Light is the single most important element when it comes to taking photographs. Whatever type of camera you use – film or digital – a wet or dry darkroom, you are involved in portraits, landscapes, under water, aerial or any of the myriad photographic areas, you cannot escape light and its use. If you desire to understand photography then you need to learn as much as you can about light.

The following article provides the terminology used in the study of illumination and how it relates back to your camera and associated equipment.

Intensity describes the amount of light. This determines the shutter speed and aperture needed to make a photograph. Intensity is measured by a light meter.

Direction to the way the light falls on the subject, relative to the camera. Changing the direction at which light meets the subject significantly changes perception of relationships between subjects.

Specular implies contrasty lighting because specular light is from a single source, often called a point source. Specular light makes very sharp-edge shadows. The sun, a single spot or flash without diffusion are examples of point sources.

Diffuse is the opposite of specular; it appears to come from many directions. Diffusion softens the edges of shadows and lowers contrast. Diffuse lighting in nature is created by atmospheric moisture, dust, haze, pollution that refracts and reflects until it seems to have an undefined direction. Studio lights are diffused with screens that vary the direction of the light rays.

Source is ambient or supplemental: these are often called natural or artificial illumination. These terms suggest the physical origin of the light. Artificial light is often momentary (flash) that exists only for the camera.

Artificial light is added to a scene to modify ambient light to create the desired quality of light. Artificial lighting may be steady state and predictable (hot lights [quartz/tungsten] candle, fire) or momentary and transient (electronic flash). The precise effects of momentary light on the subject can usually only be guessed, or by digital samples or a Polaroid proof can be made. Professional studio flash units have modeling lights which aid the photographer in anticipating overall results.

The sun is the principle continuous light source and may be modified by diffusion or refection and may be supplemented by artificial illumination.

Color refers to both the subjective and descriptive terms we use to describe light as cool, meaning toward blue, or warm, toward red. When color is described scientifically, the opposite is true, colder light is redder and hotter light is bluer. The scientific description of light is radiation from a black body at a certain temperature measured in degrees Kelvin. All photographic light sources are measured by their color temperature.

Visible illumination ranges from deep red to blue-violet (6,800^oK). The hotter a light source is, the bluer the light appears to the eye. Color temperature is important in B/W photography because films are not equally sensitive to all colors and our subjective responses to the color of light.

About the Author

Roo du Jardin is a photographer who runs an informational website about Online Photography Courses. Read some more tips, techniques and resources at Online Photography Courses blog.

All digital cameras have an automatic exposure setting, so it may seem that exposure is something that is best left up to the camera. It’s certainly true that in some situations your camera’s automatic exposure system will produce properly exposed shots, but there are also many situations where it will not.

Automatic exposure systems only tend to work well when a scene and the subject animal consist mainly of mid-tones. This is because automatic exposure averages out the exposure of the scene as a whole, achieving an overall exposure equivalent to if the scene was a uniform mid-tone grey. Since virtually no real world scenes consist of purely mid-tone grey, this can mean that your wildlife photos may end up incorrectly exposed if you rely purely on your camera’s default exposure settings.

Scenes that consist of mainly very pale colours will come out underexposed (such as a pale animal in the snow) and scenes with very dark colours will come out overexposed. Furthermore, pale animals against dark backgrounds may be overexposed and dark animals against pale backgrounds may be underexposed. Animals with pied markings such as puffins or magpies will usually have their white areas overexposed. Therefore it is often necessary in wildlife photography to adjust your camera’s default settings to correctly expose your shots.

Exposure Settings
Prosumer and DSLR cameras have three main light metering modes available:

• Multi-Segment or Matrix – this is a camera’s default automatic exposure mode. This divides the image into a number of segments and averages out the exposure for the scene as a whole. This mode can work well for frame filling close-ups of animals and for wider shots of scenes consisting of mainly mid-tones, but as explained in the previous section, this mode will often produce incorrectly exposed images when the scene has significant areas of extreme light or dark.
• Spot Metering – in this mode the camera bases its exposure value on a single point in the image (usually the centre of the image, but this point can be adjusted on most cameras). This is a useful mode for wildlife photography as it often can enable you to achieve the correct exposure for the subject animal. Spot metering should however be used with care as the light readings can vary significantly depending on where you point the camera – it is best to choose a point on your subject that has a mid-tone.
• Centre-Weighted – like multi-segment metering this takes an average of the scene as a whole, but in this mode more importance is given to the centre of the image in the averaging process, meaning that the camera tries to ensure the centre of the image is correctly exposed. This is another good setting for wildlife photography that unlike spot metering is less sensitive to variations in scene brightness. As centre-weighted metering still uses as form of averaging it can still however produce incorrect exposure if the centre of the image contains extremes of light or dark.

