Tips & Tricks For Better Point & Shoot Photography

I get a lot of questions about using P&S cameras to their fullest potential. This is a compilation of ideas I've collected from various sources over the years.

Don't fall into the consumerism trap of thinking you must have the most advanced SLR to take good pictures. A good eye is always better than a good camera. Use what you have at hand or can afford. A good photographer can take a good photograph with just about any working camera, and a poor photographer can't take a good photographs no matter how good a camera he or she has.

If you have a tip to add, email it to me at jpmccormac@aol.com

1. What's the best way to hold a P&S?
I've put the best tip first. If you hold your P&S properly, you will greatly improve your images by reducing blur caused by camera shake. Don't use just your fingertips to hold the camera. Use your left hand to cradle the camera body in the webbing of your hand in the "L" formed by your outstretched thumb and forefingers. Press the camera into the "L" firmly with your right hand. And press the camera against your forehead for further bracing. You can also use a tripod, but what self-respecting P&S shooter would stoop that low?

The long answer is test several emulsions to see which YOU like best. Stick with the big dogs - Fuji and Kodak - as a general rule. I happen to like Fuji Superia 400 and Fuji Xtra 800 for general snap shooting and Fuji Reala 100 for bright, contrasty scenes. For more serious work, I prefer a professional film like Kodak Portra 400 NC, Fuji NPH 400 or Fuji NHG II 800. The new Kodak Zoom MAX (Emulsion No. 3) also holds some promise, but I haven't tested it yet (I thought the old MAX film - Emulsion 2 - was awful.)  Check out Bill Tuthill's Film Characteristics Page for further information. If you like shooting in black and white, try the C41 emulsions (Kodak T400 CN, Kodak T400 +, or Ilford XP-2 Super). Any good consumer lab can develop and print C41 black and white - just make sure they have experience with it. The development is easy, but getting the right print is not. Tell the lab how you want the negatives printed; neutral tonality is a good place to start.

By the way, if your P&S has an exposure compensation setting, set it to +1 when shooting print film in good light. +1 will overexpose the film, which will bring out shadow details and generally improve the prints. Print film has a lot of latitude for overexposure, sometimes as much as two or three stops, so don't worry about messing up anything. Remember that overexposing will slow down the shutter speed by one stop in most cases (It's hard to be sure on most P&S cameras whether the meter is biased toward shutter speeds or aperture settings.)

3. I'm looking for a P&S camera with a zoom lens. What's a good zoom range?
Get one that starts with a 28mm lens at the wide end; the wide angle really comes in handy for travel/scenic shots. Check out the recommendations on my P&S zoom camera page.

4. How can I get wider/farther coverage from my P&S flash?
Use the shortest focal length of the lens (if it's a zoom lens) and use fast film (Fast film may also "blow out" or overexpose a subject close to the camera, so be aware of this likelihood.) If possible, shoot flash shots in small rooms with light colored walls; the reflective area will help illumination.  You can also add a cheap "slave" flash from Morris, Porter or Ritz to add more light. The slave will fire in synch with the camera's flash. Hold the flash out at arm's length or have a friend hold it at a 45 degree angle to the subject. You can also attach a flash bracket via the tripod mount and use a second flash high over the camera, about 12 to 18 inches. Note: light diminishes in proportion to the square of the distance it travels, i.e., if you double the distance, the light reaching that distance will only be 1/4 as bright. Read the manual and know your flash's maximum reach. These tips will help improve the quantity of light but may not improve the quality of light, which may be spotty or uneven without a lot of testing.

5. My P&S doesn't have exposure compensation settings. Is there any way to fool the meter in the camera?
Most P&S cameras will lock exposure and autofocus when you press the shutter button down half-way down. If you want to overexpose the scene (make it brighter), point the metering area at a dark area, press the shutter button down half-way, recompose and shoot. If you want to underexpose the scene (make it darker), point the metering area at a bright area, press the shutter button down half-way, recompose and shoot. Remember to meter off an object/area the same distance from the camera as the subject.
If you meter an area that reflects something close to 18% gray  like this card, then the meter will give a good overall reading for most film emulsions. You can meter off a grassy area, a cement walk, rock or wall or anything that approximates the 18% gray for which the meter is optimized. Remember that the meter doesn't know what the "correct" exposure is, only what amount of light is required to meet the standard program exposure (usually that's 18% gray, which is about what the "average" scene will reflect.)

