Digital Photo Tips by Duane Brovan

Always shoot in your camera’s highest resolution!

Life lesson: Always shoot in your camera’s highest resolution!

All things learned the hard way, we find it hard to forget. One of those is to always shoot in your camera’s highest resolution. After a few months of taking photos with my first digital camera, I learned one of those lessons. I was taking photos on my parents ranch and was heading home when I noticed to light was perfect and the flowers on a little island where reflecting on a small pond surrounding the island and the light was just right on an old cabin. I was almost out of memory so instead of erasing less desirable photos I went down in resolution. After downloading the days photos, I realized the once in a life photos had been captured (flowers reflecting on pond and cabin with warm light). I went to enlarge the photo and realized the difference between high and low resolution mode on my camera. I had limited my great photo to an 8” x 10” print. If I had erased other photos that were not as interesting, I could have had a photo that could be printed in 11” x 14” size. I was still thinking like a film photographer, and could not undo what I had already taken. But after this experience I erase unwanted photos to make room for better ones (something you can’t do with film).

We never know when we might take that Special Shot! So, always assume you are taking “The Shot” and later can erase if need be. Memory Cards are no different then other electric items in that they are always getting bigger and better and the once great item gets cheaper. If one shops around (especially on-line), they can find a fast 512MB memory card for $70. Last year a slower card would have cost $150 or more. Remember, sometimes you only get one shot, make it count! Take the photo in high resolution and record it on a CD.

Resolution Suggestions for Quality Photos

Print Size	Borderline 150 Res./Pixels	Better 180 Res./Pixels	Best 200 Res./Pixels	Excellent 300 Res.
3.5 x 5	525x750/ 1.3	630x900/ 1.6	700x1000/ 2	1050x1500/ 4.5
4 x 6	600x900/ 1.5	720x1000/ 2	800x1200/ 2.8	1200x1800/ 6
5 x7	750x1050/ 2.3	900x1260/ 3.3	1000x1400/ 4	1500x2100/ 9
8 x 10	1200x1500/ 5	1440x1800/ 7.5	1600x2000/ 9	2400x3000/ 21
12 x18	1800x2700/ 14	2160x3240/ 20	2400x3600, 25	3600x5400/ 56

hese are guidelines to follow when setting resolution on your camera and the sizes needed to print quality photos. From the chart you can see that a 5 Mega Pixel camera would be needed to get a borderline 8” x 10” print

 

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