In a posed portrait, strive for eye contact for a sense of intimacy and shoot from the subjects own eye level. (Cypress Gardens, Florida; flash) Capture Nine Tips For Better Digital Pictures With one of todays sophisticated digital cameras almost anyone can produce decent snapshots: properly focused, sharp and correctly exposed. Autofocus, high tech light metering, 2-megapixel (or higher) resolution plus full automation are just about guaranteed to make even the novice look good. Not happy with your pictures? Then simply correct them afterward using the image-editing software that came with the camera. All of this is true, at least theoretically. On the other hand, you can take much better digital pictures by using a few techniques beyond the quick point-and-shoot approach. This will reduce the need for time-consuming digital corrections, make for better prints, and produce pictures that youll be proud to share with others.

Most digital cameras include autofocus lock useful for off-center compositions where the primary subject is sharply focused. Exclude And Simplify. The single best way to improve your images is to fill the frame. Walk closer to your subject or zoom in for tight framing for a greater sense of intimacy. To maintain high resolution, use optical zoom only, not digital zoom. When the subject is verticala building, trees, most people, etc.flip the camera to a vertical orientation to avoid wasted space at the edges of a frame. Strive to present a clear message to the viewer by excluding superfluous objects. A picture should generally have one strong center of interest with perhaps a second supporting subject. If the background is cluttered, find a better shooting angle or move your subject, if thats possible; foliage or a rich blue sky makes for a highly suitable backdrop especially for people. No matter what type of subjects you typically shoot, greater reliance on close-ups and simplicity should help to improve the visual impact of your pictures.

Candid images of people involved in some activity, or interacting, are often more indicative of their personalities than the standard posed shots. Take Better People Pictures. The single most photographed subject in the world is people. Unfortunately, too many pictures are of the same type: the subject saying Cheese for the camera or standing in front of some exotic location while traveling. While formal portraits are worth taking, expand your scope. Shoot some candids or photograph people interacting, or involved in some activity to make the pictures more interesting to others. In portrait shots, ensure eye contact for a sense of intimacy. Photograph children from their own eye level, tripping the shutter at the instant of a fleeting expression. Zoom in tightly to exclude surrounding clutter. If using flash, activate the redeye reduction feature if your camera has this mode. Also brighten all room lights to cause your subjects pupils to close down in order to reduce this ghoulish effect. Use Flash Outdoors. Built-in flash is standard on just about every digital camera, and this feature is great for indoor photography. However, it can be just as useful outdoors on bright, sunny days in close-ups. Most cameras have a Daylight Flash mode that will cause it to fire even in situations where the built-in computer does not consider flash necessary. Activate flash to soften unflattering facial shadows cast by a hat in people pictures. Or use it to add a catchlight to the eyes in shade, making the person seem to come alive.

With architectural subjects, distortion of lines occurs when the camera is tilted upward to include the entire building. While that effect can be used for creative purposes, it can also be avoided by holding the camera parallel to the subject. When the sun is high overhead, flash can brighten the eye sockets which would otherwise be dark. In high contrast situationswith a background of bright sand, water or skyflash can moderate the contrast level with more even lighting. It will help to produce a nicely lit subject with a bright background instead of a silhouette or grossly overexposed surrounding. On dark overcast days, flash can help produce richer colors while adding some necessary contrast: with some shadows creating a more three-dimensional effect in otherwise flat lighting. Avoid Wide Angle Distortion. When taking pictures of people, try to maintain a distance of about six feet. A wide angle close-up portrait shot produces distorted facial features with a bulbous nose most suitable for a humorous rendition of the subject. Zoom to the longest focal length available with the optical zoom lens, and move farther back for the most pleasing pictures.