6. When I try to take close ups with my P&S they turn out blurry. Why?
You are probably too close to the subject or trying to shoot a "macro" (close-up) shot while hand holding the camera. Check the camera's manual to determine the closest focusing distance. Some P&S cameras will lock the shutter or blink a "too close" warning light; most will not. If the closest focusing distance is 15" for example, cut a piece of string 15" long and use it to measure the distance from the film plane (not the front or rear end of the lens) to the subject. Use a tripod to eliminate camera shake.

7. How can I test the light meter on my P&S?
Shoot a roll of ISO 100 slide film and make notes of the lighting conditions and meter readings (if displayed by the camera). Slide film has much less exposure latitude than print film. It's easy to get a decent print from print film because it's so forgiving, but errors in metering on a slide will be immediately apparent because the slide can't be manipulated to bump up the contrast, etc. by the processor.

8. Tip: Tripod substitutes.
P&S users rarely carry a tripod, but if you need to rest the camera and raise the lens a bit when shooting slow speeds in a church ormuseum, try using your wallet, purse, pocket calendar or even a handkerchief. Rest the camera on a shelf, pew or chair and tilt the camera up a bit with the substitute tripod. Place the wallet or purse under the rear of the camera to shoot downward. See example below. I try to carry a small pocket tripod with me all the time. The Ultrapod II model is my favorite

9. Are there any decent P&S cameras for underwater photography?
Unless you are a dedicated snorkler or SCUBA diver, any $15. waterproof disposable will work in a pinch. Most disposable are loaded with ISO 800 film and work okay if the water is clear and the sun is out. I like the Fuji Quick Snap waterproof model that's loaded with Fuji Xtra 800 ISO film. If you want to invest in a camera, consider a used Nikon Action Touch (now out of production), Canon A1 or Minolta Weathermatic Dual (comes in APS and none's models). See more at the Photo.net Underwater Photography Primer

10. My pictures of the kids and dog look distorted. What gives?
To eliminate foreshortening or distortion don't shoot down at an angle; shoot at their level. If you're using a short focal length (28mm-50mm) get down and shoot at their eye level, but don't get too close or the images will also be distorted.

11. My scenic pictures are not exposed properly; the sky looks washed out or gray and the foreground is dark.
Camera meters are just stupid machines programmed to make everything look light gray like the image in 5. above. Unlike humans meters have no mind. Unless the sky is spectacularly beautiful, don't include much of it in your scenic because the meter will try to average the extremes of light and dark and, if the sky predominates, the foreground will be very dark (underexposed). Try to expose for the foreground and just a bit of sky or look for a medium gray area, lock the meter there, recompose the picture and shoot. If you're shooting at a great distance, the focus will be accurate and the scene will be more accurately exposed. See also number 5. above.
In this noontime bright scene, the meter reading was taken from the left side of picture near the gray the fountain. Although the right background is overexposed, the main area of interest on the left is properly exposed. When traveling you generally can't return to an interesting subject when the light is right. The film couldn't handle the contrasts of light and dark in this scene; it's up to you to choose the point of interest and expose accordingly.

12. My point and shoot camera has an infinity focus feature for focusing on distant subjects. Why is this needed?
Some P&S cameras measure subject distance by the time a light beam takes to hit it and come back; they're fooled if you shoot through a car or shop window. This is called Active Focus. Other P&S cameras use Passive Focus systems which scan the subject for vertical lines; they aren't fooled by a window. In general, passive systems are more accurate except in low light but also slower; active focus systems are fast but maybe not quite as accurate and can't focus through glass. Let's say you are shooting a mountain but there are other spectators in the foreground. Will the camera lock the focus on the mountain, your intended subject, or on the foreground people? With infinity lock, you can make sure that the mountain is in focus, instead of someone standing a few feet away from you.

