You have been following all the instructions your dealer gave you - "switch on, point to subject and shoot" and the results have been quite nice for all the pictures you have taken.
You followed all the above steps today too, but to your astonishment, the pictures have come dark - some of them way too dark. In some cases, they are overly bright. You are totally worked up after seeing the photographs and tell to your self - "this camera is such a sad model - it does not take good pictures". You are right? NO - you are wrong.
This is a very common problem with everyone having digital camera faces. As new users, we all are very high on energy but very very low on basic technique.
Above situation gives all of us few important lessons:
1. Read your camera user manual. Don't just flip through pages, but study each and every option available in your camera.
2. Follow step 1 and re-read the manual until you understand each and every feature and how to navigate the camera options.
3. Google is your friend. There will be points you do not understand. Google and you will be blessed with thousands of articles you can read about the feature.
4. Understand basics of photography: ShutterSpeed-Aperture-ISO. It is called the "Exposure Triangle". Read the details here: http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/learning-exposure-in-digital-photography/
5. Flash is available in camera does not mean you have to put it on. Flash kills the texture and creates harsh shadows on subject. Experiment taking some pictures in evening or indoors with flash turned OFF. Try to capture the mood and the ambiance.
6. Photography is all about capturing subject with respect to light - angle of light, intensity of light and duration of light. Here is one test you can do at home to learn about this.
- You will need (1) one fruit (2) study lamp / 60watt bulb (3) camera (4) hard surface on which you can rest your camera
Now light the apple using the table lamp and start taking pictures keeping apple and cameras' position same but changing the position of lamp in every shot. Now go and observe the result. Check out the impact of light angle on the apple. This is what we need to ask our self before taking a picture - is the angle ok, is the intensity ok....got it....? now go and eat that apple !!
Couple of take aways:
- study camera manual ("cram-it-up" as one of my friend says!)
- find out what other settings your camera has to offer
- make an effort to study photography as a subject
- try to come out of "AUTO" mode and experiment with other settings
I will keep writing on how we can utilize the features in compact point and shoot cameras to get some stunning results. Enjoy your camera - it has some kool features that you are not aware of. Find the features and explore ;-)
2 comments:
I agree with you one hundred percent. There are many books out there that will teach you how to get that perfect photograph. But only your camera's manual will teach you how to get it with YOUR camera!
Yes, afterall it is good picture's that "we" take are of interest to us. Thanx for sharing your thought.
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