Camera Info and Photography Tips

I am not an expert on which cameras are best so the first thing I suggest when buying a camera is, research. Amazon is a great place to start; they provide reviews, discussions and detailed descriptions of what features the camera offers. You can buy a point and shoot digital camera these days for about $200 with a high megapixel, a decent optical zoom and a variety of features that will produce professional looking photographs. The following are features you will find on point-and-shoot digital cameras (some cameras may not offer all features so be sure to research):

The higher the megapixel, the larger size print you can produce. A 3 megapixel can produce a high quality 6x8 inch print whereas an 8 megapixel can produce a high quality 10x13 inch print. If you don't plan on printing large pictures then it is not necessary to buy a high megapixel camera.

Depth of Field (DOF) is the distance from the foreground to the background of the picture that is in sharp focus. An increase DOF makes wonderful landscape pictures such as a view of a valley where everything is in sharp focus including the flowers nearby, the mountains in the distance and all of nature's beauty in between. A decreased DOF works well when you want to blur the clutter in the background so the subject will stand out clearly. Focusing on a subject in a far distance will have a greater DOF than focusing on a subject in a close distance. Your lense and aperture can also affect your DOF.

Close-ups make wonderful nature photos. Zooming in with a telephoto lense will decrease your Depth of Field (DOF) whereas a wide lense will increase your DOF. I highly recommend using an optical zoom and not digital zoom. Using a digital zoom is basically cropping a portion of your picture then enlarging it back to size (just like you can crop and enlarge a photo by using an image editing software, such as Photoshop). When increasing an image you will lose image quality so I would avoid using digital zoom if possible.

When using the macro mode setting, you can hold your camera lense just a couple of inches away from your subject and focus in on the smallest details. Without macro mode, you have to stand back about 3-4 feet from your subject to focus in. If using macro mode, do not zoom in and do not use flash. Flash is only beneficial within a certain distance, normally 3-30 feet I believe.

You can set your camera's setting on "auto" and all you have to do is press the shutter button 1/2 way down to focus and the rest of the way to produce your image (point and shoot). I've created numerous pictures this way. However, you can get more creative by setting the aperture and shutter speed to your liking to develop that perfect picture.

Aperture: This is the shutter opening, exposing the lense. The wider the opening, for example f/4, the more light enters. A narrow opening, for example f/22, allows less light to enter. The narrower your aperture is the sharper your background will be (increase DOF). A wider aperture will blur the background (decrease DOF), helping to eliminate background distractions.

Shutter speed: This is how long the shutter stays open. A fast shutter speed, for example 1/1000, will "freeze" an action shot but will not allow much light to enter. A slow shutter speed, for example 1 second, allows a lot of light to enter and will "blur" your subject giving it "motion" in your picture. This makes wonderful waterfall pictures. Panning is a fun way to capture great action shots. Use a slow shutter speed and follow your subject with your camera while holding the shutter button down. This will blur both the subject and the background.

Aperture and shutter speed work together. If you use a wide aperture (allowing a lot of light in) you will need a faster shutter speed so you don't overexpose your image. If you use a narrow aperture you will need a slower shutter speed. Most cameras give you the following options: Aperture priority shooting (you select the aperture and the camera will set the correct speed), Shutter speed priority shooting (you select the shutter speed and the camera will set the correct aperture), and Manual shooting (you select the aperture and the shutter speed). Manual shooting can be a little tricky capturing the right exposure.

*Note: When using a slow shutter speed you risk camera shake thus producing blurry pictures. You can use a tripod but I seldom use one. I like to be able to move about freely and shoot from angles that my tripod won't allow. When I take a picture I hold my elbows close to my body, I hold my breath when pressing the button and I keep my finger on the button until the picture is complete to help prevent camera shake.

This is the number indicating a digital camera sensors sensitivity to light. Most cameras offer 100, 200 and 400 (some as high as 3200). The higher the sensitivity, the less light is needed to make an exposure so this will come in handy when photographing in low-light. However, I would avoid using above 400 because the image sensors get "noisy" and this will cause your images to be undesirable.

