TECHNOLOGY
Big Shots
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© SUE FLOOD/GETTY IMAGES
SUMMER 2010
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ingawaterproof point-and-shoot
camera.Waterproof cases thatal-
lowyou tosubmergeaDSLRcan
costmore than thecamera, heex-
plains.Meanwhile, aneasy-to-use
submersiblepoint-and-shoot like
theOlympusStylusTough-8010
costsaround$400. “It iswaterproof
to33 feet, and ithasmanyadvanced features,
beingshockproof, crushproof, and freezeproof,”
hesays. “ItalsoshootsHDvideo.”
Anotheroption isasubmersiblecase fora
point-and-shoot camerayoualreadyown.These
canbehad foraround$200.And ifyou’reonly
going toshoota fewunderwaterphotos, Lopinot
suggestsanunderwater, disposable-film—yes,
film—camerasuchas theFujifilmQuickSnap
MarineCamera,whichcostsabout $7.
Althoughphotographerscansometimesseem
obsessiveabout technology,manyagree that the
most importantpartof anyphotographykit rests
between thephotographer’sears.Accordingly,
booksonphotographic techniquefill libraries.But
asurprisingly fewphotography tipscanhelpeven
rankamateursshootpro-qualityphotographs.
Agoodfirst rule is tomove in. “It is important
toget closerandmakesureyoursubjectfills the
frame tominimizebackgrounddistractionsand
eliminateunnecessaryelements thatpull the
focusaway from thestoryyouare trying to tell,”
Everssays.Youcanalsodirectattentionwith
natural lines that lead theviewer toyoursubjects
orusewindowsanddoors to frame them.Employ
backgroundcolorsand textures toset themood.
Light, however, isyourmainmood-setting
device, andgetting the right lighting isoftena
matterof timing. “Themostbeautiful light isan
houraftersunriseandanhourbeforesunset,”
Everssays. “Midday lighting is theworst light.”
Noonsunwashespeopleoutandcastsharsh
shadows. Ifyoufindyourself shootingwith too
muchor too littlenatural light, reflectorsand
flashescanhelp.
Forhelpcomposingyourphotos, consider the
“ruleof thirds.” Imagine two linesdividing the
frame intohorizontal thirdsandasimilarpair
doing thesamevertically.Try to locatekeyele-
ments, suchas faces,where linescross. “Subjects
placedatanyof the four intersectionsof these
linesmakeamorecompelling image thanwhen
placed in thecenterorata farcorner,”Everssays.
Similar techniquesapplyunderwater, although
Lopinotdoesrecommendonespecial trick:Turn
on the“aquarium”or“underwater”mode that
manypoint-and-shoot submersibleshave.
“Ifyouuse this, itwill takeawaya lotof theblue
color inyourphotos,”Lopinotsays,whichwill
sharpen thecolorof theactualsubjects inyourshot.
Recent technological innovations suchasHD
videoand low-light capabilitiespromise tomake
betterphotographyeveneasier. But one thing
about great photographyhasn’t changedand
neverwill:Nothinghappensuntil youpress the
shutter release. SaysEvers, “Noonegets tobea
betterphotographerunless theyget out there
anddo it.”
OLYMPUS STYLUS TOUGH-8010
