photo is too light or dark you can either delve through the dozens of scene modes that are available in modern point-and-shoot cameras, or simply dial in a bit of exposure compensation. Many cameras have a physical button for this, identified by a +/- symbol. If your photo is too dark, move the scale up above zero; if too light, move it down a bit.
3. Choose the Right Mode. Your camera is likely to have scores of shooting modes, ranging from fully automatic operation to very specific scene modes. If you're shooting fast action you can put the camera into Shutter Priority ("S") mode and increase the speed at which a photo is taken—setting it to 1/125 second or faster will help to freeze action. In lower light you can use Aperture Priority ("A") mode to make sure as much light is entering the lens as possible, or if you're shooting landscapes on a tripod you can close the lens's iris to increase depth of field, keeping everything in sharp focus from the foreground to the horizon. If you're a D-SLR shooter, you're more likely to use the A or S modes, while point-and-shoot cameras will often feature more specific modes that cater to activities like sports, low-light use, or landscape shooting.
4. Watch Your White Balance. Your camera will try and set white balance automatically based on the type of light in which's you're shooting. Different light casts different types of color—sunlight is very blue, tungsten lighting is yellow, and fluorescent is a bit green. In many cases, the camera will automatically detect what type of lighting you're under and adjust the color in photos so that they look natural. If you're shooting under mixed lighting, or if the camera is just having a hard time figuring things out, you can set the white balance manually. On most point and shoots you'll have to dive into the shooting menu to adjust this, but many D-SLRs have a dedicated White Balance button, often labeled "WB." You can correct color in iPhoto or Picasa later on, but you'll get better-looking photos if you get the white balance right in the first place.
5. Think About Lighting. Pay attention to how much light you have and where it's coming from when taking your photos. If you're shooting outdoors, be careful not to take photos of a person when the sun is at their back. If you're grabbing a photo in front of a monument or landmark and don't have the flexibility to adjust your position you can use the camera's flash to fill in shadows. You may have to manually activate the flash, as there's a good chance that the camera will think that it's unnecessary on a bright day.
Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2399400,00.asp
Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2399400,00.asp
Friday, 13 March 2015
MTN Data Plan
MTN dataplan copied from MTN website
Whether you are an occasional, regular or heavy user, MTN has a data plan that suits your lifestyle. Once you have identified the prepaid bundle plan that best suits you, simply text the migration code for the plan to131(see table below) or select your preferred bundle from the Fastlink user interface and you will be switched immediately to the bundle plan of your choice and the corresponding activation fee deducted from your account. You will also receive an sms message on your phone or laptop confirming successful bundle activation.
Data Rollover: Now you can rollover your unused internet data to the next month subscription. All you have to do is ensure that you auto-renew your data subscription before it expires and your unused data is automatically moved to the next month.
Note that data rollover feature is only applicable to monthly plans.
Note that data rollover feature is only applicable to monthly plans.
MTN Data Gifting: Data Gifting service allows you to send a data bundle to your friends and loved ones, by simply paying for the data bundle on behalf of the person.
Data Gifting can also be used to send data to your other smartphones, modems and iPad.
How to send Data as a Gift Plan:
Option 1 (SMS):
Option 1 (SMS):
- 1. Register for the Data Gifting service by sending keyword REG to 131; you will receive a unique authentication PIN
- 2. Text key word "GIFT [MSISDN][Data Bundle Code][PIN] to 131. E.g Gift 0803xxxxxxxx 106 0000.
Where 106 is the code of 100MB monthly plan and 0000 is your PIN"
Option 2 (USSD):
- Dial *131# and follow the menu
Auto-Renewal:
This allows you to enjoy un-interrupted data access on your phone or tablet. Your active data bundle will be automatically renewed at the end of the validity period. In case you exhaust your data bundle before the validity date, you will receive a notification advising you to activate a new data plan or continue at pay as you go rate (5k/kb).
This allows you to enjoy un-interrupted data access on your phone or tablet. Your active data bundle will be automatically renewed at the end of the validity period. In case you exhaust your data bundle before the validity date, you will receive a notification advising you to activate a new data plan or continue at pay as you go rate (5k/kb).
For expert technical assistance on MTN Data Plans, visit the nearest MTN Store and talk to the Tech SquadPersonnel.
