Photo Tip : Make The Most of a Point and Shoot

Here's a fun fact : you don't have to have a DSLR to take a good photo. Indeed, a DSLR does have some things that your point and shoot does not that make image quality better, but a DSLR will not make you take a better photos.

All the photos in this post were taken with a point and shoot camera. If you click them, they will take you to the original Flickr photo. There is an "i" icon that will tell you what camera and with what settings I took them!

First - I suggest looking back at some of my posts like this one on composition. Then, take in some of these tips to really get the best out of your point and shoot camera.

Number One, Always Number One, TURN YOUR FLASH OFF

If your flash is going off in sunlight, it's bad. Or even indoors (unless it's a dark party, in which case, maybe we shouldn't be blinding people), very bad. On-camera flashes are nothing like professional flashes - they are very harsh, highlight imperfections in your skin, and give you mad red eye. Turning your camera to 'P' or an anti-shake mode with the flash off is the best default setting you can walk around on.



Try Macro Mode
Macro mode will be able to emulate the depth of field of a DSLR (blurred background) better than any other camera mode. This mode can easily become your best friend - it's usually a button that looks like the fireflower from Mario - and I used to keep it on ALL of the time. Above is a photo taken with macro mode on.

Editing Does Wonders
Even with my DSLR, my editing techniques can truly change my photos. The photo above is my most explored, favorite-d, and looked at photo on Flickr. Ever. And I took it with a point and shoot. While looking in the mirror in my bathroom, I think. Yup, pretty sure this is a well-thought out arms length "selfie" (long before that was a common word, or word at all). Try editing programs like Lightroom, Photoshop, Gimp, or even some online editors! There are a lot out there.



Move Your Camera Around
Put your camera in different places - shoot from the hip or below. Try taking from new and exciting angles that make the photo a little different than an arm's length selfie. This photo could have easily been a typical photo of Becki and I coloring at the Gap Outlet mall on Valentine's Day, but a different angle captured a perfect view of this strange memory.

Take A Little More Time
Point and shoots often take 'bad' photos because we are doing  it so quickly. It's the same reason we take 'bad' photos with DSLRs. If you just take a few extra seconds to look at what is around you and imagine it within a rectangular frame, you'll find you are taking better, photos. But never be afraid to just take photos at random either! Years of being 'that girl with the camera' have paid off with tons and tons of memories stored in hard drives and on Flickr and many, many photos that I am proud of, but also ones that I'm not. But they are memories. So here's a total 'just a memory' shot for you to let you know not every photo has to be 'picture perfect.'