6 tips for super vacation snapshots

Learn to manage power—dead batteries ruin great photo ops. Always take two sets of batteries and a charger, says Jorge DaSilva, manager of Henry's School of Imaging. Use one set in the camera while the other charges.

Or, invest in a super-long-lasting, clip-on, rechargeable Lithium Ion power pack like the DigiPower DPS-9000, which can be used with most digital cameras, suggests photo instructor Larry Frank, a senior product specialist at photo wholesaler DayMen Photo Marketing Inc.

Find out what kind of power adapter you need for foreign parts—possibly a transformer, more likely just a plug adapter—and get it before you leave, says freelance nature and travel photographer Danny Catt. If you can't tell what you need from the camera's manual, ask the retailer where you bought it.

The digicam's LCD screen is a power hog—turn it off and use the optical view finder most of the time, Frank says.
Hint: Do use the LCD when shooting close-ups to avoid inaccurately framed shots.

Digicams are very susceptible to water damage. After one of Catt's cameras got a little damp, "it was toast," he says. Stay away from water and carry your camera in a waterproof bag.

Add a pack of silica gel to reduce moisture further, DaSilva suggests. You can buy one in camera stores.

When going through airport security, put memory cards in the plastic tray provided to avoid x-rays, metal detectors, or anything with a magnetic field.

The camera's manual should tell you how many shots at a given size and quality you can store on your memory card. Use this information to calculate the storage required for each picture, then multiply by the number of pictures you expect to take.
Hint: Biggest size = highest resolution for making jumbo print enlargements.

Conserve by using lower resolution for shots you know you'll only want to print small or e-mail, says DaSilva.

Buy all the storage you need—and maybe a little more—before you travel, Catt says, so you can be sure it works.

Exploit your digicam's greatest feature: edit as you go—delete shots that don't work.
Hint: Take the camera's AV cord (virtually all come with one), and plug it into a hotel room TV to get a better look at the pictures. If you travel a lot, get a camera that has playback for different television systems around the world.

When setting exposure, if in doubt, err towards underexposure (too dark), Frank advises. Overexposed digicam shots are prone to burnouts—bright parts of the picture rendered as pure white.
Hint: Avoid shots that include the sun, Catt says.

Understand and exploit creative manual options, Frank says. "Use a fast shutter speed to stop action, for example, or a slow shutter speed to create a pleasing blur when shooting a waterfall or something with implied movement."

Also understand and exploit advanced digital features, Catt urges. Many digicams help you shoot pictures you can later "stitch" into panoramas using a computer. Many will also apply special effects—black and white, sepia tone, polarization. "Sometimes you have to think outside the photographic box," he says.

Make the main subject BIG, says Frank. "Assume your audience has the attention span of a three-year-old."

More often than not, avoid placing your main subject dead center. Imagine a tic-tac-toe grid overlaying the picture frame, DaSilva suggests. Try to place the subject at one of the grid's intersections.

When shooting landscapes and sunsets, Catt says, decide which is pictorially more important: land or sky. If land, place the horizon in the top third of the picture, if sky, place it in the bottom third—seldom in the middle.

Look for natural frames in the scene to better compose the main subject, Da Silva says—a church spire framed by the arches of a cloister, for example.

Look for lines in the scene, Catt suggests—a road or footsteps in the sand—and try to frame the picture so the lines lead the eye from the left toward your main subject.

Shoot more often in the half hour to two hours before and after sunrise and sunset. The low-angle light at these times produces dramatic and pleasing results, says DaSilva.
Hint: When shooting in low light—outside or in—always use a lightweight mini tripod to hold the camera steady for the slower shutter speeds required, DaSilva says.

"Try and look below the surface" when photographing your travels, Frank explains. Look for shots that capture something of the local ambience and culture.

Check calendars ahead of time for festivals and other special events you can shoot. Check out harbor areas and amusement parks. Shoot farmers' markets early in the morning when locals are shopping.
Hint: Learn a few words of the local language and always ask people before taking their pictures. Most happily agree.