Vacation Time, Now You are the Photographer!

Going on vacation soon? Well, pack up that digital camera (I'm a Canon girl, how about you?) and remember these tips!

1. Keep it on automatic! Digital camera's are very smart, let them do the thinking for you! It will flash when needed and not flash if it doesn't need to.

2. It's easy to get caught up in the moment of having everyone together to get a great shot, but be mindful of the background: don't have a tree or pole protruding from someone's head. (This is where YOU have to do the thinking.)

3. Balance what you take. Besides taking that picture of your family grinning while standing in front of a statue, take a silly picture too: stand back and have some one look like they are kicking or biting it. Take spontaneous images: while your loved ones are playing around or gazing amazed at an incredible new discovery. Capture images of the cabin or hotel you stayed in; it helps tell the story and set the tone. If you vacation there again, years from now, it's fun to see how you and the environment has changed.

4. Experiment! Turn off the flash and take a picture at night: make a silouette or streaming colors of light from moving vehicles. If it doesn't turn out, don't worry! No one will know and you can delete it!

5. Once you download your images, make 2 copies on 2 different disc's. This way, if one cd does not work or becomes scratched, you always have a backup.

6. Tell your story in a special way: buy a special album (because this is a special occassion---vacations are too few and far between!). Check out http://www.adessoalbums.com/digital-instant-photo-guest-books.html for a very nice and unique album.

Have fun!