Features
100 Tips From the Experts
Five renowned digital imaging experts share their tips and tricks
and secrets with you.
Arthur H. Bleich
Small objects - To light small objects without producing
harsh shadows or overly-bright highlights, build a small tabletop
tent using part of an old bed sheet with an opening cut for the
camera lens. Then place the object inside it and aim your light
through the side of the tent.
Educate
yourself - You may be a techie and love all that geeky stuff,
but photography is still about making pictures that say something.
The finest equipment is worthless if you can't use it to express
yourself. Read a few books that emphasize the creative side. One
to get is Bryan Peterson's ãLearning To See Creatively.ä
Image
quality - To maintain image quality, convert pictures you've shot
in JPEG to TIFF. You can then work and re-work them in an imaging
program without having them degrade. And if you mess up, the original
JPEG is always still there.
Zoom
lenses - Most zoom lenses give you larger apertures at wide-angle
settings than at full telephoto. Just how much is engraved on
the lens. If it says 1:2.8 - 4.8 the camera's maximum aperture
of f-2.8 at full wide will shift to f-4.8 (about 1.5 stops) as
you move to the extreme telephoto setting.
Shake-free
images - Unless your camera or lens has image stabilization built
in, here's the rule for getting shake-free images when using zoom
lenses at telephoto settings. Use the focal length of the lens
as your shutter speed. So if you are shooting with the 35mm equivalent
of a 400mm lens, set your shutter speed to 1/400th second or faster.
Optical
viewfinders - All digicam optical viewfinders show you less of
the field of view than will be recorded. If you want to frame
your images accurately, run a few tests to see how much more will
actually be included and compensate for it, usually by moving
in.
Scan
resolution - Here's how to figure out what resolution to scan
at: dpi to set for scanning = final image width divided by the
original image width x the final ppi desired. So if you want to
print an 8x10 inch enlargement from a 4 x 5 inch photo, divide
10 by 5 which gives you 2. Then multiply that by, say, 200. The
result, 400, is the scanner dpi setting to use. To end up with
300 ppi you'd have to scan at 600 dpi.
Camera
shake - To reduce camera shake when shooting at slow shutter speeds,
put your arm through the camera strap so that the strap crosses
your back and ends up under your right armpit. Then adjust the
strap so the camera's at eye level when you pull it forward. Result?
Rock-steady shots.
Cleaning
lenses - Don't use lens tissue to remove smudges from your lens.
It only redistributes the dirt and oil. A LensPen (www.lenspen.com)
will get rid of everything without harming the optical glass or
its coating.
Memory
cards - Memory cards do go South so trusting all your pictures
to one big card is a bad idea. Depending on the resolution and
compression ratio you shoot at, use cards that hold about 50 images
so all won't be lost if the card takes a dive.
Bad
storage cards - If a memory card goes bad, and gives you a message
of doom, don't mess with it. There are many recovery programs
that will save your images and the less you do the better your
chances are that you can retrieve them unharmed.
Long
exposure - When doing long exposures with a single lens reflex
camera on a tripod, don't forget to cover the eyepiece or light
will get in through it and usually put a blurry round circle right
in the middle of your image.
New
angles - Try new points of view. Get down and shoot up or up and
shoot down. Tilt the camera to induce some dynamic tension. Come
in ultra close or shoot from really far away. And guess what?
If you turn your camera 90-degrees to the left or right you can
shoot exciting vertical images. It's a built-in feature on every
cameraö use it.
RAW
mode - Much ado is currently being made about shooting in RAW
mode, which eliminates in-camera adjustments for color and sharpness,
among others, and let's you fiddle with them yourself afterwards
in an imaging program. But shooting in RAW inflates file sizes,
slows down certain camera functions, and requires more work. If
your exposures and white balance are correct (and they usually
are) stick with JPEG. The quality will be virtually the same without
all the hassles.
Bracketing
- Bracketing is a great feature to use when you're shooting under
difficult conditions (extremely low or bright light). The camera
will shoot one picture at what it thinks is the correct exposure
and then two more, one overexposed and the other underexposed.
Among the three, one should be right on the nose.
Image
compression - Cameras vary in their compression ratios (the smaller
the better). The best on one brand may be 1:2 while on another
it may be 1:4. Anything up to 1:8 will produce acceptable images;
in fact, you'd have a hard time telling the difference. The Canon
Digital Rebel, for example, uses 1:7 at its best setting and huge
prints from its images look just fine.
