Digital Camera Master

Many museums permit photography, provided you keep the flash off and don’t use a full-size tripod. Digital cameras are particularly well suited to these assignments.

Once you’re in, here are some techniques to consider:

1. Increase the film speed setting to 200 or 400 to better handle the dimmer interior lighting.
2. Museums often use halogen lightbulbs to illuminate the artwork, which can lend a red or yellow cast to your photos. If your particular camera automatically adjusts its color balance nicely, then no problem. But if your sample shots look too warm (reddish or yellowish), consider switching the camera’s white-balance control to the Incandescent setting (usually denoted by a lightbulb icon on the control dial).
3. If that doesn’t improve the pictures, adjust the camera’s white balance.
4. To take a picture of something in a glass display case, put the front of your lens barrel right against the glass to prevent nasty reflections. You’ll probably have to zoom out all the way to frame the shot properly.
5. Finally, hold the camera steady when shooting in museums. Because of the low lighting, your camera will probably choose a slow shutter speed, which introduces the possibility that the camera will shake, introducing blur. The steadier you hold your camera, the sharper your shots are.