Photography worlds

You’ve read all the “best digital camera” articles, got the best price on your first digital camera, and even glanced at its owner’s manual. Are you itching to take some shots of your family, or what?

Slow down, soldier. Before you take 200 shots that seem great at the time, but then upon review of the final picture are less than what you expected, let’s prepare. Prepare?!?! I’ll bet you thought charging the battery was the hardest part of taking great photos, didn’t you? Sorry to disappoint you, but if you want to improve your photo results 50% in 2 minutes, let’s review some basic advice of the pros.

There are two categories of GENERAL ADVICE which applies, regardless of whether you’re using a digital camera to take family portrait poses, baby pictures, pet portraits, group pictures, funny photos, or even maternity portraits. The first category is…

1. Prepare For The Event
Prepare for the event by thinking about every photograph you want to take and what kind of photography pose or poses you would like to capture. Consider who, where, how, and the type of environment.

2. Take Multiple Photographs
Take multiple shots of each pose (remember, digital memory is reusable, a.k.a. “free”). Regardless of what you say or do, people will blink. And don’t count on spotting small problems on the tiny camera LCD screen (even on full magnification); which leads to…

3. Check LCD Screen
Check the digital camera’s LCD screen for general framing of the picture, any movement, visibility of faces, and the histogram. Note that you can think up a fantastic photography pose; arrange everyone perfectly; and, have the photograph “frozen” (no blinking, and no shaking of the camera)…but, when you check it out in the LCD, you see 2 drunks fighting in the background! And, my favorite…

4. Funny Phrases
Have some funny phrases handy to use just before you take the photo. Don’t use it when setting up for the shot. And, don’t use the same phrase all the time. Throw in funny anecdotes, phrases, names, words that you know your family will find more amusing than “cheese.” A natural smile looks four times better than a fake one. The second category is

“Location” Advice For Photography Poses
Taking indoor family photography, is very different than outdoor family photograph (duh!). For INDOOR pictures…

1. Wide Angle
You will tend to use the wide angle more often than your telephoto setting. Pay particular attention to your “end people” (those farthest to the right and the left in your viewfinder), and verify there is enough space in picture, so that if cropping is required, the end people don’t have to lose a limb.

2. The Flash
Flash considerations are critical. Do not be outside your “flash range.” For example, if at ISO 100, your flash can properly illuminate 12 feet, don’t attempt any photography pose that requires anyone to stand at 14 feet (unless, of course, it’s evil cousin Ira who you want to appear in darkness).

3. Plan “B”
If you need to be further away than your flash allows, here are 2 things you can try…First, increase the ISO setting (but not so much as to produce to much noise), or second, move to a significantly brighter location.

4. Watch Your Background
If there are distracting features, change your settings to blur the background (see the Techniques page). The best photography pose in the world won’t look right with a distracting background. And finally…

5. Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall
If there are mirrors or reflective surfaces in the background and you can’t find a different location, only take the picture in such a way that the flash is NOT PERPENDICULAR to the surface, but at an angle (unless you WANT a nice photo of your flash).
Outdoor family photography has completely different issues. For OUTDOOR photography…

6. The Sun
Avoid photographing in direct sunlight, or in mixed light and shade, especially faces. Optimal lighting results from a slightly overcast sky.

7. Shade
When photographing in shade, use fill-flash (see terms) when necessary. And, REALLY finally…

8. Beauty
If practical, take the picture at one of the beautiful natural settings near you. Imagine the result of a creative photography pose captured in a stunning environment. Can you say: “Over the mantle!”?

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Most SLRs cope remarkably well with freezing temperatures. I’ve had no problem using Canon EOS SLR cameras below zero for weeks on end, often down to -20°C and in extreme down to -30°C. This article is for those trying to keep such a camera going under expedition conditions, such as an icecap crossing or mountaineering expedition in the arctic: ie no power sockets, adverse weather, sleeping in tents on the ice and for a period of weeks. However much of the advice also applies to using a camera in cold conditions generally.

