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Snap Shots: by Harry Flashman
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Better Digital Photography
There is an unfortunate concept that today’s electronic digital cameras will
always provide you with great images. And the more pixels, the better.
Unfortunate, because it just isn’t so!
The first item refers to the placement of the image in the frame. This is where
the ability to instantly review images in digital photography is so good. Look
at the image in the viewer on the back of the camera and see if it can be
improved by different placement of the subject within the frame. Remember the
‘Rule of Thirds’ (place the main subject one third of the way in from either
side and one third of the way up or down from the top or bottom of the picture).
This is a tried and true rule of thumb and you can try it out so easily with
digital photography. It may feel ‘wrong’ initially not having the subject slap
bang in the middle of the frame, but try it and you will find you are getting
better, more pleasing pictures.
While still on the subject of the overall image, don’t forget to take each shot
two ways - in the landscape (horizontal) format and the second in the portrait
(vertical) format. Again it sounds strange to shoot a landscape in the vertical
format, but it gives the viewer a different emphasis, which can improve an
otherwise ‘ordinary’ shot.
With most digitals having reasonably good zoom lenses these days, experiment
with different zoom settings and distance from the subject. A ‘tele’ setting can
give you a very different photograph from the ‘wide’ setting taken closer to the
subject. This ability to experiment, at the time of shooting, is one of the
biggest plusses for digital photography.
One of my standard tips is “Walk several meters closer”, and by doing this you
will find that you can make the subject fill the frame (to even overflowing) and
get rid of horrible distracting backgrounds.
You can also see the difference in the backgrounds between shooting at f2.8 as
opposed to f16. The larger aperture (f2.8) gives a blurred background, which is
exactly what the ‘portrait’ mode does. Many of the tricky settings are just
automatic combining of different apertures/shutter speeds, and a general
knowledge of first photographic principles will always help your photography
too.
Photography is in reality ‘painting’ with light and you should never forget
this. The position of the subject, relative to the sun (the celestial lighting
technician) can make or break your photos. The amount of contrast in any scene
can also baffle the digital sensors so they will try to balance out the
contrasts which can spoil the effect you were trying to create. If your camera
shows you those dinky little histograms, you can soon see if the light is biased
in any particular direction.
What you have to do is try and balance bright or dim light. In low light
conditions, try using your camera’s night shooting mode, or lower the ISO to 50
or 100 to get some detail in low light. Also look at trying to use a tripod, or
steady yourself against a wall or pillar to avoid moving the camera.
In bright light, try your camera’s Beach or Sunshine mode, or go to manual mode
and choose a fast shutter speed to control the amount of light that comes in.
Be careful if you place your subject in front of a bright window or they will
become a silhouette. Try placing them off to the side of the window instead, or
facing a natural light source.
For better photographs indoors, turn your flash off. Try to maximize the light
by pulling back the curtains, opening doors and turning on the incandescent
lights in the room. Sure, you will have slower shutter speeds and you may have
to look at using the tripod, or even just holding the camera firmly on a table,
but you will get more natural photographs.
Finally, practice getting the ‘decisive moment’ by partially depressing the
shutter button when taking candid shots. This means you are not waiting for the
camera to focus, before the shutter fires. Or simply set the focus manually.
Despite the electronics - you are in charge!
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