Section II Shooting
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ISO that will permit a shutter speed high enough
to avoid camera shake. An ISO of 800 can be used
in extreme circumstances, but using a setting of
400 or lower will help reduce disfiguring digital
noise or film grain.
When photographing a new mother and
her baby, move in to fill the frame with the
subjects, since hospital backgrounds are typically
cluttered and distracting. If possible, capture the
infant with his or her eyes open (the flash will
not cause any harm), Figure 9-37. Today’s more
sophisticated digital cameras use TTL (through-
the-lens) monitoring that adjusts the duration
of the flash. This results in a more natural and
correctly exposed subject.
For birthdays and similar celebrations, you
will obviously want to take the traditional shots,
such as blowing out the candles. But you should
also include as many photos as possible of friends
and relatives interacting with the person being
honored, Figure 9-38. You may want to “work the
room,” taking photos of families or other groups
Family milestones
Weddings, birthday and anniversary parties,
the birth of a child—all are events that are
usually photographed by one or more members
of a family “for the record.” If the photos are
taken indoors, flash is almost always necessary to
obtain proper exposure. If flash is not permitted,
shoot at the widest available aperture and lowest
Figure 9-35. A community sale or flea market allows
you to practice “street” photography, such as this candid
view of a seller looking on as potential customers
examine his merchandise.
Figure 9-36. The stage lighting at this concert was
sufficient to capture a close-up portrait of a violinist
deep in concentration on her music.
Figure 9-37. To avoid cluttered hospital backgrounds,
move in close to the mother and her new baby. Catching
the baby with open eyes adds to the quality of the photo.