Better Party Pictures
"Hurry Up And Take The Photo!"It's hard to take better party pictures with today's ever shortening attention spans. Most older crowds aren't as comfortable with social photos and usually see you as an interruption and a break in the action. You are going to have to make it count when your camera is out and be better prepared to capture some special memories.
Take a moment and check the background. It really does help you take better party pictures. Is there something unique about the party? Did the host or hostess spend some extra effort on a dinner presentation? Is there a special view or a memorable feature of the room or house that will help you recall the fun event? Showcase what your host or hostess takes pride in and you'll be a valued guest. To flash or not to flash indoors? If it is late afternoon or early evening or the room is lit up with large overhead lighting, use your force flash or however your digital camera keeps the flash on always. You will find it is more simple and will consistently err on the side of usable photographs! Do not use your flash if there is special lighting at the party or where a flash would be too distracting. If that is the case, find out how your ISO can be set to 400 or 800. It's worth a look into your manual or ask a friend that might be able to show you how. Use the multiple or continuous or "burst" mode (another feature worth looking up!) This will help you to break the cycle of taking a picture, looking to see how it turned out, taking another, looking at it again all while you are missing shots. Try the feature out when people are dancing, laughing, blowing out candles on a cake or when a child is in the middle of opening a gift. Pictures in a sequence might make a great collage later or at the very least, you will have several shots to choose from to save. Birdie Up And Take The Photo!
Take the plunge and commit to better party pictures. It's instilled in most of our personalities, and our parents, to take out our camera on the sly once we sense an important moment in a gathering and just fire off some obligatory photos that capture the backs of heads, unflattering side views and mouths full of nachos. They almost never turn out well enough to share let alone potentially frame. Although parties are not the time for
portrait photography
, at least you can seize some better photo opportunities, but some of you will have to get a little more bold and take it up a notch.
When you take out your camera, think about how you can better convey the messages, "I have my camera out," "I care about you," "I want a good photo of you," and "pay attention and smile for me darn it!" Don't wear out your welcome. Pick a few moments to focus (pun intended) on taking photos then ditch the camera for a bit. People are ever increasingly aware of where and how photos are now taken of themselves, (or should be!) so take that into consideration.
Having trouble getting people to "watch the birdie?" Add a "birdie" to the top of your digital camera, cell phone or camcorder, and they'll be less likely to duck! Thin out and delete the bad shots and prioritize only good shots. When you take better party photos, the photos you take will make it to your friends' sites and will be shared more often. Be the person that people say "oh, so and so took those? let me see!"" Go to Home from Better Party Pictures |
Find out the best distance YOUR camera takes flash pictures from in dark rooms. (Somewhere between 6 and 10 feet.) Practice zooming in from that same distance to fill the frame with close ups of smiles and eyes. Some of the most fun photos nowadays are the ones kids take just arms length away back at themselves smiling and laughing. You can create the same effect from a distance and not crowd out the older folks.