C copyrighted 1999
Here are a few tips that will help you get more out of your vacation and travel pictures, plus those you take at home.

Horizon Lines
Photos with strong horizon lines suffer when the horizon line is placed at or near the center of the picture, because the horizon line cuts the image in half. If the subject of interest is on the ground, give the ground more than half of the image area. If there is a dramatic sky, it should be given more room than the ground.

Move In Close
All too often , the impact and interest of a photo is reduced because too much unnecessary background is included in the picture. Move in closer, crop out unneeded details and make a better, more interesting photo. For example, when taking a photo of a couple of friends, is it necessary to include everything from below their feet to above their heads? Unusually it isn't, and the photo will be much more interesting if you crop off below their waists and include just a little room between the heads and the top of the picture.

Scale
Photos of landscapes, large buildings and many other scenes benefit by having a common object (such as a human or car) included to provide a size relationship. It can be difficult to appreciate the size of an immense cathedral, mountain scene or an unusually small object unless a common item is in the picture to provide a size reference.

Depth of Field
Depth of field, or the amount of distance between the nearest and farthest points in a scene that are in sharp focus, is controlled by three factors. One is the focal length of the lens. The shorter the focal length, the greater the depth of field. The lens opening selected greatly influences the amount of depth of field, with the depth of field increasing as the lens aperture size decreases. The subject-to-camera distance also contributes to depth of field, since depth of field decreases as the camera gets closer to the subject. Keep in mind that depth of field extends about 1/3 in front of the and 2/3 behind the focus point.

Center of Interest
Photos should have a center of interest, but it should be positioned away from the center of the photo. Artists and photographers often use the "rule of thirds" for placing the center of interest. Add imaginary horizontal and vertical lines at 1/3 points in the viewfinder. Place the center of interest at one of the intersections of these imaginary horizontal and vertical lines.

Your pictures will be composed better if you avoid placing your main subject in the center of the picture. Try placing it al the intersection of imaginary horizontal and vertical lines at 1/3 points in the viewfinder. This avoids the static appearance of centered subjects.

Framing
Placing some close object near the edge of a picture adds more depth and acts as a frame, helping to keep the viewer's attention on the subject in the photo. Covering dull or distracting areas of a photo is another good reason for using framing. For example, tree branch in the top of a landscape photo covers some of the empty sky, plus it adds a feeling of depth.

Watch That Background
A background can sometimes make or break a photo. Before you take a picture, always look at the background. Are there distracting lines or areas of bold colors, tones or patterns, that detract from the subject? If so, change your camera angle, if possible, to improve the background. Using a wider lens opening (smaller f-number) will reduce the depth of field, making the background less sharp. When there is a window or mirror in the background, shoot at an angle instead of straight into it to avoid distracting reflections.

Hint For Sharper Pictures
A rule of thumb that will help you take sharp pictures is that the reciprocal of the lens focal length you are using should be the minimum shutter speed when using your camera hand-held. For instance, when taking pictures with a 135mm lens, use 1/125th as the slowest shutter speed unless you are using a tripod or other firm support. 1/125th is the closest shutter speed to 1/135th, the reciprocal of 135mm. Keep in mind, other factors contribute to sharpness, such as how steady you are, wind, subject movement, etc.

Exposure Compensation
Generally speaking, the metering systems built into today's cameras do an excellent job of determining proper exposures. Some situations may arise that will throw the best metering systems off and for which compensation must be made. If the background is much brighter than your subject, such as a person snow skiing or playing on a beach, increase the exposure by 1-2 f-stops. If the background is much darker, such as a person under a spotlight with a dark background, reduce the exposure by 1-2 f-stops. The amount of compension needed depends on how much of the contrasting background is included in the picture.

Angle of Light
Light and shadow play an important part in conveying the depth, texture and mood of a photograph. Light usually comes from one of three basic angles - frontlighting, sidelighting or backlighting. Frontlighting comes from behind the photographer and covers the side of the subject facing the camera. Shadows are minimized, creating a flat-looking photograph. With sidelighting, light strikes the subject form the side, establishing long shadows and a feeling of texture and three-dimension. Backlighting illuminates the backside of the subject, producing a semi-silhouette effect with the front side of the subject in shadow. Backlighting intensifies the color of transparent and translucent objects such as glassware, stained glass windows, flowers, balloons, etc.

Time of Day
Sunlight changes color and intensity as it passes from horizon to horizon. From dawn to about 9:00 or 10:00 A.M., the color is warmer than mid-day sunlight and the shadows are longer. Sometimes there is dew on the ground or light fog to add a nice touch to landscape photos. Mid-day sunlight (from about 10:00 to 4:00) is bright and harsh. Since the sun is positioned almost directly above, shadows are short and the lighting is quite flat. Late afternoon sunlight is similar to early morning light - warm with long shadows. After sunset, the afterglow from the western sky paints everything with a soft blue light. Use the ever-changing light from the sun, with its different colors, angles, intensities and textures to improve your photos and give them more character.

