The digital revolution has made great strides in
photography. digitally recorded images have replaced film to record the scenes.
today’s user friendly cameras adjust setting for you and capture your
composition as an analog image and then convert it to digital information so it
can be transferred onto the storage medium.
You’ve heard this before: Digital cameras do all the work.
You just push the button and great pictures magically appear. The better the
camera, the better the photos. Isn’t that right? Heck no!
The truth is that you can make great photos with a simple
consumer point-and-shoot camera, or take lousy shots with the most expensive
Nikon. It’s not the camera that makes beautiful images; it’s the photographer.
With a little knowledge and a willingness to make an adjustment here and there,
you can squeeze big time photos out of the smallest digital camera.
Image Size
Resolution is the number of pixels in a liner inch (ppi).
Because an image is made up of pixels, the more pixels per inch, the higher the
resolution, and therefore better image quality. A 4"x6" image at 72 ppi
(internet pictures are at 72 ppi has pixel dimensions of 1200×1800 more
pixels=more definition.
One of the quality factors for a digital camera is the
number of megapixels it is capable of handling, simply put more pixels=more
definition. As an example, a 2.0 megapixel camera is capable of producing a
printable 4×6 image at the recommended ppi, and a 5.0 megapixel camera can
create a printable 6×9 image at 300ppi.
Warm up those tones
Have you ever noticed that your shots sometimes have a cool,
clammy feel to them? If so, you’re not alone. The default white balance setting
for digital cameras is auto, which is fine for most snapshots, but tends to be
a bit on the "cool" side.
When shooting outdoor portraits and sunny landscapes, try
changing your white balance setting from auto to cloudy. That’s right, cloudy.
Why? This adjustment is like putting a mild warming filter on your camera. It
increases the reds and yellows resulting in richer, warmer pictures.
Outdoor Portraits
One of the great hidden features on digital cameras is the
fill flash or flash on mode. By taking control of the flash so it goes on when
you want it to, not when the camera deems it appropriate, you’ve just taken an
important step toward capturing great outdoor portraits.
In flash on mode, the camera exposes for the background
first, then adds just enough flash to illuminate your portrait subject. The
result is a professional looking picture where everything in the composition
looks good. Wedding photographers have been using this technique for years.
High rez all the way
One of the most important reasons for packing a massive
memory card is to enable you to shoot at your camera’s highest resolution. If
you paid a premium price for a 6 megapixel digicam, then get your money’s worth
and shoot at 6 megapixels. And while you’re at it, shoot at your camera’s
highest quality compression setting too.
Final thoughts
Most digital cameras, even the consumer point-and-shoot
models, have a tremendous amount of functionality built into them. By applying
a little ingenuity and creativity, you can take shots that will make viewers
ask, "So what kind of camera do you have?
