:ARTICLE: How to Take Great Fireworks Photos with a Point & Shoot

Getting great fireworks photos has to be hard, right?

Not necessarily. The pros want us to believe this, I think, but scrapbookers and photography hobbyists can still get great results without loads of equipment and studying aspects of aperture, shutter speed, focal length and such for hours before the event or spending the entire show trying to get your settings just right.

All of the photos in this post were taken by me last year with my Canon S3 IS and I'll give you my 5 basic steps to how I got my results.

1) Scope out your location.

Try to arrive on site while it's still light out so that you can make sure that you get a good position for shooting. Try to avoid areas where trees or other obstructions may hinder your shooting. You want to have a clear view of the area of sky where the bursts will appear.

2) Use a tripod.

Okay, so you will need this one other piece of equipment to get good shots. With fireworks, it is an absolute must considering the length of time that your camera's shutter must be open to capture the brilliance of fireworks. The camera must be PERFECTLY still during that entire length of time in order to get a good shot. But it doesn't have to be anything too fancy. The one I use is actually one my husband picked up at an auction for around $5.

3) Use your self-timer.

Articles of this type will generally suggest that you use your remote release to trigger the camera to avoid camera shake when pushing the shutter release. Although some P&S cameras have a remote release option, most do not. The easy way around this is to use the self-timer. My camera has a 2 or 10 second option, so I set mine on 2 seconds and will generally hit the shutter release when I hear or see the firework trajectory leave the ground. It's not full proof. Some fireworks take longer than others to burst, but it works enough of the time to get some great shots.

4) Frame your shot.

Take a variety of shots. Use your zoom to get some shots that will zero in on the burst itself and zoom out to get some that take in some of the scenery as well, such as the shot below where you can see a bit of reflection of the firework on the water. If you're attending a show within a city, you may actually want to include part of the cityscape in your photos to give them a greater sense of place. Also, don't assume that if you don't get the entire burst within your frame that it's one for the recycle bin. Some of my favorite shots are those that only show part of the burst against black sky which actually makes for a very interesting photo in terms of composition.

5) Use the fireworks setting.

Yup. It's allowed. That's why it's there. Camera manufacturers didn't create all those settings so that you could feel guilty about using them. They created them so that more people could enjoy the art of photography! I used the fireworks setting for every picture in this post, so no time was wasted trying to figure out the perfect settings.

PLUS 3 more little tips:

1) Take a flashlight. Always good to have when trying to take photos in the dark.

2) Charge your batteries. You'll be taking lots of shots to get your keepers in this type of shoot. Make sure your camera doesn't die on you half way through the show.

3) Empty your memory card. Again, lots of photos, so you'll want to have as much room available on your memory card as possible.

I hope that these hints and tips are helpful to you as your venture out for fireworks later this week! I would love to hear from you if you have any other fireworks photography hints and tips to share.

:ARTICLE: Get Your Light Right

I have another photography related article published over at WeScrap. It was part of the June newsletter, but you view other great WeScrap articles and tutorials here.

Get Your Light Right

You don’t need to have a studio full of professional lights to get great photos of your loved ones. Many of us simply don’t have the space or budget to set up an indoor photography studio at home. Does that mean we shouldn’t be able to get quality results without have to spend an arm and a leg for a professional? Absolutely not! Over the years, the great outdoors has become my favorite studio. Backdrops are in endless supply and all you need is a few good tips to get some great lighting.

#1 – Get natural: Natural light is actually the most flattering type of light for photos. So get outside and start shooting. Don’t be afraid of weather either. Foggy and rainy days can actually create great mood for more creative shots.

You can also take advantage of natural light indoors. Turn off the indoor lighting and position your subject near a large, bright window or set up a makeshift studio beside your open garage door. Position your subject so that the light hits them from the side and use a reflector opposite the window to bounce even more light onto your subject. The photo below was taken indoors with my daughter lying on the floor several feet to the right of our living room window. I left the sheers closed to soften the light hitting her face, essentially acting as a diffuser.

#2 – Get Shady: While natural light is ideal, direct light is not. Contrary to popular belief, sunny days are not always best for taking photos. Direct light can cast harsh shadows on faces and cause squinting which is never flattering. Cloudy days can actually be better for taking photos. If you can’t avoid a sunny day, look for open shade such as on the side of a tall building (like I did in the shot below) or a lush tree to get better results.

