Tips for Better Pics.

Hello, me Smokey, calendar model, bit unemployed at the moment. See the wound on my throat? Buggsie did that and I was nervous for months after. Here's a word from my sponsor.


Thanks Smokey. Not a lot of work to improve the top shot. Why did I have almost nothing to do?


Because I always set the camera on the highest 'Sensitivity' (ISO) level possible.


And because I always use 'Manual' exposure.


Low ISO, or 'sensitivity' settings may give better colour quality, but the cost in cloudy conditions, or indoors, will usually be images spoiled by camera movement during exposure. If you have a camera that will allow it, set the sensitivity 200 or 400 for sunlight, and 800 at other times. Higher ISO = shorter exposures = sharper pictures.


If you cannot or do not want to control the exposure manually, try to avoid large areas in the picture that are much lighter or darker than your subject matter. The camera simply does NOT know what the central subject is. The camera looks at most of the picture and measures the average amount of light seen. This average is usually wrong because the subject is either lighter or darker than the unimportant areas in the background or foreground that it measures as well.


Believe me, Higher ISO settings, and higher shutter speeds set manually, are the two most important factors in improving your pictures.  Almost as important as pointing the camera in the right direction, and from the right place.    


Please send me pictures to work on for this blog, either to publish or to return.