Dads, grads, and new pads. The coming weeks bring an avalanche of special photo opportunities, from graduation ceremonies to Father’s Day, weddings and summer moves.
If your camera has been hibernating for the winter, now is the time to wipe off the cobwebs and get shooting. For those of you who received a new camera for Christmas but have been putting off using it, the upcoming holidays and special events are prime opportunities to experiment. However, before you get snapping, it’s a good idea to acquaint yourself with your camera’s many modes.
For example, even if you don’t have an expensive DSLR camera, your picture-taking device likely features a portrait mode. By enabling it, the camera automatically selects a low f-stop (or aperture), narrowing the depth of field to soften the background. This allows you to focus on your subject while the camera blurs objects in the background.
Another useful mode is macro. This feature allows you to capture close-up pictures of small subjects, such as flowers and insects. It also provides the opportunity to create abstract images of large objects and gives you the option to document minute details without turning them into big blobs of blur.
Landscape and night mode are other common features on digital cameras. The former captures detailed scenes of large-scale objects, such as mountains or city skylines. Once employed, landscape mode works by selecting a high f-number, increasing the depth of field so objects near and far away remain crystal clear. With night mode the camera captures color and detail in low-light situations. The mode uses a long exposure, minus the flash, for vibrant colors despite the lack of light. The trick to maximizing this mode is to place your camera on a tripod before taking shots; by doing so you can avoid excess blurring.
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