But, there are a couple of reasons I carry a small point and shoot camera almost everywhere I go.

First off, it fits into my jean pocket. It fits in there completely, too, with barely a noticeable bulge. It is comfortable, unobtrusive, reasonably protected from the various things that happen to me, and mostly importantly: with me. And a camera that is with you is a camera that will get the shots that would otherwise be missed.

Captured with a small camera.

Case in point: not so very long ago I was driving down the road when the most incredible blue rays of light appeared in the sky. Since I wasn’t expecting to do any photography, my good cameras were safely at home, since I would be parking in a public place, and why take a risk for no gain? But of course, I had my small camera with me, and of course, it took the shot, and I had a photo that I would not otherwise have had. Even better, the kind folks at MIT were able to identify the atmospheric phenomenon that I saw, making a great candid shot into something very wonderful.

Second off, these small cameras can be amazingly powerful. Sure, their sensors are small, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use that to your advantage. One product in particular comes to mind: The GigaPan. This amazing device takes point and shoot cameras just like mine and, using a robotic device, produces absolutely incredible results. You might recall one of the most stunning successes of this… the incredible image of President Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address by David Bergman. Sure, this one photo is composed of 220 separate ones, but that just illustrates the amazing power a “toy” camera can have. (Note: I do not currently own a GigaPan, so I am simply going by what I am told. My research suggests, however, that this device works as advertised. Generally, I really do not care for people who talk about what they do not own, so I am not endorsing this. I am merely using it as part of my point that small cameras can pack a big wallop)

To be perfectly fair, small cameras have their limitations. They might boast an incredible pixel count, but pixels don’t matter all that much: it’s the sensor itself that does. We’ll leave that topic for another day.

What about you? What other uses have you found for a small pocket-sized camera?

Happy Shooting!

(Claim Q7G57V9HYSRR)

What’s that? You just point and shoot? Well, OK. Sometimes, I do that too. Eh? You get fantastic pictures that way? Well, yes. I do, too. Really? That’s all there is to it? And yes, again I agree with you. Sometimes, that’s all there is to it.

But sometimes, not.

You see, if you are in a hurry, the shot is what matters. Get it. Whatever it takes, get it. If there is some momentous event happening right now, just. get. the shot. Hopefully your camera is at the ready and you can get good old Uncle Harry falling into the lake. The camera you have likely will get that shot perfectly. (Golden Takoff was just such a shot: it was happening just out of my line of sight. I heard the action happening because I was paying attention, and was able to adjust my camera quickly, turn and capture this shot. I knew my equipment, in other words.)

But when you are looking for an artistic shot–one that makes people sit back and take notice, you need to think artistically. Look around you and the scene–notice the details that make awesome pictures. Where is the light coming from? Where are the shadows? What do you want to emphasize, and what would you rather leave out? It is by paying attention to these small details that help you create that most perfect shot.

The simplest, easiest way to do this is to simply look through your viewfinder. If you have a camera that doesn’t have a viewfinder, the idea is the same: just look at how the image looks on the screen on the back of the camera. Now, here’s the point of this entry: move the camera a bit and look at the image. Be critical: if you move the camera left, does the image become stronger? Or maybe does it look a little weaker? What about left? Up? Down? These simple checks will help you compose the image to be as strong as it can be.

This doesn’t mean this should take forever. In fact, a quick sweep is usually all it takes and after a while you’ll notice that you don’t even look through the viewfinder anymore. You’ll simply see the scene before you in terms of composition and almost automatically select the best vantage point.

Of course, there is more to composition than this. We’ll leave that topic for another day.

Happy Shooting

There. That’s all there is to this post. Plain and simple, and as easy as can possibly be. Three short words which, when it comes right down to it, will make you a better photographer. The total cost to do this? Absolutely zero. That’s right. No money out of your pocket. Nothing to buy. Nothing, save time, to invest. How long until the effort to do this rewards you? Why, the very next time you use your camera, of course.

And the really big payoff is when you need that great shot, and don’t have to fumble with your camera.

Having let the cat of the bag for this post, though, let’s go a little deeper for a moment.

It doesn’t matter if your camera costs you $50 or $50o or $5,000. If you don’t know its functions, and what it can (or can’t do), then it might as well be nothing more than a paperweight to you. Yet, it seems that a surprising number of people simply don’t really know their camera. I don’t mean that you should sit down and read your camera manual cover to cover (unless you have insomnia, which case, by all means, do this). But you should glance through it briefly, just to give you an idea of the various features and functions and whatnots available to you.

Experience, as in so many areas of life, is the very best teacher. And, luckily, there is one way to get that experience… yeah, that’s right. Use the camera. But don’t just click away. Instead, learn the settings and the knobs and the dials and controls. If you don’t know what something does…find out! In the digital world, it doesn’t hurt a thing to find out what something does. And keep at it. Trying one thing, then checking it off your list, can (unfortunately) hardly be called “learning.” Use it until you are familiar with you. And then use it some more.

This does not mean that you have to know every last itty-bitty esoteric thing your camera does, but it does mean you should know the basics. And, of course, once you have the basics down, you can expand and deepen your knowledge.

Oh. You already know all there is to know about your camera? Great and well done! Let’s try this simple quiz:

Without looking (and no fair cheating)… how many buttons does your camera have? Don’t forget that there might be some on the front. How many dials does it have? Where, exactly, is the shutter button? You should be able to answer these 100% correctly.

And try this, too. Can you, in complete darkness (or with a blindfold, if you prefer) take your camera out of its case/pouch/cover, turn it on, and set up a shot? Don’t worry about the focus or actually taking any sort of picture; the goal here is that you can get your camera ready, turn it on, set the mode to something appropriate, and then bring it to your eye, ready to shoot, without looking and in a very reasonable time. That’s the key to getting the shot, and that’s the point of this missive.

Try it and see how well you do. And no matter how well you just did, don’t forget that practice always helps.

Happy shooting