Getting the best out of you camera
Digital cameras have become common, with most people owning one, or several if you count the many different camera phones on the market There are many new cameras out there to suit most peoples price ranges like the canon Ixus digital camera, or in fact any of the canon ixus range for that matter,
The internet has played a big part in changing how people store pictures, with most people having an online photo album so that there friends and family can see whats happening. this means that most people upload photos more ofter. Because of this most people want to get more from their pictures. With my help we are soon going to have you taking professional photographs
1 Read the manual, now if your anything like me you wont want to do this, but it can be really worthwhile especially if you haven't had a simalar camera before. The Canon Ixus digital photographic camera manual for example is broken down into quick to study sections which will allow you to to master the adjustments
2 Turn off the date stamp! Unless you have a specific need to have the date on your picture you are better turning this off. Theres nothing to stop you changing the pictures into date form Far superior than losing a section of the photo.
3 Theres a right and a wrong way to use the flash. There is no point in taking a picture of something in the distance at night as it will not show up. Its worth while using your cameras night times setttings. If you must take a picture using the flash make sure that you are not more than 5 meters away. preferably alot closer than this.
4. Lock the concentrate. When you go to press the button press it down about half way first, as this will let the auto focus do its magic
5. Attempt making use of the preset options. Most digital cameras have scene settings that are always worth giving a go
6. Distance settings. They may be there for any purpose. Most cameras these days have Macro settings, infact some camera phones have them also. However some cameras like the Canon Ixus range have exceptional auto settings that will take the effort out of your pictures, making it really just a case of point and shoot. It's still worth experimenting as this isnt always the case with alot of cameras. With most of the cameras that are currently on the market you should be careful trying to use the zoom and the macro setting at the same time as one is likely to interfere with the other, making truely awlful pictures. In which case you just need to get that bit closer to your subject.
7. Clean the lense. pictures taken with a dirty lens are never going to come out that well, unfortunately its one thing thats usually neglected, and why most camera phone pictures suck. . what I have found to be the easiest way to get my lens clean is to just breath on it then use a cloth (the type you use to clean glasses) I find that most of the time that is more than adequate. If its still not clean use some Isoproponol, again this can be purchased easily as glasses cleaner.
8. Ok so you were born with two hands (well hopefully) So why try to use only one to take a picture?. To be clear if you dont do this your pictures will either suck, or never reach thier true potential.
9. Its worth resting your elbows against your chest when you take your photos that way it will help stabilise your camera, helping to remove the chance of a blurred image.
10. If your camera is fitted with a view finder, use it. Some of the new cameras like the Canon Ixus digital range are fitted with pure colour Lcd screens. this is so you can check what your picture looks like after you have taken them, unless of course yours doesnt have a view finder! Once more same explanation as previous to it's going to steady your hands and improve the photo, this becomes even a lot more crucial when utilizing slow shutter speeds (see ahead).
If your head hasnt already exploded then ive got more for you.
Ive already given you alot to consider but thought I would give you a little more before I call it a day and stop writing
Acquiring Photographs In Low Brightness Conditions
At sometime in your 'photograpy career' your going to need to take pictures when there isnt alot of light. Maybe its at a party or family outing etc and because of this many people stipulate that thier new camera must be good at this when they are considering purchasing a new camera. Unfortunately what can happen is that you get home and take your first photo and end up dissapointed with the results. Fortunately it isnt always the cameras fault, more what you are asking it to do, without setting it up correctly
Before I tell you how to deal with this situation, perhaps it may be a good idea to discuss how camera's actually work, which will help make the problem a bit clearer. The picture is taken when the shutter opens, this allows the lense to focus some light onto the sensor. The brightness of the picture taken then depends on how much light there is. If its not a bright day or you are taking your picture in doors without the flash you are going to get a rubbish picture normally The lens must also gather light (aperture)
Now the ISO (dont ask me to tell you what that actually stands for) is basically how sensitive the sensor thats in the camera is sensitive to light So in order to get the best from our camera it becomes very obvious that we need to adjust the settings that will improve the amount of light that the camera sees. changing the ISO settings from its lowest which is usually ISO 64 towards one of its higher settings will make a difference, but the higher the ISO setting the more 'noise' in the photo which will make it look more grainy. You can of course sort this out in photoshop after you have taken the picture if you get it wrong You want the shutter to remain open for longer which will mean slowing down the shutter speed. In the event you can adjust the aperture you might have to widen it. Lastly you can sort the light problem out by either using the flash or using a light source to illuminate the subject. Normally if your taking pictures of something fairly near to you ie 3 metres then the flash so be more than adequate for the job. If your over about 15 feet from your subject, I wouldnt bother using the flash as its not going to help that much. Far better to just get closer to the subject before taking the picture
Its well worth noting the fact that a lot more you enhance the ISO the a lot more grainy the image can grow to be so dont go overboard
Ok so now we had better move onto to lighting. You should always try to have the sun behind you that way you will get the most vivid colours. If its too bright you may find that the shadows around the subject become too dark. With this you really need to judge this for yourself
Ok that wraps it up for this article, but if you would like a lot more it is possible to constantly go through my other articles just goto
Canon Ixus 95
