Taking digital photos

A close up of a wild iris on the Northern California coast.

About a year and a half ago we got a digital camera to use for taking pictures for this column. It has worked out great, but we found that it did take some planning and a little information for us to get good pictures. A lot of the general picture-taking concepts are similar to a regular film camera, but there are some advantages to using a digital camera that film does not have.

Now before anyone wants to make the point that the pictures that appear in the Daily News are fuzzy and hard to make out we want to point out that the pictures themselves did not start out that way. The quality of photographs goes down in the process of printing these days. For those who want to see a more accurate view of our pictures they are posted on the blog site listed below.

Picture taking is usually broken down into several subgroups, depending on the type of pictures being taken. Landscape photos are probably the most common type. These are usually taken on vacations and trips to other areas. A little composition of the picture goes a long way. It’s best to try to frame the picture at least partially with a tree or building on one side. Also, positioning the main subject of the picture off center a little is a nice effect.

The camera will usually not be able to set itself correctly on automatic for nighttime shots. Most digital cameras allow manual adjustments for shutter speed and aperture. For instance, we recently took some pictures of the moon using manual settings. Because the moon is fairly bright, we used 1/100 second shutter speed, f 8.8 for the aperture and zoomed in as much as possible. Most night pictures require long shutter speeds, so a tripod is a must.

Another type of picture often taken are portrait pictures, whether it is one person or of a group. First, it’s important to get in close. It may be helpful to turn the camera vertical in order to zoom in more and still get a full-length picture of a person. If a full-length photo is not necessary take the shot from the waist up. One thing that we always try to avoid, however, is the dreaded cut-off-head effect.

The advantage of digital cameras is the screen on the back. Using the screen it is easy to review how the pictures look. That way one can tell if another shot should be taken before the subject takes off.

Another important thing is to use a flash, even outdoors. A flash will illuminate the dark shadows on the faces.

For this column we often take still life photos. Such pictures are also taken in museums or art galleries. It’s important when taking close shots to use the “macro” settings on the camera. That will allow the camera to be positioned closer to the objects.

Also good lighting is a must. Since most of these pictures are taken indoors, try to get as much light as possible on the subject. Arrange it to be somewhat indirect so as not to cast shadows and also use the flash.

Digital cameras are easy to practice with as there is no film to buy or wait for to be developed. All the unwanted pictures can be eliminated on the spot and the good pictures are ready immediately. There is the option to hook up the camera directly to a printer and print out the pictures. The pictures can also be downloaded to a computer, put on a disk or sent by email to friends and family. The options are almost endless.