Do you have trouble shooting good digital mountain photos? Perhaps you’ve been taking digital mountain photos for some time, but never really got the beautiful shots you wanted. Maybe you somehow messed up the mountain photos you took of important events, like your daughter’s birthday or your trip to Paris. You can imagine the frustration one feels when mountain photos of memorable events turn out ugly.

That bring us to the question of how do you exactly take a great mountain photo? While there is a bit of trial and error involved, there is a simple answer. A great mountain photo begins with you and then extends through the camera. Think about it, every shot begins in your mine, not the camera lens. A super mountain photo can be captured by the most basic point-and-click camera just as easy as the most expensive SLR.

Take the time to read over these tips on taking digital mountain photos and incorporate them the next time you have the opportunity. In no time at all, you can be an expert.

1. Know Your Camera Does this sound familiar? You buy the latest digital camera out there, come home, rip off the box, then proceed to fiddle with the device. You briefly flick through the hundred page camera manual and then never look at it again. Not a good idea! If you buy a digital camera, you owe it to yourself to understand its ins and outs. Learn how to control exposure, how to use different camera modes and how to use the flash. The knowledge you gain about the camera will be invaluable when you’re out in the field taking those special mountain photos.

2. Learn to Control the Flash One of the most important things you need to know about digital mountain photography is to control the flash. Personally, I hate to rely on the automatic flash that comes with the digital camera. Depending on the situation, you need to switch off or switch on the flash.

For example, when taking outdoor mountain photos, it is sometimes good to turn on the flash to illuminate the subject, especially if he or she is in the shade. On the other hand, you can also choose to turn off the flash when taking indoor shots. Sometimes, using the flash indoors will result in unnatural skin color and harsh glare in your mountain photos.

3. Using Macro Mode Most digital cameras now come equipped with a macro mode. This is an ideal setting for shooting close up mountain photos of objects like insects or flowers. Depending on your model camera, it can have different symbols. My Canon PowerShot symbol is a flower. Turn your camera to macro mode and get as close as possible to your chosen subject. Make sure you allow the camera to focus correctly before depressing the shutter button completely.

4. Hold the Camera Level A basic rule of mountain photography is to hold the camera level. Since most digital cameras come with a LCD, you can use it to properly frame your shots. Next time you’re taking a shot, try to look for the horizontal lines and use them as guides. A good example is to make use of the horizon when you’re taking a mountain photo of a sunset.

5. Use The Tripod I recommend this tip to all budding mountain photographers – camera tripods are an essential tool in your mountain photography arsenal. When will you need a tripod? Well, it’s useful if you’re taking shots under low-light conditions or trying to capture fast moving objects. I like to use a tripod when taking night shots city streets, for example. Always try to look for a tripod that’s convenient to carry around. For personal use, you don’t need a huge one – just a simple compact one that’s easy to pack.

6. Play with the ISO Setting I find the ISO setting in digital cameras very useful. The ISO setting of a essentially camera controls it’s sensitivity to light. If you’re taking a mountain photo of a still object, like a flower, then always use a low ISO setting. It allows for a longer shutter speed and produces a cleaner image. If you’re shooting a moving object, like a baby playing with a toy, then a higher ISO setting of say 400 would be better. Do take note, however, that a higher ISO setting gives a faster shutter speed and requires less light. This will produce noisier mountain photos.

7. Have Enough Memory Capacity Just like you must have enough rolls of film when using traditional cameras, make sure you always have enough memory capacity in your digital camera. It’s terrible to be on a holiday taking great mountain photos and suddenly realizing you’ve no memory space left. Here are some general guidelines for digital camera storage.

2 megapixel cameras – have at least a 64MB card 3 megapixel camera – ha

Random Posts