Bundle Plan
|
Price (N)
|
Validity Period
|
Activation Code (Text to 131)
|
Activation Code
USSD |
10MB
|
100
|
24 Hrs
|
104
|
*104#
|
25MB
|
150
|
24Hrs
|
112
|
*112#
|
50MB
|
200
|
24 Hrs
|
113
|
*113#
|
150MB
|
500
|
7 Days
|
103
|
*103#
|
260MB
|
1000
|
30 Days
|
106
|
*106#
|
325MB
|
1300
|
30 Days
|
109
|
*109#
|
750MB
|
2000
|
30 Days
|
110
|
*110#
|
1.5GB
|
3500
|
30 Days
|
111
|
*111#
|
4.5GB Night plan (9PM-6AM)
|
2500
|
30 Days
|
102
|
*102#
|
4.5GB
|
6500
|
30 Days
|
129
|
*129#
|
7.5GB
|
8000
|
30 Days
|
101
|
*101#
|
4.5GB (1.5GB day 6.01am-8.59pm and 3GB night 9pm-6am)
|
2500
|
30Days
|
120
|
*120#
|
Data Usage Guide
| ACTIVITY | USAGE GUIDE |
| 1 hour instant messaging | 0.25MB- 1MB |
| 1 hour of web browsing | 1.5MB-25MB |
| Download 100 e-mails | 1MB-10MB |
| 1 hour on Facebook | 2MB- 80MB |
| Download 1 photo | 0.05MB-2Mb |
| Download 1 MP3 file | 3MB- 8MB |
| 1 software download | 70MB-800MB |
| 1 hour of video streaming ( e.g. YouTube) | 250Mb-500MB |
Data Speed
| Signal | Peak Speed | Average internet browsing speed |
| GPRS | 115 kbps | 33 – 35..8kbps |
| EDGE | 384 kbps | Not Yet Fully deployed |
| 3G | 384 kbps | 100 - 240kbps |
| 3.5G (HSDPA) | 3.6 Mbps | 800kbps |
Notes: The table above represents the Peak data rates across the MTN network, and also shows the average transfer rate of data when accessing popular internet sites using the MTN Network. It should be noted that the actual speed experienced by the end user could be different from the table above due to other limitations outside of MTN's control, such as:
- The resource used (e.g device type) being used to access the mobile data service.
- The availability of the server being accessed (internet site, mail server, etc.)
Airtel Nigeria Data Plan
The following shows the list of Airtel data plans and the varying ways to activate
| Plan | Data Allowance (NORMAL) | Data Allowance (CURRENT) | Retail Price (N) | (Data RCV, EPIN & ERC) Denomination | Validity period | USSD Activation Code | SMS Activation Code | MAMO Activation Code | Prepaid | Postpaid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trial | 1MB | 1MB | 0 | - | 1 day | *141*13*1# | Trial | - | √ | x |
| Entry | 4MB | 6MB | 50 | - | 1 day | *141*11*9# | Entry | 14191 | √ | x |
| Daily | 10MB | 15MB | 100 | 99 | 1 day | *141*11*1# | Daily | 14154 | √ | x |
| 3-day | 25MB | 40MB | 200 | - | 3 days | *141*11*8# | Three | 14192 | √ | x |
| Weekly | 50MB | 70MB | 300 | - | 7 days | *141*11*2# | Weekly | 14193 | √ | x |
| Easy | 80 MB | 120MB | 500 | 499 | 14 days | *141*11*3# | Easy | 14151 | √ | x |
| Top-Up | 100 MB | 100 MB | 600 | - | - | - | - | - | - | √ |
| 786 plan | 125 MB | 125 MB | 786 | - | 30 days | *141*11*786# | 786 | 14194 | √ | x |
| Lite | 200MB | 260MB | 1,000 | 999 | 30 days | *141*11*4# | Lite | 14150 | √ | x |
| Midi | 250 MB | 325MB | 1,300 | - | 30 days | *141*11*5# | Midi | 14153 | √ | x |
| Smartphone1 | 500MB | 650MB | 2,000 | 1,999 | 30 days | *141*11*6# | Smart1 | 14152 | √ | √ |
| Smart phone 2 | 1GB | 1.3GB | 3,000 | 2,999 | 30 days | *141*11*7# | Smart2 | 14156 | √ | √ |
| Plus | 3GB | 3.9GB | 5,000 | 4,999 | 30 days | *141*12*1# | plus | 14155 | √ | √ |
| Max | 5GB | 6.6GB | 8,000 | - | 30 days | *141*12*2# | max | 14196 | √ | √ |
| Premium | 10GB | 13.3GB | 15,000 | - | 30 days | *141*12*3# | premium | 14197 | √ | √ |
| Prime | 15GB | 19.9GB | 22,000 | - | 30 days | *141*12*7# | prime | - | √ | x |
| Day | 150MB | 150MB | 500 | - | 24 hours | *141*12*5# | day | 14195 | √ | x |
| Night Time (Off Peak) | 3GB | 3.9GB | 2,500 | - | 30 days | *141*12*4# | night | - | √ | x |
| Weekend | 3GB | 3.9GB | 3,000 | - | 30 days | *141*12*6# | weekend | - | √ | x |
| To Check Data Usage | - | - | - | *141*11*0# | status | √ | √ |
- 30% BONUS (EXTRA) on plans highlighted in yellow- Lite, Midi, Smartphone1, Smartphone2, Plus, Max, Premium & Prime- customers who take up these plans also get to call at 18 kobo per second
- Up to 60% bonus for plans highlighted in red- Entry, Daily, 3-day, Weekly & Easy
- Up to 50% BONUS on data bundles is available if you recharge with a Data Recharge Card, EPIN or ERC-visit an Airtel shop near you or the nearest retailer.. Offer applicable till stocks last.
