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For-Here-Or-To-Go? (Fast-food style tips
to take better pictures) So, here we are, ONLY THREE tips* to make an
image STAND OUT: 1. LIGHTING: CRITICAL! The more unusual, the more it will captivate
the viewer. Avoid DIRECT sunlight. 2. FOREIGN BODIES: Elements in the frame that do not belong (e.g. background
of your aunt’s picture has half a chair!). 3. OUT OF FOCUS AREAS: Use a e SLOW shutter speed.
Tripods and small apertures help. Ahem! Ahem! Ahem! Ahem! Ahem! Ahem! Ahem! Ahem! Ahem! Ahem! Ahem! Ahem! Other
tips for those that have a bit more time... J ·
DON’T use a
flash indoors! Indoors, stabilize yourself. Prop your elbows on a table,
sofa or something stable. Don’t try and use another person. No matter
how stable you think they are! It is best to use furniture or a wall for this
purpose. Also, if you camera permits it, increase the "film speed"
of the camera. In digital cameras this means changing the sensitivity of the
sensor. Keep in mind however, that this leads to an increase in noise. You can
safely increase it to 400 ASA without noticing much of a difference. ·
Get CLOSE to people! For portraits, look through the viewfinder around the
subject (person), see anything but the person and maybe another 6" of
space? Yes? Take a giant step forward. Repeat. The idea being that
you want to draw attention to the subject and not the chair, carpet, picture
frames… You get the idea. Keep it simple. Make it a routine to look
around in the viewfinder just before you click. Once you "get it"
it will become second nature. I promise! ·
Use a flash
OUTDOORS!! Make people stand in the shade or blocking the sun so that
YOU are facing the sun then use fill-flash. If you have one of those,
"auto-flash" point-and-shoot cameras, then find the little
round photosensor window on your camera (that
detects the amount of light), and block it carefully with your fingertip.
Usually, that should make the flash fire when you release the shutter. Be
careful though, with this technique unless the light is not very strong
(overcast weather), you may land up with an overexposed image. Of course, if
that happens, back off the finger a bit and try again. What do you have to
lose? A few minutes? Remember, the best thing you can do with digicams is to shoot like heck and ask questions later! __________________________ |
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