Playing with Cameras

Here is a fun way to experiment with your digital camera.

I don't know about you, but I am pretty much just a point and shoot kind of girl. I set my camera on Auto and take tons of photos and then sort out the good ones later.

The professionals use special lenses and all kinds of equipment and I have learned that I can use some of those too, even with my point and shoot camera!

Ready for the tip: try shooting some photos through your sunglasses!

Yep, that's right. The pros use polarized lenses, and you can too with your sunglasses! Polarized lenses can deepen the contrast andenhance the colors.

Now, a couple of things to play around with:

1. The color tint of your polarized sunglasses will have an effect on your photos. Some colors cool a photo while others warm up a photo. Try both!

2. Play around with the angle of your sunglasses. Rotate them around until you see something you like in your LCD viewer. Fiddle with it until the image looks right!

3. Keep an eye on the sun's position in the sky. Polarizing filters work best when the sun is to your left or right, and they have no effect if you've got your camera pointed directly toward or away from the sun.

4. Try all kinds of adjustments and combinations.

The hardest part I've found with playing around with these options is that when I bring my photos into the computer I can see all kinds of variations yet I can never remember what I did to each of the photos in case I'd like to try it again! But, I guess that's the power of digital photography and we can just delete the ones we don't like.

Put the camera and some sunglasses into the hands of your children and see what creative enhancements they can make.

Be on the lookout for another tip soon.....

Enjoy the day!

Kathy Cothran

"The Original Gadget Girl"