Better, More Memorable Photos

Photography Is Many Things

• Sculpting with light

  Use light to create a mood, illustrate texture, or draw emphasis. Consider: soft light can imply mystery or romance. Red light from a setting sun can dramatize rough edges on a canyon wall. Or a bright spot can take your eye to the one face in a crowd.

• Telling a story

  Include enough detail to cause emotion, pose questions, or leave a memory. For example, a photo of a two year old pushing the toy train decoration into her birthday cake may make you to smile, cause you to wonder what happened next, and leave a lasting image.

• Freezing time

  Capture a moment that people will want to remember and enjoy - again and again. Here, save history with photos of your family or friends.

• Expanding space

  Show new or unexpected views. For example, everyone has seen a rose, but how many have seen the texture of a rose petal?

• Having fun

  Play. Experiment. Discover. Because we are at our best when we play.

Photography Requires:

Beyond the camera and the eye

• Patience

  Waiting for the sun to rise over Bryce Canyon so you can catch the glow from amber light reflecting between rock pillars. Or waiting for the wind to calm so that a flower stays still for a close up of its petals. Or waiting for a hummingbird to look toward you (see photo below).

• Luck

  Being in the garden when a lizard climbs up on a cactus. Or catching your child sitting at the piano playing like a virtuoso. Or, finding a squirrel hanging from your bird feeder.

• Planning

  Going to a garden when you know that a rare flower will be in bloom. Taking a trip through the woods when dew marks a spider web. Being in the zoo when the cheetahs are being fed.

• Creativity

  What can be unusual about a dandelion? What can be memorable about a toddler sitting on the floor? What can be elegant about a fire hydrant?

Photo Tips

Little things that make a difference

1. Squeeze instead of press

   That is, place a finger on the shutter and your thumb under the camera. Then squeeze. This applies equal pressure, thereby minimizing camera moment. Result: sharper photos.

2. Use a tripod

   A tripod keeps your camera steady for sharper photos.

3. Toss the trash

   Keep (or show) only the good photos. Discard the rest. Why? Because people will be impressed with five great photos, and bored with 100 poor ones.

4. Take many photos

   Rather than shoot and run, pause a moment. Try different frames and different angles. Use different settings. Take at least a few photos of each scene, in fact, take at least a dozen. As you play with a scene, new possibilities emerge. After all, film costs less than airfare. And digital images are free.

5. Frame tight

   Make sure that your photos capture the main image instead of everything. For example, a person's face is far more interesting than the entire person standing in a living room filled with furniture (unless you want to show the furniture).

6. Plan to crop

   With digital, capture a little bit more than you would print. Then frame and crop to maximize impact.

7. Click Hands Free

   Use a cable release or the self timer. This avoids causing the camera to move when it clicks.

Shopper's Guide: Digital Cameras

4 things that matter

1. Pixels

   More pixels allow more flexibility in cropping digital images. They also let you make larger prints. Note: a photo should have at least 200 dpi for a smooth print.

2. Optical Zoom

   A larger zoom gives you more options when framing a scene. Note: Digital Zoom is worthless and misleading because it crops the photo in the camera. While useful if printing directly from the camera, it gives you fewer pixels to work with when editing image files.

3. Personality

   The camera should work the way that you think. It should feel like an extension of your mind and eye.

4. Vibration Reduction

   Available in some cameras, this feature replaces a tripod (for most photos). It can make the difference between sharp photos that you show and blurred photos that you trash. Note: you may still need a tripod for photos taken very close, with a long telephoto, or in low light.