Take Better Pictures with these 5 Tips
There are some basic things we photographers absolutely should do in order to take better pictures.
5 Tips to Help You on Your Shoot
When we head out to take pictures, it is best to be prepared for whatever you may encounter. Here are 5 things that you should do before you head out the door to go shooting.
Make sure your battery is charged!!!
This is a common mistake. You head out the door with the greatest intentions only to discover that your battery is almost used up when you go to take a picture. It happens to everyone, beginner and pro.
Once I headed out to a shooting location about an hour from my home. I began to shoot and things went smoothly. Smoothly until a half hour after I started shooting. I looked at my battery level: FLAT. I was so disappointed. What was even worse, I did not have a charger I could use in my car. My day had ended. I turned around and went home.
How do you solve this problem? Here are a couple of things you can do:
- Take time to charge your battery before you leave home.
- Buy additional batteries and keep them charged.
- Buy a car charger you can use to charge your battery.
Clean your lens/lenses.
If you keep your lenses clean, you have no worries once you get out in the field. It is not to say that you can’t clean your lenses in the field. However, the best place to clean a lens is in your home where you are in a controlled environment.
Maintaining Your Memory Card
When you take pictures it is unlikely you will fill your memory card. What do you do when you get home? The best practice is to download the pictures you took to your computer.
Erase or Format?
Once you have done this the question is, do I just erase the photographs from the card or format your card? When you erase the pictures from your card all you do is eliminate the indexing of the picture. The picture data is still there. When you take new pictures, this new data over-writes the existing data. No big deal right? Well maybe. When you over-write existing data you leave yourself open to digital artifacts (distortions) left over from the old data.
The best method is to go to your menu and select the “format” option. This will completely erase the old data as it formats the memory card. It basically eliminates potential digital artifacts that could ruin a new picture.
Check the Weather
Being prepared for the weather can make a difference between a fun day in the field and a miserable day. The first thing to consider is the potential of rain. If rain is in the forecast you need to be able to protect yourself and your camera. Rain gear is a must for yourself and for your camera.
Wait….What?? Rain gear for my camera?
Yes! There are commercially available products that can help keep your camera and lens dry. These have a variety of price points. You can spend a lot of money. But you don’t have to. The most effective camera “raincoat” is a clear plastic sleeve that you slip on your arm and then bring it over your camera. It easily covers your camera and lens to keep them from getting wet.
Put Your Best Foot Forward
Also under the weather category is to select footwear that complements the weather conditions. Rain means you are likely to encounter muddy conditions. Snow means you are likely to encounter slippery conditions. Be prepared for what you may encounter.
Create a Checklist
Creating a checklist of the additional items that you want to bring to make the shooting day easier.
What do I mean?
I like to bring the following creature comfort things:
- snack,
- duct tape,
- spare glasses,
- charger I can use in my car
- folding chair,
- extra jacket,
- rain gear (if the weather is questionable)
- and extra pair of shoes
I like to bring the following photographic things:
- extra memory cards
- lenses I might need for the shoot
- tripod
- extra battery
- neutral density filter
- polarizing filter
- lens cleaner
- remote shutter release
- user manual for my camera
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