Perfect your digital pics
Have camera, ready to shoot? Try these pointers from Julie King, author of Digital Photography for Dummies (Wiley, 2005), on how to take holiday photos that will turn into keepsakes.
If you're the shooter ...
- Get tech-savvy. Let the camera do some of the work for you.
- Choose "portrait mode" to automatically set the exposure and focus.
- Soak up the sunlight. If possible, shoot outdoors in the morning or late afternoon. Indoors, pose people next to a sunny window, with the light coming over one shoulder.
- Banish blurs. Use a tripod or place the camera on a stable surface and use the self-timer mode.
- Be a sharp shot. Shoot at the camera's maximum image size (resolution) for the sharpest pictures.
If you're the subject ...
- Go easy on the eyes. Wear natural-looking makeup; overdoing it will look harsh in your photos.
- Keep clothing simple. Wild patterns will put the focus on your clothes rather than on you.
- Do away with double chins. Tilt your chin up and out and always ask the photographer to shoot you at eye level or from above.
- Angle for a better shot. Instead of a dead-on portrait, turn your face slightly away from the camera and focus your eyes just above the lens.
