Tips for Great Summer Pictures

Summer is here and the kids are out of school. Time for family vacations, reunions, and fun in the sun. Make this the most enjoyable summer for you and your family and record it with great pictures. You don't have be a professional photographer to take quality pictures. If you follow a few simple guidelines, your family will be able to enjoy them now and in the future.

Unless you are a professional photographer, you don't need a bulky camera with all of the extras. For example, lenses, tripod, and carrying case. In fact, you don't even need a strap. A pocket size, point and shoot camera, will be sufficient. I recommend the HP PhotoSmart R927. It's a little heavier than other point and shoot cameras but it easily fits in your pocket and takes clear, crisp, photographs. When you are with your family and friends on vacation, you don't want to have an overload of camera equipment to deal with. Enjoy your vacation without the extras. Remember, it's the person that takes the picture, not the camera.

The most common problem people seem to face, is a blurry picture. There are cameras out there that have a feature to help with this problem but do not always guarantee a clear picture. You can help avoid this problem, and you don't even need a tripod. Find a tree or a sturdy wall to lean your body against. This will help with your balance. You can even use a bench, fence, or if you are in the mountains, a rock for a tripod. Another trick that I have learned and tried with success, is holding your breath. Hold your breath while you snap the picture and then exhale. Try it, it really works!

Do your pictues look boring? Tired of trying to get all your family members to smile at once? Then don't ask them to say "cheese" for the tenth time. Take candid pictures. Leave the posed photos for the professionals. Trying to take a posed photo is taking you and your family away from your summer fun. Snap a picture of the kids when they are not looking. Snap a picture of your husband or wife when they are riding on one of the kiddie rides. Have fun with it. Let your kids get into the act and shoot some pictures. I'm sure it will put a smile on your face when you see what pictures they have taken. Look at this way. If the kids take a picture of the ground, you can always delete it.

During the summer, many families go to amusements parks, museums, concerts, and the zoo. A good idea is to call these places ahead of time and find out what their rules and regulations are for cameras. Some places, like museums and concert halls won't allow cameras in the building. The last thing you want is to have your camera taken away by a security guard.

Following these guidelines will insure great summer pictures that you will be able to look back on and share with others.