42nd Street Photo Offers Tips To Taking Better Pictures

Taking photographs with your DSLR or POS camera shouldn’t be a chore, it should be fun, and furthermore, an extension of yout artistic creativity. In order to even out the learning curve, here are some tips for the beginners out there:

• Use Both Hands – The temptation for the casual photographer to just snap away with one hand will always be there, especially with all the compact point-and-shoot digital cameras on the market today. The key is steadiness, and taking a picture using both hands will provide far more support to the camera that one hand snapshots, and therefore less chance of blur.
• Use a Tripod – When your image capturing situation allows for it, there is no better way to take a picture than with the use of a tripod. Also, consider investing in a mini-tripod, as this will be easier to transport and can be set up on a table or chair.
• Better Portraits – When capturing faces, there are a few simple ways to improve your shot. Start by zooming your camera in to about 3x – 5x and then frame your shot around the subject in a way that looks good to you. This way, your flash wont be too close to your subject and wash them out. When photographing children, kneel to their level to get a better, straight-on shot. For all subjects, have them look “past” the lens, inistead of directly into it – this will reduce red-eye. Also, for outdoor shots, use the flash fill function, which will soften otherwise harsh shadows. When in doubt, take two pictures, one with the flash and one without.
• Remember, it’s Digital – As funny as it may sound, a lot of people forget about the best advantage of digital photography – no shots are wasted. Snap a lot of pictures, then delete te ones you don’t want if you need to free up space. It also doesn’t hurt to carry extra memory cards in case you can’t tell by your camera’s LCD which picture is best and can’t bring yourself to delete any.
• When in Doubt – Read the manual. It may sound like common sense, but a lot of people may not even know where the instruction manual for their camera is. Any questions you have about the settings and features of your camera will be answered in the manual.

To find a digital camera that works for you, please visit 42nd Street Photo on the web at 42photo.com.

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