#3 – Get Golden: The hour after sunrise and before sunset are known as the Golden Hours to photographers. These are the absolute BEST times of the day to take photos as the light is generally very soft and warm as a result of the sun being so close to the horizon and therefore causes colors to be at their most vibrant.

#4 – Get Flashy (but not when you think): Flash indoors, no flash outdoors, right? Not necessarily. While using flash indoors is sometimes necessary in low light indoors situations, don’t flip up that flash out of habit. Open the curtains and let there be light. The colors will be more natural and warm. Then, when you can’t avoid direct sunlight outdoors, make sure that the subject’s back is to the sun to help avoid squinting and use your flash. It can actually help to fill in some of those nasty shadows.

Let me know what you think of this article on lighting...basic, I know, but that was the idea. Are there other basic lighting tips that you live by to help improve your natural light photography?

Reader Question: Rule of Thirds

I recently received a question from a reader in response to my 8 Tips to Better Photo Composition that I wanted to address.

Jill - This is a great article! Thanks! I have one more question - it may be kind of silly, but how does the rule of thirds apply to close ups of people? I was trying to take a look at the witch photo to see how it would apply. I was also looking at the one of your little girl on the steps in the pink coat to see how it could apply here as well? Any help would be great! Becky

Thanks for the great question, Becky!

As for the first part of your question, it is still a good idea to implement the rule of thirds when taking close ups of people. The eyes are key to any good portrait, regardless if your subject is looking at the camera or not. Generally, the trick with portraits is to get the eyes on or slightly above the upper third line. So, in the witch photo referenced (below), I placed my daughter's beautiful little lashes near that upper third line.

As for the second part of your question, Becky, the rule of thirds is also utilized in the pink coat photo below even though I was using it as an example for the vary your angle tip. Now this is a full-length shot, so the most important thing here is the subjects face. If you drew those imaginary rule of thirds lines on the photo you would see that my daughter's face is quite near the upper-right intersection. It might not be exact, but it doesn't have to be exact to get the effect. Also, you would also see that her eyes are again on or slightly above the upper third line.

Side note on the rule of thirds: The rule of thirds is just one of many very effective composition techniques. The techniques that I mentioned in my article can be used individually, in conjunction with other tips, or not at all...sometimes rules are meant to be broken. So, don't get too caught up in always trying to incorporate certain techniques in every photo you take. Allow yourself to experiment and create some new techniques of your own - you might like the results!

Happy snapping!

Stay tuned for an upcoming article on lighting tips!!

8 Tips to Better Photo Composition

The International Scrapbooking Association May Newsletter issue went was published today. Like last month, I contributed a photography article to the newsletter.

8 Tips to Better Photo Composition
A huge part of creating a successful scrapbook layout is the photos you choose to use on that page. That’s why photography has become a secondary hobby to most scrapbookers. Last month, I shared with you several tips to improve your photography skills by simply getting to know your camera. This month, we’ll focus on improving your shots through eight composition tricks.

#1 - Use the Rule of Thirds
You’ve probably heard of this principle in reference to designing a scrapbook page (and it’s a great one to follow), but the concept actually began with photography. Imagine a grid, like the one below, dividing your photo. The idea is to have the key elements of your photo off-center and on the lines or, even better, on the intersecting points of the grid…it makes for a much more visually appealing picture.

#2 - Use Leading Lines
You can use many things to create leading lines in your photographs – a road, fence, river…even an airplane wing. If used correctly, these lines help to draw the viewer into the picture and toward the subject. They can also help to create depth in a photo and are often most effective if the leading line begins in a corner of your photo.

#3 - Watch Your Background
We’ve all taken them…the shots of a loved one with a light post sticking out of their head or where the beloved subject is overwhelmed by the clutter of your untidy living room (or maybe that’s just my problem). Try to be always aware of the background when taking photos as these types of problems can generally be easily solved by moving your subject or changing your angle (see #8).

#4 - Fill the Frame
AKA – Get Close…no closer! Whether you do this by physically moving closer to your subject or utilizing a zoom lens, filling the entire frame with your subject can have a stunning effect and allow you to pick up details that would be missed in a full-length shot. Although much of my daughter’s witch costume is not visible in this shot, it is still my favorite from the shoot. There’s enough to get the idea…and just look at those lashes!!

#5 - Frame Your Subject
A fun way to draw attention to your subject is to frame them in a window, doorway, or even elements in nature. In the shot below, my daughter is framed by the overhanging trees. Since I was going for somewhat whimsical, distant look in this photo, she is rather small, so I also used the rule of thirds to help draw the viewer’s eye to her in the photograph.

