Technology

8 Tips for Getting the Most Out of a Point and Shoot Camera

Without the proper knowledge of photography, you can shoot horrific and terrific photographs, even with a high-end DSLR! At the same time, a simple point and shoot camera may give you great pictures if you know how to shoot! Knowing the rules of great photography will take your photography skills to a whole new level.

I’m here to share those rules, tips, and tricks with you to make you think about photography from a different perspective! With the beginners in mind, I will talk about only the point and shoot camera you already have and how you can level up with it!

Understand the geometry

Understanding the geometry of the way you hold your camera is crucial, especially beware of the horizons. Tilt the camera and straighten it, keeping your subject in focus, have a look at the horizon if it’s straight. You can use the on-frame guides of your camera to straighten the background.

The grid lines will also help you straighten your subject if it’s not in the right posture. If you are capturing a landscape with your friend in it, make sure you leave Two-third of the frame for the horizon. Doing this will create a beautiful geometry and make the photo well balanced and look more cinematic.

The rule of third

Putting your primary subject in the center of the frame is never a good idea; it can end up a disappointment! Be mindful of the rule of thirds; follow the golden ratio of putting your subject correctly in your frame. Practice putting your subject in the right position of the camera, and you will notice a drastic change instantly.

 

After positioning, if you know the other things like white balance, exposure, and other things, you will capture a memory. If you are capturing your friend, put his face in the third last point of the grid, leaving the rest of the frame black.

Zoom it the right way

You will notice that zooming in a little bit makes a DSLR-like effect in a point and shoot camera. Even with a budget point and shoot camera, you will be able to make the background a bit blurry like a DSLR! However, getting the crisp and sharp photo with the zoom enlarged will make the job a lot harder.

Because, when you zoom in, the camera becomes prone to shake, even if it’s a tiny little shake! In that case, you have to use a tripod; if you don’t have one, Become one! Or you can use a wall, a bolder, a railing, or anything that can hold your hand steady to take a sharp picture.

Use the right shutter speed

To put in a simple sentence, Shutter speed in a camera decides how much light the lens will capture. Most of the modern Point and shoot cameras come with decent, satisfying shutter speed. For example, if you set the shutter speed on 1/15, the shutter will be open for 1/15th of a second.

The light coming to the lens will get inside the imaging sensor for 1/15th of a second. But, during the time of shutter, if the subject or camera moves, the photo will become blurry. This is why sports photos become blurry most of the time you try to capture the running player. Use a lower shutter speed, and it will enable you to capture fast-moving objects without blurring it out!

Understand the light source

The light source for your photo is crucial when you’re capturing your image. When you press the shutter halfway through, the camera automatically takes the dominant source of light as the primary subject of your photo. If you are capturing your friend with the sun in the background, your camera will automatically capture the sun, not your friend.

To avoid the wrong capture, you can point out the light source for the camera by metering the light source. Simply put, the main focal point of the camera to the primary subject. If the sun is in the background, send it to the backside of your friend, it will block the sun.

Use the flash wisely

The general rule of using the flash is to keep it completely turned off. Never use the flash of your point and shoot the camera unless you need it bad in a too dark situation. If you have to use it anyway, turn on the red-eye reduction feature in your menu to avoid the red-eye problem.

Try to make use of the external lights around you to light up your subject. Use the street light, turn on all the lights in the room, but turn off the built-in light of the camera. This will make your photo a lot better because the light burs the subject here and there that make you regret it later.

Use reflectors and diffusers

If you are doing low light or night photography, the lack of natural light makes it harder to get a good picture. In that case, you have to use flashlight or external lights to light up your subject. Using lights burn your subject or make an imbalance of light, to eliminate that problem, you can use a diffuser.

A light diffuser cuts the direct light on your subject, smoothen it for a better transition of shadow and highlight. If you need more light, you can use a reflector to reflect the ambiance light on your subject. Choose a multipurpose reflector that will work as both a diffuser and a reflector.

White balance

White balance in a point and shoot camera helps you tune up the camera according to the ambiance you have. It affects the whole color balance and tint of your photograph.

You can see the white balance settings as cloudy, fluorescent, shade, tungsten, custom, auto, and more. The auto mode will get the job done just fine, and it will help you get a nice tint on your images.

Bottom line

Capturing the right amount of light with the correct aperture and shutter makes a big difference in your images. Put your subject in the correct position, capture too many pictures, and evaluate them yourself.

You have to understand the different settings of your camera to become perfect at photography. Once you get the settings right, you can tune up the custom settings and deploy the camera for its best shot.

Atif Mallo

Atif Mallo is a freelance blogger with huge interest in technology, science, life hacks and health. He loves coffee, cheesecake and chess. Drop a line in comments to leave feedback for him.

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