5 Photography Tips for the Rest of Us

Trish sent me a link to some tips for photographing people, and while most of the 10 tips provided were great, some were really only meant for people with fancy DSLRs (in my mind all DSLRs are fancy). I decided someone ought to write a list of photography tips for the everyday traveller. Here they are:

1. Never take a picture of someone or something with the sun in the background unless you want a picture of a silhouette. Silhouette shots can be very pretty, but not ideal if you want a picture of yourself.
2. If you have a digital point-and-shoot (ie a pocket camera) that cost more than $100, you have a force flash option. You might have to push a few buttons to change your settings from 'automatic' to 'manual' and then choose the option for flash, but it's there. It's sad but true that I've missed out on many potentially fabulous photos because I didn't bother reading my manual.
   
3. If you are taking pictures of someone in front of a snowy background, turn on the force flash option. The sunlight will reflect off the snow and make the subject look very dark in comparison if you don't.
   
4. Avoid zooming unless your camera has 'optical' zoom (as opposed to 'digital' zoom). Optical means it's actually zooming in on the subject without compromising the quality of the photo whereas digital zoom is the equivalent of zooming in on a digital picture on your computer and cropping out what you want.
5. Take more than one shot. In the age of digital cameras, it's ok to take a series of pictures and I'd recommend it if you're trying to get a group shot. Someone will inevitably be blinking in the first picture. You can always delete the extras later on. Or, if your super tech savvy, you can Photoshop two group photos together in the event that different people are blinking in two different group shots. This only works if everyone is standing very still inbetween shots though.
   

Bonus Tip Inspired by Trish (hee hee): If you're filming a video, don't flip your camera on its side as if you're taking a vertical photo. Your camera might not register that it's on its side and you'll end up with a sore neck trying to view your vids.

If you've got a DSLR or a hankering to get one, you might be interested in Craig Fergusons's website that has all sorts of tips for the travel photography enthusiast.

Anny Chih