Ten Easy Tips
By Lucius Luther
28 July 2007
1) Do your equipment check before you pack up and leave your home or office. Check to be sure you have film and a change of film. Check that you have spare batteries (this is for both film and digital cameras). There are not many cameras left that can be shot manually. Filters, polarizer, lens cloth, cleaning fluid or solution. Digital SLR users might want to either check for dust before leaving or take along a sensor cleaning tool.
2) Think about what lenses you might really need. If you have an SLR or DSLR, think about what you will probably be shooting. No need to carry those super zooms if you are going to be shooting macros of flowers or insects. Taking along too much can spoil the enjoyment of shooting. For everyday, I carry a prime or two and perhaps a zoom. That would be my 50mm f/1.8 (Nikon) or 58mm f/1.4 (Minolta). I might carry along a 100mm, too and a wide angle zoom like the 20-35mm. That leaves me covered from 20mm to 100mm.
3) Take a notebook along with you. A small notebook can be used to jot settings or future ideas down. The dollar stores usually have them. I tuck them into my bag. Of course, this means you need something to write with as well.
4) Carry a lens/camera support. I know many of us have too many tripods and monopods, but a bean bag can give you a bit more DOF and improve your options for making an OK shot into a stellar image. Lots of photos are good compositionally but lack sharpness. That bean bag can help get you a wall hanger.
5) Zoom with your feet. Even if your camera has zoom as an option, move back and forth with your feet. It can have impact on the final image. Lighting, shadows, composition.
6) Too many of us, hang back and get images that lack a defined subject. Move in close. Take an image or two of the subject in tight as you can get. Then move back. Shoot some more. There is no perfect shot. Improve your chances of nailing it by getting alternate perspectives.
7) Consider what time of day it is. I often have my camera with me at lunch. I see what I think are great images, but the lighting is too harsh. Go early or go later in the day. This is where the notebook can come in handy. Jot down some ideas.
8) Get yourself a gray card or a tool to help you with white balance for digital. This can really help you figure out the lighting. Our eyes and our brains make sense of the lighting and Depth of Field. Cameras don't. They get what they "see". I am sure you have been disappointed with some image that was a sure bet.
9) Bracket. Can't say this enough. This also increases your chances of getting the exposure right. Can be used with the other concepts to improve composition, too.
10) Tips aren't laws. Experiment with caution. Photography is about your relationship with light. Play with it. Learn from all the mistakes you make because you forgot Tips 1 to 9.
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