It's fun to take pictures. and the little point and shoot cameras make it easy. But even with them, you have more options than the "auto" setting.
Granted, most folks think "auto" is THE best and only setting worth considering. They figure anything else is a whole lot of complex mumbo-jumbo that they don’t need to bother about. While generally the auto setting will deliver suitable photographs, there can be times when faded colors, shadows as well as reflections, along with other things could possibly spoil just what would otherwise be an outstanding photograph.
When that happens, taking manual control of the camera can be a very good idea.
With that in mind, here's a few common digital photography procedures that will help you with a couple of common problems.
A typical trouble with digital cameras is having colors that look faded or don't have any warmth – this is because of the white balance auto setting. When a digital camera is set to “Auto” your camera will be programmed to balance the colors in a particular way. If the photos are taken in bright sun rays that may result in a balancing which makes a few of the darker colors look faded.
In the event that this is a problem you have to deal with, a fairly simple solution is to alter the setting form “Auto” to “Cloudy” seeing that this changes the balance ratio and permit for much more color as well as contrast generating in deeper hues and superior color tones.
If you enjoy landscape photography, you could get help from using a polarizing filter that can improve the contrast producing in crisper images. The majority of digital cameras take a filter and make any adjustments that may be needed automatically.
Try using a polarizing filter. You will see color definition is clearer. Not to mention there is also more saturation in the colors. If you want to see the difference it makes, just get a snapshot of the ıdentical subject matter with and without the filter. When doing this, try and ensure that the sun is over your shoulder as the polarizing effect connected with the filter is greatest when the light is falling directly on the subject.
Shadows are another problem that can destroy a photograph. One way to get around this situation is to implement a flash even when taking a snapshot outdoors in the sun. While the use of a flash in sunlight may not sound like something you need to do, it can assist in reducint the dark sections brought about by the shadows. Most cameras won't allow the flash to fire if there is sufficient light over the whole metering area, so the issue of overexposure is not a thing you need worry about. In the event that your digital camera is lacking in advanced functions, try using a flash outdoors and check out the results. You will soon be able to tell when to utilize the flash.
So get your favorite digital camera and try out some of these techniques. You can have a great time taking shots using these ideas for better digital photography.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Getting Sharp Pictures, Part III
More Advanced Digital Photography Secrets For Sharp Shots
If you have a digital SLR camera, there are even more ways to make sure your camera stays steady while taking pictures.
The first is to use mirror lock-up. This limits the movement inside the camera by locking the mirror in the up position until after the picture is taken. You have to press the shutter release button twice on the cable release or remote to take a picture (you surely aren't going to all this trouble and still pressing the shutter release on your camera are you?). The first press lifts the mirror and the second press actually takes the picture.
The second method is to turn off the Vibration Reduction or Image Stabilization. Though it sounds counter productive, once a camera is stabilized with the tripod and other methods, the vibration reduction keeps looking for movement. When the camera isn't moving, vibration reduction can cause movement by looking for it. The best rule is to keep any kind of automatic vibration controls turned off when using a tripod, then turn them back on when hand-holding the camera.
One last way to increase the sharpness of your pictures is to have good glass. The lens you use makes a big difference. Quality lens are more expensive, but good glass is worth it. You get what you pay for, like most things in life. The great pictures you get will make it a great investment.
Use as many methods as you can to steady your camera, and you’ll have a much better chance of getting those lovely clear and sharp photographs.
If you have a digital SLR camera, there are even more ways to make sure your camera stays steady while taking pictures.
The first is to use mirror lock-up. This limits the movement inside the camera by locking the mirror in the up position until after the picture is taken. You have to press the shutter release button twice on the cable release or remote to take a picture (you surely aren't going to all this trouble and still pressing the shutter release on your camera are you?). The first press lifts the mirror and the second press actually takes the picture.
The second method is to turn off the Vibration Reduction or Image Stabilization. Though it sounds counter productive, once a camera is stabilized with the tripod and other methods, the vibration reduction keeps looking for movement. When the camera isn't moving, vibration reduction can cause movement by looking for it. The best rule is to keep any kind of automatic vibration controls turned off when using a tripod, then turn them back on when hand-holding the camera.
One last way to increase the sharpness of your pictures is to have good glass. The lens you use makes a big difference. Quality lens are more expensive, but good glass is worth it. You get what you pay for, like most things in life. The great pictures you get will make it a great investment.
