Digital cameras use media cards to store and transfer images to a computer, and can be used over and over again, eliminating film and processing costs. Different cameras use different types of memory cards, and all but the CompactFlash media cards are designed to work with specific brands of camera.

xD-Picture card media, for example, is much smaller than most other types of media and transfers data at a very fast rate. Developed by Olympus and Fujifilm, the xD-Picture card has a maximum capacity of 1GB, but it reported to have the potential of achieving an 8GB capacity in the near future (figure 3).

This particular camera has two media bays. One can accommodate a CompactFlash card or an IBM Microdrive card, while the other can accommodate an xD-Picture card. You can have two cards in the camera at once (one in each media bay) and can even copy images from one card to another. As with most cameras, you insert the media simply by opening the media door and inserting the media into the designated bay until it clicks into place. Be sure to orient each card correctly (figures 4, 5 & 6).

With most compact digital cameras, when you power them up, the zoom lens is activated and extends forward. If the main control dial is set to anything other than PLAYBACK mode (P, A, S, M, etc.) the lens will most likely extend into position, even if the lens cap is attached. If the main control dial is set to the Playback mode (typically denoted with a green "Play" symbol), the lens will not extend (figures 7 & 8).

For simplicity's sake, we set this camera to Program mode to focus more on the internal settings of the camera. To switch to Program mode, turn the main control dial to P or similar setting (figure 9).

Disabling the ALL RESET Function
Before you make any custom settings to your camera, it is important to know about the ALL RESET function, which is often activated as a default setting. This feature clears and resets any custom settings you may have made to White Balance, ISO, Resolution, etc... Check your camera manual to see how to disable the ALL RESET function if your camera is so equipped (figure 10).

WARNING: If your batteries run down and you don't exchange them with fresh ones within an hour, the camera will automatically activate the ALL RESET function when you go to power it up again.

ISO
The term ISO (what used to be known as ASA) is used to measure the speed of photographic film. The higher the ISO rating the faster the film is, and fast film affords better exposures in low light situations. The trade-off is that the faster the film gets, the more the grain size increases. We have found that higher ISO numbers in digital cameras result in increased noise rather than larger "grain".

Out of the box, the ISO setting in most cameras is set to AUTO, which will allow them to make an interpreted setting, depending on the availability of light. In most instances, we recommend keeping the ISO set to its lowest (around 100), as this renders the best image quality. Check your owners manual to see how to modify the ISO setting (figure 13).

This next chart (figure 15) illustrates the approximate number of images you can expect to record to a 32MB media card at various resolution modes in a 5 megapixel camera.

If you prefer to shoot in high resolution modes (TIFF, RAW, etc.), we recommend purchasing larger media cards, as you'll soon discover that images can pile up quickly, particularly with cameras that have a large megapixel count.

Check your owners manual to see how to modify the resolution setting (figures 16 & 17).

Basic Outdoor Lighting Techniques

Taking good portraits outdoors can be easy if you have some basic light modifiers on hand. A bright sunny day can render beautiful, vibrant colors but can also present a high degree of contrast: a primary concern when shooting portraits.

To illustrate more effectively, we created a typical backyard portrait set-up with our model. As the model faced the camera, she had to squint as she was also facing the afternoon sun. We zoomed all the way in on her face and took a shot (figure 18).

Here's that contrast we talked about. In addition to the model's squint, notice how bright her forehead is compared to the shadows cast from her nose and chin in this result shot (figure 19).

To reduce the contrast, we had a friend of the model hold a Photoflex 12" Translucent LiteDisc up to diffuse the sunlight falling on the model's head and shoulders. This eliminated the harsh shadows, but also darkened the lighting slightly. Had we been in the Manual shooting mode, we would have compensated by adjusting either the aperture or the shutter speed (to see how this process works, check out the other lessons on www.webphotoschool.com demonstrating Depth Of Field). But since we had the camera set to Program mode, we simply composed the shot and pressed the shutter all the way down. Notice how much more we can see the model's eyes, and that the shadows have diminished drastically (figures 20 & 21).

For a final touch, we had our model hold a 22" White LiteDisc reflector just under her face to bounce sunlight up into the shadow areas. We took another shot and viewed it on the playback mode of the camera. The shadows under the eyes and nose have been eliminated, and the bottom LiteDisc has created a nice "sparkle" in the model's eyes (figures 22 & 23).

For a full body shot using this technique, you would simply use larger LiteDisc reflectors.

Another way is to use a USB or FireWire card reader. This allows you a little more freedom with where the camera is situated.

For instance, if you have the camera mounted to a tripod and you want to review the images before striking your set, you need to make sure the computer is within the relatively short USB cable distance to the camera. Otherwise, you have to remove the camera from the set to download the images. With a card reader, all you have to do is remove the card from the camera and insert it into the reader.

Once you've connected your camera or media card reader to your computer, a card icon will appear on your desktop (for Macs) or as an external drive (for PC) allowing you to then view, edit, and save the images onto your computer . Once you have copied the images to your hard drive, you can prepare them for print, email, or web posting by starting up your camera software.

If you would like to learn more about editing images in camera software or Adobe Photoshop, sign up for access to the Web Photo School and check out the Digital Editing section of the site.