- To subscribe for a data bundle plan via USSD, dial the associated string e.g. *141*11*4# to activate the Lite plan
- To subscribe for a data bundle plan vis SMS, send the associated SMS keyword to 141 e.g. lite to 141
- To subscribe for a data bundle plan via MAMO, dial the associated string e.g. 14150 to activate
- Postpaid plans can be activated by contacting an Airtel staff (called a KAM) or by walking into any Airtel retail shop for directions on the associated modalities
RECCOMMENDATIONS: Because we value our customers, the following are our recommendations
- For Mobile phones, subscribe to any of the following: Entry, Daily, 3-day, Weekly, Easy, 786-plan, Lite or Midi plans
- For Smartphones/Tablets, subscribe to any of the following: Smartphone1, Smartphone2, Plus or Max plans
- For Dongles/MiFi/Routers, subscribe to any of the following plans: Smartphone1, Smartphone2, Plus, Max, Premium or Prime plans
- The Day, Night Time or Weekend plans are suited for subscribers who require data use for specific purposes and consume such data quickly
Complete list of Glo Nigeria data bundle plans, price, activation codes and validity period
Here is the complete list of Glo Nigeria data bundle plans, price, activation codes and validity period. Copied directly from Glo Official Website
Daily Plans
| Plan Name | Price (N) | Data Volume | Validity | SMS to 127 | USSD Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Always Day | 500 | 195MB | 1 Day | 10 | *127*3# |
| Instant Surf | 100 | 20MB | 1 Day | 51 | *127*51# |
| Smallie | 200 | 50MB | 3 Days | 56 | *127*56# |
Weekly Plans
| Plan Name | Price (N) | Data Volume | Validity | SMS to 127 | USSD Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One Week | 400 | 65MB | 7 Days | 52 | *127*52# |
| Big Week | 500 | 150MB | 7 Days | 57 | *127*57# |
Monthly Plans
| Plan Name | Price (N) | Data Volume | Validity | SMS to 127 | USSD Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Always Micro | 1,000 | 300MB | 30 Days | 53 | *127*53# |
| My Phone | 2,000 | 853MB | 30 Days | 55 | *127*55# |
| Always Macro | 3,000 | 1.5GB | 30 Days | 54 | *127*54# |
| Always Min | 5,000 | 4GB | 30 Days | 11 | *127*2# |
| Always Max | 8,000 | 8GB | 30 Days | 12 | *127*1# |
| Silver | 10,000 | 11GB | 30 Days | 15 | *127*11# |
| Gold | 15,000 | 17GB | 30 Days | 16 | *127*12# |
| Platinum | 18,000 | 21GB | 30 Days | 17 | *127*13# |
Flexi Plans
| Plan Name | Price (N) | Data Volume | Validity | SMS to 127 | USSD Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G 100 | 6,000 | 4GB | 100 Hrs or 30 days | 20 | *127*5# |
| G 300 | 15,000 | 12GB | 300 Hrs or 3 Months | 21 | *127*4# |
| G-Leisure | 5,000 | 4GB | 8 AM to 9 PM – daily + All day on Weekends | 30 | *127*7# |
| G-Work | 6,000 | 4GB | 8 AM to 9 PM | 31 | *127*6# |
Data Packs
| Data Pack | Price (N) | Opt In Code |
| 1 Day Pack | N50 | Dial *127*14# |
| 3 Day Pack | N100 | Dial *127*51# |
| 7 Day Pack | N200 | Dial *127*56# |
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