Picking All Your Brains

[teedlepeep]

I am going to be giving a talk in a few weeks for a local group of non-photographers on how to take better holiday pics. I'm going to focus mainly on P & S cameras and their settings, with a smaller blit on the dslr's.

However, I'm going into brain cramp right now trying to write this ... so I figured I'm come over here and see if any of you have any ideas of stuff other then the basics that I should include??

[peeperita]

watch the background.......if it's brighter than your subject, swith on the flash .......

peeper

[kabur]

Right or wrong here are a couple of ideas.
If they have a view finder use it. Steady the camera against your head. This helps steady the camera rather than holding it at arms length.
Make sure your flash is on auto not red eye reduction
If you do use the red eye reduction.....wait.....steady...... and,,,,,,flash, now I can move my camera.
Don't fret over the bad resolution picture in you view after taking the picture some are not that good but your picture on the computer should be better in some cases unless your consistently taking bad shots then something different needs to be done.
Composition - groups - lots of faces ( i use to get in trouble from my wife for taking pictures without people in them.
If you have it check your file size. I have a kodak point and shoot and it give the choices. best, better, good etc. Hopefully I said that right.
Take plenty, its digital
Batteries
Good luck with your talk.
KB

[kencaleno]

Mastering Your compact Digital Camera


#1. Composition:

Composition is all about the arrangement of elements within the viewfinder’s frame, to evoke emotion from the viewer of the final image. What attracts us to great photographic images?
- They make us
- wrinkle our brow -
- smile -
- feel happy -
- feel sad -
- feel peaceful -
- feel disturbed -
- feel angry -
- feel like laughing -
- feel shocked.
If a photograph can evoke any of these emotions, it can be said to have Impact. The basis of impact in a photographic image is placement and possibly enhancement of that subject, within the viewfinder frame of the camera.
Composition refers to the arrangement of line, shape and contrast within the frame of the photographic Image. Effective composition arranges the elements, ( objects, colours, horizons, patterns, etc.,) that show the viewer your personal world view of the subject. It is a matter of knowing what to leave out of the image. The greatest influence on our reaction to a photograph is the position of the main centre of interest. This should almost never be placed at dead-centre in the frame, as any sense of implied movement dissolves. The result is usually static and boring.

Ask yourself 3 questions:

1. What is the main subject of my image?

- The most prominent object, theme or topic

2. How do I emphasise the main subject?

- Isolate the subject
- Use motion blur (slow shutter speed)
- Use fast shutter speed to freeze motion
- Use selective focusing
- Subject placement within frame
- Get close and fill frame with subject

3. What do I leave out of my image?

- All things that are irrelevant to the main subject
- All things that detract from the main subject
- Look out for cluttered foregrounds and backgrounds
- Watch for distractions: trees growing out of people’s heads;
- Rivers and fences running through ears, etc.,



#2, White balance

Where, with film you either shot print film in daylight or with flash indoors, and with slide film, you used daylight or tungsten film, or used compensating filters with these. White balance is Digital’s version-you select a white balance based on the condition of the light you are using, so the camera’s meter allows for white to photograph as white
Auto white balance does a reasonable job most of the time, but it cannot cope in some situations-especially when subject is in deep shadow. You need to know when to use the white balance settings for all situations, and this table will help you understand: ( degrees Kelvin is a means of determining colour temperature)

Sunrise/sunset 2400-3000 Kelvin……………………Use Auto white balance
Tungsten lighting 3200-3500 Kelvin ……………………Use tungsten/Incandescent white balance
Fluorescent lighting 4000 Kelvin …………… Use fluorescent White balance
Early morning/afternoon sun 4000 Kelvin…….Use auto white balance
Noon sun/Sun overhead…5000-6500 Kelvin…………………….use Cloudy White balance
Flash photography in daylight 5500 Kelvin ………………………Use Flash White balance
Deep shade………………….6500 Kelvin…………………………Use cloudy/shade white balance
Shade in daylight 7500 Kelvin ………………………………......Use shade white balance



#3. Exposure:

Thanks to digital cameras, exposure has never been so easy and simple to achieve, for general outdoor photography. Most of the time matrix (evaluative) metering, will do a great job. For portraiture, centre-weighted is preferred, and where high contrast separates dark from light, spot metering comes into its own. Correct exposure is simple-By studying the camera’s screen we are able to adjust our exposure compensation (+/-) to make sure we have detail in shadows and highlight areas.