13. How do I use the "Night Scene" mode on my P&S properly?
What the night scene does is capture the detail of a dark background and also add flash to expose the foreground subjects too. The camera will leave the shutter open for several seconds or longer (you will need a tripod). Most cameras will flash first (some flash at the end of the exposure) to exposure the foreground objects (e.g., people in the foreground) but then leave the shutter open for a bit longer to exposure background lighting once the flash is done. Make sure to tell your subjects to wait a few seconds after the flash fires before moving or you will get ghosting effects. Sometimes using the 'Night Scene' mode is the only way to get a night picture with a P&S because of the very limited flash range. The longer exposure time will also extend the available flash range. Just remember to use a tripod or a substitute as mentioned in 8. above. Here's an example of a cruise ship deck and pool at night. No flash used.

13a. Any other tips for shooting at night without a flash?
If you have a zoom lens, don't use the long end. The aperture of the lens decreases (i.e., lets in less light) as the lens zooms to longer focal lengths; this forces a corresponding increase in shutter speed -possibly beyond the limits of your camera. For night shots, you should turn off the flash if your camera automatically reverts to a short (e.g., 1/30 second) exposure with flash turned on (Most P&Ss do this.) This is not so much to remove bright foreground highlights that may detract from the overall effect (which it does) but to disable the automatically selected short shutter speed.

14. What's the purpose of  the "Flash On" setting on my P&S?
The Flash On setting permits you to engage the flash no matter how bright the ambient light is. Use it to eliminate shadows on faces when shooting outside in a shady or backlit situation or to add highlights. The iguana below was shot with a zoom P&S at 120mm on Fuji NHG II 800 in midday sunlight.

Flash off                                                         Flash on

16. What type of P&S camera is good for travel?
The one you feel comfortable using and use a lot. I rarely take my SLR and lenses while traveling; the weight and fuss detract from the overall travel experience. I like to take two P&S cameras with me when I travel: one with a sharp, fast fixed focal length, e.g., an Olympus Stylus Epic 35mm f/2.8, Yashica T4 or Ricoh GR1, and one with a zoom lens to cover all the situations I might encounter. Load them with different speed film and carry both cameras in a hip pack.

17. How can I reduce the "red eye" effect produced by my camera's flash?
"Red eye" is produced by the light reflection from the subject's retina, usually when the ambient light level is low and the subject's eye is wide open. Frankly, most Red Eye Reduction (RER) systems just don't work very well because the flash on a P&S is normally too close to the lens. Professional photographers use a bracket to move the flash up and away from the camera's lens and this prevents the flash from bouncing directly off the subject's pupil. But, there aren't any simple ways to reduce red eye with a P&S camera's flash, but here are some tips that may help: don't shoot directly into the subject's eyes - try moving off to the side if possible; turn up the lights in the room if possible (I know, this is not easy at a party); use fast film like ISO 800 and shoot without flash; turn off the red-eye reduction mode and just use normal flash - at least the subjects won't move before the shutter fires and look startled. When using RER I tell the subjects that there will be TWO flashes (or a strobe followed by a flash) and not to move until the second flash fires. This helps a lot.

18. I like to take pictures of interiors when I travel and also of my home during the holidays. Any tips on doing this successfully?
Phil Greenspun has a fine tutorial on this subject on Photo.Net.

19. Where can I find more information about using my camera?
There are some excellent tips on the  Point and Shoot Techniques page at Photographyreview.com. Or, check out the links below.

The Contax T3 User Group New
Good Photography With a P&S Camera - by Phil Greenspun on Photo.net
My Gallery of Street Photography  
The Street Photography Mailing List New
What Camera Should I Buy (Situation-Based) - by Phil Greenspun on Photo.net
Q&A on Filters for a Point & Shoot Camera
My User Review of the Ricoh GR1
User Recommended P&S Cameras Page
Tips on Buying a P&S Camera - by Phil Greenspun on Photo.net

If you have comments or suggestions, email me at jpmccormac@aol.com