Use as many methods as you can to steady your camera, and you’ll have a much better chance of getting those lovely clear and sharp photographs.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Getting Sharp Pictures, Part II
Tripods For Better Focus
There’s no getting around the fact that it’s easier to get a tack sharp photo using a tripod. A tripod holds a camera much steadier than you can hope to. With a tripod, like other photography equipment, you get what you pay for. Cheap tripods are helpful, but won't hold the camera as stil as a more expensive tripod does. The best tip here is to buy the best tripod you can reasonably afford.
The more expensive tripods don’t come with the head attached. This must be bought separately, but then you can choose which you like best. Buying a good quality ballhead for your tripod will help you get sharp photos by keeping your camera from sliding.
If you’re somewhere that carrying a tripod just won’t work, beanbags make a nice cushion for cameras in these settings. They cushion your camera, helping to steady it and increase your ability to situate the camera to focus on the subject you want.
To improve your chances of a tack sharp photo even more, use a cable release instead of pressing the shutter. Movement from pressing the shutter may not seem like much, but it can be enough to keep you from getting a tack sharp photo.
If you don’t have a cable release, the self timer will also work. Although you press the shutter, the camera has time to stabilize and steady before actually taking the picture.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Getting Sharp Pictures, Part I
The Best Ways To Get Tack Sharp Photographs . . .
A photograph can have all sorts of good things, but it's most important for it to be in sharp focus.Without sharp focus, a good subject, color and lighting will still not make a good picture.
Photographers have somewhat varying opinions on what constitutes a tack sharp picture, but generally, a tack sharp photograph has good, clean lines. The picture has clear definition, instead of a soft blending of lines, or even downright blurry.
There are several things you can do to increase your chances of getting that coveted tack sharp picture.
Hand-Held Digital Photography Tips
If you’re hand-holding your camera, brace your arms against your sides to help steady the camera.This is the time to have your camera's anti-shake technology such as Vibration Reduction (VR) or Image Stabilization (IS) lens turned on.
You can also lean against a wall or tree or whatever sturdy object that’s handy, and help keep yourself and your camera steady.You can also keep the camera steady by leaning or laying it on some close by sturdy object.
Steadying your camera by hooking the strap under your elbow and wrapping the rest around your forearm will also help stabilize the camera and hold it steady in your hand.
Getting those tack sharp photos while hand-holding your camera can be difficult, so to increase your chances of getting that perfect shot, use the burst or continuous shooting mode on your camera to take several shots at once. At least one picture should be in sharp focus when you've taken a whole series of shots.
A photograph can have all sorts of good things, but it's most important for it to be in sharp focus.Without sharp focus, a good subject, color and lighting will still not make a good picture.
Photographers have somewhat varying opinions on what constitutes a tack sharp picture, but generally, a tack sharp photograph has good, clean lines. The picture has clear definition, instead of a soft blending of lines, or even downright blurry.
There are several things you can do to increase your chances of getting that coveted tack sharp picture.
Hand-Held Digital Photography Tips
If you’re hand-holding your camera, brace your arms against your sides to help steady the camera.This is the time to have your camera's anti-shake technology such as Vibration Reduction (VR) or Image Stabilization (IS) lens turned on.
You can also lean against a wall or tree or whatever sturdy object that’s handy, and help keep yourself and your camera steady.You can also keep the camera steady by leaning or laying it on some close by sturdy object.
Steadying your camera by hooking the strap under your elbow and wrapping the rest around your forearm will also help stabilize the camera and hold it steady in your hand.
Getting those tack sharp photos while hand-holding your camera can be difficult, so to increase your chances of getting that perfect shot, use the burst or continuous shooting mode on your camera to take several shots at once. At least one picture should be in sharp focus when you've taken a whole series of shots.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Let there be light!
Lighting is important for a good picture in any type of photography. Pictures with different amounts of light have greatly different looks, and even the emotional appeal is different.A brightly lit picture can seem more cheerful, for instance, while a dark picture sometimes has a gloomy feel to it.
Traditional photography captured the light by impressions on chemicals, while digital photography uses pixels to capture light.The best light is natural, but sometimes there's not enough available for a good picture.Artifical lighting provides illumination when there's not enough natural lighting.
How Much Light Is There?
While you can see for yourself to some extent how much light is available, to get precise measurements you need a light meter. Light meters are not the same thing as flashes.A light meter's job is to tell you how much light is being reflected off the subject of your picture, not to provide light.
A handheld light meter will measure the light and was once a standard part of any serious photographer’s equipment.Since most digital cameras now have built-in light meters, you can tell how bright the picture will be just by looking through the eyepiece.If it's too dark, the camera's built-in light meter will set off the automatic flash.
Histograms Instead of Light Meters
Also, with digital cameras, it’s not so important to have a light meter because most have a histogram.Histograms can be used in a similar fashion since a histogram shows how light or dark a picture is.
