Thursday, February 26, 2009

Taking Discount Digital Camera Photos - Back to Basics

By Jake Sanders

I thought taking digital pictures was just the process of simply holding the camera and pushing that shutter button after saying cheese to my subjects. Now I realize how wrong I was comparing previous images to my very recent ones. Remember that taking better quality pictures means taking fewer pictures overall since youre taking fewer bad shots; you dont only save on memory space but also saves you energy and time.

Learning the proper way of photo taking shouldnt only be a standard but a responsibility. Do yourself a favor; do not spoil the camera and your pictures. Learn the Basics NOW.

Holding the Camera

Proper Camera handling may sound elementary but when disregarded can lead to countless retakes, lines of the infamous hold on, one more time", and the possible spoiling of those precious moments. Holding the camera firmly in your hand means that you can prevent the camera from shaking or shifting too much when pressing the shutter button, also watch your spare fingers as they have tendencies to interfere with the lens. Wrap the camera strap around your fingers so that you will be more aware of where they are.

Focusing

Digital cameras take slightly longer to focus than film camera, so an important tip when capturing an image is to half-depress the shutter button until the camera has had time to lock the focus, and then completely press the button to take the actual shot - this can often make the difference between blurry, out-of-focus shots, and clear pictures.

Preview

On standard film cameras, there are no second takes, the image is final and when the photos are printed the mistakes are absolute; waste on film, paper, and fees but that was history. Today, one of the main advantages of a digital camera is being able to preview the pictures after youve taken them (and have an automatic basis for a retake or exclusion). I mean why keep a picture if its blurry, or someones eyes are closed, or a person is smiling when its a funeral, and or some hands simply obstructing part of the view?

Storing

Imagine a scenario where you reach for your camera and clicking the button seeing the perfect kiss, smile, stunt, or sunset and imagining your friends reactions when you show it to them, only to realize that your storage is full and youve missed that precious moment. Next time clear off your old pictures weekly or monthly and bring a second memory card or stick when you go on a trip, even if your primary card/stick is large, just in case you need the extra space. - 16651

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