Archive for the ‘Tips TUESDAY’ Category

{ Tips TUESDAY } How to Keep Yourself From Throwing a Tantrum

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

Before I go any further, Pam M.’s got the most important post of all. It’ll keep you from throwing a tantrum.

  1. Keep your camera ready at all times:
    1. Be sure it has fresh batteries, and for Pete’s sake,
    2. Make sure there’s a digital media card loaded and formatted inside the camera—you tell we’ve done this at some point in our digital photography journey—LOL!
  2. How to throw the tantrum mentioned above:
    1. Go on, squeeze your shutter and see the “no card inserted” message pop up. That singular experience can induce a hissy fit worthy of what only a 3-year old can dream of having.

So, stop reading and check your camera right now. You can thank Pam later- with lots of dark chocolate. :)

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{ Tips TUESDAY } How to Hold the Camera

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009
  1. Hold the camera straight – most of the time: While shots that are not straight can be quite effective (they can be playful or have a more candid feel to them), you should check the framing of the shot before hitting the shutter.
  2. How to hold the camera to prevent camera shake
    1. ‘Camera shake’ causes images to be blurry. The camera was not held still enough when the shutter was depressed. This is especially common in shots taken in low light, where the shutter is open for a longer period of time. The smallest movement of the camera can cause the image to blur. The only way to eliminate it is with a tripod. While it is tempting to shoot one handed, two hands increase stillness (three legs on a tripod being better than one). How you grip your camera will depend upon the type of digital camera you have. It varies from person to person, depending on your preference:
      1. Use your right hand to grip the right hand end of the camera.
        1. Your forefinger should sit lightly above the shutter release.
        2. Your other three fingers should curl around the front of the camera.
        3. Your right thumb should grip the back of the camera.
        4. Squeeze the shutter, don’t jab at it.
      2. The position of your left hand will depend upon your camera. Generally, your left hand should support the weight of the camera and will usually be under or around a lens, or under the camera.
      3. If you’re shooting using the view finder, line up your shot by holding the camera close to your body. This adds stability. If you’re using the LCD to shoot, don’t hold your camera too far away from you. Tuck your elbows into your sides and lean the camera out a little from your face.
      4. You can add extra stability by leaning against a wall or a tree. You can also sit or kneel down. If you have to stand and don’t have anything to lean on for extra support put your feet shoulder width apart to steady yourself.
    2. Holding the camera this way will allow you flexibility to line up shots quickly. It will also help you hold still when you open your shutter. Before you take the shot, you may want to take a gentle, deep breath. Hold it, then take the shot before exhaling the breath. This will also help you to be steadier when pressing the shutter.

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{ Tips TUESDAY } Take lots of photos

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

Don’t take lots of shots of the same thing; experiment with taking shots of different things.

2009-02-10-01

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Tool Belt: Testing focus

Saturday, February 7th, 2009

2009-02-07-02

2009-02-07-03

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{ Tips TUESDAY } Taking Better Snapshots from Different Perspectives

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

Because I think everyone usually wants family snapshots to capture memories of a time and space in their lives (and a professional photographer isn’t usually available 24/7), beginning today I’ll post { Tips Tuesday } to help you take more memorable photos of your family. Now on to today’s tip:

Get down to the child’s level – shoot from a different perspective – up high, down low, etc.!

  1. For babies and crawlers, lay on your belly to take the shot.
  2. For a busy toddler, crouch down to his/her level.
  3. Put your subject on a chair or steps to bring him/her up to a higher level.
  4. Experiment with different settings

differentperspectives

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