!inlineRSS:news_photographytips If you find your camera’s metering doesn’t produce good results for a given scene (e.g. when your subject animal is very light of dark) you can use the manual EV Compensation (Exposure Value Compensation) setting on your camera to adjust the exposure it will use. For example, without EV compensation a spot-metered or centre-weighted picture of a white swan is likely to come out underexposed (as the camera tries to achieve a mid-tone grey for the swan’s white plumage). By setting your camera to a positive EV Compensation (you may need to use a little trial and error to find the exact amount of compensation required) you’ll be able to get a picture where the swan’s plumage is exposed correctly.

Another trick you can use to get the correct exposure is to use the exposure bracketing function on your camera. In this mode the camera takes three shots at different exposure settings, one at the camera’s recommended exposure, one slightly underexposed and one slightly overexposed, increasing the likelihood that one will be correctly exposed. It should be noted that as bracketing takes multiple exposures it is not particularly suitable for shooting animals in action since the animal is likely to move between exposures making each bracketed shot different, and unless you are very lucky, the best exposed shot might not be the shot with the animal in the best position.

Checking For Correct Exposure
You may be tempted to try and check the exposure of a picture after you have taken it by viewing it on your camera’s screen. While this may give you rough idea, it is not very reliable as a screen’s brightness can vary and the ambient lighting conditions can affect how an image appears on the screen. A far more reliable way of assessing exposure is to look at your camera’s histogram. The histogram is a graph showing the distribution of tones from light to dark in an image. For most shots you want a bell shaped histogram with the majority of pixels towards the middle of the graph, although this does not necessarily hold true for pictures that have significant light or dark areas.

Another feature most cameras provide for checking exposure is an image playback mode where the massively overexposed parts of the image flash on screen. Massively overexposed means a region of an image is so overexposed that it has gone to pure white – this is referred to as clipped or burned out.

Overexposure to the point where significant portions of the image are clipped is something you should avoid at all costs in your digital photography. Once a portion of an image is clipped all information in that part of the image is lost – nothing can be done in tools like Photoshop to recover it. It should be noted here that it is fine to clip specular highlights, for example caused by the sun reflecting in the animal’s eyes, but clipping large areas of detail should always be avoided.

The problems associated with clipping mean that it is generally safer to slightly underexpose a digital image than it is to overexpose it, as this will retain more detail in the highlights. Underexposed images can be corrected easily in tools like Photoshop, but if an image is significantly underexposed the corrected image will have an undesirable grainy texture called ‘noise’. Slight overexposure can also be corrected in Photoshop but only when clipping hasn’t occurred.

About the Author

Ben Juby is a wildlife photography enthusiast and freelance web developer. More wildlife photography tips and wildlife photography articles are available at his website: http://www.digital-nature.info

Tip 1: The Rule of Thirds is a time-honored technique professional photographers use to improve composition. Imagine a tic-tac-toe grid over the image you want to take. Use the intersection of those lines to place your subject slightly off center, and bring interest up or down.

Tip 2: Take photos at various angles and distances to give you more options to choose from. Also experiment with vertical and horizontal camera orientation—you may discover that this simple shift yields interesting results.

Tip 3: Eliminate distracting background clutter by getting closer to your subject. Or try using your camera’s Portrait pre-set mode. This will keep objects close to you in focus, while blurring the background. You can achieve the same effect, known as a shallow depth of field, by manually adjusting your aperture setting to a low f-number, such as f2.8.

Problem: Poor lighting
Digital photography is all about catching that magic moment when the light is just right. But lighting also provides some challenges. These tips will help, whether you’re indoors or out.

Tip 1: Balance bright or dim light
Digital cameras get “confused” by unbalanced conditions, such as a very bright or dim light, causing the camera to under or over expose your photo.

In low light conditions, try using your camera’s night shooting mode, or lower the ISO to 50 or 100 to get rich detail in low light. Use a tripod, or steady yourself against a stable object to avoid moving the camera.

In bright light, try your camera’s Beach or Sunshine mode, or manually choose a fast shutter speed to control the amount of light that comes in.

Tip 2: Shooting indoors
Avoid using your flash. Instead, provide as much natural light as possible—open curtains, or even the door. Or use lamps to add light to the scene. Your flash mutes color and casts stark, deep shadows that are especially unflattering in portraits.

Don’t place your subject in front of a bright window or they will become a silhouette (although this can be a nice effect when done intentionally). Try placing them off to the side instead, or facing a natural light source.