Color
calibration - To make sure the colors you see on your monitor
print out correctly, you must calibrate it so it accurately displays
the colors in your image files. The printer uses that file and
not your monitor for its output. Calibration assures that the
monitor is displaying exactly the same colors that are in the
file and that any changes you make to the image on your monitor
will be made to the file which, in turn, will be reflected in
your print-out.
Get
close - Move in. Most pictures have way too much extraneous junk
in them. By taking a few giant steps forward, your pictures will
become more dramatic and go from ho-hum to ooh-ah.
Lotsa
pics - Shoot, shoot, and shoot. Shoot a few pictures a week and
it will take you forever to become a good photographer. But shoot
a couple of hundred shots a week and you'll progress a lot faster.
The
right paper - Use the right paper for your inkjet printer. Epsons
shoot cold dots of ink while most others shoot hot ones. It's
perfectly OK to use third-party papers (Red River has a huge selection)
but make sure they are compatible with the type of printer you
have.
Imaging
software - Start off with a good imaging program. Adobe Photoshop
Elements is a great bargain and that's what you should use. Don't
spend a fortune on the full version of Photoshop to begin with;
in fact, it might be a bit overwhelming. Photoshop Elements is
probably all you'll ever need and for under $100 it's a steal.
No
flash - The worst pictures you can possibly make will be with
the camera's flash. Unless you're shooting ãrecordä shots (your
possessions for insurance purposes, for example), stash the flash.
Start shooting with available light and you'll feel the magic.
Al
Francekevich
The very best quality - The best quality setting is RAW. Along
with that, there are conditions that may be obvious. You want
to use the lowest ISO speed, you need a sufficient amount of light,
and you might need a tripod. If you have to use a high speed ISO,
you might as well shoot at the best JPEG setting. RAW won't help
with the noise.
RAW
flexibility - The only setting that is important in the camera
with RAW is the ISO selection. Everything else can be adjusted
in your RAW processor. I usually leave the white balance in auto,
and the ISO at the slowest speed.
Portraits
are easier in JPEG - The slow processing for RAW is going to slow
you down and work against the rhythm of a portrait session. I
like to shoot and talk without long gaps for processing. Make
sure you've picked a good white balance. Shoot a few quick shots
and look at them on your computer if possible. When you are happy
with exposure and color balance, lock in the settings (I often
switch to manual) and shoot freely.
Two
512 CF cards are better than one 1 gig CF card - Murphy's law
suggests that eventually a CF card could fail. If you are depending
completely on one big card, you can lose an entire session. The
cards are small and easy to carry and it makes sense to have more
than one. Also you'll get more bang for the buck with the smaller
cards - large cards command a premium price.
Format
your cards regularly - Once you are sure your images are saved
on your computer, the best approach is to put the card back in
the camera and format it. A fresh start.
Use
a card reader - The best way to get your pictures onto a computer
is using a card reader. This doesn't deplete your camera battery.
I always make a new folder on my desktop and copy the pictures
into that. Don't do anything to your camera card data on the computer.
The software on the card can be corrupted.
Erasing
pics - Don't erase pictures in your camera unless you are desperate
for space. I've heard of people corrupting the card software by
erasing during shootings. Delete later on the computer.
Histogram
tip - If your camera can show a histogram, it is your best guide
to correct exposure. Unlike slide film in which we liked to underexpose
a bit for richer color, your best digital exposure is a slight
overexposure, without losing the brightest highlights. That way,
you'll get the least noise.
Digital
Zoom - If you are working with your pictures on a computer, don't
bother with digital zoom. You are better off using your longest
optical zoom and cropping. That's all digital zoom does. If you
are going right from your card to a photofinisher, then digital
zoom might be a convenience.
Shooting
windows - When the exposure is right for most interiors, windows
are usually way overexposed. You can do a series of exposures
to get details in both extremes and combine the images in your
imaging program. Of course you'll need a tripod so the images
are in perfect register when opened.
Use
a remote release - A remote release is very useful in almost any
situation with a tripod. It'd great for the interiors described
above and also prevents any movement caused by pressing the shutter
release. A self timer can accomplish this as well if you don't
have a remote switch.
Don't
shoot black and white - Even if your camera has a b&w setting,
you'll leave yourself more options by shooting everything in color.
In your imaging program, you have many choices in getting a b&w
image you like. It beats carrying a pocketful of filters to the
shooting.
