Contributed by Molly

Contributed by Vicki

Use Accessory Lenses to Extend Your Range
       

• Most Digital camera lenses are from 3x to 6x optical zooms. While this is a sufficient range for many photo situations, you might find yourself wanting more range for wide angle and telephoto compositions. The good news is that you can achieve greater focal-length range by adding accessory lenses to your system. There are many such lenses available today for use with a growing Number of cameras. These lenses can add ultra-wide and extreme­- telephoto capabilities to your camera's fixed zoom lens Accessory lenses attach to the camera's fixed lens either directly or with an optional adapter mount. If this is something you'll want to consider, be sure that your camera can accept such lenses before you buy them (This is also for SLR 's Single Lens Reflex camera's as well)

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 Stick to Optical Zoom

       

• When you chose a digital camera you'll notice that there are a couple of zoom figures listed on the box and other promotional material. One is the optical zoom and the other is the digital zoom. Typically, optical zoom is about 3x or 4x, while digital zoom can be closer to 10x and higher. The difference between the two is that optical zoom is achieved through the use of lens elements while digital is achieved by cropping in on the photo image sensor, then interpolating the resultant image file to higher resolution. I recommend that for maximum image quality you stick to only the optical zoom.

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Take advantage of "Scene" Modes

• Many digital camera's offer preprogrammed "scene" modes that make getting the perfect exposure easier. Landscape, portrait and night shot's are a few of the most common modes, although some camera's offer many more. Set your camera to the appropriate mode for the circumstances and it will automatically select the aperture, shutter speed, flash and other exposure choices for the best results possible. These modes are a terrific tool when you want to make the most of a scene without being bogged down with manual settings.
   

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Use a Tripod

• The best way to become a better photographer is to use a tripod. This is something that I have done from time to time to get that Special shot. I still use one. Using a tripod does a couple of things.  First, it makes your camera steady and stable so you can take razor sharp Photos. Second, it forces you to slow down a little bit. Just taking out a tripod and setting it up makes you look a bit more critical through the viewfinder as you compose your image. Most of us end up not using tripods because they have a reputation for being big, heavy and cumbersome, but if you have a compact digital or SLR camera, you can use one of the ultra lightweight, compact models that are available and reap the benefits as well. There are plenty of instances when using a tripod simply can't be used but if you get use to using one as often as you can, you will find your pictures will get better.  If you do not have a tripod here is the next best thing. Set your subject in the viewfinder, take a deep breath and hold then snap the shutter and then exhale. What this does is hold the camera still while you snap the picture, you can then prevent most blurred shots.
   

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Battery Power

• Batteries are a key for digital camera's. One of the worst experiences for a photographer is to be photographing and have the camera die with no chance of recovery. A good policy is to own three sets of batteries and a Battery Charger. A good Policy??  YES. Practical?? No! .Most rechargeable batteries cost a  good deal of money. The average camera uses 4 to 6 at a cost of $75 to $100. Here is the best way of beating the cost Factor. Always carry a supply of disposable batteries a good set like Duracell will do. This way you will always have a fresh power supply. (again this tip is also recommended for SLR Cameras as well)
   

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Slightly Overexpose a Subject to Reduce Blemishes

• If your Portrait subject suffers from skin blemishes or wrinkles,  You do not have to wait until you get the image in Photoshop to make his or her skin look better. Slight overexposure of your subject can reduce those unflattering details. Overexposure often results in a lack of detail because the camera is recording an excess amount of light off your subject. In this case, this is exactly what you want. By overexposing by two thirds of an f-stop or more, the subject becomes brighter and the contrast is significantly reduced as are the blemishes. Different skin colors as well as lighting conditions will determine what amount of overexposure is necessary, but by using a digital camera's LCD display, you quickly can determine weather you're increasing the exposure by too much. For best results, Bracket your exposure so that you have some comparison to choose from when editing the portrait. (Bracket means take a shot below and above the setting  you think will produce the best shot and then compare)
   

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Use Flash Off Camera

• Using flash off-camera allows you to shape the light around the subject. An on camera flash often results in a flat look to an image. While it's quite effective in eliminating harsh shadows that may appear beneath the eyes and nose, there's a noticeable drop in contrast and texture. An off-camera flash allows you to create a sense of depth. A flash held off to the left results in the light "wrapping" around the subject. If your camera has a Hot-Shoe or flash sync port, you can tether the flash to the camera using a sync cord. A TTL (through the lens) Cord maintains most of the camera/flash controls, including through the lens flash metering. If you are using a standard sync cable, exposure will have to be determined manually or by using the flash's auto metering mode. You can also use an auxiliary slave flash. Make sure the slave flash is designed for digital cameras. Digital cameras often use a pre-flash to calculate the correct flash exposure, which may lead to the slave firing prematurely. A slave designed to work with digital cameras will provide accurate sync.
   

