Thursday, March 26, 2009

Are You Ready?

Spring is here…or so the calendar says! LOL Spring is one of my favourite times of the year to take pictures. With only 3 months of school and extra-curricular activities left, there seems to be an overwhelming number of recitals, concerts, field trips and special days marked in our Family Calendar! Eeek! With all these special events are exciting photo opportunities! *wink* But how do you make the most of them?

Well, I did some digging around for you and summarized some photography tips from various magazines and blogs. Hope you enjoy them…

1. Plan Ahead. Often at your star’s performance, flash photography or videography is not allowed. But how do you capture their performance? Well, consider taking photos at your star’s dress rehearsal. The lighting will be almost the same as the actual performance and you won’t have anyone sitting in front of you!


2. Use a Tripod. The lighting conditions at the auditorium or classroom is often not ideal. To steady your shot while the aperture is open, mount your camera on a tripod.

3. Check Your Mode. If you are using one of the creative modes such as portrait or sport, make sure you are selecting the mode that maximizes the existing lighting conditions. In a darker theatre hall or auditorium, give Night mode a whirl! (It’s the one with the moon and stars on it usually!) Alternatively, if you are at Track & Field day, try the Sport mode so you can freeze your athlete in motion.

4. Bump Up Your ISO. Crank up your ISO as high as possible to let in as much light as you can.

5. Get in Close. The flash on your camera is not effective when you are sitting in the audience and your actor is on stage. So, move closer to the action! Get up close and personal!

6. Master Your Timing. We often miss “the” Kodak moment because we have mistimed a shot. Prior to the event, itemize your preferred shots…and when the time arrives, have your finger at the ready so you don’t miss the shot!

These are a few suggestions which I hope will be helpful to you! Have fun and enjoy snapping! And please please please share your bounty with us in the gallery, forum or on your layouts!

4 comments:

Lorraine said...

Great tips, Virginia! TFS!

Jess said...

Awesome information V! I for one haven't been taking the camera out nearly enough lately... but I'm hopeful for some muddy spring pics soon! LOL

Anonymous said...

I am so ready for spring - thanks for the awesome photo tips V!!

AmberT said...

Those are excellent tips V- thanks for posting! I especially like the one about taking photos at the rehearsal instead!
~Amber