Whether you consider yourself an amateur photographer, or you just want to create better family photos, there are many things you can do to get better photos. Here are some easy tips to use the next time you head out with your digital camera.
Even a beginner can take professional-looking photos - suitable for framing.
Be Prepared
Keep all your photography equipment ready for use. Collect everything you’ll need into one place. A camera bag is ideal, because it keeps all your stuff together and lets you carry it all with you. Everything in its place. A good camera bag will let you organize a miniature tripod, extra battereis, memory cards, etc. - even a plastic bag or waterproof housing to protect your camera in wet weather.
Hold your Camera Steady
Blurry photos are almost always the result of camera movement. Just your own unsteadiness, causes your camera to shake enough to blur your pictures.
So steady yourself and your camera before you take the shot. Plant your feet firmly on the ground and tuck your elbows in close to your sides. Instead of using the LCD viewer, steady your camera against your forehead and frame the shot using your camera’s viewfinder. You can also steady your upper body by leaning against a wall or a tree. Or totally eliminate any camera movement by using a tripod.
Once you’re all set, gently press the shutter release in one motion. Pressing the shutter release too hard could jerk the camera downward.
Get Closer
One difference in “snapshots” and really great photos is the composition of the shot. Unless you’re shooting an outdoor landscape, you can improve most photos just by getting closer to your subject. Depending on the situation, you can physically move closer to your subject, or use the zoom feature on your camera for the same effect. Try to get within a few feet of your subject so you eliminate most of the background. You’ll like the results.
Take more Pictures
Even professionals take loads of shots of the same subject - to get just a few that they will use. With a digital camera, you can delete the images you don’t like, and only print the winners - so don’t hesitate to take several shots of the same subject. Change the angle of the shot. Get a little closer. Adjust the lighting.
Why not fill the entire memory card with pictures of your kid at the pool, or your daughter in her cap and gown? The more pictures you take, the better the odds that you’ll get a few shots that will really thrill you.
Vary the Lighting
Using natural light will give better skin tones when photographing people, so try not to use the flash if you don’t have to. Outdoor daylight shots are easy, but you’ll have to be a little more creative when shooting indoors. Try using the light coming in from a window for warmer tones than you would get using the flash.
Experiment with natural lighting. You can get stronger shadows by moving your subject closer to a window, and turning your subject can create more dramatic shadows.
Eliminate Red-Eye
Red-eye is the result of light passing through your subject’s eye and reflecting back. You’ll get it more often when using your flash, just because the light from the flash isn’t as diffused as natural light. So the first tip for eliminating red-eye is simply to avoid using your flash when you don’t absolutely have to.
Another way to reduce red-eye is to have your subject look anywhere but at the camera. This reduces red-eye because any reflection isn’t directed back at your camera lens.
If you have to use the flash, some digital cameras have a built-in feature to automatically remove red-eye. Use it.
Go for Candid
Instead of posing two (or more) people looking directly at the camera, get a shot of them interacting with one another. Even two people having a conversation is more interesting than having them stand next to each other facing the camera. Some of the best professional portraits have the subject captured deep in thought, with their attention focused inward, rather than on the camera lens.
It makes a more interesting shot. Your portrait will look more natural - less posed.
Create a Scene
Putting your subject in the center of a photo is just boring. You’ll get a much more pleasing result if you place your subject off center when you frame the shot.
This is a truly professional technique. Place your subject so that they occupy 1/3 to 1/2 of the total composition, but NOT at the exact center of the frame. Capture an interesting background object in the rest of the frame.
Anybody can practice these techniques. They’re easy and you’ll get better, more professional photos.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Checking for Key Digital Camera Features
In this article, I shall provide a list of the digital camera key features that you should think and know about. Here’s a summary of what to look for:
1.Resolution
Resolution determines how sharp your image will be, how much you can enlarge a photo before the pixels start to becomedistracting, and how much you can crop a photo and still be left with adecent image that you can enlarge and manipulate.
2.Lens
The lens is the eye of your digital camera. Look for the following in your lens:
•You’ll want good-quality optics that focus a sharp image on yourcamera’s solid-state sensor. The best way to gauge the quality of the lens is to take a test photo or two. A vendor’s reputation or lab tests in magazines are other ways to evaluate a lens.
What’s the difference between magnification and zoom range?
Magnification deals purely with how large or small an image appears to sbe. For example, one lens may extend from a 28mm (35mm equivalent)to 85mm (35mm equivalent) magnifications, a 3:1 zoom range. Another lens might go from 35mm to 105mm (both 35mm equivalents) and also qualify as a 3:1 zoom range optic. However, the second lens would provide more relative magnification.
3.Storage
The kind and amount of removable storage is another key feature. The more storage space you have for photos, the more pictures you can take before “reloading” your digital camera. Most cameras use CompactFlash, Secure Digital, or other electronic “film” media.
