Tips for Photographing Nature
June 7, 2009
Photographing nature is truly a rewarding experience. It is considered to be one of the most emotional and pleasing encounter. By snapping away some rare once-in-a-lifetime instances you are able to freeze that particular moment for ages to come only to be remembered and recalled later. However, you need to have some great photographic skills to perfectly capture the specific juncture. One thing you need to ensure while photographing nature is that the instance may stay for a split second and you need to be really quick to be able to shoot at the correct time. Although, you need to possess good photographic skills, with the help of a few tips and tricks, even beginners can manage to click away some exceptional pictures.
Tip # 1 : - Get to know your Camera and its Settings
Before you go on any nature expedition, it is important that you know and understand your camera very well. It is crucial to have an idea of the various modes and settings of the device and an overall view of what combinations help deliver excellent results.
Tip # 2 : - Patience
Nature photography is not just about going to a particular spot and clicking the shutter. It is about closely observing the subject over a period of time to determine the best moment to shoot. This requires a lot of patience as well as an eye for details. For example, if you are interested in get a snap of the sunset or sunrise, then you need to observe and determine the perfect time to fire your shutter. The perfect image is obtained when the sun is half set and the colours are spread across the sky. Also the look and feel of the snap would be enhanced if there is a bird flying at the time of sunset or sunrise.
Tip # 3 : - Attention
While moving along the woods or bushes, you need to keep all your senses open. You may stumble upon an interesting opportunity to shoot like a young animal suddenly pops out of a bush with a look of fear and shock. You may not be able to get that emotion again. So, the bottom line is to pay attention to the happenings around you and anticipate what might happen.
Tip # 4 : - Lighting Effects
With regards to lighting, you needs to check out for three major factors; the direction of light, the quality of light and the temperature of light. The different directions of light is capable of producing different effects. Say for example, is the sun is behind you, then the scene will portray strong colour and tonal effect. If the light is coming from the side then the it works towards emphasising the texture of the subject. Finally, back light is best for creating a silhouette.
The quality of light can be divided into two parts; specular light and diffused light. While specular light is the direct and bright form of light such as direct sunlight, diffused light is distributed form of light. This may be when the sun rays pass through the clouds and are scattered across the area. The diffused light is the most favourite forms of light used to capture close-up scenes, forest areas, wildlife, waterfalls etc. This is because they are able to expose the subject properly. On the other hand specular slight might cast ugly shadows on your subjects. But with proper camera mechanism this can also be optimally used.
The temperature of light refers to its colour effects that keeps changing throughout the day. To take optimal advantage of the light temperature, it is advisable to set the white balance to daylight mode.
Major Do's and Dont's
Do's
- Always ensure that your picture does have a story to tell, even if it is a little mysterious.
- Always ensure that you do follow the “ Rule of Thirds”. This means that you need to divide the screen horizontally and vertically into thirds and situate the subject at the intersection of these lines. Some digital cameras come with a “thirds grid” that can be used to compose the image and later turned off.
- See to it that you do make maximum use of the camera's various scenic modes. Every camera comes with an auto mode that is capable of doing all the necessary adjustments, however there are instances when the image is much better when the correct scenic mode is used.
- Always ensure to shoot the subjects in odd number. This prevents you from dividing the photo into two halves. Also it creates a better dynamic effect.
- Finally, try and shoot rare moments that cannot be seen on everyday basis.
Dont's
- Do not place your subject in the centre of the picture. Ensure that you subject is a little off-centre. This is capable of creating a more interesting picture.
- While shooting nature, ensure that you do not stop with a single snap. Take multiple shots, this not only gives you the best snap of your subject but at times is capable of exhibiting some rare emotions of the subject.
- Although, you have the scenic modes for assistance, do not completely rely on them. Trust your instincts and view the image on the screen to analyse if this is the perfect one. Even a slight doubt of imperfection should compel you to change the settings and try again.
- While focusing on your subject, do not neglect the background. An incorrect background or improper lighting effects spoils the whole image. Thus ensure to maintain a perfect balance between the two.
