Digital Camera Success Card

Digital Camera Success Card
By Michael Huddleston

There are hundreds of thousands of wrecked photos and just as many hurt feelings because the photos did not turn out because of some goofy setting on the camera. When we shell out so much money for digital cameras we make some pretty dangerous assumptions about how they work. Truth is, even if you don’t change any of the settings on your new digital camera you’ll quickly discover it will operate differently in various picture taking conditions. This can be REALLY frustrating for people who just want to “take pictures.” I’ve heard the following comment so many times.

“Look, that’s the reason I bought the top of the line Canon/Sony/Kodak or whatever digital camera because the sales person said it was so sophisticated that 9 times out of 10 all I would need to do is point-and-shoot.” Or, even if there were no salespersons involved because the camera was purchased on the Internet the new owner STILL assumes point-and-shoot means just that. They quickly find out that all is not well in digital camera land.

No matter how much you pay for your new digital camera you’ll discover that it will let you down if you don’t take steps to protect yourself, and your pictures.

Here’s an example.

The other day a friend told me a story about his new digital camera, it’s a sad story.

His new digital arrived and according to all the literature the camera would do everything and he really didn’t have to worry about it. He had a large 1 Gig memory card and a battery that would pretty much let him take pictures all day. The camera was LOADED with all the new bleeding edge technologies including image stabilization, so according to the literature he could practically take beautiful pictures in the dark even without needing to use that distracting flash.

So…

He took his new digital camera to friends wedding and 90% of the wedding was outdoors and the day was slightly overcast so the lighting was perfect - he turned the flash OFF. He absolutely LOVED how the camera handled. It was perfect, it was fast, and it even looked sexy. Guests kept asking him “What kind of camera is THAT?” so he was feeling pretty good about his purchase.

Then the wedding moved indoors…

Not a problem, his new camera had image stabilization and really high ISO settings so he could continue to fire off photos without aid of the flash, he was delighted!

Everyone was so impressed with my friends photographic confidence and his sexy ultra sophisticated digital camera they ALL stopped taking pictures, mainly because he boldly told everyone he would gladly provided copies of the photos on his website.

Then he went home and made a horrible discovery…

While all the outdoor photos were PERFECT, every single indoor photo (group photos) were terrible. He was sick! :(

This is what happened…

When the wedding moved indoors it moved into a VERY dark room meaning the camera adjusted its settings to compensate. What it did was elevate the ISO settings to a point where the resulting photos were filled with digital noise and looked grainy.

Like I said, he was sick! These were all the important photos, bride with mom, cake cutting, family photos, close-ups of the bride and groom etc. etc.

After I listened to him drone on and on about this disaster he finally asked me what he could do to prevent this problem from reoccurring in the future.

I came up with the idea of the “Digital Camera Success Card”

Essentially it is a digital camera check list that you could laminate and keep with the camera. Then every time you pulled the camera out you could QUICKLY peek at the card and make sure everything was set right on the camera so you could be reasonably guaranteed of getting top notch pictures.

It’s pretty basic but it will SAVE your behind.

===============================

Battery charged?

Memory Card OK?

Camera set to auto?

Flash set to auto or on?

Inside Pictures

Dark settings - Camera works slower

Set flash to “on” not auto

Hold shutter 1/2 down wait for green light

Outside Pictures

Close-up people pictures/heavy shadows - Flash On

===============================

Ok, I admit it, it’s pretty basic, but if my friend had used this quick system to make sure everything was OK he would not have needed to be apologizing to all those people who stopped taking pictures and were counting on him.

Make it about the size of business card and laminate it so it’s protected and keep it right with the camera. Obviously you can put anything on your “Digital Camera Success Card” that you want and in my example I covered just a few of the basics.

Think for a moment though, wouldn’t this make a really cool gift for the person in your life who…

* Just bought a new digital camera
* Has a digital camera and is frustrated
* Or.. for you!

Read more!

How To Master Digital Photography Basics

How To Master Digital Photography Basics
by: Connie Fillmore

With the advent of digital cameras, the cost of photography has plummeted considerably, with the result that there has been a surge of interest in the field. Greenhorns in this area however, need not fret. Sharpening up on your digital photography skills is easy, provided you have the basics at the tip of your tongues, or is it, at the tip of your lenses! Mastering the basics of digital photography, first and foremost involves knowing all about pixels and resolutions. These are the parameters that have a direct bearing, and quite a lion's share on the quality of the images being generated. The more the pixel count, the better the resolution or clarity of the picture and the better it turns out when enlarged. So it is obvious that the fastidious photographers prefer robust pixel values. However, with the market flooded with digital cameras of various makes, you can hope for a good bargain. Let us discuss a few basics of digital photography.

Zoom And Tele Lenses

Going digital has also meant that you can click away merrily at anything and everything under the sun. This will only help you get well up on the nitty-gritty of the zoom modes. The Optical Zoom of a camera is worth tinkering with. The "Telephoto" mode makes your subject appear larger while the "Wide Angle" mode is all about cramming a lot of a scene into your picture and hence the elements of the picture appear smaller.

Focusing

Toying with the controls of your digital camera is a good way of getting a hang about the different picture modes and hence be able to put them to good use. For instance, instead of relying on the instruction manual, see for yourself that the Portrait Mode actually sharpens your subject and de-focuses the background. For those who are not yet comfortable with the exposure, focus and flash parameters can take the help of the Auto Mode in the awkward initial stages.

Lighting

There is no such thing as a photography gene. Good photographers weave magic with their cameras, but this magic is all about getting the lighting and flash issues straightened in their photographs. Shooting in the early morning light is advisable if you want to avoid the harsh glare of the midday sun and in case of night photography, filming during the twilight hours or just as the moon is rising gives you the best results. You should not shoot with the sun directly in front of the lens.

Using the Flash

The flash is quite a lure for the novice photographer but results are not always satisfactory. This is because improper use of the flash function leads to the marring of good photos. In fact, the flash really leads to underexposure, and thus ungainly shadows in night photography. While you are using this feature, inch closer to your subject and thus make sure that all the areas of the picture are equally lighted up.

Shutter Speed

The shutter speed is one area that many newcomers to digital photography is quite oblivious to. But you will be amazed at the dramatic results that mere varying the speeds can bring about. The rule of thumb: fast shutter speeds "freeze" the action, while slow values will result in a blur. Slow shutter speed also let more light enter into the camera, so this is an option worth considering when you need to shoot in low light conditions.

The basics of digital photography are not hard to master. And being well versed in them will help you capture reality in all its essence.

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.

Read more!