| With today's sophisticated digital cameras it is | | | | Learning to identify these scenarios can help you |
| relatively easy to take good digital photos. This is | | | | compensate for such camera errors. If there is a |
| especially true if you are using s point and shoot | | | | very bright light source in the photo it can |
| digital pocket camera. However even with such a | | | | confuse the camera to believe that there is |
| camera you can follow some tips that will result in | | | | enough light in the scene for a low exposure |
| better higher quality digital photos. These tips | | | | setting. It is a good assumption that scenes that |
| become much more important when using high | | | | have extreme lighting differences between |
| end SLR cameras in manual mode. | | | | different areas will confuse the digital camera. In |
| There are many things that can go wrong when | | | | such cases you can manually correct the |
| taking digital photos. Many of those things could | | | | exposure. If your camera supports bracketing a |
| be easily avoided if only the photographer was | | | | good option would be to take a few photos of |
| aware of them. Here is a list of things that can go | | | | the same scene in different exposure settings |
| wrong and some simple ways to avoid them. | | | | and later on to choose the best one. |
| Blurry digital photos: Also known as out of focus | | | | Very bright photos: Digital photos that look very |
| digital photos the objects in such digital photos | | | | bright are a result of overexposure. They usually |
| look blurry or smudged. Many people think that by | | | | have areas that are blown out or even |
| using the automatic focus feature of the camera | | | | completely saturated. The scenarios that cause |
| all digital photos will come out sharp and clear. This | | | | overexposed digital photos are similar to the one |
| is not true. There are some scenes that are | | | | mentioned above that cause underexposed |
| harder to focus on. Such scenarios can fail even | | | | photos. You can identify them in the same way |
| the most advanced digital camera. Moreover with | | | | and compensate the exposure setting or better |
| most digital cameras (excluding SLR) you do not | | | | use exposure bracketing if your camera supports |
| really see how focused the camera is when | | | | it. |
| taking the photo. Looking at the LCD shows you | | | | Unwanted shadows: Sometimes unwanted |
| how the photo would be composed but not how | | | | shadows will appear in a digital photo. For example |
| focused and sharp it will come out. Even by | | | | when taking a portrait digital photo there are |
| reviewing the photos on the small LCD it is hard | | | | unwanted shadings on the object's face. The |
| to see on those small screens if the digital photo | | | | reason for such shadings is that the camera |
| is focused correctly or not. With digital SLR | | | | measures the ambient light and sets the exposure |
| cameras this becomes easier as looking through | | | | accordingly. However even with the right |
| the viewfinder provides an accurate focus | | | | exposure setting shades can appear on the |
| feedback through the digital camera's lenses. | | | | object depending on the angle of the light source |
| Digital cameras provide some sort of feedback | | | | relative to the object. In the mentioned portrait |
| either audible or visual when they are focused. | | | | photo if the light source is from the side of the |
| They also display a green rectangle (or another | | | | object's face the object's nose can create shades. |
| shape or color) around the area of the photo that | | | | In another scenario the object is wearing a hat |
| they focused on. It is important to make sure | | | | and it is lit from above. The hat creates shades |
| that this area is where the objects you want to | | | | on the object's face. The camera can not |
| focus on are especially when there are multiple | | | | automatically correct such shades as it simply |
| objects in different distances from the camera. | | | | measures ambient light and can not figure out the |
| Blurry photos can also result from shakings of the | | | | light source position relative to the object. It is |
| camera. Such shakings are mostly a problem in | | | | easy to fix this problem when you identify a |
| conditions where a long shutter time is used. | | | | scenario that can be problematic set the flash to |
| When the shutter opens for a very short period | | | | a "fill in" mode (make sure that the object is |
| small shakings would not be noticeable. If the | | | | within flash range) the flash will fire regardless of |
| shutter is opened for longer period usually longer | | | | the exposure and compensate for the shades. |
| than 1/250 of a second shakings become an | | | | The object in the digital photo is completely dark: |
| issue. To avoid such shakings learn how to hold | | | | This is also known as a silhouette effect. It |
| the camera steady using two hands and leaning | | | | happens when taking a digital photo of a scene |
| on your face. If the shutter speed is very slow | | | | that has a very bright light source right behind the |
| try to stabilize the camera preferably using a | | | | object. One good example of that is taking a |
| tripod but if you do not have one you can | | | | photo of a person during sunset or sunrise. The |
| improvise using any stable surface such as a table | | | | result is a dark silhouette of the person with a |
| or a wall. | | | | good photo of the sunset or sunrise background. |
| Dark digital photos: Digital photos that look dark | | | | Similar to the shading problem this problem can be |
| are usually a result of underexposure. They are | | | | solved by setting the flash to "fill in" mode. The |
| dull and lack details. In most cases the camera | | | | fill-in flash lights up the object (you need to make |
| can automatically set the exposure to produce | | | | sure that the object is within effective flash |
| good quality digital photos. In some scenarios | | | | range) and results in a quality digital photo. |
| however the camera sets the wrong exposure. | | | | |