Tip 3: Shooting outdoors
!inlineRSS:news_photographytips Try to have the sun behind you when you shoot. This will provide the most flattering light to your subject.

Shoot early or later in the day—dawn and dusk provide lovely light, whereas midday light can be harsh.

Take advantage of overcast days for photography. That’s when the light is even, and casts almost no shadows.

Problem: Red-eye
The appearance of glowing red eyes can ruin a portrait of even the cutest child or pet. The red color comes from light reflecting off of the retinas in our eyes. The following quick tips can help get the red out.

Tip 1: Try not to use a flash if possible—it is the number one cause of red-eye. Instead, turn on lights or open curtains to add additional light to your scene.

Tip 2: Ask your subject to look toward the camera but not directly at the lens or to look into a bright light first.

Tip 3: Stand farther away from your subject.

Tip 5: Take advantage of in-camera red-eye removal. Many digital cameras and photo printers now allow you to remove red-eye or prevent it altogether. Check your digital camera’s manual to see if it includes these features.

Problem: Blurry photos
While a photo with a dramatic blur can often be artistic, it can also render a subject incomprehensible. Here are some ways to add clarity to your digital photographs.

Tip 1: Reduce shutter lag. The time between pressing the trigger and the camera taking the picture is called shutter lag, and it can cause blurry pictures. Avoid it by pressing the trigger halfway down until you’re ready to shoot. When the right moment comes, press the rest of the way. This strategy is great when you’re taking pictures of people (especially kids) or animals. ?

Tip 2: Minimize camera shake. Even the slightest camera movement can cause unclear photos. Use a tripod or brace yourself against a stationary object to hold the camera still. Some digital cameras come with image stabilization, another way to get clear images of moving subjects.

Tip 3: Use your digital camera’s Action shooting mode for sports or other action shots. It automatically optimizes your shutter speed to help capture motion. Or manually increase your camera’s shutter speed to achieve the same effect.?

Problem: Low-quality prints
If you plan to print your photographs using a digital photo printer, keep resolution in mind. Resolution is measured in megapixels (MP), and matching the resolution to the print size will help you get clear digital photo prints.

Tip 1: If you plan to enlarge or crop photos before printing, it’s best to shoot at the highest resolution possible. But high-resolution pictures take up more memory.

Tip 2: If you plan to e-mail images or print smaller sizes, like 4″ x 6″ or 5″ x 7″ photos, you can stick to 4-5 MP with no problems.

Tip 3: Many digital cameras let you select the resolution level, so you can determine ahead of time whether you want to shoot a big file with lots of detail, or a quick snapshot you can post to a website or e-mail to friends and family.

About the Author

Jean Fleming writes frequently about digital photography. Please click here for more comprehensive information about digital photography tips, tricks, articles, and techniques.

But it doesn’t have to be that hard. Armed with the following tips, you can get great photos of your fish in just about any situation.

1: Get a tripod.

Tripods are usually used for non-moving subjects. But they can be immensely helpful when photographing fish, even ones that are constantly moving. Low light levels lead to slow shutter speeds. So anything you can do to stabilize the camera will be of tremendous help. The best way to photograph moving fish with your camera on a tripod is to loosen the levers on the tripod so you can move the camera freely left, right, up and down but the camera will remain in position if left alone.

2: Get your fish acquainted with the camera.

!inlineRSS:news_photographytips Now that you have a tripod (since you faithfully followed the first tip), set it up in front of your aquarium with the camera mounted on the tripod. Now leave it. For as long as possible… several days would be ideal. The purpose of this exercise is to get the fish used to seeing the “thing” you’re constantly moving around, pointing it at them and making noises. When they’re comfortable with the sight of the camera, they’ll be more relaxed and less prone to dart around the tank or hide.

3: Use a digital camera.

Digital cameras allow us to “just take the picture” without worrying about whether we’re wasting the film and processing money on a shot that won’t be good. When you can focus on getting the best shot possible, no matter how many tries it takes, you’re on the right track to get the shot you want.

4: Turn off the lights in the room.

Ambient light causes reflections on the tank glass that may ruin a perfectly good fish photograph. Eliminate all sources of ambient light that you can, and be very aware of any reflections as you shoot. If there are some reflections you can’t get rid of, try putting your body between the light source and the glass to shield the tank from the light.

5: Clean the glass, cut the pumps.

Turning off the aquarium pumps before you shoot is an excellent way to clean up your shots of particles and bubbles in the water column. and if you happen to have a planted freshwater tank or reef aquarium, this will also prevent the plants or corals from swaying in your picture, turning into a blurry mess.

