flower image : PHOTOGRAPHY

Many people using a digital camera are content to leave it in automatic mode and let the built-in computer do the thinking for them. Most of the time, the results are perfectly acceptable. But even mid-range digitals now have a host of features worth exploring for even better results. Here are a half-dozen ways to get more from your camera:

Watch your white balance

White balance ensures colours appear natural regardless of the light source. If you can manually select options — for cloudy days, direct sunlight, shade, flash and incandescent or fluorescent lighting — use them instead of relying on the automatic setting. You can also manipulate white balance to enhance photos. For example, if taking an image of a sunny landscape, set the camera to the "cloudy" mode for richer yellows and reds. The effect is like using a warming filter.

Don't skimp on memory

Don't settle for "basic" or "normal" settings just to save space on your memory card. If you'll be printing images, basic will only produce acceptable 5-by-7-inch snaps. For enlargements and high-quality prints, you should be capturing fine or large-format images (approximately 3,000-by-2,000 pixels). Buy more capacious memory cards — for six-plus-megapixel cameras, a one-gigabyte memory card is recommended — or get a portable storage device for downloading images and reformatting cards in the field.

Metering matters

Metering determines how the camera sets the exposure — the amount of light needed, coupled with shutter speed.

If your camera's automatic setting is "centre-weighted" metering, change it to "matrix" or "spot" mode for most situations. Centre-weighted metering is good for close-up shots, but will often disappoint in high-contrast lighting situations such as landscapes.

Bracketing bonus

Many of the newer digital cameras offer a setting to "bracket" optimal exposure of an image with one slightly underexposed and one slightly overexposed version of the same image. This is a useful function in uncertain lighting conditions.

Underrated macro mode

This is one of the most underappreciated functions of most digital cameras. The setting (often represented by a flower) allows you to take extreme close-ups of plants, insects and other small subjects. Resulting images have a narrow depth of field, popping the subject dramatically against an off-focus background. A tripod or monopod is a must to prevent blurring at slow shutter speeds.

Aperture priority comes first

A much-loved mode by experienced photographers using SLR film cameras, aperture priority is again available in many of the better digitals and it's a great way to control the feel of an image. In this mode, photographers pick an aperture while the camera controls shutter speed.

Small apertures (high f/-numbers) increase depth of field so both the subject and the background are in focus. Large apertures (low f/-numbers) soften the background and let more light in to the camera, extending the range of a flash if it is being used.

by LASZLO BUHASZ