While other spectators shot from the sidelines, I asked for permission to get closer. Hence, I was able to fill the frame with the primary subject and the essential supporting elements with a short focal length. A similar problem occurs when you photograph buildings. In order to include an entire structure, its tempting to use the wide angle setting of the zoom lens and then tilt the camera upward. This technique creates distorted perspectivethe building appears to lean over backward. Unless you want to take advantage of this effect for creative reasons, move farther back and use a longer zoom setting. If the images now include a lot of extraneous foreground detail, crop them with your image-editing software. A high-resolution image will not be significantly degraded and 4x6 output should still be excellent. However, the quality of an 8x10 print will be lower because the number of pixels in the image area has been reduced. Control The Composition. In most digital cameras, the autofocus detection sensor is located in the center of the viewing area. Consequently, most digicam owners tend to center their subjects in every image they shoot making for a static image. This is fine occasionally, but an off-center composition is more pleasing for most situations. Fortunately this is easy to achieve because most cameras include Focus Lock: as long as you maintain slight pressure on the shutter release button, focus will not change. So begin by centering your subject to acquire autofocus, then reframe for a more pleasing composition using Focus Lock.

With children, its important to photograph from their eye level instead of an adults level. The effect is far more pleasing when the camera does not loom far above the subjects head. (Flash) Some new digital cameras include several focus detection sensors arrayed across the viewing area horizontally. The Canon Power Shot S100 that I tested has three. These allow for instant focus on a slightly off-center subject. However, such cameras also include Focus Lock, useful when you want to place the primary element in the image far off-center. Use a Firm Support. The built-in flash units of digital cameras are great for close-ups, but they do have very limited range. Flash cannot illuminate an entire cathedral or city skyline at night, although it will fire in such conditions. The result will be an image that is dark and murky, beyond correction with image-editing software. If you simply de-activate flash and shoot handheld, the pictures will probably be blurred from camera shake during the long exposure time needed to make an image in low light. Take a tip from conventional photographers and carry a tripod for such situations. With a compact digital camera, one of the tabletop models should be fine, but buy the most rigid (least flimsy) model you can find. Set the camera for Flash Off operation and mount it on the tripod. Then set it up on a table, on the floor or on anything solid; in a pinch, brace the mini-tripod against a wall for support necessary for a sharp picture.

This studio in Costa Rica was cluttered with various artifacts and supplies, so I simply moved in closer to exclude the distracting elements. In the darkly shaded location flash was essential for a sharp, bright image. Shoot And Re-Shoot. Photographers using film-based cameras are usually concerned about the cost of film and processing. Consequently, they often hesitate to work a subject by shooting lots of frames. With a digital camera, this concern is not relevant because you can quickly delete any images that are less than ideal. Explore the subject from a variety of angles, with and without flash, at longer and shorter settings of the optical zoom lens, and so on. Generally, youll find that you rarely captured the essence of the subject in the first shot. Avoid Excessive Compression. Most digital cameras offer several Image Quality options, from high with minimal compression, to low with much greater compression. The 2.1-megapixel Canon S100 for example, allows you to choose among three settings from Small/ Fine (640x480 pixels) to Large/ Super Fine (1600x1200 pixels). A 153KB file at a 640x480 pixel resolution is more than adequate for Internet use but not for prints of decent quality. If you believe that you might want to make prints of your digital images, youll need at least a 1000x1000 pixel resolution for a detailed, sharp 4x6 print. For an 8x10 print of high quality, the highest resolution setting (with least compression) of a 2-megapixel camera would be required. Use a photo-realistic inkjet printer and photo quality paper for prints approaching true photographic quality. Naturally, storage capacity will be a problem with high-resolution images. The 8MB CompactFlash card that comes with the Canon S100 holds only four images in the Large/Super Fine mode. If you want to shoot high-resolution images for making prints, an optional high capacity card (perhaps 48MB) is a good investment, reducing frustration and encouraging you to use the cameras highest resolution setting. Use Image Editing Wisely. The software packaged with digital cameras is generally quite versatile, allowing you to eliminate small distractions, and to adjust factors such as brightness, contrast, color, and sharpness. Avoid the temptation to over-sharpen an image because results will be grainy. Dont waste time trying to sharpen a motion blur or an out of focus subject because thats virtually impossible to achieve. Think of the software as a tool and not as a substitute for good photographic technique. For the most satisfying results, take the best possible pictures in-camera and reserve digital imaging to enhance your technically and aesthetically fine pictures. Manufacturer/Distributor Canon USA, One Canon Plaza Lake Success, NY 11042 (800) 423-2366