On the whole, by keeping these basic tips and tricks in mind, you can also become a great nature photographer. Another major advantage provided by the digital camera manufacturers is the panoramic mode wherein you can shoot a series of images and later stitch it together to create one large image. So make optimum use of the camera and its settings and get started on your excursion.
BenQ E1020 Digital Camera
January 31, 2009
BenQ has introduced a digital camera which provides users with the facility of capturing series of shots in a single image. This feature is very useful if you want to capture a child's first steps or an unique action that should not be missed. These features have been incorporated in the BenQ E1020 Digital Camera.
BenQ E1020 10MP Digital Camera comes with a picture resolution of 10 mega-pixels for superior quality images. A resolution of 10 mega-pixels produces the finer details of the image. The images can br previewed on the camera's 2.7-inch LCD screen which has a resolution of 230k pixels. Shot images can be viewed on a computer using the camera's USB-PC interface as well as on the television using the camera's video-out port. It comes with a dimension of 93 x 58 x 21.5mm and a weight of 120 grams. It has an internal memory of 10MB; however this can be increased upto 16GB using SD/SDHC memory cards.
The optical zoom of a camera determines the amount of magnification that can be provided to the image without any adverse effect on the image quality; in case of the BenQ E1020 Digital Camera, the optical zoom is 3x while the digital zoom is 5x. The focal length ranges between 5.7-17.1mm which is equal to 34.5 to 103.5mm on a 35mm equivalent film based camera. This Compact digital camera can automatically adjust the light sensitivity settings to deliver sharper images, the maximum light sensitivity is ISO 1600. Video can be recorded at the rate of 30 frames per second, the maximum video resolution being 640x480 pixels. It has an automatic red-eye correction factor.
BenQ E1020 Compact and Slim Digital Camera comes with an M-Burst mode which can capture a series of shots in a single image. It enhanced Face Detection technology tracks and detects faces for perfect shots. The camera also comes with a Smile Catch Fetuare which will never miss any moment of happiness and its smart focus function automatically switches between macro and normal focus modes so that every snap is well focused and shot. It provides 23 shooting modes to choose from. Also the BenQ E1020 comes with PictBridge compatibility so that you can take direct prints of your photos and images. With this camera BenQ has tried to enhance people's lives by inculcating many new novel features.
BenQ C1060 Digital Camera
January 26, 2009
BenQ has come out with a sleek and stylish yet compact camera that is packed with advanced functionalities; the BenQ C1060 Digital Camera. This camera features many rich features like the Smile Capture function, Shake Reduction technology, high ISO etc.
BenQ C1060 10MP Digital Camera has a picture resolution of 10 mega-pixels, which delivers images with finer details. It has a dimension of 93.4 x 62.2 x 25.9 mm and a weight of 140 grams. The images taken using the C1060 can be viewed in the camera's 2.7-inch LCD screen, on a computer (through the camera's USB-PC interface) and on a television using the video-out port. The 2.7-inch LCD screen has a display resolution of 230K pixels. The shutter speeds range between 1/2000 and 1 second. It comes with an internal memory of 21.7MB. This memory capacity can be increased up-to 16GB using SD/SDHC memory cards.
BenQ C1060 Digital Camera comes with a focal length that ranges between 6.2mm to 18.6mm which is equal to 37.5 to 112.5mm on a 35mm film camera. This digital camera has an optical zoom of 3x and a digital zoom of 4x. This indicates that the image can be magnified up-to 3 times its original size without any loss to image quality. The digital zoom indicates that any section of the image can be zoomed to 4 times, however the quality of image suffers. The light sensitivity of the camera determines the sharpness of the image, the maximum light sensitivity provided is ISO 3200. this camera offers 5 white balance settings and automatic red-eye correction factor. Images as close as 15cm can be shot with precision and clarity owing to the macro setting provided by the camera.
