It is almost the end of May, and a good time to talk about the end of school, graduations, vacations and other fun beginning of summer activities. Of course, the best way to record and remember all these special events is through photography. Unless you have a photographic memory, which works almost as well, except that the photos are stored on the hard drive of your memory, and there is no way to download those photos for practical use.
For photos of graduations, you will have the best results if the graduation is held outside on the football field or other outdoor area. Outdoor events are usually less formal, so you may be able to get closer to your graduate than you could if you were indoors. Plus, the use of flash is more accepted outside.
If you don’t have a choice of where the ceremony is, you could try using a longer lens and fast film. That way, you can avoid using flash, and still get some great shots of the event. You can still sneak up to the front of the auditorium or cafeteria to get close to the action just as your kid gets their diploma, just be aware that there will be a lot of congestion up there.
For vacation photography, you want to get a lot of pictures. Digital cameras are great for this, since they can hold many photos on one memory card. I normally suggest getting in close to focus attention on the subject, but in vacation photography, you will want to stay back a little bit, and inlcude some details of the location and the activity that is happening.
Vacation photography is great for candid shots, since everyone is relaxed (right?). After all, you are on vacation. If your child is unable to take a candid photo, and insists on posing, get one of those right angle lenses, and shoot away. It won’t take them long to figure out what you are up to, so shoot quickly while you have the chance. For information on what to do with your photos after you take them, check out this article by Lisa Andrews over at our scrapbooking blog.
If you are shooting near water or sand that is blowing around, be aware that digital cameras are not good with either of these, so be careful. You could try putting your entire camera in a clear plastic bag, and shoot through that to protect the camera. Just make sure the plastic is kept tight against the front of the lens, to get the best quality photos possible in this situation. This also applies to shooting through windows or car windshields (put the lens of the camera tight against the glass).
You could also invest in an underwater camera for getting photos of kids doing water activities. These cameras are water resistant, so you can get in close to the action and record all the fun. You’ll still want to avoid being sprayed directly since you won’t be able to see through the lens to get the shot.