- Blurry pictures taken
quickly
while traveling are so disappointing. Stabilize the camera when
possible. Tripods are good but usually awkward and slow to
set up. Try a
mono pod, which can double as a walking stick. These can be
light,
small and ready all the time. Many walking sticks, or trekking
poles,
already have the connection on top for a camera. A tiny mini
tripod and
a camera clamp can also come in handy. The clamp can be attached
to
fences
and trees, and the mini tripod can sit on car hoods, large boulders,
tabletops, etc. Worry about getting a sharp focus rather than a
perfect
composition. The photo can always be cropped later on a computer
to correct a
faulty
composition, but poor focus cannot be repaired.
- If using digital, which I
recommend, bring a large memory card of 1 or 2 gigabytes. Each
day you
can erase the photos you don't want, and you should have more than
enough room on the card for all the photos from most trips. This
way,
you don't risk losing or damaging a memory card. By the way, with
digital
equipment you no longer have to buy film and worry about it getting
damaged by the x-ray equipment at the airport.
- Have a small plastic bag
handy to protect the camera in the rain.
- Learn how to use your
flash.
Some of my biggest photo mistakes result from not using the flash
appropriately. If subjects are back lit producing dark shadowy
faces,
use "fill flash" even on a sunny day to light up the faces.
You'll be
surprised how this can improve people pictures.
- If your camera offers
"metering" mode
options
as many do, know the different modes of metering. Metering
refers to
the way in which your camera averages the amount of light in a scene to
adjust for the proper exposure. Using the incorrect mode can
result in
photos that are too dark(underexposed) or too light(overexposed).
For
example, if the subject is in a forest and their face is darker than
the surrounding landscape, a typical automatic mode setting might
average all the light in the scene to produce a dark picture in which
the subject is lost. Using the "spot metering mode" will adjust
the
settings for the object in the center of the field, giving the correct
exposure for the subject. Try it both ways and see the
difference. With
wildlife photography, spot metering with a monopod is essential.
- If using digital, don't
always discard photos that are too dark or too light. This can
easily be fixed later on a computer. Also when using digital
equipment, shoot as much as you want. You can erase what you
don't want later. I will often take around ten shots of an
interesting scene and save the best few, deleting the rest. Many
times the last one taken is the best!
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