Digital Camera Settings
- Clock – Make surer it is set. It will be recorded in the data fork for each photo. You can rename the pictures to have the date come first, then they will play in order when you put a CD or DVD of them into a DVD player (most) that can read .JPG picture files. Ten years from now, you will know when the photo was taken.
- Size – Take the largest your camera supports. You can then crop and print better and also display the picture on large TVs and computer displays. Printers require far more data than monitors, so if you will NEVER print, you can relax this rule. I always take pix in the highest quality and largest size the camera will support, in JPG. Then, when you crop or adjust something, the software, and then the printer, monitor, or projector have more to work with.
- Red eye reduction – Use when it won’t harm “the moment”. For posed pictures, always use it.
- Digital zoom. Leave off
- Multiple cameras – Synchronize the clocks of all the cameras before you and your friends take pictures. (You can then put all the photos of a day’s shooting in one folder and change the names to have the EXIF date and time (recorded by the camera) be the the first part of the name (perhaps followed by the location or event). This is what I do. As an alternative, you can sort the files by date. Choosing the best picture of the parrot on Susan’s shoulder is easier when they are all together in a series.
Taking the shots wih a digital camera
- Steady shots – Brace yourself and press the button smoothly. Consider a tripod or placing the camera on or against something. Use the timer so your pressing the button doesn’t make the camera move. Consiider even using the camera’s remote to activate the timer. That is why it is in the box! (If it is in the box.) Turn on the image stabilization function – if available. It has various names, including vibration reduction.
- Remote – Use it to activate the timer, whether for shots that include you or for stills.
- Time -. Again, use it for shots that include you or for stills, particularly in dim light.
- Sun angle – Get the sun behind you, or use the flash to fill in, if the subject is within 10 feet (3 meters).
- One of the best tips I ever received was to increase the number of photos I take of a single scene or subject, using a number of different settings and angles to take the shot. This has greatly increased the odds of me getting the perfect shot I need for a specific project.