4.Exposure controls
Except for the least expensive models, all digital cameras include automatic exposure controls that adjust the amount oflight reaching the sensor based on the lighting conditions of your subject. If the illumination is low, an auto exposure system uses a wider lens f-stop or exposes the sensor for a longer period of time. If there is a lot oflight, the exposure system reduces the amount of light reaching the sensor. Cameras with more versatile automatic exposure controls let you specify what type of exposure to use. For example, when shooting action, it’s often preferable to use the shortest shutter speed possible to freeze the motion and to adjust the size ofthe lens opening instead. Conversely, if you want a lot of your image to be in sharp focus (say, objects very close to the camera and very far are both important), you may be able to choose an exposure mode that favors maximum depth of field. You probably want a digital camera that can handle several different exposure modes and lets you set exposure yourself.
5.Focus controls
Most digital cameras also have an automated system for sharply focusing your images. Some are more versatile than others, and many cameras also let you focus manually to ensure that the subject matter you want to emphasize is the sharpest.
6.Viewfinders
Digital cameras generally have four ways to let you preview and compose your images prior to exposure. The color LCD panel on the back of the camera shows you the same image that the sensor is capturing. The LCD is often hard to view in bright light, so digital cameras also may have optical viewfinders that let you see a non electronic version ofthe frame. More-advanced cameras might include a second LCD (EVF) in the camera, where it is shielded from the glare of the surrounding light. Single lens reflexes (SLRs) let you see an optical version of the picture through the same lens used to take the photo.
7.Other equipment, other features
Finally, as you choose your digital photography gear, think about accessories, such as tripods, filters,add-on lenses, external electronic flash units, scanners, printers, and additional stuff. Even the storage media you use to archive your photos, such as CDs or DVDs, can all be important.
1.Resolution
Resolution determines how sharp your image will be, how much you can enlarge a photo before the pixels start to becomedistracting, and how much you can crop a photo and still be left with adecent image that you can enlarge and manipulate.
2.Lens
The lens is the eye of your digital camera. Look for the following in your lens:
•You’ll want good-quality optics that focus a sharp image on yourcamera’s solid-state sensor. The best way to gauge the quality of the lens is to take a test photo or two. A vendor’s reputation or lab tests in magazines are other ways to evaluate a lens.
- The lens also needs enough light-gathering power to let you shoot in reduced light levels. A camera’s light-gathering capabilities are measured in something called f-stops.
- The magnification power of the lens (how large or small an image appears to be from a particular shooting position) is another factor. A digital camera’s lens magnification can usually be varied by zooming in and out to make the image larger or smaller.
- A related factor, the zoom range, is another key characteristic to look at. Where magnification tells you only how large or small the image can be made to appear, the zoom range tells you the difference between the two. As I mention under the discussion of general camera categories, some lenses have only a small zoom range, say 2:1,whereas others have a longer range, up to 12:1 or more (which means the image size can be varied up to 12X).
What’s the difference between magnification and zoom range?
Magnification deals purely with how large or small an image appears to sbe. For example, one lens may extend from a 28mm (35mm equivalent)to 85mm (35mm equivalent) magnifications, a 3:1 zoom range. Another lens might go from 35mm to 105mm (both 35mm equivalents) and also qualify as a 3:1 zoom range optic. However, the second lens would provide more relative magnification.
3.Storage
The kind and amount of removable storage is another key feature. The more storage space you have for photos, the more pictures you can take before “reloading” your digital camera. Most cameras use CompactFlash, Secure Digital, or other electronic “film” media.
4.Exposure controls
Except for the least expensive models, all digital cameras include automatic exposure controls that adjust the amount oflight reaching the sensor based on the lighting conditions of your subject. If the illumination is low, an auto exposure system uses a wider lens f-stop or exposes the sensor for a longer period of time. If there is a lot oflight, the exposure system reduces the amount of light reaching the sensor. Cameras with more versatile automatic exposure controls let you specify what type of exposure to use. For example, when shooting action, it’s often preferable to use the shortest shutter speed possible to freeze the motion and to adjust the size ofthe lens opening instead. Conversely, if you want a lot of your image to be in sharp focus (say, objects very close to the camera and very far are both important), you may be able to choose an exposure mode that favors maximum depth of field. You probably want a digital camera that can handle several different exposure modes and lets you set exposure yourself.
5.Focus controls
Most digital cameras also have an automated system for sharply focusing your images. Some are more versatile than others, and many cameras also let you focus manually to ensure that the subject matter you want to emphasize is the sharpest.
6.Viewfinders
Digital cameras generally have four ways to let you preview and compose your images prior to exposure. The color LCD panel on the back of the camera shows you the same image that the sensor is capturing. The LCD is often hard to view in bright light, so digital cameras also may have optical viewfinders that let you see a non electronic version ofthe frame. More-advanced cameras might include a second LCD (EVF) in the camera, where it is shielded from the glare of the surrounding light. Single lens reflexes (SLRs) let you see an optical version of the picture through the same lens used to take the photo.
7.Other equipment, other features
Finally, as you choose your digital photography gear, think about accessories, such as tripods, filters,add-on lenses, external electronic flash units, scanners, printers, and additional stuff. Even the storage media you use to archive your photos, such as CDs or DVDs, can all be important.
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