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Wondering how to use your digital camera? Wonder no more

By: David Peters

Though digital photography has come a long way, beginning photographers must still maintain control of the shots they intend to take. For example, focusing and clarity can be sensed automatically by most digital cameras, but that doesn't necessarily make the picture a good one. Therefore, choosing the right camera, one which allows you to control intensity, contrast and lighting, is not a choice to make sparingly. Most often, people review cameras and pick their own personal favorite, and while the advice may be helpful to others, it is not necessarily for everyone. First, your needs must determine the type of camera you will buy. Do you prefer to have a smaller camera that can be carried around in your pocket, or would you rather a full-size camera which is carried in a bag? The choice is up to the buyer, and should be thought about carefully before making a decision.



In the past, photography was a costly and time-taking business. This meant photographs were taken cautiously so as not to waste film. Only the richest companies could afford to take hundreds of pictures knowing that only one would be chosen out of the bunch. Nowadays, because of technological advancements, amateur photographers do not need to worry about finances or the amount of time it will take them to produce one photograph. Experimentation is possible for anyone, and more relaxing and enjoyable. When it used to take hours to process a picture, it can now take under that to process several, and amateurs can benefit greatly.



It is usually taken for granted that white is white, with no variations. However, all artists would agree that this is wrong, including photographers. The white balance of a camera can make or break a picture, meaning you must learn to control it. In order to regulate it, you must set your camera to manual or custom white balance, and take a picture of something white. It must fill the screen, and should not be in shadows. If the result is not to your preference, you can always use your photo program to tweak the picture.



You may have already noticed that when you're outside on a sunny day using the Sports/Action mode to take pictures of your child playing soccer or your pet catching a Frisbee, that you get these great action images that are worthy of submission to Sports Illustrated Magazine. But when you go inside and take photos of a basketball game with the same camera in the same "sports mode", you get images that are only worthy of being erased before anyone else sees them. The main ingredient that's missing in the indoor photos is "light". The light inside a gym during a basketball game is minimal just as it is during a football game or soccer game after the sun goes down. Most of your sports/action photographs will be taken in available light. Flash isn't always allowed and there's also an effective range of your built-in flash (10 to 15 feet) that isn't conducive to taking action shots from the stands. Taking a photograph of a moving subject without a flash under low light conditions can result in blurry pictures. The problem lies in the way that exposure works; the lower the light, the slower the shutter speed that the camera needs to make a correct exposure. The slower the shudder speed, the more chance that the picture will be "blurry" because of camera movement or subject movement.



JPEG is a format that makes changes to your photograph, such as adding lighting specifications or white balance. This is usually the best thing to save your picture as, because the results are generally satisfactory and the computer is smart about interpreting the data. However, sometimes you may want to take the raw photograph, which is the picture that has nothing added to it such as light specifications, and edit it yourself. You should do this if you are unsatisfied with the picture taken by the camera, as it is easier than trying to edit a JPEG image. In general, JPEG images are not as detailed as raw images which makes editing them difficult.



Redeye is a common occurrence in photographs. It occurs most often at night, because the pupils dilate to let in more light. When this happens, the flash of the camera reflects to the very back of the retina, creating redeye. Many cameras have settings to compensate, flashing a red light into the eye before taking the picture in order for the pupils to contract. However, if it is too dark, this setting won't make much of a difference. There are several ways to account for this, one of which is having the subject of the photograph look away from the lens. If there is still a problem, most photo editing programs have red-eye removal.



How do you begin to take good photos? The first thing to remember is this: It's the photographer that takes great photos, not the camera. Think about that for a minute. It's true isn't it? I've seen some people take great photos with a simple point-and-shoot camera, while some take lousy shots with the most expensive SLR. Always look for beautiful natural light. The best natural light usually occurs right before, after, and during sunrise and sunset. Be deliberate and creative. Think about what would make a good background, what would make for good colors. When you set out on a picture-taking spree, shoot 10 to 25 pictures so that you can be sure of getting a good shot. Vary the distance, setting, poses, or even the times of day.

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