Nifty Tricks For Your Digital Camera

Fri Mar 23, 2007 1:11PM EDT

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I am unofficially one of the worst photographers on the planet. While I think my compositions are generally good, I always end up with blurry shots, shots that are underexposed, or stuff that's just plain ugly.

While I'm working on my basic technique, I'm learning some nifty new tricks thanks to the always-awesome Digital Photography School, which offers some ways to turn otherwise boring shots into something unique.

Some of my favorite ideas:

  • Focusing on something secondary in the photo, leaving the rest of the picture out of focus.
  • Shooting from the ground instead of eye level. (I have tried this on many occasions and it always makes for a more striking composition.)
  • The flipside: Shooting from up high, aiming down on the action.
  • Intentional graininess by changing ISO settings. Check out the picture of the two men in the fog on the link I've provided. It's really impressive.
  • Messing with the white balance. This changes the color tone of an image in strange, sometimes beautiful ways.
  • Long exposures. I've always wanted to do one of those star trail shots at night, where everything moves in a circle.

Give these tricks a shot this weekend and email me your greatest hits!

LINK: Adding Randomness to Your Photos 

Comments on Nifty Tricks For Your Digital Camera

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  • 47 Posted by sequin_louis@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:12PM EDT Report Abuse

    How does changing the ISO settings affect the grain of the photo? Huh, what does the imitation exposre rate of film, which the camera doesn't have, affect the pix/inch of the CCD? I'm sure it works. I just don't see how?

  • 49 Posted by sequin_louis@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:12PM EDT Report Abuse

    Good thing they specified this was for digital cameras. God forbid anyone tried any of this Tom Foolery with good ole SLR's. Can you imagine what would happen? Cat's and dogs sleeping together...

  • 51 Posted by annawriterlondon8 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:55PM EDT Report Abuse

    What I do most is take people, particularly prize-winners at Toastmasters meetings and diners sitting opposite me at restaurants. Anything too high or too low distorts faces. The hardest things are 1 To get somebody to smile. 2 To stop them shutting their eyes during the flash. 3 To prevent bystanders jumping into the frame leaving blurred arms obsuring the subject 4 To make the person receiving the prize face the camera 5 To stop the adjudicator telling me - 'Take it later.' Afterwards I forget, the prize-winner is too shy to pose, the chairperson presenting the prize goes off early, or the banners are taken down.

  • 53 Posted by sigmachi1219 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:21PM EDT Report Abuse

    I think the two most important things to understand are the f-stop and shutter speed. Understand those two things and you can alter your photgraphs.

  • 54 Posted by shoppincin on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:21PM EDT Report Abuse

    Try not to fall with your digital camera, on the spikey coral in the caves where Jacques Cousteau once was in Exuma (in the Bahamas). Even better, when falling into the water at night with your brand new digital camera, it's best if you have it in a plastic bag! And if this happens to you, TAKE THE MEMORY CARD OUT IMMEDIATELY TO DRY OUT & SALVAGE YOUR PICTURES!!! Hopefully like us, you can keep your photos & share the vacation of a lifetime forever more!!! AHOY & CHEERS!!!

  • 55 Posted by pitadoggy on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:13PM EDT Report Abuse

    I like to take pictures of animals. Some of them move about quickly. The worst problem I have with a digital camera is the waiting time between pressing the shutter button and the time the picture is actually captured. That time is almost always way too long and usually ends up costing me the entire picture because the animal is long gone from the frame by the time the shot is captured. How do I find a digital camera where the time from button to shot is very short? The manufacturers don't seem to list this in their specs on their cameras.

  • 56 Posted by momcity_826 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:25PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have a digital camera and never thought of those ideas. thanks!

  • 57 Posted by tonymartin4536 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:16PM EDT Report Abuse

    My father was a photographer thus I don't remember when I did not have a camera or an photo image in my life. Thanks the all the information. Even at 65 years of age I learn from the little tips in life, such as you provided.

  • 58 Posted by drescott_baudhuin on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:48PM EDT Report Abuse

    I agree with the comment regarding a digital SLR. I have an Olympus 300 with 8 MP. I'm waiting for the 510 with more bells, whistles, and 10MP. They have great lenses, great body's, and turn out edge to edge quality. And their prices are good for what you get. I have an earlier Olympus 2500 that has 2.5MP and takes great closeups.

  • 60 Posted by samer200932 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:01PM EDT Report Abuse

    ipaskheron hanai want porturea he frinds ilove uou juses i go to in the church i like porturea juses

  • 63 Posted by letsbefriends2286@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have a Dell desktop. I am running Windows Professional 2000. My question is, what type camera can I use with this software? I would also like to hookup a webcam. Hope to hear from you soon. Albert, letsbefriends2286@sbcglobal.net

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