Cleaning the glass is probably the most overlooked step to aquarium photography, and quite possible is responsible for more ruined photos than any other issue. Remember, just because you don’t see it now, doesn’t mean you won’t see it in the picture. Amazing how that happens. So clean the glass well, every time, before you pick up the camera.

6: A Bonus!

Have fun. Aquarium photography can become an interesting and challenging hobby all its own. Have fun with it, experiment freely, and be sure to share your pictures online!

About the Author

Travis Staut has worked as a photographer for an online live coral retailer and has had several of his photographs published on the cover of Freshwater and Marine Aquarium Magazine. You can see his work and more articles at his aquarium photography http://www.reef-life.com site.

And, Let There Be Light…

Natural light sources like the sun and the moon are considered the best light sources. These lights often invade indoors and make natural shots come alive. Men have created artificial lights like the ordinary bulb, the tungsten halogen lamp or the bright photoflood.

There are various types of lighting, the photographer can employ. The most common is the Directional lighting provided by flash, tungsten or several sources and can be used from the front, back or side.

Front lighting is the most in vogue but it reveals every detail. The light is at the back of the photographer beaming at the face of the subject highlighting every detail. This often results in an unexciting and flat look of your subjects. Another technique is to mystify your subject by lighting up from side. The main illumination from side adds interest and vigor with presence of dark shadows.

In Back lighting the source light remains in the rear of the subject shining in the face of the camera. So, you must be very careful while using this mode otherwise the subject will appear like a silhouette. The main advantage here is, you will be able to capture the natural expressions of your subject in an outdoor shoot, as he will not squint facing bright light.

You can employ Cross lighting where strong directional light comes from both sides. But this method is only suitable for studios with bright flash or tungsten lights.

Lighting For Digital Photography

Digital cameras may offer a wide range of easy lighting modes but there are challenges for the artist in his path to perfection. You must adopt the trial and error method and acquire the knowledge of lighting.

!inlineRSS:news_photographytips Most digital cameras have preset digital photography lighting modes or ’scenes’ for different lighting situation. There is the indoor mode to click without flash, which is particularly useful in art galleries or museums, the night and portrait mode allows you to take pictures of your subject with a gleaming backdrop at night using a slower shutter speed.

The digital cameras provide an automatic setting for white balancing .You can determine the baseline white in your image against which, other colors will be rendered. Your camera may have a histogram to evaluate exposure in different digital photography conditions. Most cameras have various options like daylight, cloudy, tungsten and more.

What Is Auxillary Lighting?

If you want to create art using light and shadow, the Flash unit alone is not enough. Here, auxiliary lighting comes in. If you decide to shoot portraits or product shots in a studio then auxiliary lighting is not optional but necessary.

For great results use head and kicker lights. Flashlights do not generate heat like floods and spots, so are more suited for portraits. Make sure the flash suits your digital camera. If you want to shoot still shots or product shots, continuous tungsten light is the cheapest and best. A range of wattage bulbs and reflectors will help you control the intensity and direction of light too.

If you don’t have money you can rent lights. Top studios have various assortments of flash units, flood and spotlights.

How to use light

Light is made up of all colors. If seen through a prism it bursts into different colors. You are free to experiment with the rainbow. Artificial lights have their own characteristics. The photographer can utilize different light sources. You can alter white setting for a different effect. Most digital cameras have color setting modes to achieve accuracy of the colors.

Direction of light is important in digital photography. People look best in diffused sidelights and backlight produces a halo effect while overhead lighting produces sharp contrast of light and shadows. Strength of light is also an essential factor. You can have placid effect from diffused lighting and sharpness from strong light.

Indoor lighting gives you ample scope to shoot nice pictures. You can assemble light as per your choice and can even harness sunlight when it enters your house to soften your image.

Outdoor shots are more challenging. It leaves you at the mercy of Mother Nature. While landscape looks good in soft light, the wildlife is captivating with fine details in bright light. So photographers try to capture wildlife just before dusk or before dawn.

In digital cameras, you do not need to worry about ISO film speed. Most digital cameras have preset ISO setting. However, experimentation is the perfect way to curb imperfection. So inflame your imagination and hone your skill. You are ready to enter the luminous empire of photography.

About the Author

Connie Fillmore is a successful writer and publisher of photography related issues, for more informative articles go to http://www.digitalphotographyguy.com.

Enjoy!

Tip 1 – Use All Your Available Space

Don’t be afraid to use all the space in your photo. If you want to take a picture of something, it’s ok for it to take up the whole shot with no or very little background showing. Keep distractions out of your shot

Tip 2 – Study Forms

This is a vital aspect to photography. Understanding forms in your photos. Don’t see an object, she its shape and its form and find the best angle to photograph it from. Form is all around us and I highly suggest you read as many books on it as possible.