Filters
- All filters that make subtle color changes are now obsolete.
Much easier done on your computer. A polarizing filter is still
useful because you can't do that effect later (although nik efex
has a filter that fakes the effect nicely). Diffusion filters
are also useful. The Photoshop blurs and glows are not as refined
as a good diffusion filter.
Filter
adapters - Digicam filter sizes often have odd diameters like
58mm. I own many Series 8 filters acquired over the years. You
can buy a low cost adapter (58mm to 72mm, in my case) and use
your old camera filters and accessories like plus lenses on your
new digital camera.
ãNight
picturesä - Most of the night pictures you see are shot at dusk.
Wait till the lights are turned on and shoot at the magic hour
before it gets pitch black. You still get the glamour of nighttime
with a bit more detail in buildings and streets. Later all the
spaces between the lights are pitch black.
Don't
trust the LCD - Your best bet is to shoot a few pictures and then
download them to your computer to judge them there. The camera
LCD's can be deceptive. You know you have it when it looks good
at a large size on your monitor.
Panoramas
- Don't use program mode for panoramas - You should determine
the exposure you'd like to use and either use your exposure lock
or simply switch to manual and put in the exposure. Program mode
will keep changing the exposure and the sections won't blend well.
Panoramas
on a tripod - If you are really serious about a panorama, use
a tripod and make sure the camera is horizontally level. Overlap
your sections about one third and you'll get a really professional
panorama. That said, I've been happy with some of my handheld
panoramas, accomplished without too much planning.
Pics
for email - If your only use for pictures is email, stay in the
sRGB color space. Email and the web like this space. Adobe RGB
1998 is better for making your own exhibition prints. Photofinishers
also seem to do better with sRGB color space.
Converting
for email - If you are already working in Adobe RGB and you also
want to reduce that picture, save it as a small jpeg, and send
it to a friend, also convert it to sRGB. Sometimes the picture
becomes flat so you'll want to adjust it with levels or hue-saturation
before sending it out.
Don't
forget basics - Digital photography is very liberating and you
can shoot a lot of äfree picturesä because you're not paying for
film. All the principles of traditional photography still apply
- composition, lighting, exposure, etc. Don't count on always
fixing it later.
Bob
Shell
Formatting cards - Always format your storage cards in the camera,
never in the card reader. Formatting them in the card reader risks
rendering them unusable.
White
balance - You can make your images warmer or cooler in color by
setting white balance using a bluish card ( to make them warmer)
or a reddish card (to make them cooler). Commercial versions of
cards to do this are available from www.warmcards.com .
Lens
hoods - If you buy one of the lower priced digital SLR camera
kits, check to see if it includes a lens hood for the lens. Lens
hoods are essential for reducing flare and getting the best possible
photographs, and are not just for professional photographers.
If the kit you buy does not include a lens hood, make that your
first purchase.
Avoid
dust - If you are changing lenses on a digital SLR camera, always
point the camera body down when doing so to avoid getting dust
settle the camera while the lens is off. This will help keep your
digital sensor clean and avoid dark spots on your images.
Get
a tripod - Don't forget that a tripod is just as important for
a digital camera as it is for a film camera when taking photos
at slow shutter speeds. The improvement in fine detail will be
significant.
Upgrade
firmware - Most camera companies issue regular firmware upgrades
for their cameras. Check the web site of your camera maker periodically
and install the newest firmware as it is issued. Installation
instructions are on the same web sites.
Use
those histograms - It is almost impossible to really evaluate
your images on the LCD monitor on your camera, so if your camera
has the capability to display a histogram of the image, learn
to interpret it so you don't have surprises after you upload your
images to your computer.
Slide
shows - Remember slide shows? Many digital cameras can be easily
connected to a TV set for easy viewing by groups of people.
Shutter
lag - Most consumer digital cameras have a big time lag between
when you press the shutter button and when the camera actually
takes the photograph. This can be very frustrating if you are
trying to photograph anything in which there is fast action. Try
practicing with your camera to anticipate the right moment and
press the shutter button before it occurs.
Get
a CD Writer - Storage cards can be expensive if you buy a lot.
Consider a battery powered CD writer with slots for media. With
one of these you can transfer your images from the storage cards
onto cheap blank CDs just about anywhere.
Move
in close - The biggest failure of amateur photos that I see is
getting too much in the image. Don't be afraid to move in close
and pay attention to the background and surroundings when taking
photographs.