If you don’t have a histogram on your camera, or just don’t want to fuss with it, the simplest method is to take a picture and review it to see how it looks, and if it’s too dark or light, adjust by adding more light or lowering the amount of light.
With a little patience and practice, you’ll discover the perfect lighting for your picture.
Traditional photography captured the light by impressions on chemicals, while digital photography uses pixels to capture light.The best light is natural, but sometimes there's not enough available for a good picture.Artifical lighting provides illumination when there's not enough natural lighting.
How Much Light Is There?
While you can see for yourself to some extent how much light is available, to get precise measurements you need a light meter. Light meters are not the same thing as flashes.A light meter's job is to tell you how much light is being reflected off the subject of your picture, not to provide light.
A handheld light meter will measure the light and was once a standard part of any serious photographer’s equipment.Since most digital cameras now have built-in light meters, you can tell how bright the picture will be just by looking through the eyepiece.If it's too dark, the camera's built-in light meter will set off the automatic flash.
Histograms Instead of Light Meters
Also, with digital cameras, it’s not so important to have a light meter because most have a histogram.Histograms can be used in a similar fashion since a histogram shows how light or dark a picture is.
If you don’t have a histogram on your camera, or just don’t want to fuss with it, the simplest method is to take a picture and review it to see how it looks, and if it’s too dark or light, adjust by adding more light or lowering the amount of light.
With a little patience and practice, you’ll discover the perfect lighting for your picture.
Friday, October 15, 2010
More memory please!
You can have a dry camera. You can have a camera with batteries. But if you haven't got digital film... in other words, a memory card.... well, you can't do much with your camera.
When you buy a digital camera, sometimes it comes with a memory card. Sometimes it doesn't. But even if it does, quite likely it won't be a very big one.
So you need to buy another memory stick. And whle you're at it, you might want to get two. Especially if you're going to be out and about where it will be difficult to download your pictures.
It's handy to have an extra memory card, and these days they are relatively inexpensive.
You can buy two smaller cards instead of one great big one. That way if something happens to the card.. Oh, I dropped it in a mud puddle! Or oh! a sector went bad! Or man, I lost it somewhere!
It's just better to have a back-up, and to have it handy instead of having to wait until you can order another card, or get somewhere to buy one.
More memory! It's always a good thing to have.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Water, Water, everywhere!
You want to take pictures.
It's raining.
Or you're skiing.
or your snorkeling.
Or it's even a heavy fog.
or your snorkeling.
Or it's even a heavy fog.
Let's face it, wet environments and digital cameras don't mix too well, unless you happen to have one of the new waterproof cameras.
So what do you do when you want to take pictures but you don't want to ruin your camera?
well, in a pinch you could try a plastic bag. Cut a hole for the lens, look through the opening in the bag, and try to keep as much water as possible away from your camera.
It won't be perfect, but it will help. You'll need to check your camera out when you get back inside, and throughly dry it anyplace it got wet.
There are products available that will help keep your camera dry. There's a good article about waterproof camera housing here.
Choose your favored method, and don't let a little damp weather keep you from taking pictures!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Remember The EverReady Bunny
When you're out taking pictures, dead batteries are bad news. Let's face it, with a digital camera, if you haven't got batteries, your camera is just an expensive, but useless, box.
You don't want to be ready to take that fantastic picture, and the camera dies. AND YOU DON'T HAVE ANY NEW BATTERIES. NOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Always keep a spare set of batteries in your camera case, or in your purse, or in SOMETHING that you always have with you when you have your camera.
Repeat after me...
ALWAYS KEEP SPARE BATTERIES HANDY!!!
You don't want to be ready to take that fantastic picture, and the camera dies. AND YOU DON'T HAVE ANY NEW BATTERIES. NOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Always keep a spare set of batteries in your camera case, or in your purse, or in SOMETHING that you always have with you when you have your camera.
Repeat after me...
ALWAYS KEEP SPARE BATTERIES HANDY!!!
If you're out in cold weather taking pictures, the batteries will die even quicker, so it's even more important to have spares on hand.
Better to spend a little extra on keeping batteries readily available than to miss that special picture because your camera is DOA.
Rechargeable batteries are great because you can have a set in the charger and a set in your camera... but it's even smarter to have a 3rd set, so that way you have:
Rechargeable batteries are great because you can have a set in the charger and a set in your camera... but it's even smarter to have a 3rd set, so that way you have:
- a set in the camera,
- a set in the charger,
- AND an extra set WITH you in case the ones in the camera die.
Remember our mantra. . .
