Arion Club India

Quick Search

This is entirely different world , a magical world full of sight that offer unlimited things to do -once you have seen the Taj Mahal of course !

Northern India

Eastern India

Central India

Western India

Southern India

Select a language:

Photography tips & technique

Member Profile

| Male | Female |

Taking good pictures with a compact camera

Today, compact cameras are more capable of taking excellent picture than before, with new technology built into compacts, you no longer have to be a expert to take satisfying pictures. For a traveller, taking pictures while you see the world is important, always keep a camera handy as those pictures together with your dairy would definitely remind you of the sweet memories in the future.
Holding the Camera
There are a couple of thing to remember when you hold your camera. First, hold the camera absolutely still when you are taking a picture. Camera shake could result a photo being "out of focus" (blur image), this however could be easily be avoided by pressing the shutter release button gently rather than pressing down hard and therefore jerking the camera. Second, when holding a camera, be sure that fingers are clear of the flash, lens and the auto focus window. Third, make sure that camera sling does not obstruct the lens. You might not notice that the sling has got in the way of the lens when looking through the viewfinder as compacts, unlike SLR camera look at an image through its viewfinder and does not show you what the lens see.

Using Flash
Flash can improve pictures outdoors, as well as indoors. Using flash outdoors will soften shadows and brighten colors. The power of the flash, or the effective distant at which it can correctly expose the film, varies greatly between camera models. Check this out before making a purchase. If you already own a compact camera it is always good to know its effective distant so as to avoid disappointing printout. A typical flash distant is about 4 to 12 feets.
Shooting At Night
If you want to take a night shot say, London, Tower Bridge, use a fast film (ISO 1000, 1600 or 3200) and switch off the flash (remember flash does not work well taking picture at night over long distant) You will need a firm support for the the camera. Using a camera stand would give the best result. If your camera does not have a "flash cancel" mode use your finger to cover over it.

Night mode function
The more expensive compacts usually come with a night mode function, you could save money on fast film, ISO 200 films work pretty well with this function. Switch to the night mode, cancel the flash and get some firm support, shutter speed is usually slow working on this mode so make sure that you have a good support.

Filling up the Viewfinder

A common fault of inexperienced photographers is that they do not fill the view finder with the subject. The resulting pictures are therefore disappointing as the subject fail to dominate the print. As a general rule, the closer you get to the subject, the better your pictures will be. Make use of the zoom to fill up the frame, if your camera does not come with one move towards the subject.

Taking Scenic Pictures
In taking scenic pictures, light, perhaps is the most important ingredient. It transforms a scene according to the season, time of the day and weather. For taking scenic pictures, early morning and late afternoon would usually considered as the best time to shoot these pictures as early morning and late afternoon sunlight give a scene more contrast and form, however you should choose a faster film, given light condition are low at these hours.

Taking Architecture
Like taking scenic pictures, lighting is just as important when photographing buildings. Take couple of minutes to make a reconnaissance of the site, try to access the lighting conditions, and the best angle to shoot. As a general rule, strong crosslight is considered the best light for photographing buildings as it bring out their texture form. This type of light usually occurs in the middle of the morning or afternoon.
Taking Pictures At Angle

Camera angles are also important when taking shots. Most of us have the habit of holding the camera and take pictures horizontally or vertically, but not many would have thought of taking picture at an angle. By holding the camera at an angle , you could create some very dramatic result.