Underexpose
when in doubt - If you blow out the highlights in a digital image,
there is nothing you can do to bring back the lost detail. However,
just about any level of shadow detail can be brought back in Photoshop.
For this reason I always set my digital cameras to underexpose
by 1/3, 1/2 or even one full stop. This preserves highlight detail,
and I can always bring up the shadow detail in Photoshop using
Levels.
Redeye
- It is caused by the camera's flash being too close to the lens.
This sends the beam of light from the flash directly into the
subject's eye, where it reflects back from the red retina. Redeye
elimination technology, in my experience, does not work. The only
sure way to prevent redeye is to get the flash farther from the
lens. If your camera accepts an accessory flash, get one and use
it when photographing people or animals.
Clean
lens - It is very important to keep your lens clean. Small digital
cameras use short focal length lenses that have very great depth
of field, and this means that dust on the lens will show up as
fuzzy blobs in your photos. Use a good brand of lens cleaning
tissue and fluid periodically.
Remote
trigger - Many digital cameras can be fired with a remote triggering
device. If one is available for your camera, you may want to get
one. This way you can get in the picture and still be in control,
which is not possible with self-timers.
Outdoor
flash - Although it may seem counter-intuitive, the time when
you most need fill flash is when taking photos in bright sun.
The fill flash is used to throw some extra light into the shadows
so that they won't just be dead black with no detail. Experiment
with fill flash and you will see how much it can improve your
photos.
Static
electricity - Static electricity can zap a storage card. Before
picking up a card in dry weather, ground yourself by touching
something metal before picking up the card. The same goes for
putting cards into card readers and taking them out.
Lousy
weather - Don't be afraid of taking photos on dull days. Often
overcast days will produce the most saturated colors and the most
flattering light for your subjects.
Protect
that gear - Digital cameras and water don't get along. But some
great photo opportunities are found on rainy days. You can make
a ãraincoatä for your camera out of a plastic food storage bag.
Cut a hole for the lens and put a rubber band around the bag close
to the end of the lens. Zip the bag closed and operate your camera
through thee plastic and you can get some great photos you might
otherwise miss. This plastic bag trick is also good at the beach
or in the desert to keep sand and dust out of your camera.
Get
a DVD writer - Cameras are producing larger and larger files.
You may find that CDs just don't have enough space to store all
of the photos from one trip or event. Consider adding a DVD drive
to your computer and archiving your images on DVD. You will save
a lot of shelf space.
Jon
Cox
The right tripod - Use a tripod to steady your camera whenever
possible, but make sure it's comfortable to work with otherwise
you'll never use it.
Off-center
- Avoid composing your subject in the center of the frame it's
often the most visually stagnant placement. Instead, try using
the left, right top or bottom of the frame to compose your subject.
Complementary
colors - Use complementary colors to make your subject stand out,
like an orange flower against a blue sky.
RAW
is good - Don't underestimate the power of the RAW file. It's
like shooting a film negative you have incredible control over
white balance and exposure when used with Photoshop's RAW file
plug-in.
Polarizer
- If you can buy only one filter make it a polarizer, it reduces
glare, darkens a blue sky and saturates color. It_s usually the
only filter in my camera bag.
Sunrise!
- Eat breakfast late, some of the best atmospheric images are
right before and right after sunrise.
High
noon - Noon may seem like a terrible time to photograph but it
can lead to great shots if you're willing to make the effort.
Handheld
rule - If your not using a tripod shoot using the handheld rule,
which states that your shutter speed equals one over the focal
length of your lens. For example: if you are using a 60mm lens
your shutter speed must be 1/60 or faster.
Try
new stuff - Try new techniques and don't be afraid of making mistakes.
They are often the beginning of a new project.
Know
your subject - The more you know about your subject the better
your images become. Whether it's architecture, aardvarks or apples
learn the intricate details and the images will follow.
Learn
white balance - Know how the white balance setting affects your
images, it's one of the most overlooked aspects of digital photography.
Shoot the same image and go through all the different white balance
settings on your camera.
Sharpening
- Almost every image needs a bit of sharpening in Photoshop. Try
using the Photoshop Command Filter/Sharpen/ Unsharp Mask for maximum
control.
Garbage
in is Garbage out - Take the best image you can in the field to
avoid spending hours at the computer trying to fix a bad shot.
Your
subject's level - Try and see the world how your subject sees
the world. It's all about perspective. If you're taking a picture
of turtle get down on the ground to the turtle's level.
