Digital Camera Master

One of the great debates among advanced digital photographers is whether to use the JPEG or RAW format for recording images. Both formats are capable of producing highquality pictures, but when you shoot in JPEG mode, the camera processes the image for you so it is “complete” when you upload it to your computer.

Images captured in RAW format, on the other hand, are not complete when you transfer them to your workstation. This process is more like taking a negative into a darkroom, where you can adjust the white balance and exposure until you get the perfect image. It’s true that you can make those same adjustments in post-production with JPEGs, but it’s different because you’re readjusting information that’s already been set. With RAW, you are actually mapping the original bits of information.

Do remember that “Good data in; good data out.” The better you capture your shot, the easier it will be to produce high-quality output. Shooting in RAW mode means you can delay some difficult decisions until you’re in the comfort of your own home, working at your computer.

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Slideshows are an age-old photographic tradition. Digital cameras make it easier than ever to present your images to many people at once.

Most digicams have a “video out” capability that lets you connect your camera directly to a television for playback on a large screen. If your camera has this functionality, it most likely has a slideshow mode that allows you to choose images that are stored on the memory card and present them on the television in timed intervals. All you have to do is turn on the stereo for some background music and add a little witty commentary, and you’ll have a full-fledged multimedia presentation to share with others.

Another option is to use the software that comes with your camera to assemble slideshows on the computer, then either show them on the computer monitor or connect the computer to a television for big-screen presentations. Computer slideshows have the advantage of enabling you to add transitions and special effects to your presentations. They can also be saved and played long after the memory card has been erased and reused.

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There are a variety of ways to get photo-quality prints from your digital images. You can make them yourself with a printer at home, or have a photo finisher do the work for you.

Many camera stores offer photo finishing from digital images. Simply take in your memory card, order the prints, and pick them up the next day. This service is now available in most drugstore chains, too—instead of dropping off a roll of film while running your errands, you leave them your memory card instead.

You can also order prints through online services such as Shutterfly. You have to upload your pictures via the Internet to their facilities; they send you your prints back through the mail. If you don’t want to wait for the postal service, you can still place your print order via the Internet, then go directly to the camera shop or drugstore to pick up your prints, usually within 24 hours.

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A popular way to electronically share pictures these days is via online photo services that publish web page galleries of your images. Only a few years ago, setting up an online gallery was a cumbersome process requiring some knowledge of web page design. But easy-to-use online services such as Flickr have streamlined this process so that anyone with an Internet connection can publish photos.

In addition to sharing pictures, these services allow you to write short captions, add titles, and even include “tags” that serve as keywords allowing you to easily find specific types of photos, such as landscapes. Once you’ve uploaded your pictures to the online service, you can notify all of your friends and family via email. The advantage of this method is that you’re only sending them a text link to your photo web page, not actual images that they’ll need to download. Also, since the photos are on the service’s computer, they won’t take up your viewers’ valuable hard disk space.

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One of the first things that new digital camera owners love to do is send a batch of images to family members or friends. As you may have already discovered yourself, the warmth of reception is inversely proportional to the size of the images that land in your recipients’ inboxes.

All too often, budding photographers send full-sized 2-, 4-, or even 6-megapixel pictures as email attachments. Unfortunately, these files take forever to download on all but the fastest Internet connections and are too large to view comfortably on a computer monitor.

Indeed, you should shoot at your camera’s highest resolution, but remember not to send those full-sized images to others. All parties concerned will be much happier if you create much smaller “email versions” of your pictures and send those along. This technique is called sampling down. Here’show it works:

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The default flash mode for most cameras is automatic, and that’s where it stays for most folks. But even the most basic of digicams offers multiple flash settings that can help you take engaging photos under a variety of lighting conditions. Some of the typical flash settings that you might encounter on your camera are:

1. Auto
The camera activates the flash as determined by the light meter reading. If you’re indoors in low light, the flash fires. Outside on a bright sunny day? The camera turns off the flash.

2. Red eye reduction
Many digicams have some sort of red eye reduction mode. Red eye occurs when the subject’s eyes are dilated (in dim lighting), exposing the retina. When the light from the flash reflects off the retina, the resulting color is red. Most cameras tackle this problem by shining a light at the subject before the flash goes off. The pre-flash causes the pupils to constrict, which may reduce the chance of red eye.

