Shooting great vacation photos, even with that new digital camera, takes smarts and know-how. To help you make the most of your digicam on your next trip, Microsoft At Home asked top photo gurus for their professional tips. Badly taken vacation snaps can be awfully disappointing, but good ones are a lifelong treasure.
Power up
Learn to manage power—dead batteries ruin great photo ops. Always take two sets of batteries and a charger, says Jorge DaSilva, manager of Henry's School of Imaging. Use one set in the camera while the other charges.
Or, invest in a super-long-lasting, clip-on, rechargeable Lithium Ion power pack like the DigiPower DPS-9000, which can be used with most digital cameras, suggests photo instructor Larry Frank, a senior product specialist at photo wholesaler DayMen Photo Marketing Inc.
Find out what kind of power adapter you need for foreign parts—possibly a transformer, more likely just a plug adapter—and get it before you leave, says freelance nature and travel photographer Danny Catt. If you can't tell what you need from the camera's manual, ask the retailer where you bought it.
The digicam's LCD screen is a power hog—turn it off and use the optical view finder most of the time, Frank says.Hint: Do use the LCD when shooting close-ups to avoid inaccurately framed shots.
Protect your gear
Digicams are very susceptible to water damage. After one of Catt's cameras got a little damp, "it was toast," he says. Stay away from water and carry your camera in a waterproof bag.
Add a pack of silica gel to reduce moisture further, DaSilva suggests. You can buy one in camera stores.
When going through airport security, put memory cards in the plastic tray provided to avoid x-rays, metal detectors, or anything with a magnetic field.
Pack enough memory
The camera's manual should tell you how many shots at a given size and quality you can store on your memory card. Use this information to calculate the storage required for each picture, then multiply by the number of pictures you expect to take.Hint: Biggest size = highest resolution for making jumbo print enlargements.
Conserve by using lower resolution for shots you know you'll only want to print small or e-mail, says DaSilva.
Buy all the storage you need and maybe a little more before you travel, Catt says, so you can be sure it works.
Exploit your digicam's greatest feature: edit as you go—delete shots that don't work.Hint: Take the camera's AV cord (virtually all come with one), and plug it into a hotel room TV to get a better look at the pictures. If you travel a lot, get a camera that has playback for different television systems around the world.
Know your camera
Most digicams don't take the picture the split second you click the shutter, Catt notes. Try to anticipate the shot. Then check the LCD to make sure you got it. If not, shoot again.
When setting exposure, if in doubt, err towards underexposure (too dark), Frank advises. Overexposed digicam shots are prone to burnouts—bright parts of the picture rendered as pure white.Hint: Avoid shots that include the sun, Catt says.
Understand and exploit creative manual options, Frank says. "Use a fast shutter speed to stop action, for example, or a slow shutter speed to create a pleasing blur when shooting a waterfall or something with implied movement."
Also understand and exploit advanced digital features, Catt urges. Many digicams help you shoot pictures you can later "stitch" into panoramas using a computer. Many will also apply special effects black and white, sepia tone, polarization. "Sometimes you have to think outside the photographic box," he says.
Compose carefully
Make the main subject BIG, says Frank. "Assume your audience has the attention span of a three-year-old."
More often than not, avoid placing your main subject dead center. Imagine a tic-tac-toe grid overlaying the picture frame, DaSilva suggests. Try to place the subject at one of the grid's intersections.
When shooting landscapes and sunsets, Catt says, decide which is pictorially more important: land or sky. If land, place the horizon in the top third of the picture, if sky, place it in the bottom third seldom in the middle.
Look for natural frames in the scene to better compose the main subject, Da Silva says a church spire framed by the arches of a cloister, for example.
Look for lines in the scene, Catt suggests a road or footsteps in the sand and try to frame the picture so the lines lead the eye from the left toward your main subject.
What to shoot—and when
Shoot more often in the half hour to two hours before and after sunrise and sunset. The low-angle light at these times produces dramatic and pleasing results, says DaSilva.Hint: When shooting in low light—outside or in—always use a lightweight mini tripod to hold the camera steady for the slower shutter speeds required, DaSilva says.
"Try and look below the surface" when photographing your travels, Frank explains. Look for shots that capture something of the local ambience and culture.
Check calendars ahead of time for festivals and other special events you can shoot. Check out harbor areas and amusement parks. Shoot farmers' markets early in the morning when locals are shopping.Hint: Learn a few words of the local language and always ask people before taking their pictures. Most happily agree.
Organize and share what you shoot
Photo collages celebrate important events and themes in our lives. Pick a folder, press a button, and in a few minutes Microsoft AutoCollage presents you with a unique memento to print or e-mail to your family and friends.
Learn about more innovative ways to make the most out of your photographs on the Microsoft Professional Photography site.
Tell your vacation story. That's right, your vacation is a story, with a beginning, middle, and an end. Capturing your photos in a way that tells the story is the first step in really taking your vacation home with you and sharing it with others.
Use Windows Live Spaces to share your photos with family and friends.
Add stunning photo effects
Microsoft Photosynth transforms regular digital photos into a three-dimensional, 360-degree experiences. This new service changes the way you experience and share photos.
Combine black and white and color in one image and other cool effects. With many of today's digital imaging software packages, like the ones on the Microsoft Professional Photography site or Adobe Photoshop Elements, you can apply amazing effects to your photos that used to be available only to professional photographers. Hint: Before you start, make a working copy of your original image by saving it with a new file name. You can do this by opening the image and typing a "bw" at the end of the filename when you save it to differentiate the working image from the original. For example, if the image file name is "Leaf," save the image as "Leafbw." By doing all your work on your working copy of the image, you can always start over with a fresh copy of the original if you don't like the results.
You can easily convert color photos to black and white by using your favorite image-editing program. With some camera models you can even do this in the camera before downloading the image to your computer. Once the image is on your computer, you can use your image-editing program to adjust contrast and brightness to create a photograph that's reminiscent of an Ansel Adams.Hint: Silhouettes look terrific in black and white, as do old buildings. The effect adds drama. But be sure to reserve this technique for landscapes or buildings. Photos of family members in black and white may not be as warm as you want them to be.
Fill the frame for dramatic effect. By tilting the camera down about a third of a frame, you can create a much different effect than simply capturing a landscape. Look carefully at the picture you're framing before you click the button. Experiment by moving the camera up and down, side to side. Tilt the camera to various angles and see what it shows you. Fill the frame with the object that interests you most. If your digital camera has an LCD screen, you can use it to improve your sensitivity to the entire scene.
Get up close! Most people see a group of flowers, say "Wow!", and snap a shot of the whole bunch. Don't settle for this canned shot; zoom in on the details. Almost every camera has a magnify or macro button that lets you get close and create a much more interesting photo.
Change your perspective. Most people stand up and shoot their photographs at a 45-degree angle. Try bending over, getting down on your knees, or standing above your subject.
Article written by Gerry Blackwell and adapted from an original piece from Microsoft Home Magazine.
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