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Quick Click Tricks

2003-09-16 17:08:43

I am an amateur photographer, and am fascinated with the ability to capture images. I have always owned a camera or two (since I was a child, which got me the position of "Family Photographer"). I also wield digital cameras with a vengeance. ;-)

In the the process, I have learned a few tips and tricks - and here they are.

Digital cameras are the rage today. Instant photography, coupled with the unbelievable spread of the Internet, promises. A new baby, a new car, a wedding in the family or a snapshot of your latest product - they can be on your computer screens in seconds, and half way around the world a minute later.

But a good digital camera does not a good photographer make. While the cameras are mostly in the range of "point-and-shoot", there are some things you should keep in mind when taking photographs with your latest toy.

Get close, closer, closest

Many people make this mistake - stand 15 feet away from your subject, and take a shot.

Digital cameras have a fixed number of pixels for a picture. My DC 220 had just over 1 million of them, my DC290 has 2.1 million. Pixels are important, they are a valuable resource that, once used, cannot be regained.

Picture this (excuse the pun): you take a photograph of your family in the garden. Take a decision: is the subject your family, or your garden? If it's the garden, then by all means stand back and make sure you get it all in the frame. But if it's your family, get in close. If your family actually occupies only 20% of the picture, then you are wasting 80% of the precious pixels on subject matter that you are going to crop out later!

Why are pixels so important? Because the number of pixels allocated to your subject matter decide the amount of detail captured. A good shot of your subject will allocate as many pixels to it as you can fit in.


Therefore, get close to your subject. Don't depend on the zoom function of your camera - different cameras produce varying results, and the concept of "digital zoom" simply extrapolates information without actually adding to it, resulting in grainy or pixelated pictures.

Watch you flash!

Many digital cameras have a built-in flash. But these flash units have varying degrees of effectiveness. My DC290, for example, has a flash that is completely ineffective beyond 10 feet! If I try to take a picture of a dimly-lit hall full of people, only the people that are within 10 feet of me will get illuminated, while the rest is just a dark blur. Again, it's important to get close to your subject. If that's not possible (as in the case of the already mentioned hall full of people), either ensure that the room is brightly lit, or use a powerful, external flash unit.

Also note that while it is possible to use Photoshop or Gimp to brighten up your pictures later, you will probably end up with fuzzy and unbalanced pictures. Try to get it right the first time. Use your LCD display on the camera to at least make sure that all of your subject got illuminated properly.

Use your flash

Many people seem to think that a flash is used only at night. Not true! A flash is useful even during daylight, especially in bright sunlight. Look at your subject - do you see shadows on their faces? Do the faces seem dark compared to the background? Force your flash on and you will get much better pictures.

But be careful. Too much flash can also mean very harsh features, producing shadows that you cannot see before taking the snap.

To "soften" the flash impact on a close-up, I usually either wrap my handkerchief around the flash, or tape a piece of paper over it. Another trick is to simulate a "bounce flash" - tape a piece of paper in front of the flash so that it sticks out at an angle, facing upwards. This will allow some amount of flash to pass through the paper and onto your subject, while some of it gets bounced off the ceiling, reducing shadows on the subject caused by direct flash.

Fingers off that delete key!

Many people have the habit of taking a snap, looking at it on the LCD, then deleting it if they are not satisfied.

Don't do that!

The extra photos don't cost you anything. In fact, you should take as many pictures as you can fit on your camera, under varying conditions (with flash and without, different angles, etc). The LCD panel on your camera is not a 100% representation of what you will eventually see on your computer screen. Take lots of pictures, then decide which to keep and which to delete once you have them in front of you on your computer screen.

Use the highest quality

Many people use lower resolution pictures to get more pictures. I took some 450 pictures at Bangalore IT.COM in 1999 at 640 x 480 resolution, and was very unhappy later, because the resolution was too low to work with the pictures later. You spent good money on your camera for the high resolution - use it! If things get tight, make sure you either have more memory devices (CompactFlash cards, floppies, SmartMedia) or a notebook computer along.

Also, if you plan to take pictures where you will need the highest amount of detail, use your camera's "Uncompressed TIFF mode" if available. Due to the compression in JPEG pictures, you lose a certain amount of detail. To try this out, take a picture of a leaf with fine veins. Use both TIFF and JPEG, and have a look at them on your computer screen - you'll know what I mean. But watch out, on my DC290, a single TIFF picture takes up 6.5 MB!

Don't kill your batteries

The batteries in your camera are probably the most important thing (next to the camera itself). No power, no pictures. Don't waste your batteries by looking at snaps taken on the LCD screen - the LCD sucks power! I typically set my camera to show the image for a second after taking the snap. This tells me if I captured what I wanted to, without wasting too much battery. And when I have to take a lot of pictures, I just turn the review mode off - you won't believe how much life this adds to your batteries!

Watch for the shot

Many times, a photo-opportunity presents itself, and one is not prepared for it. This usually means that the camera is in the bag. Digital cameras, despite the fact that do not run Windows, take a long time to boot up. Some cameras (like my DC290) also have a distinct delay between the time that you hit the shutter release, and the photo is actually taken.

Have the camera booted up and ready if you are in a situation where you might have to take photos. Practice "pre-empting" a shot - get the feel of the click delay, and make sure that your camera is pointed where the action will be when the click takes place.

Invest in a tripod

Many pictures require some set up and a steady hand. At times like this, a tripod is invaluable. If you don't wish to carry a full-sized one around, at least carry a small table-top tripod. You will always find a place to rest it on if you need to take a shot that isn't exactly in a table-top environment.

And don't forget that the tripod, coupled with the timed-release function of your camera, is the only way you are going to get everyone including yourself into the picture!


This article had earlier appeared in an issue of Computers@Home.

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