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Hey, if you\u2019re in a hurry to jumpstart your outdoor and travel pictures, I\u2019ve put together my top photo tips just for you. So what are we waiting for–let\u2019s jump right in!<\/p>\n
\nKnow Your Camera<\/strong> \n Name of the Game is Fill the Frame<\/strong> Thank Flashy Outdoors Pictures<\/strong>Avoid Noisy Pictures<\/strong>
\nFor pictures with the most detail, set your camera to the lowest practical ISO setting. As the ISO increases, so will the digital noise (grain) in your pictures. Pro digital cameras have less noise at higher ISO settings than lower end consumer cameras at the same ISO setting\u2014which is why this shot of an owl taken with my EOS 1Ds has no noticeable digital noise even though it was shot at ISO 800. The same applies to film cameras\u2014lower ISO films such as ISO 100 provide less grain and generally better color saturation. However, for handheld shooting, especially with long lenses, ISO 400 film provides a good combination of speed and image quality, and lets you shoot at faster shutter speeds.<\/p>\nAutofocus Cameras Aren\u2019t Mind Readers<\/strong>
\nJust because our cameras can automatically focus, that does not mean that the camera knows where to focus. Use your camera\u2019s Autofocus Lock to lock in the specific area of scene, say a subject\u2019s eyes, you want in sharp focus. For this photo, I locked in on my son\u2019s face.<\/p>\nBackup On Location<\/strong>
\nWhen you are out in the field for several days or weeks shooting digital, be back up the pictures each night on your laptop and then burn a CD or DVD for safe keeping. A portable hard drive is a handy backup solution if you don\u2019t want to take your laptop with you, but a CD or DVD is even more secure.<\/p>\nBeware of the Background<\/strong>
\nThe background can make or break a photograph. Use the background to enhance a subject and not detract from it. In some cases, the background can be as important as the main subject. You can emphasize the background by shooting at a small aperture, and de-emphasize it by shooting at a larger aperture. This method is especially effective when shooting at the telephoto settings of your zoom lens. For this shot, I used the background (church) to add interest to the main subject (the statue).<\/p>\nChoose Your Exposure Mode Carefully<\/strong>
\nSure it\u2019s easy to leave your camera on Program and let the camera make shutter speed and aperture decisions for you. But for more creative control, use Time Value (Shutter Priority), Aperture Value (Aperture Priority) or Manual exposure control. You\u2019ll find that the few seconds it takes to set your custom exposure is well worth it. Shooting at slow shutter speeds and panning the camera in the direction of the motion is a classic technique for capturing the feel of fast-moving subjects. For this shot of a holy man in Kathmandu, Nepal, I set my camera on Manual exposure control to fine-tune my exposure.<\/p>\nImage Quality Setting is Important<\/strong>
\nOne of the most important camera settings is Image Quality. For the best possible digital file, set your camera to the RAW (or TIFF or NEF) mode. High\/JPEG is a good second choice. If you only want to take snapshots to send as attachments to e-mail or to post on web sites, Low\/JPEG is okay. For this shot of two butterflies mating (from which I made a 20×24-inch print) I set my Canon EOS 1Ds to RAW.<\/p>\nKeep it Clean<\/strong>
\nIf you shoot with an SLR, keeping the image sensor clean is important. Even a tiny speck of dust on the image sensor can look like a big blob in a picture, especially if the dust speck shows up in the sky area of a picture. So, change lenses only in relatively dust-free areas, such as in your vehicle with the windows closed. I was super careful when changing lenses in Angkor Wat, Cambodia, which is why you don\u2019t see and blobs in the sky in this picture.<\/p>\n
\nThis one drives me crazy on my photo workshops. Students often show up and don\u2019t know how to get the most out of their camera, because they have not read the instruction manual that came with it. So, as the newsboys used to shout, \u201cread all about it\u201d before you set out on your very first photo shoot. Also, keep your camera manual with you when you go on location, just in case you forget how to set a particular camera function.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nWhen composing a picture, crop out the \u201cdead space\u201d(open sky, blank walls, sandy beach with no detail, etc.) that doesn\u2019t add any interest to the image. In other words, fill the frame with the main subject and eliminate details to create more visual impact. I followed this advice for this picture of a butterfly orchid.<\/p>\nRemember to Reset<\/strong>
\nOne of the benefits of digital photography is that we can change the ISO, Image Quality and White Balance setting from exposure to exposure. It\u2019s easy, and I say this from sad experience, to forget to reset your camera when you move on to a new shooting situation. So, to avoid a too grainy, too pixilated and\/or off-color picture, check your camera settings from time to time. The same applies to film cameras. Remember to switch back to standard settings and modes if you\u2019ve made a custom setting or exposure compensation and you\u2019ll avoid unpleasant surprises. For this shot of a lighthouse in Maine, I set my White Balance manually.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nUse a flash for outdoor portraits to brighten up the subject\u2019s face and to add a nice \u201ccatch light\u201d to his or her eyes. Without a flash, this sloth, photographed in Costa Rica, would have been backlit and underexposed, and the eyes wouldn\u2019t have sparkled.<\/p>\n