ALWAYS KEEP SPARE BATTERIES HANDY!!!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Small Cameras For Great Action
It's true, you really don't have to buy a big, expensive camera to get some great action shots. A lot of of the more inexpensive digital cameras will take some great photos. If you would like to get a small camera to take to sporting events, for instance, here are some tips of what to look for.
Find out what scene selections are available on the camera. Most of the digital cameras available these days come with a variety of settings for landscape, portrait, twilight, beach, and so on. Some will have a setting for action or sports shots. It’s often depicted by the icon of a person running, but it does vary so check out the literature or camera manual to find the right setting. Making use of this setting is the easiest way to take action shots.
Another thing to look for is a camera with a “burst” mode. There are different names for this, but the idea is the camera takes several shots in quick succession before pausing to write the information to memory. This will help you improve your chances of getting the shot you want. (The down side is you won’t be able to take a picture for a few moments afterwards while the camera writes all those pictures to the memory media.)
Shutter lag can be a problem when taking action photos. That is the time between when you press the shutter and the camera actually takes the picture. It's different from camera to camera, so look for a camera with the features you want that has the shortest lag time.
You can also shorten the lag time by pre-focusing. All that means is you press the shutter button half way down and allow the camera to focus in on the subject. That makes it quicker to take the actual picture by pressing the shutter the rest of the way down. For example, if someone is running down the field and you want a picture, follow them with the camera, press the shutter half-way, then when you’re ready complete the shot.
Once you’ve picked out your favorite inexpensive digital camera, don't forget to practice with it. Don't wait until you're at the sports event of the year to use your camera for the first time. The opportunity to get that great picture will be gone before you figure out how to get it! Practice lots! After all, it doesn't cost anything but some battery life to take pictures!
Ready, aim… take that picture!
Find out what scene selections are available on the camera. Most of the digital cameras available these days come with a variety of settings for landscape, portrait, twilight, beach, and so on. Some will have a setting for action or sports shots. It’s often depicted by the icon of a person running, but it does vary so check out the literature or camera manual to find the right setting. Making use of this setting is the easiest way to take action shots.
Another thing to look for is a camera with a “burst” mode. There are different names for this, but the idea is the camera takes several shots in quick succession before pausing to write the information to memory. This will help you improve your chances of getting the shot you want. (The down side is you won’t be able to take a picture for a few moments afterwards while the camera writes all those pictures to the memory media.)
Shutter lag can be a problem when taking action photos. That is the time between when you press the shutter and the camera actually takes the picture. It's different from camera to camera, so look for a camera with the features you want that has the shortest lag time.
You can also shorten the lag time by pre-focusing. All that means is you press the shutter button half way down and allow the camera to focus in on the subject. That makes it quicker to take the actual picture by pressing the shutter the rest of the way down. For example, if someone is running down the field and you want a picture, follow them with the camera, press the shutter half-way, then when you’re ready complete the shot.
Once you’ve picked out your favorite inexpensive digital camera, don't forget to practice with it. Don't wait until you're at the sports event of the year to use your camera for the first time. The opportunity to get that great picture will be gone before you figure out how to get it! Practice lots! After all, it doesn't cost anything but some battery life to take pictures!
Ready, aim… take that picture!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Choosing A Pocket Camera
You can't take pictures without a camera. So if you haven’t got a point and shoot digital camera yet, what are you waiting for? These little gems are the most easy digital cameras to use that are available today, but they still have great features and take excellent pictures. It's a snap to get good pictures with al the preset selections!
When choosing what digital compact camera you would like to buy, it helps to first have some idea what kind of pictures you plan on taking most of the time. You need to decide if you just want an all-around sort of camera, or you'd like to find one that is really good at macro photography or sports photography or maybe you want to take a lot of indoor photos.
When choosing a camera, take into account anything you are particularly interested in when it comes to the camera features. The automatic settings will work in most situations, and the preset scene modes take care of a lot more. But some models particularly shine in a specific picture taking situation, and that’s what you need to find – a camera really good at what you want to do with it.
Learn some of the lingo. . .
Words like like megapixels, resolution, digital zoom and more will pop up when you shop for a digital camera.
The megapixels and resolution aren’t as big a concern on compact cameras these days. All but the smallest of these should provide decent snapshot sized prints. You need to think about getting a camera with higher megapixels only if you want to make a lot of enlargements on a regular basis.
the Lens Matters
Compact compact cameras either do not have zoom lens, or not a lot of optical zoom with 3 or 4X being most common. Good optical zoom lens take up space and are expensive. One camera can't be small and inexpensive and still have lots of optical zoom. There’s not enough room in the camera body for the lens to collapse back inside, and higher optical zoom drives up the cost.
