2010 Senior Portraits San Antonio

One thing that both newcomers to digital photography and even more experienced photographers find most challenging is getting the correct exposure for their digital photos. One of the great things about digital photography is that we can use PhotoShop and other photo editing software to make corrections after the digital photo has already been taken, but it’s certainly better to get the exposure right to begin with.

Most people take their digital camera out of the box, make sure the exposure setting is on automatic and never change it. However, using all the settings on your camera is not really that complicated. It just takes a little information and some practice. Here are some tips for taking more control over your digital photos.

First, decide what you want to emphasize in your photo. That’s the object or area of the photo where you want the exposure most correct. Are you taking a digital photo of a child against a dark background? Do you want to be sure the child’s face or clothing is correctly exposed, or do you want to emphasize what’s in the background?

Second, choose whether you want the camera to decide on the exposure, or whether you want to make some or all of the decisions about exposure yourself. Most modern digital cameras give you a choice of exposure modes, including so-called programs. For example, there might be a stylized symbol of a mountain for landscape photographs or a profile of a runner for action photos.

If you select one of these modes, the camera can then use one of its internal programs to make decisions about shutter speed and camera lens aperture. The camera will select the settings the manufacturer has decided is best, on average, for these kinds of photos. The problem is, you may not be in an average situation for your landscape or action photo. If so, it’s time to get into a more lands-on mode, and take more control over how your digital photos will look.

In addition to auto exposure, nearly all digital cameras come with settings for aperture priority, shutter priority and manual modes. The aperture setting determines how large the opening is in the lens that lets the light through. The shutter speed is how long the lens stays open. The larger the aperture, the more light comes through, so if the aperture increases (more light), the shutter speed must also decrease (open a shorter period of time) to make a correct exposure. If you select the aperture priority mode and set the aperture you want, the camera will select the correct shutter speed. If you select the shutter priority mode and set the shutter speed you want, the camera will select the aperture to compensate.

Manual mode gives you total creative control. How to use manual mode is covered in another article in this series. Just remember the best part of digital photography is, if the photo didn’t come out like you wanted, you can always try again.

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Are your digital photos always turning out blurry? There may be a digital photography technique that will have you shooting clearer photos in no time.

Using the LCD Screen When Shooting. Many times new digital photographers will opt to use their camera?s LCD screen to set up their shots instead of the view finder. Often times this has the photographer holding the camera away at arms length while taking their pictures. This practice is inviting blurry pictures as your arm and camera are not steadied for the picture. A small jerk of the arm or shaky hands will turn your picture into a blurry mess. A better digital photography technique is to use the view finder and steady the camera with both hands before shooting.

Taking Pictures too Quickly. Because digital camera remove the worry of wasting film most photographers end up snapping photos left and right without taking the time to stop and think about the shot. Snapping pictures ?as you go? often results in blurry pictures so stop, line up your shot, and shoot while perfectly still.

Rushing the Auto Focus. Many times when taking a picture a person will simply point the camera and push the button down fully to snap the picture. Instead, try this digital photography technique?once you are ready to take the picture, you should push the button down only half way and allow the auto focus to do its job. Once the camera has properly focused on the subject you are photographing you may then push the button down the rest of the way. This should help fix blurry pictures.

Not Allowing for Shutter Lag. Many digital cameras, and especially the less expensive ones, may take up to a full half second to finish taking the photo after you have shot the picture. This time can increase if you have chosen to push the button down fully the first time and not allowed the auto focus a chance to engage. Avoid this mistake by holding still and waiting a full one to two seconds after shooting the picture before moving. This will account for any shutter lag and allow the picture to be fully taken before the camera is moved.

Too Much Zoon or the Wrong Mode. Using the zoom feature of your camera will enhance the effects of the ?shaking hand? syndrome. It?s best to only use zoom when you cannot physically get closer to the subject yourself. Another digital photography technique to avoiding blurry images is using the correct camera mode when shooting. Action shots require a faster shutter speed than stationary shots. Be sure to read your camera?s manual on choosing different shooting modes and don?t be afraid to experiment shooting in different modes for the same picture. Practice will have you choosing the correct modes more and more and avoid blurry pictures.

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