Two Main Technical Problems To Overcome Are:
1. Condensation
Condensation forms when moving from a cold to a warmer environment, you don’t need to worry about damage to your camera moving from a warmer to a colder environment. Even in arctic conditions the temperature inside a tent is often well above zero yet well below zero in the shade. this means there is often a temperature gradient when bringing a camera into a tent which leads to condensation forming. Condensation on the front element or view finder is an inconvenience, but condensation on the electronics can give permanent malfunction, and condensation in the inside glass elements can write off the camera off for hours or days till the lens totally dries out.

2. Reduced Battery efficiency
Batteries are many times less efficient in cold weather due to the reduced speed of the chemical reaction that powers them.

Tips For Reducing Condensation:
1. Place camera in plastic bag
The camera should be placed inside a polypropylene freezer bag, loosely knotted or twisted and then placed back inside the camera bag. You don’t want to put a waterproof bag around the entire camera bag as any moisture in the camera bag would then condense on the camera body. Ziploc bags, and Ortlieb style dry bags may sound better but often don’t fit neatly inside the camera bag and are much heavier and more expensive. The freezer bag also has the major advantage that you can stuff it below your camera in the bag when not in use, but you need to take spares for when it gets damaged.

2. Use camera bag insulation
The padding on most camera bags (especially the holster style common on expeditions) offers some insulation value which can reduce the dramatic temperature change, when moving from environments of different temperatures.

3. Try and warm up slowly
If there are environments of differing temperatures try and make the warm up process for the camera as gradual as possible.

4. Avoid breathing on the lens
Obvious maybe, but If you need to clean the lens just use a camera cloth to avoid ice forming.

Tips For Dealing With Reduced Battery Efficiency
1. Carry multiple batteries
As a rough guide plan to take 2/3 times the number of batteries you’d need for equivalent shooting in temperate climates. My personal strategy if to take multiple batteries for an extended trip in the wilderness rather than deal with the uncertainties of solar chargers. This makes planning easy as one can ration a battery to last a given amount of time.

2. Warm batteries by keeping close to skin
Carry your spare close to your skin so your body can warm then. An apparently dead battery can be given more life by warming in this way so on very cold days you may find yourself rotating batteries in this way.

3. Adjust shooting style to conserve power
Accept you will get less out of your batteries so adjust you shooting style to conserve power. The biggest thing you can do is turn off after shot preview and reduce to a minimum previewing your images later. Addition power saving tips to get the most out of your battery are to turn off image stabilisation, don’t use flash and minimise half-press pre-focus.

By Quintin Lake

There are really only 2 kinds of events: milestones and recurring annual events.

Milestones
Sorry for stating the obvious here, but these are the so-called once-a-life time biggies. Ones so important that you sometimes associate with a song or piece of music.

A partial list of milestones may be the following:

• Graduations-happy, fun event but rife with access problems.
• Weddings-can be easy or tough depending on your level of experience. Just don’t get in the way of the professional whose job is to officially document the day.
• Births-believe it or not, I had some friends who wanted this documented. I wouldn’t want a stranger to do this though. I do wonder when and with whom you can share these pictures even if they’re PG-rated.
• First Communions-formal or posed portraits are the norm. Live coverage offers spontaneous moments which are often priceless.
• First haircuts-the “firsts” are not necessarily very meaningful but they can be a lot of fun to look back at these pictures. The first fish your child catches can be fun too.

Recurring Events
The list below is fairly obvious. Your subjects may not change over the years but that doesn’t mean your photography can’t improve if you do a lot of these.

The key is to come up with a different way of looking at the same subject. No, don’t stop taking the same pictures you took the year before, be bold and experiment.

    * Birthdays-hardest to find a fresh approach
    * Halloween-mostly for the costumes young children but priceless to parents
    * Vacation Trips-best prospects for great pictures simply because of different locales
    * Special Christmas programs-difficult due to poor lighting, accessibility

Better Milestones Pictures
Based on subject and setting of each event, your approaches will vary.

