After I bought my first electronic camera, complete along with its tiny viewing screen, people would sometimes ask, "Can I see the picture?" Kids would ask me to take their picture, and then run over and ask to see it, then run back and ask me to take another!
It is wonderful to have all that excitement, but were my photographs essentially the best they might be?
Here are 7 tips that I've learned that have improved the standard of my stills.
1. Always use the highest resolution setting. At the beginning I had the resolution set to medium. That way I was ready to take roughly 100 photos before having to download the memory chip to my computer's hard disk. That was fine for viewing on screen, but then one day I wanted to do an 8x10 paper version, and the results were disappointing. Now I use the highest resolution my cameras can offer. I have had to spend some cash on more memory chips, though it was worthwhile.
2. Utilise a Tripod. Even the tiniest movement of the camera can make a blurry image. Invest in a tripod. Also , I have found that when taking group shots, I am better able to judge when to "click" if I am looking at once at the group, instead of thru the view finder.
3. Buy a Good Photo-Editing Programme. Maybe your camera came with Photoshop Elements, or similar. If not, go to your PC retailer and buy one. Not only are you able to fix blots (maybe Susan was having a bad zit day), but you can do more creative things too. Lately I mixed a photo of my grand-daughter with one of Dora-the-Explorer. Jasmine loved it.
4. Use the Lowest Compression Setting. As you use that fancy photograph modifying programme, be wary of your compression setting. Most programs default to "jpeg" format, which saves space by selectively removing pixels, and recreating them the next time you view the photo. If you open, edit, and save a photo many times, the over-all quality decreases. Try to do all your editing in one pass, using the lowest compression, or employ a format like "tiff", which doesn't compress.
5. Get in Close. Don't waste pixels on excess background. Get in closer, either physically or with an optical zoom setting.
6. Good Things Come in Threes (or more). Considering the incremental costs of taking a photograph with an electronic camera (close to zero), you should take lots of shots. If the shot is available for more than a couple of seconds, take more that one exposure. I always tell the subjects of my pictures that I'm going to be taking at least 2 or 3 shots of them. A blink at the wrong time ruins the potential.
7. Read the Instruction book. In reality read it more than once. As if I have to explain this one!
It is wonderful to have all that excitement, but were my photographs essentially the best they might be?
Here are 7 tips that I've learned that have improved the standard of my stills.
1. Always use the highest resolution setting. At the beginning I had the resolution set to medium. That way I was ready to take roughly 100 photos before having to download the memory chip to my computer's hard disk. That was fine for viewing on screen, but then one day I wanted to do an 8x10 paper version, and the results were disappointing. Now I use the highest resolution my cameras can offer. I have had to spend some cash on more memory chips, though it was worthwhile.
2. Utilise a Tripod. Even the tiniest movement of the camera can make a blurry image. Invest in a tripod. Also , I have found that when taking group shots, I am better able to judge when to "click" if I am looking at once at the group, instead of thru the view finder.
3. Buy a Good Photo-Editing Programme. Maybe your camera came with Photoshop Elements, or similar. If not, go to your PC retailer and buy one. Not only are you able to fix blots (maybe Susan was having a bad zit day), but you can do more creative things too. Lately I mixed a photo of my grand-daughter with one of Dora-the-Explorer. Jasmine loved it.
4. Use the Lowest Compression Setting. As you use that fancy photograph modifying programme, be wary of your compression setting. Most programs default to "jpeg" format, which saves space by selectively removing pixels, and recreating them the next time you view the photo. If you open, edit, and save a photo many times, the over-all quality decreases. Try to do all your editing in one pass, using the lowest compression, or employ a format like "tiff", which doesn't compress.
5. Get in Close. Don't waste pixels on excess background. Get in closer, either physically or with an optical zoom setting.
6. Good Things Come in Threes (or more). Considering the incremental costs of taking a photograph with an electronic camera (close to zero), you should take lots of shots. If the shot is available for more than a couple of seconds, take more that one exposure. I always tell the subjects of my pictures that I'm going to be taking at least 2 or 3 shots of them. A blink at the wrong time ruins the potential.
7. Read the Instruction book. In reality read it more than once. As if I have to explain this one!
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You can also read what I must say here about wedding videos. This article was produced by a professional optimisation company.
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