RAW
clarity - For maximum clarity shoot using the RAW file if want
to blow your images up to poster size prints.
The
plastic bag - On a rainy or snowy day slip a plastic bag over
your camera and take advantage of the diffused light.
Try
before you buy - If you know exactly what you want the internet
is great, but you can_t beat trying out new equipment at your
local camera shop.
Equipment
has limits - Portable hard drives are lifesavers storing thousands
of images when traveling but don't expect them to work above 10,000
feet elevation.
Melissa
Perenson
Capture unique angles - Try raising the camera above your head,
tilted up or down, to capture a viewpoint you never could consider
snapping with a film camera.
Try
different settings - Before you go to that wedding or bar mitzvah,
try out the camera's various settings. You'll be able to see the
results of the different settings on-the-spot. See the difference
between ãAä vs. ãPä vs. ãLandscapeä vs. ãPortraitä modes, for
example. Each of these preset modes÷and other variations too numerous
to recount here÷change specific settings in the camera, to optimize
the image for different situations. The more you understand about
how the different camera settings can alter your image, the better
your results will be.
Learn
the quirks - Every digital camera has its own quirks. Before you
go out into the field, familiarize yourself with those quirks.
The boot-up lag time, the cycling time between shots, how long
it takes for the flash to recycle, and for the zoom lens to move
in and out, etc. The more you understand of these behavioral aspects
of your camera, the better prepared you'll be to capture your
shot, at the peak of the action.
Get
some gadgets - Depending on your camera, a host of add-on options
may be appropriate: form-fitting cases, lens extenders, compact
tripods, etc.
Shoot
at the highest quality - The better the image quality, the more
you can do with the image later. A higher res image lets you crop
in tighter, with less quality loss.
Turn
off the LCD - When you're traveling, or in the middle of an event,
and your battery light is starting to blink, switch off the LCD
and use the optical viewfinder instead. And switch off instant
image playback, too. This will help conserve battery life.
Delete
stuff on the PC - Don't do lots of viewing and deleting on the
camera as it drains the battery. I save the serious weeding out
for my PC, instead.
Use
the right batteries - Use batteries optimized for digital cameras.
Energizer Photo Lithium AAs may be pricey (about $11 for four
AAs), but they really do make a difference. Kodak's photo batteries
also work better than standard issue batteries.
Buy
an extra battery - If you use a proprietary battery, keep an extra
charged battery pack on hand. They cost a lot, but it's worth
it if you plan to take lots of pictures.
Get
big memory cards - Never mind puny 64MB or 128MB cards: Get yourself
a card that reflects your shooting habits, and your camera's shooting
capabilities. I suggest at 512MB card for use with 3 or 4 megapixel
cameras, or a 1GB card for 5 megapixels and up.
Organize!
- Organize your photos consistently. Come up with a naming scheme
and copy your images into folders adhering to whatever naming
convention works for you.
Get
a good photo viewer - Use a photo-viewer to see your photos. ACD-See
and similar programs provide a means to view, categorize, and
sort your photos÷without altering or moving original.
Back
up your hard disk - Now that you have a digicam, you'll likely
rack up gigabytes of photos faster than you ever imagined. If
your hard disk crashes, or you're hit by a virus, think of how
devastated you'll be to lose all of those photos. Use backup software
like Dantz' Retrospect Express, Stomp's Backup MyPC, or NovaStor's
Nova Backup to backup your data to a USB 2.0 or FireWire hard
drive. Backup software can keep track of what you've backed up,
to where, and when÷and provides mechanisms to help automate the
process. Another alternative: Backup to a network drive, such
as Ximeta or Iomega's ethernet hard disks, or Buffalo or Mirra's
personal servers.
-Arthur
H. Bleich (arthur@dpcorner.com) is a photographer, writer, and
educator who lives in Miami. Visit his Digital PhotoCorner at
www.dpcorner.com or his Cruise Pages at www.dpcorner.com/cruise.
-Al
Francekevich is an award-winning advertising photographer who
teaches studio techniques and digital imaging at the School of
Visual Arts in New York City.
-Bob
Shell is a photographer and veteran photography magazine editor
with decades of experience.
-Jon
Cox is a photographer and photography book author and also Adventure
Photographer for Digital Camera Magazine.
-Melissa
Perenson is a PC World editor and contributing writer to Digital
Camera Magazine.
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