However, while you may not be able to zoom in and get a picture of a little bird half-way across the county, you can still get some really good pictures with a compact camera. Carry these little carrys to sporting events, parties, hikes and on vacation. Not to mention they take a lot better pictures than most phone cameras do. Where you go, your little camera can go too.
Hey, don't miss out on the fun. Find one of the easy digital cameras you like, and get to taking pictures!
When choosing what digital compact camera you would like to buy, it helps to first have some idea what kind of pictures you plan on taking most of the time. You need to decide if you just want an all-around sort of camera, or you'd like to find one that is really good at macro photography or sports photography or maybe you want to take a lot of indoor photos.
When choosing a camera, take into account anything you are particularly interested in when it comes to the camera features. The automatic settings will work in most situations, and the preset scene modes take care of a lot more. But some models particularly shine in a specific picture taking situation, and that’s what you need to find – a camera really good at what you want to do with it.
Learn some of the lingo. . .
Words like like megapixels, resolution, digital zoom and more will pop up when you shop for a digital camera.
The megapixels and resolution aren’t as big a concern on compact cameras these days. All but the smallest of these should provide decent snapshot sized prints. You need to think about getting a camera with higher megapixels only if you want to make a lot of enlargements on a regular basis.
the Lens Matters
Compact compact cameras either do not have zoom lens, or not a lot of optical zoom with 3 or 4X being most common. Good optical zoom lens take up space and are expensive. One camera can't be small and inexpensive and still have lots of optical zoom. There’s not enough room in the camera body for the lens to collapse back inside, and higher optical zoom drives up the cost.
However, while you may not be able to zoom in and get a picture of a little bird half-way across the county, you can still get some really good pictures with a compact camera. Carry these little carrys to sporting events, parties, hikes and on vacation. Not to mention they take a lot better pictures than most phone cameras do. Where you go, your little camera can go too.
Hey, don't miss out on the fun. Find one of the easy digital cameras you like, and get to taking pictures!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Tips for Action Shots
You don't have to have a big, fancy camera to get action shots. You can take some decent shots with the little compact cameras too.
Here are a few pointers to help you get better action pictures:
* If you're buying a compact camera, buy the one in your price range that has the shortest lag time (the time between when you press the shutter button and the camera actually captures the picture). The time should be listed somewhere among the camera's features.
* With your new camera, or with a camera you already have, you can improve the lag time by pre-focusing. All you have to do is push down half-way on the shutter button, then when you see the picture you want, finish pushing down the button.
* Look for the burst mode, sports mode... whatever it might be called on your camera. The burst mode takes several pictures, one right after the other, when you push the shutter down. That increases the likelihood you'll capture at least one good picture of the action.
Sometimes the sports mode does the same thing, or sometimes it just means the camera will use a faster shutter speed to freeze the action.
Do a little practicing with your camera and see which of these tips you like to use BEFORE you go to a big sports event. You don't have to pay to develop those pictures, so some practice shots around the house will help you figure out how to use the camera so you don't fumble around trying to figure it out when you want to get a great shot of the action!
Here are a few pointers to help you get better action pictures:
* If you're buying a compact camera, buy the one in your price range that has the shortest lag time (the time between when you press the shutter button and the camera actually captures the picture). The time should be listed somewhere among the camera's features.
* With your new camera, or with a camera you already have, you can improve the lag time by pre-focusing. All you have to do is push down half-way on the shutter button, then when you see the picture you want, finish pushing down the button.
* Look for the burst mode, sports mode... whatever it might be called on your camera. The burst mode takes several pictures, one right after the other, when you push the shutter down. That increases the likelihood you'll capture at least one good picture of the action.
Sometimes the sports mode does the same thing, or sometimes it just means the camera will use a faster shutter speed to freeze the action.
Do a little practicing with your camera and see which of these tips you like to use BEFORE you go to a big sports event. You don't have to pay to develop those pictures, so some practice shots around the house will help you figure out how to use the camera so you don't fumble around trying to figure it out when you want to get a great shot of the action!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Digital Photography Addict
I'll admit it. I probably need a 12-step plan for digital photography addiction. It costs me money. It costs me time. I'm obsessed.
But I guess I'll just live with my addiction. :-)
I'm always on the look-out for more information about digital photography. I like to write about digital photography. So I figured a blog about the digital photography hints I find would be a good fit.
I'm always trying to do better digital photography!
But I guess I'll just live with my addiction. :-)
I'm always on the look-out for more information about digital photography. I like to write about digital photography. So I figured a blog about the digital photography hints I find would be a good fit.
I'm always trying to do better digital photography!
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