Electrickery boxes in use at Fenton Fest 2007

There is a trick to getting this type of shot. Use a camera that has adjustable shutter speed and aperture, a tripod and a remote shutter release.

Slow the shutter speed as much as you can. When you’ve taken the photo, chimp it. If it doesn’t look good, try again. If you can’t get the shutter speed slow enough, use an ND Grad filter, or like I did with this shot (I didn’t have my ND grads with me) a polarising filter.

Voila!

If you’re in the market for a point and shoot (p&s) camera then there are a few things you need to know before you buy. The number of makes and models of p&s is bewildering. Use these tips to help you decide your requirements and eventually choose the right camera for you.

1. Budget. This has to be the number one consideration (unless you are a millionaire!). Deciding how much you can afford to (and want to!) spend will set you in the right price range for the camera. Don’t forget though that you will need to factor in for things like memory cards, a case and batteries (if the camera uses AA type rather than proprietary batteries). If you can be a little flexible then all the better. For example, you set your budget at £200 for everything you want.

Dependent on the make and model that you choose you will (unless you can get a deal) need to budget for a memory card. The memory card is what will store your images and the larger the capacity the better. Figure to get at least 1gb cards, 2gb is preferable.

So, let’s start with the Camera. Say £170 (eg for the Ixus 75 I mentioned in the last article). Memory cards for that camera are called Secure Digital or SD. The 1gb minimum I mentioned above is £15 at Jessops for the basic card. I will be talking about memory cards in more detail in another post.

Ok, a case. Although the camera comes with its own case, it’s more for dust protection than bash and bang protection. Lowepro make awesome camera bags and cases and as an example, the Lowepro Rezo Pouch 15 (left) will take the Ixus snugly. That’s another £15.

By my calculations that’s £195 of your £200 budget gone. You haven’t got a tripod yet! Whilst the tripod isn’t necessary, without one it’s almost impossible to take photos in the dark, something the Ixus is perfectly capable of doing.

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In all of the photos that I have taken of cars in general and Minis in particular, this one photo has to be my favourite. The shot was taken in 2005 using my Bronica ETRs medium format camera with Fuji Velvia (I think!) slide film.

I just love the “pop” of the blue, where it’s so “in yer face”. The angle (if I remember rightly - the first time I tried the angle) suits the shot perfectly. There was no cropping or colour adjustment on the photo after scanning, just a little cleaning of scan marks.

Would you believe me if I said this was taken on film? Well, it was! Again, 2003, this photo was created with a Bronica ETRs medium format camera with a purple Cokin filter to change the colour of the sky.