Tip 3 – Motion In Your Photos

Never have motion in your photos if you are photographing a still object. If there is something moving while you are trying to photograph a stationery object, your photo won’t turn out anywhere near as well. Also never put a horizon line in the center of your frame.

Tip 4 – Learn To Use Contrasts Between Colors.

!inlineRSS:news_photographytips Some of the best photos have shades of white, gray and black. You can take great shots with just one color on your subject, but the contrasts between colors in a shot is what makes you a great photographer.

Tip 5 – Get Closer To Your Subject

This is one of the biggest mistakes most photographers make, not getting close enough to their subject. Get up and personal and close the distance gap. You can always reshape and resize a good shot but you can’t continue to blowup a distant object.

Tip 6 – Shutter Lag

Shooting action shots with digital camera’s can be tricky due to shutter lags. What this means is, when you press the button to take the photo, it can take up to a second for the shutter to take a photo, by that time what you were photographing would have moved or changed somehow. This means you have to compensate for shutter lag by predicting what your subject is going to do and taking the photo just before it takes the action you want. More expensive digital cameras don’t have this problem.

Tip 7 – Pan

If you are taking an action shot and your shutter speed is slow, pan with the object. Follow through with the subject, from start to finish and one of those shots will be a winner. You have more chance of getting a good shot if you take more then one photo.

Tip 8 – Continuous Shots

To pan like I suggested above you will need a camera that does continuous shots and doesn’t need to stop and process after every shot.

Tip 9 – How To Take Fantastic Night Time Shots

Night time shots can be spectacular, almost magical…. if done right! If not they can look horrible. Really horrible. Without adequate lighting, even good camera’s can turn out crappy photos if the photographer doesn’t know what he or she is doing.

Tip 10 – Study Your Manual

If your digital camera has a special night time mode, read the manual and follow their instructions on how to use it properly.

About the Author

Michael Colucci is a technical writer for http://www.photography-tips.org – A site that offers the latest tips on photography.

Digital SLR photography uses a digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera that uses a movable mirror placed between the lens and the film to project the image on to a focusing screen.

Digital SLR photography churns out the most amazingly realistic photographs, in fact much better than the ones turned out by the conventional fixed lens cameras. But its prime appeal to photographers, both amateur and professional, is in the fact that he can work out a large amount of control over how his pictures end up as.

Digital SLR photography is all about customized photographs that are stunning to look at, to say the least. This is because the cameras come with extremely good lenses. This is why the discerning photographers are not miserly about getting a lens, frightfully expensive they may be.

However, digital SLR photography enthusiasts should never think that a swanky Nikon or a Canon is the passport to great photography. The apparatus notwithstanding, good photography depends a lot on the skills of the person brandishing the camera. The basics of digital SLR photography are not hard to pick up.

!inlineRSS:news_photographytips The first and foremost tip about digital SLR photography is to equip yourself with the nitty-gritty of lighting. If you are shooting outdoors during the day it is best to have the sun directly behind you. It is also essential that your subject also does not have to face the sun so that he has to squint. You should know that the best time to film landscapes, buildings and outdoor portraits is either dawn or the twilight hours.

If you want to impart the warmth of the rising or setting sun to your midday photo shoot, then a skylight or a warm filter is your key.

Tips to great digital SLR photography insist on maintaining control over the camera’s flash property. To be precise, don’t have your camera have the last word about where the flash should come on. Take the reins yourself and ensure that your photograph subjects are not lost in a maze of bright light.

Good photography, digital or analog, SLR or otherwise, is all about being able to use the filters right. You never know when that polarizer or the gradual filter or the skylight/UV filter might come to your rescue at times when the light situations are tricky.

The Macro Mode atop the camera just happens to be the most underrated and under-used feature. But unknown to many, this mode is great for taking enchanting close-ups of tiny objects.

Realistic and stunning digital photography is actually the norm with plethora of controls that come with modern day digital SLR cameras. And photography tips harp on tinkering with the controls to get a hang of the controls and the outcomes they produce.

Experimenting for instance, with really slow (30 seconds) extremely fast (1000th-8000th/second) shutter speeds can produce dramatic results. The ISO setting is another area for experimentation. In fact, high ISO values come in quite handy when you cannot use a flash in low light situations.

Get well up on your digital SLR photography tips and tricks and shoot at sight willingly.

About the Author

Connie Fillmore is a successful writer and publisher of photography related issues, for more informative articles go to http://www.digitalphotographyguy.com.

How do you begin to take good photos? Well, the first thing to remember is this: It’s the photographer that takes great photos, not the camera. Think about that for a minute. It’s true isn’t it? I’ve seen some people take great photos with a simple point-and-shoot camera, while some take lousy shots with the most expensive SLR.