Create a silhoutte by having your light source in the background.

Frame your picture as I did with the branch of an orange tree.

Reflections are fun. This picture I took from the hood of a black car. Water is also a great way to capture reflections.

Don't just take a picture head on. Find interesting angles to show your subject's character.

Place the subject off-center (for example, to the right third side of the picture or the lower third side). If your camera only focuses in the center you can:
-center the subject
-press the shutter button half way
-re-frame your picture while still holding the shutter button
-press the shutter button all the way down.

Also try taking a picture using one color but of different shades.

Upward shots (using a wide lense) can make powerful tree shots.

Hold camera at subject's eye level.

Here I focus on photographing butterflies; however, these tips are also helpful for other nature photography.

Photographing butterflies requires patience while waiting for that right opportunity to come along; have your camera ready to go, kick back and enjoy the beautiful flowers until it does. Having your own flower garden to attract butterflies is the best place, in my opinion, to capture your pictures. It's convenient, away from crowds and, I believe, butterflies feel at ease with your presence after a short time when they know you mean no harm thus allowing you to stand just inches away from them. Nature parks are also places to get good shots of butterflies and so are butterfly gardens which usually have a large variety of species from around the world.

The two most important features of a camera for photographing a butterfly, your subject, is a high optical zoom and macro mode. Both features allow you to close in on your subject sharply and will blur the background so one's attention is drawn to the butterfly's eye-catching designs and colors.

When photographing butterflies, be creative and bring your pictures to life. Use different angles. Shoot from the front, sides and back of your subject. Shoot at eye level or try an upward shot using the sky as a background. Catch the butterflies in different poses. Shoot when they are in flight or flapping their wings. Experiment. Use a slow shutter speed to blur the movement and a fast shutter speed to freeze it. If the opportunity allows, look at your subject and background closely through the view finder/LCD screen before pressing the shutter button. Sometimes just moving your lense a tad bit will make a big difference in how your picture turns out. Watch out for foreground distractions also. For instance, a leaf in front of the subject can end up being a big blur, taking away the butterfly's spotlight.

Lighting is another way of bringing your pictures to life. The best time of the day to shoot is when the sun is not harsh, such as in the early morning and in the evening but don't let this stop you from shooting on a sunny afternoon when butterflies are most active. You can shoot in shaded areas or you can be daring and capture an interesting shot using the sunlight. One way of doing this is by having the sun in the background of your subject, thus creating a silhouette. Flashes can have a benefit or two, but I don't use one. I feel nature's light is the best!

Practice makes perfect. Take a lot of pictures. More than half of mine are deleted (great thing about digital cameras). When you spot a butterfly in the distance, I suggest taking a picture where you are, step a little closer (slowly and quietly), take another picture and so on until you get that perfect close-up or the butterfly flies away. A lot of times the first picture you take may be good enough to crop. It won't be a large size but it will always be a memory to hold onto.

1) Get your child his or her own camera that is durable, small enough to easily hold and has fully automatic settings.

2) If you are not ready to invest in a camera just yet, you can buy a disposable camera instead.

3) Start with the basics:

-How to hold the camera properly without getting fingers in the way.
-How to focus and how to keep their finger on the shutter button until the picture is complete.
-Understanding the difference between a "fuzzy" picture and a "sharp" picture.
-How close they can stand from a subject to capture a clear picture.
-How to help prevent camera shake.

4) Make it fun!

-Write a list of specific things for them to photograph, for example, a tree, a flower, the outdoor cat.
-Write a list of colors or shapes to capture.
-See how many pictures they can take of one subject by using different angles.

5) Make it educational.

-If they capture a picture of a flower, go on the computer with them and do some research about that flower. Start a journal/scrapbook to put both their picture and the interesting facts you learned.
-Have them write a short story about their photographs (fact or fictional). The outdoor cat can make a great story.

6) When photographing nature and wildlife, teach your kids to respect both. Let them know that when a mother bird is feeding her babies you should not disrupt the moment by getting too close :)