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Mega pixel Madness

• Mega pixel escalation is the name of the marketing game. How many mega pixels do you really need? It all depends. Mega pixels aren't an arbitrary indication of quality they mainly tell you how big a photo can be produced from an image file. A 2 Mega pixel camera will give you great 4x6 and 5x7 prints. A 3 Mega pixel camera will give you great 8x10 and 11x14 inch prints. As well as 4x6's and 5x7's. A 4 Mega pixel camera will give you the same as above as well as larger prints, but I ask you Is the expense worth it??? For most people not really. Unless you go into Pro status then you do not need anything larger than 4 mega pixels.
   

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Selective Focus Effects

• Small digital cameras have short focal-lengths lenses. They have an inherent tendency to give a greater apparent depth of field, so selective focus effects (where the subject is sharp and everything else is soft) are harder to do. To get this effect, there are two approaches. First, shoot as much as you can at telephoto, zoomed-in focal lengths and back up to get your subject in the frame. Telephoto settings have less depth of field. Second, use a neutral density (ND) filter so you can shoot at the widest lens opening possible the smaller the number such as f/2.8 or f/4) with your camera. Wide lens openings give less depth of field.
   

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 Digital Photographing

• Just thought I could share with you all about my experience with digital photographing. In fact I have been dealing with it for more than 5 years. I don't think I have too much experience with the whole but I sure have learned a lot in all those years. First, alone a digital camera (maybe the best and most expensive you have) do not make a GREAT picture at all. Digital photography means (and also requires) an after-working. This means you need a very good graphic program to correct some characteristics that were not so good in your photos, such as "clean" some parts with noise, or correct illumination or sharp. You can even apply some effects in them, when you use a good filter, or make an interesting collage. Second: the problem that a digital camera does not shoot exactly what you see. There is a lack to second time between what you see and what you really shoot, although in the most modern cameras this lack is not so long... but it is still there. Third: I never use monitor at all. I prefer to shut this up and use my "eye" to make my photos, alone this allows me a better sharpness when I hold the camera close to my forehead (it is also a guarantee that I don't shake too much!). And using monitor most of the time makes your batteries empty very quickly... I am the webmaster from our church and also the one who makes digital photos for every event there. And sometimes the illumination inside a church is very very bad. I have been trying all those years many effects with three different cameras (from a very easy one through a semi professional one, that I use now). Also with my "normal" Pentax (28 years old: I don't develop any photos from analog cameras - I digitalize them and work afterwards in Photoshop, Photo Impact or PSP). The results from all those 4 cameras are different and interesting too, but alone a digital photo means nothing without a good graphic program, as I said before.
  Contributed by Barbiel
  
   

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 Trick about digital photographing

• There is a trick about digital photographing I have noticed. When ambient is too dark and you want to shot without flash just try this: You must search for any kind of illumination (lights or so on) in your room or outside where is not so dark. You "save this information" in your camera: just do as you were to make this püic but do not press the shooting button too long , just the half (you will hear a "click", it means the light was saved). Then you turn to the object you want to photograph and let it sharpen automatic (if you have this setting) then you press to make the picture. Do you understand more or less what I tried to explain? Seems to be very confusing but in fact it is not: you have saved a info from light and added to your picture (as a work in layers in PSP, more or less). Please let me know if this has helped you. For me, it works most of the time.
  
  Contributed by Barbiel

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 Always ready tripod

• Digital cameras are now being made without eye level viewfinders which, in terms of camera shake, takes us back to the days of the old brownie box camera.
  Even those with viewfinders are not SLR so the only way to see what you are actually taking is to look at the display window. Without the camera held against the head camera shake is almost inevitable in anything but ideal lighting conditions.
  When I was just a lad I managed to get a cheap camera but obviously could not afford a tripod so I always carried a piece of strong string in my pocket attached to a bolt which fitted the thread of the tripod mount on the camera.
  Whenever the light was not strong enough and the camera needed to be steadied ( much of the time since, wide open, my lens was still only F8 ) I simply screwed the string into the camera, stood on the trailing end and pulled taught. It is amazing how much stability this gives.
  I now carry a piece of string with a clip on the end. Whenever I want to take a scene at night without flash and my tripod is not at hand I simply clip the string to the camera strap and step on the trailing end.
   
  
  Contributed by Geoff
   

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