Fret not! Read these tips on shooting digital photos and apply them the next time you have a chance. Before long, you’ll be shooting photos like a pro!

1. Know Your Camera

Does this sound familiar? You buy the latest digital camera out there, come home, rip off the box, then proceed to fiddle with the device. You briefly flick through the hundred page camera manual and then never look at it again. Not a good idea! If you buy a digital camera, you owe it to yourself to understand its ins and outs. Learn how to control exposure, how to use different camera modes and how to use the flash. The knowledge you gain about the camera will be invaluable when you’re out in the field taking those special photos.

2. Learn to Control the Flash

One of the most important things you need to know about digital photography is to control the flash. Personally, I hate to rely on the automatic flash that comes with the digital camera. Depending on the situation, you need to switch off or switch on the flash.

For example, when taking outdoor photos, it is sometimes good to turn on the flash to illuminate the subject, especially if he or she is in the shade. On the other hand, you can also choose to turn off the flash when taking indoor shots. Sometimes, using the flash indoors will result in unnatural skin color and harsh glare in your photos.

3. Play with the Macro Mode

Almost all digital camera these days have a macro mode. This setting is ideal for taking close up shots of objects like flowers or insects. On my Canon PowerShot S500, it’s represented by a flower symbol. What you do is to pick a subject, turn on macro mode, then get as close to it as your camera will allow. Make sure you allow the camera to focus properly before depressing the shutter button fully.

4. Hold the Camera Level

!inlineRSS:news_photographytips A basic rule of photography is to hold the camera level. Since most digital cameras come with a LCD, you can use it to properly frame your shots. Next time you’re taking a shot, try to look for the horizontal lines and use them as guides. A good example is to make use of the horizon when you’re taking a photo of a sunset.

5. Use The Tripod

I recommend this tip to all budding photographers – camera tripods are an essential tool in your photography arsenal. When will you need a tripod? Well, it’s useful if you’re taking shots under low-light conditions or trying to capture fast moving objects. I like to use a tripod when taking night shots city streets, for example. Always try to look for a tripod that’s convenient to carry around. For personal use, you don’t need a huge one – just a simple compact one that’s easy to pack.

6. Play with the ISO Setting

I find the ISO setting in digital cameras very useful. The ISO setting of a essentially camera controls it’s sensitivity to light. If you’re taking a photo of a still object, like a flower, then always use a low ISO setting. It allows for a longer shutter speed and produces a cleaner image. If you’re shooting a moving object, like a baby playing with a toy, then a higher ISO setting of say 400 would be better. Do take note, however, that a higher ISO setting gives a faster shutter speed and requires less light. This will produce noiser photos.

7. Have Enough Memory Capacity

Just like you must have enough rolls of film when using traditional cameras, make sure you always have enough memory capacity in your digital camera. It’s terrible to be on a holiday taking great photos and suddenly realizing you’ve no memory space left. Here are some general guidelines for digital camera storage.

• 2 megapixel cameras – get at least a 64MB card
• 3 megapixel camera – get at least a 128MB card
• 4 megapixel camera – get at least a 256MB card
• 5 megapixel camera and above – get at least a 512MB or 1GB card

Conclusion

Whew. A pretty long article. I hope I’ve managed to give you some good tips on shooting great digital photos. Always remember what I said – while the latest and greatest digital cameras have amazing features, you still need a skilled photographer to take nice pictures. Apply the above tips to your everyday shooting and learn to be a better photographer.

About the Author

Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site on digital photography. Visit his website at http://www.basic-digital-photography.com for tips and tricks on buying digital cameras, as well as shooting great photos. gary_hendricks@basic-digital-photography.com

Whether you use a compact point and shoot or SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera, camera shake can ruin an otherwise perfect photo. There are many ways to minimise camera shake or eliminate it altogether. The most obvious way is to use a tripod, however that is not always readily available or practical at times. Another popular method of stabilizing the camera is to use a camera bean bag. One such camera bean bag is called Cam-Pod. Cam-Pod is different to the traditional camera bean bag because it has bi-folding pockets that can fold to hold the camera and lens snugly. It also contains plastic fillings, making it customs friendly.

Taking hand held shots –

When taking handheld photos. It can sometimes be a challenge to use a shutter speed fast enough to prevent camera shake or blur. This depends on the available light. A general rule of thumb is to use a shutter speed equivalent to the focal length of your lens. For example; if you are using a 50mm lens, the minimum shutter speed for hand held shots would be 1/50th sec or faster. On a 200mm lens, use 1/250th sec or faster. Shoot hand held with a speed slower than this and you are likely to get camera shake. If you are extremely still with your hands, you can probably get a way with speeds a little slower than these suggested speeds.