Weather Conditions
When we think of ideal weather for taking outdoor pictures,we tend to automatically think of blue skies and a few fluffy white clouds. For some types of pictures, a clear sky may provide the best lighting and background. However, a lightly overcast day with shadows still visible often produces extremely good lighting for many types of photos including portraits, architecture, close-ups of plants and flowers, etc. The lighting is much less contrasty so detail in both the highlights and shadows can be preserved. Clear skies mean contrasty lighting which can cause detail in highlights to wash out and shadows to be very dark. By the same token, pictures taken before or after a storm, on a foggy morning or during other times of "bad" weather may turn out to be much more interesting than if they were taken on a sunny day with a clear blue sky.

Simple Flash Diffuser
When you need to reduce the light output from a flash, such as for close-ups or for fill-in flash, use an ordinary white handkerchief. One layer of handkerchief fastened over a flash with a rubber band will reduce the amount of light by about one f-stop, two layers by two f-stops, etc. Automatic flash units should be set on "manual" when using this technique to reduce the exposure. The handkerchief diffuser will also soften the light and make the bright burst of light less objectionable to people being photographed.

'Red-Eye' Problem in Flash Photos
A common problem encountered by many photographers using flash is a red color in their subject's eyes. This happens when the subject is looking directly at the camera and the flash is quite close to the lens, such as on the hot shoe. The light from the flash is reflecting back from the retina of the eye, giving the red appearance. How to prevent it? The easiest way is to avoid having your subjects looking directly at the camera. Another alternative is to move the flash farther from the lens, such as mounting it on an L-shaped flash bracket or on a flash extender. Also, having the room lights on reasonably bright will cause the pupils in the eyes to become smaller, reducing the red-eye effect.

Filter Size
Confusion Many newcomers to 35mm photography make a mistake when ordering a filter and order the focal length size engraved on the front of their lens. The filter size is not usually the same as the focal length size. To find the filter size, check the instruction booklet for the lens or measure the diameter between filter threads with a metric ruler. Most normal (50mm) lenses for 35mm SLR's accept 49mm, 52mm or 55mm filters.

Why 36 Exposure Rolls
Although 36 exposure rolls of film may be too long for the occasional snap-shooter, they offer several advantages for the photographer who is taking a lot of pictures. When 36 exposure rolls are used, the number of times a camera has to be reloaded is cut by 50%. Storage space in the camera bag will be saved since 36 exposure rolls take up no more room than shorter rolls. Also, the per-shot cost of film and processing is lower with 36 exposure rolls.

Prepaid Processing Mailers
Prepaid processing mailers that you buy to pre-pay the cost of film processing are ideal for vacationers. While you're still at home, you can fill out the address labels on the mailers with your home address and add postage, if any is needed. When traveling, mail each roll of film to the processing lab as you finish exposing it. This will eliminate the chance of the film getting lost or left behind while you're traveling. Plus, your slides or prints may be waiting for you when you return home, or at least they will arrive soon after.

Film and X-rays
Most air travelers by now are aware that the x-ray equipment used for security checks at airports can fog photographic film. If you are carrying film in your camera bag, have you bag hand-inspected. To speed things up, keep the film that you carry in your camera case in a clear zip-lock plastic bag that can be quickly hand-inspected while your camera bag and its other contents can be safely x-rayed. This speeds up the hand-inspection process, yet prevents the possibility of your film being fogged by x-rays. Exposed or unexposed film packed in luggage that is checked through should be stored in a Film Shield Bag or other lead-foil bag to prevent x-ray damage.

Take Some Notes
It's a good idea to take a few notes about what you are photographing, especially when traveling. They don't need to be detailed, just a simple explanation of what the photo is about and when and where it was taken. When you get your photos back, take a few minutes and transfer your notes to the back of the photos, slide mounts, etc. Perhaps a traveling companion can take the notes for your while you concentrate on the photos.

Another Use For Notes
Another use for travel notes is to combine them with the photos and make a scrapbook of your vacation. The notes can be as detailed and involved as the writer wants to make them, but they should cover each day's activities, the good things and bad that happen during the trip and any amusing incidents that occur. A picture that should be taken on all family vacations is one of the entire group making the trip. Use your camera's self-timer if it has one or have someone else take the picture so you can be in the picture, too. The sentimental value of these pictures and notes as a record of your travels will certainly increase as years go by.

On-The-Spot-Titles
When traveling, look for objects that will identify the place where the photo was taken. Parks, historical points of interest and state and national forest usually have signs near the entrance giving the name and other information about the place. Simply take a photo of the sign to help identify the rest of the pictures you take at that spot. If you're at a beach, you can make a simple title slide (or print) by spelling out the place and date in the sand and taking a picture of it. You can dress up the title by including a child's sand bucket, beach toy of some other beach-related object.