Take Better Pictures With Your Digital Camera. Here are a few tips to help you take better photographs.

Modern digital cameras automate the picture taking process. It you want it to do so, you can make everything automatic. This makes taking pictures a lot easier than it was with the cameras of the past.

If your camera only has automatic capability, then you should learn to use it to its fullest capabilities.

However, I would never recommend that you purchase a totally automatic digital camera. Well, one exception.

If you want a small carry in your pocket digital camera that you can have with you all the time, then you might choose a totally automatic compact digital camera. But do that only if you have no other reasonably choice. If one with at least some manual control is available in you price range, get it.

These tips will apply to all of your photography. But they are especially helpful, if you have little or no control over your camera’s settings.

If you have control you can change things like depth of field (by changing aperture settings), ISO, white balance, etc. to improve your photographs.

However, you need to always consider the following:

1. Take note of the background.

What is behind and to the side of you subject? Does it distract from your subject? Will you have something like a light pole or a tree growing out of your child’s head? Is there something that draws attention away from your subject? Move around a bit and see if you can eliminate the distractions.

2. What light is available?

In low light situations you may need to add light. However, if there is enough light, consider using the available light instead of your flash.

Some totally automatic digital cameras determine when the flash is required and automatically use the flash. If you have the capability to do so, turn the flash off; try to see if you can create a better photograph using the available light.

3. Notice the angle of your camera with respect to your subject.

If you are taking a picture of a person, try to aim down toward the person’s face. Or maybe upward, a side view, a partial view, etc. Consider alternatives to just a direct face on view.

4. Check your focus point or points.

If you camera selects the focus points and you cannot change where it will focus, try changing your position. Sometimes this will change where the camera chooses to focus.

Try to focus on the person’s eye. Get close to your subject. Leave no doubt as to what your subject is.

5. Consider the position of your subject in your view finder/LCD monitor.

Seldom will you find that dead center is the best position for your subject. If it is, then center your subject. Just be sure that you like that position the best. Most of the time you will find that an off center composition is better.

The problem is with totally automatic digital cameras, they tend to select a focus point at the center. If you cannot change that you may have trouble with off center subject selection and focus.

Hopefully, your camera will allow you to focus, meter, etc, and then lock in the settings. After locking in the settings you can recompose so that the subject is off center and then snap the picture.

These are just a few simple tips that you can implement and improve you photography.

I hope that you will learn and use these tips on a regular bases in your photography.

Lonnie Minton

Got shaky hands? Can’t hold a camera steady? Want sharper photographs? It just might be that you need some image stabilization. I’m not, sure what it will be called now. It was called lens stabilization. However, now there are two types of stabilization - lens stabilization and sensor stabilization. Maybe it ought to be called camera stabilization. I have also seen the
terms: anti-shake, vibration reduction, and image stabilization.

There is a third method that some digital cameras utilize and advertise as image stabilization. This method to counteract movement involves increasing the ISO setting to allow a faster shutter speed setting.

This is not real stabilization. Also, be aware that image quality will go down as ISO goes up. I would avoid this type of stabilization.

Lens stabilization is obtained by moving the lens elements inside the lens that is attached to the camera.

Sensor stabilization is obtained by moving the sensor that is in the camera body.

Canon and Nikon currently utilize lens stabilization. Canon is more or less getting raked over the coals for not offering sensor stabilization. Nikon not so much. Not sure why Canon and not Nikon.

In any case if the demand is sufficient, then Canon and Nikon will both someday offer sensor stabilization.

So, what’s the big deal? With lens stabilization you have to buy each lens with the stabilization capability built into the lens. This can be expensive.

However, for those that want it and have a digital single lens reflex (D-SLR) camera, you can see the affect of stabilization through the lens. For some that is a big advantage.

With sensor stabilization you have stabilization for all lenses. That’s a potential cost savings. However, you can’t see the affect through the lens. Is that a disadvantage for you? After all we call these things D-SLR cameras because you can see the result of all your photographic techniques through the lens.

This controversy will be worked out over time.

In any case, if you do not have interchangeable lenses, you want have to be concerned about this. Even if your stabilization is in the lens, it is still build into the camera, since the lens is built in also.

Another potential disadvantage of the sensor method is that currently it performs better with shorter focal length lenses and not as well with longer telephoto lenses. Maybe the break point is around 200mm?

But like the controversy talked about above this will be improved over time.

Let’s talk about what stabilization, either type, does for you.

Basically, it allows you to handhold the camera in many situations in which you could not without stabilization. This allows you to get fewer blurry photographs.

By moving the lens elements or the sensor, the light path or optical plane is changed so that the effect of camera movement or vibration is lessened.

So, if you’ve got shaky hands, you get a break that results in better photographs because they are sharper.

This technology is becoming available for nearly all digital cameras - not just the high end cameras and not just digital single lens reflex cameras.

Stabilization is a great benefit in many situations. It allows you to handhold the camera at lower shutter speeds - 2 to 4 stops slower depending on the stabilization
technology built into your camera.

However, if you need to use a really slow shutter speed it will not help you to hold the camera steady enough to obtain sharp pictures. How slow? That is really somewhat photographer dependent.

Your ability to handhold a camera may be very good. Mine may not. Most photographers experience problems handholding a camera at lower shutter speeds and when using the longer focal lengths.

In general, however, if you need a shutter setting of somewhere around 1/3 of a second or slower, you will need to get your tripod out or maybe select a shorter focal length lens or zoom.

The other situation where stabilization will help is when using a telephoto lens. The longer lenses tend to magnify movement and make blurry photographs.

So if you have shaky hands, or a need to use lower shutter speeds, then stabilization just might be the counteraction that you need to extend you photographic experience and
the quality of your digital photographs.

Enjoy your digital photography