#6 - Don’t Amputate
When going for a full-length shot, don’t cut someone off at the ankle (or worse yet, the neck)! Always be aware of what you are ‘cutting off’ in your photos and where. Of course, when taken a closer photo, you have to cut of something, right? Of course. The general rule of thumb is to not cut your subject off at a joint, which makes them look unnatural (as if they’ve been amputated). It’s generally best to crop between joints.

#7 - Vary your angle
Any angle can get a little boring if you use it all the time…switch things up a bit by varying the angle from which you take your photos. Try taking shots from above your subject, while lying on the ground, at eye level, or from the side. I shot this picture of my daughter from above and not only is it an interesting angle, but also allowed me to highlight her beautiful dress in a way that no other angle would have. This can also mean varying the angle of your camera itself and giving your photo a tilted effect as in the second example below.


#8 - Go vertical
Just because your camera is built in a horizontal orientation doesn’t mean you can put it on its side and go vertical. Vertical shots can work very well when taking portraits and can really add interest to a shot of something that is generally viewed in a horizontal nature, such as this picture of a quilted American flag that I took at the Air & Space museum in Ashland, NE.

What did I miss? What are your favorite tricks and tips for better photo composition?

How to Get the Most Out of Your Point and Shoot Camera

My first article was published in the International Scrapbooking Association April Newsletter that went out the other day. It was pretty exciting for me to see it in print so I thought that I would share it here as well.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Point and Shoot Camera

I use a point-and-shoot camera. There…I said it. I’m not ashamed. I’ve gotten some darn good pictures out of my Canon S3IS over the past couple of years if I do say so myself (and, obviously, I do). Not to say that I’ll never upgrade to a DSLR (I’m actually saving my pennies now…), but if there is one thing I have learned about
photography in the last 6 years of scrapbooking, it’s that creating great photos has much more to do with technique then equipment.

In this article, I plan to share 6 tips to help you get the most out of your point and shoot camera.

#1 – Read the Manual
Not the most engaging reading, I know. But honestly, you’ll never know how much your little point and shoot can really do if you don’t read the manual.

#2 – Nix the Date Stamp
This is the first thing you should learn how to do from that manual! There is nothing that can ruin a great shot faster than a glaring orange (or whatever color it might be) date stamp in the corner. The information is still stored in the EXIF data, so it is not lost. Also, most processors include that information on the back of you printed
pictures.

#3 – Optical Zoom Good…Digital Zoom BAD
The next thing you should learn how to do is make sure that the optical zoom is turned on and the digital zoom is turned OFF. Optical zoom uses the lens of the camera to bring your subject closer, which is what you want. On the other hand, digital zoom causes the camera to ‘crop’ your image inside the camera, which decreases image quality and is NOT what you want.

#4 - Bigger is Better…
…with image file size, that is. Although it will mean that you will be able to fit fewer photos on your memory card, it is always best to set your camera for the highest possible resolution (usually termed as ‘L’ or ‘Large’) and lowest compression (usually termed as ‘Fine’ or ‘Superfine’). This will give you the highest quality image possible for your camera and allow you the more
post-processing freedom.

#5 - Lock the Focus
This may seem basic, but I’ve been surprised how many people have no idea what I’m even talking about and it can make a world of difference in your photos. Basically, most cameras now have the ability to depress the shoot button half way without taking a picture to allow the cameras auto focus feature time to find and lock the focus. Once it’s locked, snap your picture and you’re much more likely to have a focused image.

#6 - Use the Preset Modes
It’s not cheating…really, it’s not. That’s why the camera manufacturers put them there. Not all of us have the time (or desire) to learn every nook and cranny of manual photography, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have great pictures anyway!! Most cameras these days come with at least the basics such as action, landscape, macro, night, and portrait and generally they work wonders. My camera also has a fireworks mode which I used for this picture that I can guarantee you I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this result in manual.

I hope you will now take some time to get to know your camera a little better and unlock its potential. Please stay tuned for more great tips in our next newsletter when we take a look at how to improve your photos through composition techniques.

There are several other great articles and some layout inspiration in the newsletter as well. You can check out the full edition here. ISA is truly a great community of scrapbookers from across the globe and I have really been enjoying my involvement there as a VIP Team member over the past couple of months! If you're not familiar, I hope you come and visit us soon!