Digital Photography Tips

- Shooting Indoor Sports
Key to shooting sports is speed
Must have quick shutter speed to freeze action
Set ISO to highest setting-400-800
Set rapid fire mode if you have it

- Best settings for low light/nighttime conditions
iso 800 works best in low light situations
however it could increase the background noise
Tripod or steady hand helps when shooting @ slower shutter spd

Subject Shutter Spd F-stop
Fireworks 1sec 2.8
Floodlit building .5sec 2.8
Subject lit by firelight .5sec 2.8
Street scene w normal illumination .5sec 2.8
Shop window 1/8sec 2.8
Brightly lit street scene (eg: xmas lights) 1/15sec 2.8
Neon sign/brightly lit theatre district 1/30sec 2.8

- What is hyperfocal distance
Distance setting that provides the best depth-of-field
Average distance between nearest foreground object and furthest
Best implemented when teh subject matter extends far into distance
And if no particular region requires more sharpness than other

- How to take photo of glass sign or framed picture
To reduce reflection of light from the glass
Key is to find a way to redirect the angle of flash
If lens and flash are shooting at same angle and direction you will get reflection
Polarizing filter on camera redirects light but at cost of muted colors

- How to understand Depth-of-Field
depth-of-field is difference between ordinary or stunning pics
Shallow d-o-f means only the subject your are focusing on is in sharp focus
INcreased dof means more of pic front and back of subject is sharp and clear
You can control dof with changes to aperture
Smaller the aperture the wider the dof causing more of pic into focus
Bigger the aperture setting the more shallow the dof

- Right settings and techniques for photographing birds & wildlife
Fast shutter speed is baseline for the camera
Preference for shutter speed is at 1/800th of a sec
If a subject is in shade with expected small movements slower speed of 1/200th can be used
Allows aperture to open up further for more light
If blur occurs increase the shutter speed
Primary focusing on birds or wildlife should be eyes
When you view images you are naturally drawn to the eyes
Unless its a bear with its mouth open
Best condition to photograph birds in flight is when there is lots of light
You can use the lowest iso available for least amount of noise

- How to take pictures into the sun and avoid lens flare
Lens flare is created when non-image forming light enters the lens and hits the camera's sensor
Good lens hood can eliminate flare caused by stray light for outside angle of view

- Taking good pictures in snow or on beach
Snow and sand are refleective surfaces
Reflectivity will fool camera's built-in light meter
Adjust exposure compensation to +1 or 2 so you're overexposing
the scene by one or two stops allowing more light to enter camera's lens