Art-ology

When I purchased my first digital camera, complete with its small viewing screen, people would invariably ask, “Can I see the photo?” Whenever a child would see me with my new toy, they would ask to have their photo taken, and then run over to see themselves on that little screen.

All that attention was great, but what I really wanted were awesome photos.

Here are 7 tips that I have learned that have improved the quality of my photos.

1. Use the high resolution setting. At the start, I had the resolution set to medium. That way I was able to take hundreds of pictures before having to download the memory card to my computer’s hard disk. That was fine for viewing on screen, but then one day I wanted to do an 8×10 paper version, and the results were disappointing. Now I always use the highest resolution my cameras can provide. That led to higher expenses for memory cards, but it was worth it.

2. Use a Tripod. Even the slightest movement of the camera can create a blurry image. Invest in a tripod. I have also found that when taking group shots, I am better able to judge when to “click” if I am looking directly at the group, rather than through the view finder. Get the photo lined up while the camera is on the tripod, and then look at them while clicking the shutter.

3. Buy a Good Photo-Editing Program. Perhaps your camera came with Photoshop Elements, or similar. If not, go to your computer retailer and buy one. Not only can you fix blemishes (maybe Susan was having a bad zit day), but you can do more creative things as well. Recently I combined a photo of my grand-daughter with one of Dora-the-Explorer. Jasmine loved it.

4. Watch the Compression. As you edit your photo, be careful of your compression setting. Most programs default to “jpeg” format, which saves space by selectively removing pixels, and recreating them the next time you view the photo. Multiple edits, saves, and re-opens of a photo decreases the quality over time. Try to do all your editing in one pass, using the lowest compression, or if you need to do more editing tomorrow, use a format like “tiff”, which does not compress. If you will using a retail print service, make sure you keep a copy in a format they can read. The final version could be copied into a smaller email132013201320 ready version.

5. Get in Close to Your Subject. Don’t waste pixels on excess background. Get in closer, either physically, or with an optical zoom setting.

6. Good Things Come in 3s (or more!). Considering the incremental costs of taking a photo with a digital camera (close to nil!), you should take lots of shots. If the shot is available for more than a few seconds, take more that one exposure. I always tell the subjects of my photos that I will be taking at least 2 or 3 shots of them (using a tripod of course!). A blink at the wrong time ruins the potential.

7. Read the Manual. In fact, read it more than once. As if I have to explain this one! (actually, you should not only read the manual that came with the computer; you should also look for websites on the world wide web that can help you learn more about your hobby)

Here’s an equation for you.

(LOTS of photos with your digital camera) + (the above tips) = (a day coming soon when you’ll be proud to show off your creations)