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Learn & Explore Tip of the Day

January 29, 2013

Keep your camera with you as much as possible. You never know where you’re going to find that great photo. Have the camera loaded with memory, charged up and ready to shoot.

January 28, 2013

Get yourself in the picture. Nothing is worse than a vacation with no shots of the family photographer. Get in the picture by using a tripod (or a steady surface such as a wall or a car hood) and the camera’s self-timer to make sure you're included in the family memories.

January 27, 2013

When working with light, try to keep it off to the side or behind your subject. Light coming in at an angle almost always makes for a more interesting photo, creating patterns and shapes that straight-on light doesn’t.

January 26, 2013

Jump for fun. Have your kids line up for a picture. As the photographer, get low, and get ready to shoot. Have the kids all jump in the air at the same time. Capturing them mid jump can bring out their true personalities.

January 25, 2013

When shooting in bright sand or snow, experiment with the exposure compensation settings (the +/- button) on your camera. Set it for +1 to make the image brighter, which often will make sand or snow look better.

January 24, 2013

Carry your camera manual, especially if your camera is new. When traveling you'll probably have a chance to try some new shots. It can also be the time you’re likely to forget the function of a particular button. Or you may just want to explore all the cool things today’s cameras offer.

January 23, 2013

Protect your SLR lenses. Get a good UV, Skylight or Neutral Clear filter for the front of every lens. This will help protect the expensive front piece of glass in your lens. When you get in dirty or rainy conditions, you'll be wiping the filter clear instead of risking the front element.

January 22, 2013

In bright sunlight, when you may be focusing on the sky, set your exposure compensation for -1 to darken the image and the sky. This adjusts the meter to allow less light into the exposure. If you have a subject in the foreground, make sure he doesn’t become too dark.

January 21, 2013

If you’re taking really important photos that you won’t be able to recreate, bracket your exposures to ensure the photos look great. Most Nikon digital cameras have an exposure-bracketing mode that you can set. It is faster if you let the camera do the bracketing, instead of you having to snap a photo, change the exposure, snap another frame, change it again, and snap a new frame.

January 20, 2013

When photographing a lot of people at a party, use your camera’s Smart Portrait System to help you get better pictures. The blink mode lets you know if your subjects blinked, and the smile timer can snap the photo when the camera sees that your subjects are smiling.

January 19, 2013

If you’re using a GPS-enabled COOLPIX digital camera and are on vacation and not sure where to go next, check out the POI (Points of Interest) feature which will let you know of landmarks that are nearby to your location.

January 18, 2013

Use the pet scene mode when photographing cats and dogs. If your camera doesn’t have a pet mode, disable the audible beeps and focus assist lamps while photographing them so the lights and sounds aren’t a distraction.

January 17, 2013

Successful close-ups of babies often involve eye contact. Focus on the eyes. Use a longer lens, or a macro lens, and get in tight on the eyes and nose.

January 16, 2013

Like the look of HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography but not sure you’d be able to pull off the technique? A number of Nikon cameras have a built-in HDR mode where the camera does the hard work for you. Check your manual to see if your specific camera offers this feature.

January 15, 2013

Looking for inspiration for your photography? Look no further than Learn & Explore, the area on the Nikonusa.com website that is packed full of educational articles, how-to tutorials and inspirational pieces on all sorts of photography topics.

January 14, 2013

Take a moment to look at the photo framed in the viewfinder or LCD before you snap it. Make sure you can see over the tops of your subject’s heads, and all the way to their feet if you’re taking a full-length portrait. It is easy to cut off part of a person if you’re in a rush to snap a picture.

January 13, 2013

Sometimes you just need to throw out the rules. Tilt the camera for different angles and unique compositions. An old filmmaking term is called “Dutch Tilt” (made famous by Alfred Hitchcock). As long as something is recognizable, it will work.

January 12, 2013

Compose photos using the “rule of thirds.” Think of the frame as being broken into nine rectangles (like a tic-tac-toe grid over the picture). Place your subject at one of the intersections of the lines for a more visually stimulating photo.

January 11, 2013

Photograph pets at their eye level—then try photographing them from way up high or down low for a really unique image.

January 10, 2013

To get the starburst effect you often see in photos, use the smallest aperture possible on your camera (this is usually f/16 or f/22) and shoot towards the sun. Shooting towards the sun will cause you to see flare in an image sometimes but this can add interest to your image. Shoot a bunch of frames—capturing the starburst with and without flare.

January 9, 2013

Add drama to an image by shooting when the shadows are long and deep. Try to photograph just a person or object’s shadow for a unique image.

January 8, 2013

When you want to tell a story with your photographs, take multiple pictures—close-ups, wide-angle views, different perspectives. A photo essay can include as few as three photos or as many as it takes to fully document a subject, and will often tell a better story than just one image.

January 7, 2013

Adding objects—man-made or natural—to a landscape will add interest and scale.

January 6, 2013

When shooting video of an event, add interviews for a unique viewpoint. Shooting a birthday party—talk to the birthday boy or girl; shooting your kids sport—interview them or the coach—at a wedding—ask the bride and groom to comment.

January 5, 2013

When shooting food, simple compositions are always better. Zoom into the dish so you don’t capture the table, or zoom tighter so you don’t even see the plate. If you’re taking a shot of your meal at a restaurant, move some of the cutlery or glassware out of the frame for a better shot. It will only take you a moment to do so.

January 4, 2013

Use contrast to separate a subject from its background. A light subject will stand out against a dark background and visa-versa.

January 3, 2013

The eyes, it is said, are the windows to the soul. Capture the personality of your subject, through his/her eyes. Make sure you can see them by zooming in on your subject or moving in close to her.

January 2, 2013

One of the rules of composition says that horizon lines should not be placed in the center of an image, but closer to the top or bottom of the frame. Sometimes rules are meant to be broken. When you’re photographing a subject and its reflection, its perfectly fine to place the horizon in the center of the frame.

January 1, 2013

Be creative with your posing of groups. Don't just line everybody up. Use the steps or the arm of a couch to experiment with some people standing and others sitting. Have kids sitting in laps or someone sitting on the floor or kneeling. Mix it up.

January 1, 2013

Happy New Year! Kick off the New Year by giving yourself a photo project. Shoot a photo a day; document the changing seasons; or learn more about photography and how your camera works.

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