Your iPhone’s home button has a whole bunch of uses that vary depending on your location and how many times you press it in succession. Here’s a look at (practically) all of them.

Single Press

Pressing the home screen button once while on your first home screen page will take you to the search page. When on the search page, pressing it will take you back to the first page. If you’re on the second, third, fourth page (or higher), a single press of the home button will return you to the first page. When your phone is locked, a single tap will bring up the lock screen. If you’re in an app, pressing the home button will take you to the home screen (surprise!). Finally, if you press and hold the home button you’ll initiate voice control.

Double Press

Pressing the home button twice while on the lock screen will bring up your iPod controls. Doing that on any other screen will bring up the multitasking bar where you can access apps and settings.

Triple Press

Triple press is reserved for accessibility options. You can set them as you like by going into Settings -> General -> Accessibility -> Triple-click Home.

SRs Tiny Triggers  $229

The absolute best small format triggers on the market- small, simple, reliable, affordable! Say goodbye to extra cords, trigger caddies, bulky set-ups. Tiny Trigger Set includes 1 Transmitter and 3 Receivers. THIS SET WILL CONTROL UP TO THREE HOT SHOE STROBES OF ANY BRAND.

These triggers have been rigorously tested by professional photographers around the world with rave reviews- outperforming popular modes yet at a fraction of the price. They are extremely dependable and easy to use. Every kit uses four independent channels so each transmitter can control its own flash group.

Technical Parameters:
Transmitter
Receiver
Power Source
23A – Transmitter
AAA x2- Receiver
Outdoor operating distance (open area) > 200 ft
Indoor operating distance > 30ft
Frequency Channels – 4
Operating Frequency – FM 433Mhz
Outdoor Synchronous Speed (open area)- Max 1/500sec
Indoor Synchronous Speed – Max 1/250sec
Instructions Included

This product comes with a limited one year USA Warranty

SRs Strobie 130 Flash  $139

The Strobie 130 is the best affordable compact flash.  It has very powerful GN128 at 35mm with an extremely fast recycle time- better than 4 sec on a fresh set of batteries. This flash will work on any camera with a standard hotshoe in MANUAL MODE. This is not a TTL flash. Perfect for the strobist who wants precise manual control for the ultimate creative lighting set-ups. Flash can also be triggered in slave mode- will fire when it “sees” another flash go off but needs a line of sight in this mode, no trigger necessary.   A durable low cost/high value flash and perfect for multi-light set ups.

Features:

Compact Size
GN128- pro quality power!
Full to 1/64 (7 stops)
Recycle time < 4 sec max with fresh batteries
Scott Robert Flash Guide Calculator- quickly compute flash exposure
Slave mode- will trigger when is “sees” another flash
White bounce card
Diffuser filter for wide angle coverage
Includes: mini flash stand, protective pouch

SRs Killer Video Light   $229

This is an amazing video light that with 126 LEDs perfectly calibrated to 5400k to simulate sunlight. The light is big and soft- perfect for portraits, detail images, etc. This would be the perfect companion for low light, high ISO situations or if you just want to add catchlights in the eyes when shooting in a shaded area. Using a constant light source is the best way to see and set up light because you can see exactly the results you want. Try using this light with a shoot through umbrella or diffuser panel, it will create very soft light and very usable at ISO 800 and above. This is the video light if perfect of the photographer that likes to shoot wide open at very large apertures like 1.4/1.8, etc. Videographers and fusion photographers who shoot video will make use of the this amazing mini light panel that can produce big results. The impressive run time on this light will keep you going for hours instead of minutes as with other popular video lights- say goodbye to heavy battery packs!

Features:
-126 LEDs
-Brightness control dial
-Diffuser panel: Clear and 3600K
-Cold shoe mount
-Power gage- 4 LED indicator
-Multi-power source: AA x 6, CGR-D16S, NP-FJ70, NP-FM55H, NP-F550
-70-90 min run time at full power.
-Mini Stand

This video light is very comparable to popular brands selling for more than twice the price.  It comes with a one year USA warranty.

So drop on in to the studio and check out the next products and they are available for immediate purchase at the SCV Center for Photography.

If you interested in seeing Scott Robert Lim, he will be here on March 12th for Off-Camera Flash workshop from 1pm to 4pm.  Cost is $10 and you must pre-register and pay as a very limited number of seats remain.

Scott’s glamor portrait techniques not only work for weddings but for any type of portraiture however we will place an emphasis on fashion and glamor photography.

SPACES ARE GOING FAST.  WE ONLY HAVE SPACE FOR THE FIRST 50 PARTICIPANTS THAT RESERVE AND PAY IN ADVANCE.  COST OF THIS WORKSHOP IS AN AMAZING $10. Your spot will not be reserved until payment is received.  Please call me for additional information (661) 904-2092.

The Rebel T3 also has a much wider ISO sensitivity range of 100 to 6,400 equivalents, an expanded +/-5 EV exposure compensation range, an adjustable Auto Lighting Optimization function, and the Highlight Tone Priority mode seen on many recent Canon DSLRs.  It also adds high-def 720p movie shooting capability, HDMI video output, and a slightly larger 2.7-inch LCD display.  Not all the changes are entirely positive, though.  Burst shooting speed is barely changed at 3 frames per second, but burst depth falls to just 4-5 large/fine JPEG or two Raw frames.

The Rebel T3 ships with a new kit lens, the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II, in a bundle priced at around US$600.  This lens’ image stabilization system is said to offer a four-stop improvement.  the new Rebel T3 should be in stores around March 2011.

So once you purchase that new Rebel T3, head on over to the SCV Center for Photography and sign-up for our Basic DSLR Camera workshops and we will help you get started.

The new 100 watt light bulbs are actually more energy efficient using only 77 watts to generate 100 watts of light, thus reducing energy consumption, which of course is better for the planet and our wallets.

Also note that next year California starts phasing out the 75 watt bulb and the 60 watt bulb in 2013.

It is very easy to miss the unwanted items within your image, so you need to check you viewfinder and make sure there is nothing in your frame that will require you to remove it in Photoshop.

Make sure your horizon is straight, as it is very easy to tilt your image is you are not using a tripod, or if you are using a tripod, that it is level.  If needed, you can get a bubble level that slips onto your hotshoe to assist you getting a straight horizon.

And lastly, consider your depth of field, and the control you want with you foreground and background.  It is much easier to determine this in the field and select the aperture in the field, than it is to blur an image in Photoshop.

So just be aware of what is going in your image before you snap the shutter…..

If you need additional assistance, we offer Basic and Intermediate Camera workshops at the SCV Center for Photography.  See our workshop schedules for more information.

So take your time in buying equipment, so that you only buy an item once.  As you grow as a photographer, let your creativity tell you what equipment is necessary in capturing the photographs that move you, thus not purchasing equipment that will just sit in a camera bag.

If you are interested in purchasing the software, then head over to www.niksoftware .com and during checkout, put in the discount code of SCVPHOTOCENTER and receive a 15% discount on ALL Nik products.

Here are a few examples using the new HDR Efex Pro software: