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Advantages of Film Cameras
I’ve written an entire article on numerous advantages of digital cameras over film cameras, but that doesn’t mean film is dead.
Bought a great new digital camera? Don’t know why you’re keeping the old film camera? Don’t put the garage sale price tag sticker on that old camera just yet. Film still does have some advantages, such as:
• Increased resolution (for those ever so popular “will you marry me?” billboards)
• Don’t need batteries (more recent point and shoots do, I’m talking the old SLRs)
• Easily accessible media (my local gas station doesn’t sell memory cards quite yet, does yours?)
• Burst mode and no shutter lag. Burst modes on digitals don’t usually take a lot of pictures except on the highest end digital SLRs (which cost over $4,000 and that doesn’t include the lens!)
Keep Great Color in Your Pictures Calibrating Your Monitor And Printer
Ever had a shot that looks just great on the monitor with beautiful bright colors, but the printout just wasn’t as great? Or the opposite, a photo you overlooked on the screen looks brilliant in print. The trouble may just be your monitor. To fix this problem, you need to calibrate it. This will make sure the colors you see on your screen are the same as those that come out in print. And if you’re printing your own pictures, you should calibrate your printer as well.
Here’s a site to help to with calibrating your monitor (printers generally have a function that does it itself, you just have to find it):
http://www.jasc.com/support/kb/articles/monitor.asp
Candid Photos - Squish Real Close and Do Something Silly
Candid pictures are great, but sometimes we need to take posed pictures. It seems like you can’t have a family get-together or a birthday party without needing to get a picture of everyone together. Next time you take a posed picture, don’t just tell people to get in a group and smile. If a film director told all the actors to “just smile and say your lines” the movie wouldn’t be very interesting. Well, neither are “stand there and smile” pictures. Telling people exactly how to stand and pose looks unnatural, but picking a location, props, or even a general pose (squish real close and do something silly) can add a bit of fun to your shots.
Take charge of your pictures and watch them come to life.
The Perfect Picture Needs a Perfect Frame
When you’re taking a picture, try to fill the frame. The sky may be a wonderful color blue, but having it fill half the picture isn’t terribly interesting; we’ve pretty much all seen the sky. Try getting closer or zooming in. Close up shots have more detail and they offer less distractions so the eyes stay focused on your subject. You can also fill that blank space with something interesting, like a cool looking building. Just be sure it adds to the mood of the picture and doesn’t just distract the viewer from the subject. Also, be aware of stray objects in your shot that may appear attached to the subject (hey, when did Jenny get that light post stuck on her head?) You can also try positioning objects like trees or buildings along the edges of your shots to create a natural frame.