Taking Pictures of People – Groups

Set [SCENE] to Landscape+Portrait
Leave the cameras settings to the [SCENE] mode and simply concentrate on the composition of the picture. One common mistake of pictures that include people and scenery is that the people are too far from the camera. When the people are too far, it’s difficult to recognize who is the person in the picture. By contrast, even if the people are close enough, if the background is too far, it’s difficult to understand the whole circumstances of the picture. To get a good balance between the people and the background, first position the camera in such a way that the background appears at a suitable size. Then let the people come in at an appropriate distance from the camera. Then you can change the balance between the people and the background by having them com closer to the camera. By zooming out (W) with the camera, you can make it easier to take a clear picture of both, the people and the background.

Common mistakes of pictures including people and scenery.

	Both, the people and background are too small		The people are the right size but the background is too far and too small		The people in the front hide the background

Useful things to remember

• When shooting a group picture, you can set the AF mode to [SPOT] to make it easier to focus exactly on the subject you want. When the camera is fixed to a tripod it is convenient to use [AREA], but with camera models that don’t have this function use the focus lock instead.
• When the camera is fixed to a tripod you can use the self-timer to avoid camera blur. You can also use the remote control with camera models that have this function.

Taking Pictures of People – Idoors 1

Set the flash to flash off to bring out the atmosphere of a room
Close to windows where the light shines in, the light from the outside is brighter than the light inside. A picture taken in this type of setting will result in the subject appearing silhouetted. Using the flash illuminates the subject. However, there are times when this causes the picture to seem unnatural, with the subject appearing too bright or a deep shadow appearing in the background. In such cases, set the flash to flash off and adjust the brightness with the exposure compensation to take the picture.

Compare the effects of the flash on the feel of the picture

	Picture taken without flash		Picture taken using the flash		Exposure compensation at +2.0

Useful things to remember

• When taking pictures of people without the flash results in the subject’s face appearing dark, set the exposure compensation more towards the [+].
• You can try to adjust the white balance to [AUTO] or according to the type of lighting, or to take multiple pictures using various white balance settings.

Taking Pictures of People – Outdoors

Use the exposure compensation to make the subject brighter

When taking portraits of women, a brighter picture gives a fresh feel to the portrait. To get a brighter picture, adjust the exposure compensation towards the [+]. Although you can use a flash to illuminate the subject, the results sometimes seem unnatural and it is not easy to achieve the effects you want from the flash. Exposure compensation may get better results.

Compare the effects of different values of exposure compensation on the feel of the picture

	Exposure compensation at -2.0		Exposure compensation at -1.0
	No exposure compensation		Exposure compensation at +2.0

Useful things to remember

• When you take pictures of people or moving objects, you may miss the perfect moment if you adjust the exposure compensation every time you take a picture. In this type of situation, the auto bracketing function comes in handy.
• If you compensate to make the picture lighter, be sure not to overexpose areas such as the subject’s face. On some models you can check for overexposure on the playback display after taking a picture, and other models allow you to check the white balance using a histogram while taking pictures.

Cakes – Using the SCENE mode

Cakes and desserts on display at cafes or pastry shops can be gorgeous and pleasing to the eye no less than to the taste. However many people have experienced taking pictures of a cake that looks delicious only to end up with not so appetising pictures. If the picture is not right, even if you show it around, it will fail to convey the deliciousness of the food. Try using the [SCENE] modes.

Set [SCENE] to [CUISINE]
[CUISINE], one of the [SCENE] modes, is very convenient for taking pictures of cakes and desserts. Settings are adjusted to really bring out the colors of the food and macro mode is used automatically, so you can get close to the subject to take the picture. Thanks to the slightly stronger colors it is much easier to take mouth-watering pictures of food and cakes.

By setting the [SCENE] mode to [CUISINE] the macro mode and color scheme are automatically set. Try getting as close as possible to the food to take the picture. The flash is usually set to [AUTO] so don’t forget to set it to [ (Flash off)]. In most cases, when you take pictures of food using the built-in flash, the food will not appear very tasty in the picture. Also note that food will look more delicious in the picture if the picture is taken slightly brighter than in real life. Try getting a brighter picture by adjusting the exposure compensation towards the [+].

Compare the effects of the different shooting modes

Try using exposure compensation in addition to the [SCENE] mode [CUISINE]

Useful things to remember

• If you frame the picture so that a small part of the plate is left out of the picture instead of taking the whole full plate, the picture will be fancier and more attractive.
• If the cake or dessert is very small, it may not appear large enough in macro mode. Try using super macro mode. The flash is automatically set to flash off.
• When the flash is set to [ (Flash off)], blur is more likely to occur. Use a higher ISO sensitivity to avoid blur.

Still Lifes 5 – Using the SCENE mode

When taking pictures of objects in indoor exhibition halls, the use of the flash can be a nuisance. The operation sounds of the camera can be bothersome as well. In such cases, use the [SCENE] mode [MUSEUM] to take the pictures.

Avoid disturbing others — Use the [MUSEUM] mode
In this mode, the flash is set to flash off, and the operation sounds of the camera are muted. However, the ISO is not as high as in [INDOOR] or [AVAILABLE LIGHT] mode so be aware of camera blur.

Most museums and exhibition halls prohibit the use of cameras, but there are some exceptions. Even when you are allowed to take pictures, you do not want to disturb the people around you. You can turn off the flash and the camera’s operation sounds separately, but you can also do so at once by setting the [MUSEUM] mode. In this mode even when focus is achieved the camera will not beep, so remember to check if the AF confirmation mark on the monitor is lit.

An idea of the setting of the picture Indoor conditions: The only light source is the incandescent lamp or chandelier. Without the flash blur is more likely to occur.

Compare the effects of [MUSEUM] mode

	Picture taken in Program Auto (P) mode: The flash fired but did not reach far enough.		Picture taken in [MUSEUM] mode: The ISO sensitivity will be set higher without hurting the picture quality.

Useful things to remember

• In [MUSEUM] mode, the ISO will not be as high as in [INDOOR] or [AVAILABLE LIGHT] mode. If there is not enough light, you will need to stabilize the camera to avoid camera blur.
• With models that feature the image stabilizer function (CCD-shift image stabilization), such as the µ 750, this function can be effective for taking pictures in dimly lit places without affecting picture quality.