You are going after that perfect shot and you'll do anything to get it. You have been given the awesome responsibility of documenting the day's action as evidence for many bragging sessions to come. Now all you need is the sun at your back. Your nostrils begin to flare....Geronomo!

1 - THE SUN AT YOUR BACK

The most common problem is sun behind the subject. If you don't have a flash on your camera make sure the sun is at YOUR (the photographer's) back, not the subject's back. Think of the sun as a big free flash unit.

• When it is high noon, you will light the tops of the heads with Charley Chaplin mustache shadows under their noses. When it is low and behind you, it will light the front of your subject. An hour before the sun goes down is what pro photographers call "sweet light". As the light passes low through the solid matter in the atmosphere it scatters and acquires a warm glow. It makes dirty cars look like product shots in Car and Driver and makes Canadians look tan! Sports Illustrated photographers and models tour the world's sunsets for the perfect swimsuit shot.
• What to do when the sun is behind the subject.

2 - BEFORE GOING INTO BATTLE, LOCK AND LOAD!

1. FILM
   • Fresh film. Make sure it is tightly wound on the receiving sprocket. A couple of cranks on your rewinder while the back is open will tighten up the film and let you know if you are not connected correctly.
   • If the camera is digital, have ample disk space and/or extra cards.
2. BATTERIES
   • Nuff Said! especially for digital cameras.
3. LENS
   • If you can use interchangeable lenses, have the correct length for your shooting distance. If you are taking photos while fishing on a boat but don't have a wide angle lens, you'll only have room for one eyeball in each picture. If you happen to be unlucky, you won't know if it is the fish's eye or your buddy's. (Maybe this is where they got the idea for a fisheye lens)
   • Zoom is good. With a decent zoom, you are set, with wide angle to telephoto lengths.

   
   

   Remember wide angle makes objects appear further apart, laterally as well as in depth of field (the area between the furthest and the closest object in focus) . Telephoto lenses compress objects laterally as well as in depth of field (with a telephoto lens you can have a sharp subject and blur the background for a good portrait). Wide angle lenses also make objects in the foreground appear bigger than those in the background, so don't get too close to your girlfriend's nose or she will 1: come out looking like Barbara Srriesand and 2: tear the picture up!

3 - HOW AN EXPOSURE METER SEES LIGHT

1. The light meter in your camera adjusts individual objects to "middle gray", roughly the shade of faded asphalt. When confronted with a variety of tones in the viewfinder it averages them out. In a perfect world this would allow the blacks to be black and the whites to be white. Why, then, do you then get some crummy exposures? Here's the big four:
   • Not enough light: With an automatic camera, and no flash, the meter will tell the shutter to stay open too long. It will be dark and blurred. The darkest areas will be hardest hit. You need either a flash unit or faster film.
   • High key subject: The Swedish Bikini Team (all blonde with white bikinis and ivory skin) are posed on an white beach blanket on a sugar white beach. The meter will try to make these even values all middle gray and the picture will be underexposed. If your camera is manual, give a stop or stop and a half more exposure. Most automatic cameras have an "exposure compensation" control that fools the film speed setting and gives + or - exposures in half steps. This shot would need plus 1 1/2 stops.
   • Low Key Subject: Samuel L. Jackson is "Shaft". He is wearing a black mohair suit (very sharp!), hiding in a dark alley. Here your meter would overexpose and try to bring these low values UP to middle gray. The same remedies as above only minus 1 to 1 1/2 steps. In other words you "under expose" it because it is supposed to be dark.
   • Backlighted Subject: This is the most commonly seen problem. The only professional fix is flash or reflectors. If you don't have a lighting crew, 1: try setting your on-camera flash to"dedicated flash". The flash will kick in only the needed amount of light to complete the exposure, rendering what is called "fill flash". If you don't have a flash unit, go up to your subject, take a meter reading and engage the "exposure lock", then go back to position and fire the shutter. If you don't have "exposure lock" on your camera and you don't have exposure compensation, set the ASA to half the speed - don't forger to reset it after the shot!! This will, of course, tend to blow out the background but expose the subject correctly.

   
   Try hiding the sun behind the head of the subject. This also provides a nice halo around the subjects head.

When you get a feel for how the meter works you will notice a marked improvement in the consistency of your photographs.

4 - COME IN TIGHT

• In general, the closer you are to your subject, the more personal your photos will be. Make sure your subject is completely contained in your viewfinder. If you're shooting from a distance, use a zoom or telephoto lens. If you don't have either, you can always use "the poor man's zoom" - just walk up closer to the subject, then focus on the main point of interest to make it as prominent as possible.
• The subject does not always have to be dead center. Artists use what they call the "rule of thirds. Mentally divide the frame into a grid, three up and three down. Then place various objects in different combinations on the imaginary grid.

5 - SIMPLIFY THE BACKGROUND

• Unless the background has an environmental impact on the shot or adds perspective, you'll want your subject to be the focal point of your photos. Cluttered backgrounds make bad portraits. To highlight your subject, blur your background! Typically, this can be accomplished by opening up the lens to a wider (lower number, like f 2.0 or 3.5) aperture. This effect is amplified with longer lenses. Use your depth of field preview too see the end effect.

6 - STEADY THE SHOT

• An unsteady hand can blur your focus on longer exposures, and this increases with distance. Rest your elbows on your stomach and bring your hands together at the wrist. Lean them against the chin. This is the "Weaver Grip" of photography.

7 - TAKE MORE THAN ONE EXPOSURE

• If a particular shot is important, use your exposure compensation to take a shot an f-stop above and an f-stop below the indicated exposure. It's what the pro's do, because they know it's cheap insurance for getting the shot. It's called "bracketing".

8 - PICKING THE RIGHT FILM SPEED

• The film speed (known as its ASA) is a most important factor to consider. As a rule, the higher a film's ASA, the less light you will need to get a properly exposed picture and the more shutter speed options you'll have to choose from. However the higher the ASA, the grainier the picture.
  • ASA 100 Best bet with flash indoors, or bright daylight outdoors.
  • ASA 200 Since most cameras have some kind of flash it is the best all-around film for general use. Today's 200 speed film has finer grain than the 100 ASA film of not too long ago.
  • ASA 400 This is a fast film perfectly suited for indoor use w/o flash or for shooting outdoors in low light. I would keep some around for when you need it.
  • ASA 800 or higher...If you must. This is for taking action shots or campfire pictures. But remember, you will be sacrificing the overall quality of the picture.

   

  A flash is your secret weapon outdoors when shooting into shade.

9 - OH, AND DIGITAL!

• Digital imaging presents problems and fixes alike. You never need to worry about daylight or tungsten film. Just set it to that light source or correct it later. Some even adjust for florescent light sources.
  • Digital cameras don't like contrasty light (bright sunlight with hard shadows). A hazy day will give you better shots. As soon as the sun goes behind that cloud start blastin'. They are great in late day sun. But if the event happens in less than desirable conditions, of course let 'er rip and hope for the best.
  • Digital Cameras devour batteries in obscene quantities! Be prepared.
  • Some digitals show a larger image in the viewfinder than you get in the image. Experiment! Look for the brackets.
  • Most pocket models are rangefinders, which means they focus by triangulation (you hardened 'ol sailors will know what that is) and you need to shoot straight on or your subject might be out in left field in the actual image. This is called parallax error.
  • Digital cameras see light in ways that film doesn't. A little bit of color adjustment in an image editing program is sometimes needed.