As families converge in backyards, parks and beaches for barbecues and good times, lasting memories are made.
To do those memories justice, capture them with flattering, colorful photos you’ll want to look at over and over. It’s simple to do if you choose the right camera and follow a few rules:
• Choose the camera carefully. Professional photographer Rosh Sillars of Ferndale recommends figuring out how you’ll use a digital camera first to avoid spending money on extras you won’t use.
For instance, decide if you need to shoot video, photograph wide-angle landscapes or focus on anything from a great distance, because all those things call for special camera features.
“Always consider the features you really need before you go to the store,” Sillars says.
• Megapixels matter. The most basic differences in today’s digital cameras involve megapixels and zoom. A pixel is the dot of color that makes up a digital image, so megapixel ratings tell how many dots will be captured in an image. More pixels represent higher-quality photos.
Big box stores carry cameras into the 14 megapixel range, but Sillars says everyday users don’t need anything above 6 megapixels. That produces high-quality photos up to 11-by-14-inches.
• Zoom, zoom, zoom. Lawrence DiVizio, a photographer from Dearborn, says the separate optical and digital zoom on today’s digital cameras is the feature that confuses people the most.
“And the difference is huge when it comes to creating sharp images,” he says.
He explained that optical zoom magnifies the image before recording it using the camera’s full capability. Digital zoom singles out a portion of the image for printing.
To capture the best images at a distance, consider cameras with the highest optical zoom rating, Sillars says. “Digital just means the camera is cropping the image to get in closer. It has no real value.”
• Flatter your friends. Once you have the best tool, focus on making an image flattering to everyone.
If a head shot is what you’re after, have the subject stand in profile, then swivel toward you for a flattering angle.
In a group posed shot, have people stand up straight and twist their torso slightly to look narrower.
If you’re photographing children, DiVizio recommends getting down to their level to see what they see — then snap away. “Always fill the frame with action,” he says.
• Lighting the scene. Sillars recommends photographing people outdoors as much as possible.
He adds that if you have to take photos indoors, always use the flash.freep