Movies and video can be recorded with the BenQ C1060 Compact Digital Camera at the rate of 30 frames per second. The maximum video resolution offered is 720 x 400 pixels. This camera has a Shake Reduction function that produces blur-free images. This latest Bneq digital camera has an advanced Smile Capture feature that shoots automatically when a smiling face is detected. Additionally you can get creative with the various photo frames provided by this camera. The C1060 includes a USB cable, a software CD-ROM, a user's manual, a hand strap, a pouch, an AV cable and 2 AA batteries.
BenQ C750 Digital Camera
January 25, 2009
BenQ has introduced a digital camera; BenQ C750 Digital Camera, with a unique Smile Capture function which will never miss out on any happy moment.
BenQ C750 7MP Digital Camera comes with a picture resolution of 7 mega-pixels, which can produce superior quality images. This is because a higher image resolution produces images with finer details. It is 93.2mm wide, 62.2mm high and 25.1mm thick and weighs about 140 grams. Images can be viewed on the camera's 2.5-inch LCD screen with a screen resolution of 150K pixels. The camera's 16MB internal memory can be increased using SD/SDHC memory cards. It has a USB slot for PC interface and a video-out port for easy interface with the television. Its shutter speed ranges from 1/2000s to 8seconds.
BenQ C750 Digital Camera has a focal length range of 6.2 to 18.6mm, which is equivalent to 37.51 to 112.53 mm on a 35mm film camera. It has an optical zoom of 3x and a digital zoom of 4x. The optical zoom determines the amount of magnification that can be provided to an image without any loss to image clarity. Whereas the digital zoom determines the amount of magnification that can be provided to any particular section of the image; however the image clarity is affected. This camera can automatically adjust the light settings, the maximum light sensitivity offered by the C750 is ISO 1600.
Movie and video is recorded on the BenQ C750 Compact Digital Camera at the rate of 30 frames per second. The maximum video resolution is 720x400 pixels. Additionally this camera has a Shake-free operation and a Portrait mode. It also comes with a Smile Catch mode, using which the camera automatically shoots when a smiling face is detected. Thus not even a single moment of happiness can be missed. It also provides the facility to zoom while shooting or recording a movie. This camera includes a USB cable,a software CD-ROM, a quick user's guide, a hand strap, a pouch, an AV cable and 2 alkaline AA batteries.
BenQ DC E53 Digital Camera
January 24, 2009
BenQ has now introduced the BenQ DC E53 Digital Camera; an easy to use camera with simple functionalities that can deliver high quality images and videos.
BenQ DC E53 5MP Digital Camera has a picture resolution of 5.2 mega-pixels. The picture resolution of a camera determines the image quality. In case of the E53 with a resolution of 5.2 mega-pixels; it produces good quality images with finer image details. Images can be previewed on the camera's wide 2.5-inch LCD display. Images and videos can be stored on the camera's 32MB flash memory; this memory capacity can be increased using SD memory cards. The sharpness of an image is determined by the camera's light sensitivity factor. The E53 has a maximum light sensitivity of ISO200; for sharper images the light sensitivity should be at least ISO400 and above. However the camera has an automatic light sensitivity adjustment factor.
BenQ DC E53 Digital Camera has a focal length that ranges between 5.4 mm - 16.2 mm, which is equal to 32.7mm – 98mm. This indicates that almost all types of images and landscapes can be covered by this camera. It comes with a optical zoom of 3x and a digital zoom of 3.6x. With this optical zoom the images can be magnified to 3 times its original size without any adverse effect to the image quality. The digital zoom determines the amount of enlargement that can be provided to any particular section of the image; but the image quality is affected to some degree. It has automatic red-eye correction factor.
Movies can be recorded on the BenQ DC E53 Compact Digital Camera at the rate of 15 frames per second. Images can be directly printer owing to the camera's PictBridge compatibility. Images and videos can be viewed on the computer (through the USB interface) as well as on the television (using the Video-out port). This Benq Digital Camera includes a USB cable, an A/V cable, a wrist strap, a Lithium-ion battery and charger, a carrying pouch and a user's manual. You can also refer