To take the shot, hold the camera with both hands and with your elbow beside your body. This will provide additional stabilization of the camera. Many cameras may have a shutter lag so after depressing the shutter, do not move the camera immediately or you may experience movement in your shot. When taking the shot, breath in, press the shutter and then exhale.

Using the camera bean bag support –

!inlineRSS:news_photographytips Find a firm surface to lean your camera on, eg a rock, bin, fence, wall, tree, etc. Make sure surface is solid and does not move easily. Place the camera bean bag on the surface and your camera on top or to the side if it is vertical. Wiggle the camera a little to allow camera to sit firmly on the camera bean bag. With an SLR/DSLR camera, just fold the camera bean bag to provide support for the lens. For point and shoot cameras, just rest the camera on the camera bean bag and hold it with your hand and finger on shutter button. Select the right shutter speed and take the photo. The camera bean bag can be folded, twisted and rolled to get the right angle for your camera. You can also place the camera bean bag against a wall and lean your camera against it for a natural light shot without flash. This will give you a more natural looking photo with even lighting rather than one with harsh shadows caused by the flash. When taking flash shots with dark background, use a slower shutter speed such as 1/8 sec or 1/2 sec. Ensure that when using the camera bean bag that your camera and the camera bean bag is stable and won’t slip off the surface and cause expensive damage to your gear. Eg when resting camera and the camera bean bag on a car side mirror, do not take your hand off the camera.

Selecting the correct shutter speed / aperture to take the photo –

To correctly capture and expose a scene, the camera will automatically choose the right combination of shutter speed and aperture. In most cases, this gives good results, however you may need to override the auto settings and over/under compensate the exposure to get the best results – This is most prevalent when subject is in front of a bright background. For SLR/DSLR cameras, set the shooting mode to S (shutter priority). On some cameras, it is the T setting (Time priority). Choose a shutter speed and aperture appropriate for the scene. For the sharpest pictures, many professional photographers use the mid-range aperture of f8 or f11. Ensure the camera is sitting firmly on the camera bean bag with no movement.

Focus on the subject. Press the shutter release. Ensure that there is no camera movement when pressing shutter. If so, the picture maybe blurred. Re-adjust the camera bean bag and the camera and try taking the photo again. Look at the camera’s LCD to see the focus and exposure of the photo. You may need to zoom into the displayed photo to see the details. If photo looks dark, increase the exposure by selecting a longer shutter speed. Shutter speeds are typically (from slowest to fastest) 8s, 6s, 4s, 3s, 2s,1.5s, 1s, 1/1.5, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/6, 1/8, 1/10, 1/15, 1/20, 1/30, 1/45, 1/60, 1/90, 1/125, 1/180, 1/250, 1/350, 1/500, 1/750, 1/1000, 1/1500, 1/2000, 1/3000, 1/4000, 1/6000 and 1/8000. Shutter speeds are in seconds or fraction of a second. Eg a shutter of 1/60th means the shutter will open for one sixtieth of a second. If the captured picture looks too dark on the LCD display, use a slower shutter speed such as 1/45 or 1/20. Alternatively and if possible, open the aperture to let in more light. Aperture scales are (from widest opening to smallest) f1, f2.8, f4, f5.6, f8, f11, f16, f22, f32. (Note: your lens may not have all these settings). Another way to shoot in low light is to increase the ISO setting. However this also introduces digital noise into your photos.

Using the self timer and remote control

Depending on the shutter speed you are using, you may still end up with camera shake in your final shot. Ie. As you press shutter, the camera may move a little. To minimise this, set your camera to self timer, press shutter and take your hand off camera. The shot will be taken in a few seconds without the camera being touched. For cameras with remote function, set it to remote control function, adjust camera and the camera bean bag and press remote control. Some cameras allow you to use a shutter release cable. Controlling your camera remotely is the best way of minimising camera movement as there is no camera contact during the shot, thus giving you sharp photos every time.

About the Author

Nelson Luc has been a freelance photographer for over a decade. During this time he has photographed people, places, nature and still life. Nelson developed Cam-Pod after not being able to find a camera bean bag that is small, portable and foldable. Cam-Pod camera support is customs friendly as it contains plastic fillings and not organic material. For more information, go to http://www.cam-pod.com

Taking photos of Christmas lights with your digital camera can be a very disappointing experience for digital photography enthusiasts. Pictures of Christmas lights in digital photography are aimed at being crystal clear with beautifully bold colours and hopefully we can capture the delicate glow that radiates from the lights themselves.

