Kevin's Kwik Guide to Digital Photography
There are plenty of ways to take pictures but this guide is mainly meant to encourage you just to take them. Everything else is secondary. Since digital cameras don't require us to develop film, go nuts and see what you come up with. The following are a few tips to help you think of different ways to get the shot you want and maybe even didn't know you wanted.
Equipment
As if you hadn't paid enough for your camera already
- Get an extra battery. Some cameras take AA batteries which makes it easy to get more. For any other proprietary camera power source you may just want to pony up so you never run out of juice.
- More storage. More memory cards, portable hard drives, and iPods can all afford you more space to shoot especially when you're away from a PC to off-load your pictures.
- Snag a mini tripod. They're easy to carry and provide just enough stabilization to get that group shot or try some nighttime photography.
- Bring your rights. A lawyer in Portland wrote up a guide to your legal rights in this time when photographing a building can make you seem suspicious. (source: www.krages.com/bpkphoto.htm)
The Flash
Light up your life
- Anything indoors. Our eyes are good at seeing things indoors while most cameras are not. Even with a couple lights on in a room you'll get blurry shots without the flash. Tripods help but aren't as convenient. Some may think it's annoying but use the flash because it's better than getting blurry shots. Besides, they'll thank you for the photos later anyway!
- It's all washed out. Using the flash too close to your target can white wash photos out. A good trick is to step back, zoom in, then take the picture. You should get the same “close-up” effect without the wash out.
- No flash in the glass. There's nothing wrong with taking pictures through windows but, if you can, turn the flash off because it will always reflect and ruin your photo.
- Shoot into the sun. You can take photos with the sun and other bright lights in your face. By using the flash you can help light up what's in the foreground. Without it you can get cool silhouette effects.
Near or Far
Up close and personal
- See the world close-up. Most cameras have a macro mode (that little flower button) that allow you to get seriously close to things. You may needs lots of light to keep photos from blurring or sometimes the flash may be good enough not to wash things out at such a close range.
- Self portraits. If no one else is around or you just don't trust them with your camera, wrap the wrist or neck strap around your arm and stretch as far as you can to capture yourself in the scene. Remember, no film is wasted so try and try again if you don't get it the first time.
Get stupid!
- Down low. Crouch, kneel, or lay down to get that kids-, flowers-, or bugs-eye view.
- Up high. You're not wasting film so hoist your camera above your head to get above the crowd or a pesky fence. If you're careful, you can also climb up on a ledge, stairs, or chair to get above it all.
- Make it art. Sometimes the most seemingly mundane things can be beautiful depending on how they're lit up or at what angle you take your photo. A rusty fence. Reflections in a car bumper. Bark on a tree. It's all good.
Going deep
- Zoom in a blur the background. You can sometimes increase the depth of your photo by backing away from your subject then zooming in on it. This narrows the range of focus of your shot making the subject sharp and the background out of focus.
Special Effects
The camera thinks it's cool...
- B&W or color. Many cameras have special effects modes ranging from black and white to antique and even ones that are suppose to look like sketches or comic books. Stick with the basics in the camera and use software at home to make copies and have fun. Remember: You can't go back!
- Don't resize or crop. Some cameras will allow you to resize or crop a photo in the camera but you may lose quality not to mention portions of the actual image. Keep the original then play with copies with software on your PC at home.
- No date stamps! Turn visible date stamps off since they can't easily be removed from pictures and the camera automatically records the date and time in the image file itself. That invisible stamp can be called up anytime on your PC.
- Mute the sound. Cameras that beep, blurp, chirp, and have a fake shutter sound spoil the covert fun. Half the time you'll get better candid results if you can turn those sounds off.
- Delete it later. If you have enough storage (see above) you should avoid deleting photos in the camera unless your 100% certain. Wait until you look at it in detail on a PC monitor so you can make an informed decision about what you get rid of.
...But you're cooler
- Fools manual mode. You can alter the cameras shutter speed by clicking the shutter button part way. Want your shot lighter? Focus on something darker. Want your shot darker? Focus on something lighter. The downside is this also locks your focus so try this trick on something at a similar distance to what your shooting.
- People in B&W. Often times I prefer to photograph people in black and white. It tends to soften blemishes and, especially in candid situations, better focus attention on the person's actions/emotions.
Generally Speaking
I couldn't fit everything into nice categories
- Avoid modern messes. Keep power lines, billboards, power boxes, etc. out of your photos unless you're intentionally shooting such objects. They can really mar a scene but are certainly sometimes unavoidable.
- Steady night shots. Not only should you use a tripod for night shots of city lights or twilight sunsets but you can set your timer to avoid any camera shake when you press the shutter button. A 2 or 3 second timer works best for this.
- Combine stuff. See if you can bring together different subjects in your photos. Like a tourist putting a person with a place, try putting a place with a place or a thing with a place.
And finally...
- Be a tourist in your own town. Carry your camera in your purse or camera bag where ever you go. Fun photos pop up all the time and, remember, you're not spending money on film so shoot away!
Comments (1) | To Top
2/22/2007 @ 10:28am
Kevin: This is a good article, thank you. I've been trying to figure out how to fool the light meter and hadn't grasped the principle...now I do. Also like the idea of shooting into the sun.
You practice what you preach. As I read through your hints, I recalled your shots from the Tideflats and thought: Yep, he did that.
I snuck down to the 11St warehouses yesterday in the afternoon sun. The colors were there.
Thanks for this article.
Best,
Sharon
by Sharon Styer