In the first group of events which I call Milestones, they are very important, just ask my wife. So don’t blow it, there’s no pressure.

When I worked at the paper and was very new, this sort of anxiety was normal. But a technic I learned in flying school called “bunk flying” helps. It’s nothing more than pre-visualizing everything you think you’ll encounter in your head at the event.

Everything right down to the equipment you’ll bring and where you’ll pose your subjects. It of course helps if you’ve been to the venue of the event preferably at the designated time. You want to get an idea of not only what the place looks like but also the lighting, hence the “time” element.

Mind you, when I worked for the newspaper, there are few instances when I can ask for something to be repeated or as they say in golf, ask for a “mulligan” or a “do-over.”

Imagine asking for a repeat of the action when a baseball play occurs at home plate and you weren’t paying attention.

So what’s your best chance of capturing those once-in-a-lifetime moments?

Scout The Location Beforehand
Figure out where the light is for a particular venue or scene. In a church where there are stain glass windows and big doors, there will be spots where it is brighter than others. Be ready to shoot your subject at those spots.

Be Prepared
Have all your gear in one bag. Keep your camera, flash, lenses and other accessories like extra memory cards in one bag. That way all you need to do is to grab it and you’re ready.Remember, digital cameras without charged batteries are a paperweight. A camera with a full memory card is also a paperweight-both are good only for war stories.

Set Realistic Goals
If all you have is a short telephoto, realize you’re limited by your equipment.
Either wait till your subject is closer, or try and get closer.
If you’re shooting with a digital camera that has RAW capability, you could try taking your picture in that mode.
Shooting in RAW is like using a telephoto lens because you are capturing at the highest resolution you camera is capable of.
It will allow you to crop in, make your tiny subject bigger and just maybe allow you to get a decent image.
Because you don’t have access to be front-and-center to most events, be realistic as to the kinds of pictures you can get. If all you have is a short telephoto, don’t expect to get tight closeup shots. Instead wait for pictures with wide angles or pictures that you can take after an event is winding down.

As an example, graduations are great happy events to photograph, but you will be most hampered by lack of equipment and limited access.

Better Recurring/Annual Pictures
Just because you’ve shot some of these annual events over and over doesn’t mean they need to be boring. Sure, shoot the same picture you did last year but push yourself to come up with something different.

Access The Lighting
Have you stopped to think how those birthday cake scenes look with the room lights turned off?
Well, it actually looks very warm, inviting and nostalgic.
So next time you’re ready to shoot this scene and it’s indoors, turn off the lights.
If you have time, consider also changing the White Balance.
Don’t forget there is no hurry. You can tell them to re-light the candles or wait while you check your camera’s LCD as you make some tests.

Try A Different Viewpoint
If you’ve shot the quintessential blowing out the candles every year, try shooting from a different position or use a different lens.

A wide angle from close up from right up next to the cake by the candles can be a different view. This has the added benefit of allowing you to brace your camera in a low light situation.

Let The Kids Take Their Own Pictures
Set up a makeshift photo studio. All you need is backdrop and camera on a tripod. Most cameras have a self-timer. You can try that or you can let them trip the shutter themselves if you can spare one camera on a tripod.

Do At Least One Group Shot At The Same Location
A group shot at the same location will show how everyone has changed year after year. If the same guests attend, this can be a great record to show how children have grown or changed. These need not be prize-winning pictures. They are mainly for the record type pictures.

Look For Details & Closeups
An adult’s hand holding a newborn’s always makes for a nice intimate detail shot.

Finally while these are all events in your life, don’t forget to gather important details like brochures of the places you camped. Years later, that information will add more meaning to your memories.

Peter Phun teaches photography at Riverside City College. He does portraits, weddings and editorial work. Read this more extensive illustrated article about photographing those special events. He writes about photography, Macs and the internet. He also designs websites and is a stay-at-home dad.

By Peter Phun