Filter
Top Products
Microsoft Picture It! Companion Guide
39
Chapter 2: Making the Most of Your Camera
Use your imagination to compose some original, creative photos that you won’t
find anywhere else. Capture some of the local color by photographing a lively
food vendor stationed near the monument, and the monument can be the
backdrop in your frame. Or use the self-timer to capture you and your compan-
ion sampling the local fare that you’ve bought from the food vendor in front of
the monument.
7. Bracket
The term bracket means to create exposures that are both lighter and darker
than the camera or light meter indicates. The idea is to second-guess the purely
mechanical exposure meter, so that you get the right exposure.
If you’re taking photos of a sunset, a scenic vista, or a plant, you have the time
to bracket. With these subjects, you’re also likely to have a wider range of tones
to record than your camera can handle, especially if your subject is brightly lit.
So how do you bracket with an automatic camera? Most digital cameras, and
many automatic cameras, have an exposure compensation feature, sometimes
called the EV setting. If you set the exposure compensation for -1, the shot is
one stop underexposed (darker than normal). If you set the camera for +1, the
shot is one stop overexposed (lighter than normal). So you can bracket by
taking three photos, one each at the -1, 0, and +1 settings.
Some cameras offer an automatic feature, which takes a range of photos, each
with a different exposure setting.
Even if your camera doesn’t permit you that much control (or if you don’t want
to take the time to change the exposure settings), another technique will give
you results similar to bracketing. To get a lighter exposure, aim your camera at
a darker portion of the subject, and then press the shutter button partway down
(until you begin to feel a little resistance). Next, without releasing pressure on
the shutter button, reframe your photo to include what you want, and then push
the shutter button all the way down to take the photo.
A quick check with
the LCD
One of the benefits of
digital photography is
that you can get a look
at your photos on the
LCD preview screen
right after you’ve taken
the shot. This feature
is great for a quick
analysis of the photo’s
composition, exposure,
and color tone. Just be
aware that since the
preview screen is so
small, it often does not
reveal problems with
focus.