2009 Holiday Photo Guide
During her Windows 7 upgrade, I found out that my wife had a total of 25GB of digital pictures (over 12,000) on her hard drive. The upgrade went well. I didn’t lose any; and as she’s stated over and over again, her digital picture library is 50% of her computing life.
With the upcoming Holiday Season upon us, I’ve taken a bit of time to mull this over. There’s no doubt in my mind that this year, like every other, is going to be one photo-op after another for us. So, I’ve pulled together some photo taking tips for everyone. Like the girl who saved Christmas in the Apple commercial, you too can swoop in and be a hero this Holiday Season!
Lens, not Megapixles
A camera with 12 megapixles isn’t necessarily better than a camera with 6 megapixles. While a higher megapixle rating is going to give you larger resolution, a picture taken with a high quality lens is going to have better clarity and color and in the end, produce a better shot. Most point and shoot digital cameras will try to attract you with a high megapixle rating. Research the quality of the lenses and purchase the most affordable point and shoot with the best lens you can find.
Digital SLR’s have a variety of interchangeable, telephoto lenses. You’ll likely want to find the best quality lens available to your budget when purchasing higher end cameras. Stock lenses coming with DSLR camera kits get you going out of the box, but aren’t always the best choice.
- Off-center your Main Subject
This is composition 101. I had a high school art teacher explain focal points to me as a sophomore. He said any image, no matter how artistically perfect, is worthless if its stuck in the center of a page. The eye is drawn to one of four focal points on any canvas, 2/3 of the way in from the corners. Your photos will be more interesting if your subject is closer to one of them. - Keep the Light Behind You
This is photography 101. Put the light in the right place, and don’t put the sun’s shadows in the forefront of your pictures. Making sure your photos are will lit is going to go a long way to making your photos better. - Move in Close
Some of the best pictures we have are close-ups of the kids. Moving in close, making the subject THE focal point impresses your audience. What’s happening in the background may be interesting, but you don’t want it to take away from the foreground. Holiday photos with the most impact will likely be the close-ups you take. - Optical, not Digital Zoom
The use of a telephoto lens is a great way of getting the close-ups I mentioned. However, avoid using your camera’s digital zoom feature. Optical zoom takes you closer to your subject. Digital zoom simply enlarges the picture, showing you more pixilation than detail. If your camera switches from optical to digital zoom and you’re still not close enough, move closer to your subject. - Take a lot – its Digital
The nice thing about digital photography is that taking one or one hundred pictures costs the same amount of money. Costs are incurred when printing your pictures. Storage cards can hold GIGABYTES of data, so don’t be afraid to set your camera to take multiple shots. Storage cards are cheap as of this writing, so buy extras if your budget supports it. Some of the best pictures are candid shots that get captured accidentally. Having a variety of photos to choose from will give you the best opportunity to be a Holiday Hero. - Choose a Faster ISO Setting
Many digital cameras are often set on an auto-ISO setting, allowing the camera to choose the shutter speed it thinks it needs. Choosing a manual, numerically higher, and therefore faster ISO setting means faster shutter speeds and crisper action shots. - Buy Extra, Large Capacity, and/or Charge your Batteries
I can’t tell you how many shots I’ve missed due to underpowered batteries. Holiday memories can’t necessarily be replaced and having enough power to capture the ones you want is important. Make sure you have your batteries charged and ready. If you’re going with alkaline batteries, make sure you have enough of them; or consider more expensive, higher capacity batteries. - Edit your Images
One of the reasons why you take tons of digital photos is to insure that you get the best shots. Even then, sometimes good shots need a bit of help. Find a picture editing app that you like, and make use of it. Kodak Easy Share (Mac & Windows) and Windows Live Photo Gallery, which comes with Windows 7, and Windows Live Essentials are free.
Taking great Holiday photos isn’t difficult, once you get a few things worked out. You CAN be the Holiday Hero with just a few simple steps. Above all, have fun, enjoy your family; and if you can, send us your favorite picture!
Have tech trouble over the holidays? Support is available at iTechGear.org! e-Mail me at chris@itechgear.org, and I’ll do my best to get back to you before your vacation ends!
