Great Light, Simple Camera, Great Pictures

Every now and then, after people look at a photo I have taken, they often ask "What kind of camera do you use?"  What a lot of people don't understand is that the camera they have within arms reach is capable of producing great photos of which you can be proud.  You do not have to have a $1000 camera.  You don't even have to have a $200 camera.   Most people think that in order to take amazing photos, you have to have an expensive camera.  Sorry to disappoint, but that just isn't the case.

As a matter of fact, what I have found is that the more bells and whistles you involve yourself with, the more issues that can arise.  Just like with anything else--the more moving parts you have, the greater the odds that something can go wrong.  The number one issue for me is the discomfort that comes to my wallet.  You purchase something like a new top-of-the-line camera and a few lenses, and then you have to start worrying about insurance policies and the fear of breaking things.  I am not saying they are not worth the purchase, I am just saying those purchases have their purpose, and ninety percent of us rush into those purchases long before they are necessary.

The photos you are about to see were not taken with an expensive camera.  They weren't even taken with an SLR camera.  They were all taken with a a 6 year old point-and-shoot Canon Coolpix style camera that, at the time of purchase, was about $150.  Given the advancements in technology, the same camera with the same specs today would go for maybe $100.  So, no excuses!  You have the weapons to shoot really good photos.  Even if you have a $5000 Digital SLR, you STILL have to keep the following information in mind or your photos will still look as if your 2 year old took them.  Trust me.

Example 1

What I want to show you are my own examples of what a bit of creativity can do to a picture.  In Example 1, you have me and the family on a hayride in Franklin TN.  With a mighty point-and-shoot, I was able to land this photo.  The preset "filters" that most cameras have is what pulled out the deep greens and what made the barn really red.  That's it, that is all I did.  I changed the filter setting to what I think was labeled "Spring".  It was something simple, but it made a HUGE difference.

Example 2

When you look at Example 2, its more complicated--as complicated as using a point-and-shoot can be, that is.  There are three things that make this photo.  One is the camera setting.  There is a preset that actually says "sunset", so guess what--that's what I set the camera on.  Second thing was the crop of the final photo.  There was a little more off to the left that really didn't need to be there and added nothing to the photo, so I cropped it out.

The most important aspect of this photo, and what should always be in the back of your mind, (again, with any camera you are using), is the time of day (the angle of light).  This was taken with maybe an hour left of true daylight.  I think it would be easy to say that three to four hours before dark is the optimal time for a point-and-shoot to shine--bar none.



With Example 3, it doesn't get any simpler.  It's a good angle.  It's an angle that we, as humans, do not see every day.  With the camera still on the "sunset" setting, and that right time of day, you go it!

Example 3

Example 4

Example 4 is nothing different than any of the other photos, with one exception.  The only thing I did differently was shoot towards the sun.  With the subjects between me and the sun, it created an amazing silhouette.  The other thing I did to this photo that I didn't do to any of the others is add a sepia tone (in iPhoto, the photo program that comes with any iMac) to pull out the sunset a little more.  That's really all there was to it.  The photo was really good as it was.  It was just that little extra that I felt would put the picture over the top.


The key to what I am saying is "with some thought and timing, you can pull off some pretty great photos with your basic, inexpensive camera."  I am not saying that you can take a point-and-shoot camera into every situation and take better than average photos without the aid of some artificial lighting tweaks.  I even think there is a story floating out there of someone entering a photo they shot with their iPhone into a contest, and winning!

If you are out and about with your point-and-shoot, and you know that the lighting is all out of whack, then the next rule of thumb (outside of having the perfect sunset) is to change the angle of the shot.  In most cases, you need to do it drastically--like doing an extreme overhead shot, or placing the camera on the ground pointing slightly up at the subject.  That, at least, will yield some better than average photos to look at, instead of the same old thing we see every day.

If you have any questions on how to get more out of your simple setup, just let me know.