The challenge for a photographer using red eye reduction flash modes is coping with the extended delay from the time the shutter button is pressed until the actual picture is recorded. If you use red eye reduction, remind the subject to hold the pose until the final flash has fired, and remember to hold the camera steady during this entire process.

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Have you ever remarked to someone viewing your vacation pictures, “It sure looked a lot more impressive when I was standing there”? If you want to capture the breadth of a scene, you most likely won’t be able to fit all the grandeur into your camera’s viewfinder—even at the wide-angle setting.

Panorama mode is a clever alternative offered by camera makers to help you capture the grandeur of big landscapes. You work the magic by photographing a sequence of images, then “stitching” them together later on your computer. Panorama mode prepares the sequence of shots for easy assemblage. Cameras that have this option also include the corresponding software required to make seamless final images. If your camera didn’t come with stitching software, you can use Photoshop Elements, which is a terrific all-purpose image editor that costs less than $100.

Most panoramas require three to six images to achieve the full effect. When looking for good subjects, keep in mind that it’s easier to create a seamless image when your subject is evenly illuminated. That usually means that the sun is to your back or off one shoulder. Avoid shooting directly into the sun for any of the frames in the sequence, at least until you’re a little more experienced.

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JPEG is the format used by most digital cameras. JPEG files are very portable and can be read by nearly every computer and web browser. JPEG files use compression to keep the file size small for easy transport. You can determine the amount of compression by selecting options from the menu function on your digital camera—usually “high,” “medium,” and “low,” but not always using those exact terms. For example, the terms “superfine,” “fine,” and “normal” are sometimes used instead.

Over the last few years, a specialized version of JPEG has emerged for digital camera use. Exchangeable Image File (EXIF) has the same compression properties as the standard JPEG file format, but allows the camera to record to the picture file additional data—such as shutter speed, aperture, and date—that can be “read” by most modern image editors. This additional information is sometimes referred to as metadata, and it’s a real blessing for photographers who like to be able to access the technical specifications for every shot they record, but hate taking notes. The current EXIF version is 2.2.

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Whether you’re using the LCD monitor or the optical view finder, the composition of your picture determines a large part of its success. Composition is the arrangement of the elements in your photograph. The subject, the horizon line, and back ground elements all play a role in successful composition, and this is just as true with basic point-and-shoot cameras as it is with a top-of-the-line Nikon digital SLR.

The first step to creating great photographs is to consider all the elements in your viewfinder. Here are a few questions to consider when framing your picture: Where is the subject placed? Are there any distracting background elements, such as telephone poles? Is the horizon line straight? Should you raise the camera angle, or lower it?

Most photographers keep five rules of thumb in mind when composing their shots. These are not hard and fast rules, but they are worth remembering and applying as often as possible.

1. Get closer.
Use your feet and your zoom lens to frame your subject as tightly as possible. Once you get closer and com pose your image, take a few shots, then get closer again. Your pictures will improve dramatically.

2. Remember the Rule of Thirds.
Don’t always put your subject dead center in the frame. Instead, divide the frame into thirds, both horizontally and vertically (like a tic-tac-toe board), and position the important elements along those lines. Your compositions will be less static and more interesting.

3. Eliminate busy backgrounds.
Trees are great, but not when they’re growing out of the tops of people’s heads. Look out for busy patterns, bright objects, and other distracting elements.

4. Go high, go low.
Change your camera angle when working a shot. Get low on the ground and shoot upward. Raise the camera over your head and shoot down—swiveling lenses and LCD monitors make this easier than ever.

5. Simple is better.
Try not to clutter your compositions with nonessential elements. Keep things simple, move in close, and find an interesting arrangement.

PRACTICAL EXAMPLE - Analyzing a Landscape Composition
When you first look at Figure below, you’ll most likely find the image pleasing. But why? There are a number of compositional rules in effect here that contribute to the success of this photograph. Notice the first place your eye goes to in the image—the gun tower. By placing it in the left third of the composition with a diagonal line leading to it (the fence), you can actually direct the viewer’s eye to where you want it to go first. The solid background of trees doesn’t distract from the fort, yet provides some nice color and texture for the shot. Two large Eucalyptus trees on either side of the fort serve as a frame to help direct the eye inward. Also notice that the foreground, which is composed to also help pull the viewer’s eye inward, is slightly soft. If you prefer a sharper foreground, simply increase your depth of field by choosing an aperture of f-16 or so, and focus on the bend in the fence.

This image seems simple when you first look at it, but there are many compositional rules in effect that contribute to its success