Take Photos You'll Want to Show
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Posted by: Nathan Swartzendruber
Photography sure is different now that $10 can buy you a 16GB
memory card that can easily hold 2,400 photos. So here are a few photo
tips you might find useful at library events and with family.
Be trigger-happy
There's no obligation to keep all the photos you take, so take lots
more than you need. Try to take more pictures as things are happening
and fewer where people are posed. Interact with people as you take
pictures; try holding your camera at chest-height instead of eye-level
to make this easier, and get close!
Find the light
Low lighting makes for poor pictures. They're grainier, and motion
easily blurs. Just because you can see fine doesn't mean your camera
can. So use lots of light; natural light is best. Make sure the light is
coming from behind you as you take the pictures, not from behind the
subject of your photo.
Get steady
Even when it seems like there's plenty of light, steady your camera
on something stable when you can. Lean on a wall, or put your elbow on
the back of a chair. A tripod works very well, of course, but it's
better to improvise one than discover later that movement knocked a good
picture out of focus.
Aim for pictures you can use
It's great when pictures communicate an experience, show some
energy, and don't just take attendance. That's what I see in the sample
pictures at photo
printing sites. Before the event, think about the pictures you
want: excited faces, concentration, hands on tools, etc. Be open to
surprises, but try to get the photo you think will show the spirit of an
occasion.
- Nathan Swartzendruber, SWON Technology Educator
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