Quick Clicks: Tips on shooting digital & traditional pictures like a pro

Buy at least a 3 megapixel camera. Even if you don’t print large photos, you may want to zoom in on one portion of the photo without losing quality.

• Don’t rely on auto-flash. If your subject is standing indoors in front of a sunny window, the camera is going to meter the sunlight and “think” it doesn’t need to flash. Auto-flash also fails when shooting outside on a sunny day with a subject who’s wearing a hat or beneath a tree. If a person’s face is shadowed, force on the flash.

• Hold the camera still by leaning on something or using a table-top tripod.

• Don’t bother with red-eye reduction. Instead, take the picture at an angle so it doesn’t flash directly in the eyes.

• Don’t use zoom when you can move in closer. Zooming magnifies everything – including red eyes.

• Invest in a 64-megabyte memory card to store more photos and consider a card reader, which is easier and faster than taking pictures directly off the camera. It also saves battery power.

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