Top Digital Photographer Techniques Create Better Photos
A little knowledge and practice can make anyone a better digital
photographer. And with no film to buy or process, digital photography saves time
and money. Shots can be viewed immediately and deleted or saved as desired. Plus
digital cameras give a photographer flexibility and options unheard of until
recently.
Keys to Better Photography
Camera technology has improved dramatically in recent years. Even so, it's
unlikely the camera will ever be able to perceive and capture images exactly as
the human eye sees them. The eye can discern a much wider range of colors and
range of dark to light. It is also able to instantly focus on objects at any
distance and has a broad field of view.
The photographer's objective is to faithfully reproduce a live three
dimensional scene as a two dimensional image. Basic understanding of the
differences and how to compensate is the difference between an average photo and
one that is truly outstanding. Fortunately digital cameras and associated
software make these adjustments easier than ever.
Color Gamut and Dynamic Range
Most digital cameras allow white balance adjustment, eliminating red, blue or
green casts and making the photo more natural. For example, if a scene is
primarily water and clear blue sky the camera's logic may mistakenly introduce
too much red trying to balance the color temperature. Solutions include
selecting an appropriate scene mode or manually adjusting white balance.
Even sophisticated cameras have limited ability capturing a full range of
lights and darks. Under or over exposing a shot is one way to correct this. For
best results the photographer must decide which elements of the scene to
emphasize. For instance, a dark or shaded interior shot looking through a large
archway into a brightly lit exterior can be under exposed to reveal detail in
the shaded area. Another solution is to take multiple shots, each one adjusted
for part of the scene, then superimposing them for the final image.
Depth of Field and Field of View
Depth of field is simply the range of sharp focus at any given distance from
the camera. The closer the photographer is to the primary subject, the shorter
this range is. This can be desirable if the objective is to emphasize a person
or object while leaving the rest of the scene less defined. Ways to extend depth
of field include moving the camera further away from the subject or using a
smaller aperture (higher F-stop).
Most digital cameras have an optical zoom feature allowing the photographer
to choose a wider or narrower field of view. In some cases though, a wide angle
shot will distort perspective or cause a loss of desired detail. This can be
overcome by taking multiple photos in a panoramic array and using software to
combine them into a single image. This allows the photographer to capture more
detail in each shot. The photo software then adjusts perspective when the
pictures are merged, digitally creating a more pleasing and life-like photo than
a single wide angle shot would have provided.
A-Z Digital Cameras is the place
for unbiased information and the
best online merchants for
digital cameras,
accessories and photo processing. We invite you to browse dozens of articles by
clicking the links in the Site Menu at the right and on our
Related Articles
pages. Be sure to bookmark this site for
future reference.
|
