Photo Tips

Welcome to the photo tips page.

We’ll be posting  suggestions and ideas for taking  photographs whether they’re for the contest or just for yourself to learn from.  So stayed tuned!

Photography is fun

You might be thinking “I don’t have a fancy DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex.)  I can’t enter”   Not true.   You can use a good “Point and Shoot” camera.    Equipment is just part of the photograph produced.  What is really important is you,  the person behind the camera.   It is not just about pushing a button.  This is your image.  How you compose it, when you take it and how it makes you feel makes up a good portion of what we see in the final photo.

Take your time to set up your shot.  Try different compositions and different angles.  Not just straight on.   Get low, get high or try your subject from an angle on the side.   Photography is fun!  And we want you to get out there with your cameras, big or small and capture the spirit you see in your viewfinder.

Camera Settings

There are different settings  that effect the file sizes that can be set on your camera depending on what you are using your photos for.

For the photo contest it is best to make sure that your camera is set for the best detail.   There are two settings to pay attention to.  The first is the size of the file- pick the  “Large” size.  The second is compression.  Set that to  “Superfine” or “Fine” under your compression settings.  On some cameras maybe called “Image Quality”.  (Check your owners manual for their settings.)    You’ll find that the number of images you can get on a card will get smaller.  So if you have a 32mb card that came with the camera you’ll need to get a larger card.  I like to use the 2 GB cards.   They hold a lot of photos. When you got out it is always good to have a backup card and an extra battery for your camera on hand.

I always photograph at the highest settings.    You never know when you may want to enlarge a photo.   You can always reduce the file size to use for other things like a webpage or emails.  You can’t go the other way.   You’ll also fine the less compression of the photograph the better the colors, shadows and highlight details.

Helpful Websites:

Kodak has a great website with lots of tips:  http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=38/13915/39&pq-locale=en_US

HP has a really cool interactive site with tips:  http://www.hp.com/united-states/consumer/digital_photography/tours/beginners/index.html

iDigital 60 second tips:  http://www.idigitalphoto.com/improve-your-photos/