#4. Light

- without which, we would have no photography. We need to understand its Magnitude, Direction and Intensity, so that we may manipulate, and control its power.
Direct sunlight and On-camera flash/strobes are Directional light sources, their shadows are sharply defined, and distinct. For many photographers, the sun is the main source of illumination. There is nothing wrong with relying solely on sunlight, but you do have to appreciate the different qualities of light available. Time of day and angle of light are the two essential considerations to be made about using sunlight as the main source of light. Photographers talk about late afternoon ( golden) light. Things do seem to photograph more beautifully when the sun is low on the horizon, that is, at dusk. You can get a similar feeling early in the morning although morning light tends to be more pink ( Cooler) while afternoon light is redder (Warmer).While shooting photographs between 10am and 4pm is not generally recommended, sometimes certain subjects will work fine, especially when you want a high degree of contrast between highlight and shadow. ( Architectural details come to mind)
Non-directional lighting has light reaching the subject from all sorts of angles; from left, from right, and all angles in between, and shadows thus formed are very soft, sometimes hard to discern-Cloud cover on an overcast day is one example of non-directional light, while light reflected from the sky (skylight) is another. Concerning portraits, It is better to use a non-directional (Diffused) light source, due to the gradual gradation of its shadow, which doesn’t mar the portrait. If you’re shooting outdoors, for the best modelling you will want the light to strike the model’s face from the side, at 45 degrees vertical and horizontal. First get out of the direct sunlight, either in the shade of a building, or under the shelter of a tree. This will result in your model being lit by a diffused, non-directional light source, skylight or reflected light from surroundings. If you position your model looking towards this light source , the face should be lit with soft, delicate light. All you need to do is to move your subject, or your camera, to get light crossing the face.. What you want to achieve here is to have one side of the face brighter than the other by two stops exposure, giving a 3-dimensional rendering to the portrait. In case there is no tree, or building, you may need to resort to scrims, reflectors or blacks to modify the light to suit. Scrims are sheets of translucent material that are held between the sun and the subject to diffuse direct light. Reflectors are panels of card or material that reflects light, providing a soft quality of light. Usually white, silver or gold in colour, light bounces off the surface and into the shadow areas of the face. Blacks are the opposite of reflectors and they absorb light, instead of reflecting it. For indoor portraits, window light is a great source-First choose a window on the side of the house away from the sun-you don’t want direct sunlight, it’s too harsh. When you position your model close to a window, you get a soft light to one side of the face, and because the inside of the room is relatively dark, the other side of the face will be in shadow -a 3 dimensional look for your portrait.
Again, by using a reflector, ( Gold gives a warm tanned look, White will be most used, and Silver gives a glint to the model’s eye) you can arrive at the 2-stop difference - For instance F 11 for window -lit side of face, and F 5.6 for the shadow side- ( 3:1 ratio) for the ideal portrait. (NOTE: For cameras that do not have aperture settings, just judge that lighting is how you want it)

[candleman]

teach them to focus and re-compose (the rule of thirds)

watch distracting backgrounds and things passing through peoples heads

[peeperita]

i have another novice one.....especially good during the holiday parties......have folks stand very near each other....i tell people "act like you like each other"....that gets them in nice and tight and you can take better candids of friends and family......

peeper

[sk66]

best tip I can think of for novice and P/S cameras is ....if at all possible avoid flash. if necessary set it to fill/turn it down a bit (underexpose).

A few example shots and how to use/avoid using the p/s flash would be a huge help in improving many "holiday photos".

[teedlepeep]

Thank You guys so much !!! I am waiting now to see if I will have access to a projector and screen so I can do a PP presentation or if I have to just print up some examples as handouts.

I appreciate the suggestions very much!! If anyone thinks of anything else ... post away!!

[private]

composition is key - I would also talk to them about picnic. easy PPing

[PowerPix]

*raises hand*

Where's the "ON" button???