| Experiment with exposure Digital cameras usually | | | | shooting black and white or sepia-tone images. Ignore |
| work best in sunlight, just like film cameras. When | | | | the special features until you learn the basics. |
| you move indoors, or into dim light, things get much | | | | Remember that some of these effects such as black |
| trickier -- just like film cameras. So experiment. | | | | and white or sepia toned images can be created |
| If you can shoot your subject from different angles, | | | | without the camera. Photoshop can transform a color |
| with different lighting, do so. If your camera allows | | | | image into black and white in a few simple steps. |
| you to turn off the flash, try it. If your camera | | | | Basically, if you can do it easily in Photoshop, focus |
| allows "fill flash," try that, too. Sometimes | | | | on taking a top quality color photo behind the camera |
| a perfectly exposed picture is made even better | | | | and take care of the special effects without it. |
| with fill flash. Sometimes turning off the flash and | | | | This does not mean that you shouldn't try out some |
| leaving the subject somewhat underexposed adds | | | | of the other special effects. For example, if you pan |
| drama. | | | | your camera to track a car moving at high speed, |
| Every once in a while, you'll take the same picture | | | | the car will be in sharp focus but the background will |
| three different ways, with three different exposure | | | | be blurred, creating an interesting picture. Or you can |
| options, and get three radically different pictures -- | | | | do the opposite: focus on a particular stationary |
| and all of them will look good. But you've got to | | | | object such as a child flying a kite, or a |
| experiment. | | | | freshly-painted fire hydrant and let a speeding car to |
| If at all possible, bracket your shots, with one shot | | | | enter the frame. You'll then have a sharply focused |
| slightly underexposed, one slightly overexposed, and | | | | center of attention with the added advantage of |
| one "just right." Some digital cameras will | | | | motion. |
| do this automatically, but even then you need to | | | | Silhouettes are another nice special effect. Try taking |
| practice. If you are expecting the camera to shoot | | | | a photo with your subject in shadow, eclipsing a |
| one frame and it shoots three, there is an excellent | | | | brightly-exposed object in the background. The |
| chance the last two will look like they were taken by | | | | reverse -- a brightly exposed subject against a dark |
| a very surprised photographer. | | | | background -- can be just as interesting. Getting a |
| Special features Many digital cameras have some | | | | good silhouette with film is expensive: you shoot a lot |
| interesting in-camera special features. Some will allow | | | | of frames with little or no reward. With a digital |
| you to take short QuickTime clips, some will allow | | | | camera, however, the only cost is your time and |
| you to record sound annotations, and some will allow | | | | patience, and your patience will be rewarded. |
| you to experiment with special effects, such as | | | | |