Likewise, slow your exposure speed to 1/10 of a second or thereabouts. Be sure to hold your digital camera steady, or use a tripod, to avoid camera shake. That waterfall will now look like a stream of water flowing down. Try adjusting your digital camera’s exposure time when recording pool balls, automobiles, or other fast-moving subjects for interesting effects.

If the histogram is balanced towards the middle, your exposure settings should be correct. Your photo should have a normal exposure. Exceptions can occur, so even if the histogram ‘looks’ right you should visually verify how the image will look with your viewfinder or LCD. If the histogram is weighted towards the sides, chances are your image contains a complex combination of brightness and darkness. Waterfall photos or other areas of dark foliage next to a bright sky may exhibit this trait. In this case, you should experiment and bracket your photos, then pick out which one looks the best to you.

Here are some tips for taking clean, crisp, photographs with your digital camera when you don’t have a tripod handy: Set the camera exposure time as quick as possible. This will require some experimentation, because short exposure times during night or poorly lighted situations usually result in bad pictures with washed out colors. Try to find a balance between an exposure time long enough to get a pleasing photograph versus an exposure time short enough to eliminate ‘camera shake’. Use flash. In many situations flash can really save a picture. Flash works best if you are relatively close to a subject so the light can reflect; taking flash photographs of skylines or distant subjects may not perform as well. Sometimes the difference between taking great sunrise and sunset photography and shooting only so-so photos is the patience the photographer has in staying through the entire event. Arrive early: If you are shooting in a popular area, by arriving early you can claim a good spot to watch and record the show. It may take time to set up your tripod and other equipment. Plus, for sunrises, you have a better chance of seeing birds or other animals and these can make for great silhouetted subjects. Stay late: Clouds can change the color of the sky minute-by-minute. Twilight after the perceived end of a sunset may bask the sky in a colorful glow, and you don’t want to be driving away from the scene wishing you had stayed just a couple minutes longer!

While sunrise and sunset photos are nice, unless the scene contains spectacular colors, huge clouds, or fast-rolling waves (at a beach), too many of these photos can be bland. Try to add a silhouette, such as: A person or people; An animal, such as a bird or a dog; A sailboat or other watercraft; Trees or shrubs; An expansive bridge To get certain subjects into your photo may require patience, but they help add depth and perspective to your photos.

During travel you could experiance and might want to go to places that are cold. When the weather gets much colder, especially as it gets below freezing, take care to not breathe on your digital camera. Tiny water droplets in your breath could form condensation on your digital camera lens. If this happens, immediately wipe the moisture off with a lint-free cloth, lest it completely freeze and possibly cause damage.

Looking for ways to take ‘aerial’ photography of a large city without taking a helicopter ride or paying to stand in a skyscraper’s observation deck? One place you may have not thought about is a garage. A large parking garage with a high vantage point can provide great locations from which to take photos from high above street level. However, don’t trespass, and don’t arouse suspicion! Bringing along a tripod or taking too long to frame a photo might raise the ire of security guards. Some places don’t allow you to take photos altogether, and even if you pay for a parking spot, you might be considered a trespasser or possibly a security threat. So just take a few quick hand-held photos and move on as to not attract attention.

If you are just starting out taking photos at night, check to see if your digital camera has a special night program or scene mode – read your camera manual. This mode will adjust your camera settings, tuning it to low-light conditions and possibly allowing you to take better night photos than if you were fumbling through other options. If you’re not sure about adjusting exposure times and have no idea what ISO means, a one-touch setting may be all you need.