But…Christmas lights don’t always provide the ideal digital photography experience does it? In fact, in digital photography, Christmas lights can turn out to be smudged dots of colour, like water over ink and way too dark. The first time I took a digital photography image of Christmas lights the flash went off accidentally causing a flattening out of my images not to mention the lovely colours disappearing and it ended up just being a digital photo of the neighbour’s front lawn. Not to mention how it set the dog off barking!

So just what is the digital photography secret to getting crystal clear shots of our suburban Christmas lights?

!inlineRSS:news_photographytips Okay now I’m going to share a secret with you. The best way to get suburb results of sharp, colourful Christmas lights is to choose the house you are going to photograph. Depending on where you live and how fast you can run, you may need to tee it up with your neighbours first and offer them the photo. The same rules apply with your Christmas tree.

Take your tripod with you. Take your digital camera off “auto” and take it off “auto flash”.

Now try a method called bracketing. Set the aperture at a wide f stop, such as 2.8 or 3.5 for example. Then proceed to try some different settings. Set the shutter to 1/30 or higher. I’d recommend, if it’s really dark in the street something around the one second, two seconds or three seconds shutter speed.

There is a groovy little trick you can also do for helping you learning faster, about what works in digital photography and what doesn’t. That’s recording and documenting your digital photography experience. I usually take a note pad with me and write down the number photo and the f stop and shutter speed so when I look at the photos I know which digital photo has worked and what has not.

But in the dark it’s very hard to write down anything so you can do what I sued to do, and that is record on MP3 what your settings you had on what photo. For example you can record yourself saying “picture one, f stop 2.8, shutter speed 2 seconds.” Then again as you have tried another setting “picture seven, f stop 22, shutter speed 1 minute.”

These are just examples but they really work. Don’t forget the basics with your night time photography such as wide aperture and slow shutter speed and the necessity of a tripod.

If you are in a moving vehicle for example and you are taking shots of Christmas lights from a bus or car, then you can always use the maximum aperture and a smaller shutter speed. For example f stop 1.4 and a shutter of 1/350 or higher.

And don’t forget if you do have the time to set up a tripod and try the bracketing technique (ideal) also remember if you have the shutter open for a while the light can bounce off other objects such as windows and roofs. If you get too much reflective light, simply reduce the time the shutter is open.

Good luck and may you have a beautiful Christmas!

Happy Shooting,

Amy Renfrey

P.s Take a look at the photo used to describe the article; www.nomorebadphotos.blogspot.com

About the Author

Amy Renfrey is a digital photographer, teacher and author of “Digital Photography Success.” She’s sold tens of thousands of copies since the start of 2005 when she went online. Amy’s new book, soon to be released, titled “Advanced Digital Photography” to propel photography enthusiasts from amateur to semi professional level. Amy is known for her thorough and easy to read style, giving her readers challenges and expert advice to get their precious memories looking like picture perfect images. “Digital Photography Success” can be found at http://www.DigitalPhotographySuccess.com

It seems to me that digital cameras are especially sensitive to camera movement. I have observed a noticeable difference in images taken with and without a tripod even when using a fast shutter speed, for instance faster than 1/125th of a second. Keep in mind that if there is camera motion, any slice of the time that the shutter is open will capture some of that motion, even at the higher shutter speeds. A tripod opens the possibilities of extremely slow shutter speeds and it’s sibling , a wide depth of field.

!inlineRSS:news_photographytips One way to save space and weight is to carry one of the light weight tripods. Monopods and table top tripods are very limited in use. As long as the total height measures to your own eye height, this tripod will be usable. In order to avoid camera shake when taking the exposure, these light weight tripods work better if you use the self timer to make the exposure.

A good alternative to carrying a tripod is the bean bag tripod. In most cases out in the field there are walls, branches, rocks and even the ground itself on which to place your camera. But these surfaces are rarely level and an up or down angle may be needed. The bean bag tripod like “The Pod” from a Canadian company works well in these situations. The Pod may even fit inside your camera case. Again, it is best to use the self timer when photographing landscapes or other static scenes.

The tripod is also useful when taking multiple images for later stitching. These panoramic pictures make beautiful wall images since the total number of pixels in the final image is multiplied by the number of images uses. Another benefit is that a wider angle perspective is possible without the foreshortening and distortion of a super wide angle lens. When a scene would benefit from including a person in the scene, you yourself can be that person. Just predetermine the position and pose needed for the composition and use the delayed self timer for the exposure. A sharp image will enlarge successfully and will also make possible extreme crops without losing quality.

About the Author

Kenneth C. Hoffman. Retired portrait photographer. A very steady person.