Come in! There are a few adventures I’ve written about, but most of the content offers classes in photography and mentoring for photographers, including photo theory, which, although a vital part in our profession, is largely an overlooked subject in all published media that profits from and feeds our gadget minded mindset today.
Digital camera offer varying degrees of in-camera editing
Welcome aboard photo enthusiasts. A couple of brief announcements: First, in the previous fourteen articles I have covered the basics for using your camera. There is always more to discuss and learn, but I would enjoy having some reader feedback questions via my e-mail listed at the end of each article. The answer to your question can be of interest to all readers. Please use “The Triton photo article” in the subject line.
Second, I am interested in learning of any exceptional photographer and his or her body of work. You sailors out there may know of a photographer doing exceptional underwater photography or other nautical scenes. My work towards opening the “James Schot Gallery and Photo Studio” is nearly complete and this venue offers a way to display, promote and sell the best in photography, from around the world. Again, any photographer fitting the description “exceptional” can contact me via my e-mail.
If you are a nautical shutterbug or becoming one using your compact digital camera, you are likely amassing a lot of photographs. What do you do with them? How do you edit and print them? What’s the best approach?
I take a lot of shots with my compact. My camera uses the Compact Flash Card and I always have a 512 Megabyte card in it. With its 5.1 megabyte resolution I can get about 90 or so RAW (non-compressed) images and a couple of hundred “L” large jpg’s.
Most compacts do not have the RAW feature but offer several sizes of jpg’s. As a professional sometimes I need the RAW for a special shot requiring all the editing latitude possible. But, for most of my photographs a properly exposed jpg file will do just fine.
I use my camera for everything. If I need to repair something on the motor or make a plumbing fix, I will photograph what I’m fixing before going to the marine hardware store. Then when I talk with the store attendants I can show them using my camera LCD and the close up feature exactly what I am looking by reviewing the pictures I have taken.
It works the other way to, that is, if you are on shore getting supplies and you find options for a boat improvement or you want to show possibilities to the Captain or the Owner, let’s say of floral arrangements for a dinner party, you can photograph the options at a store with your camera and show them.
So there you go, just for things like this, and taking photos of the progress being made at my Gallery-Studio, and then add to these pictures of friends, birthdays and interesting things and places too……I take a lot of photographs!
What now? If you have time on your hands and your camera battery has a good charge, you can using the View or Review Mode all digitals have and go through and edit your photographs by deleting those you determine are not desired for whatever reason. This is also handy if you are unable to download your images to a computer, but need to free up some space on your memory card for additional shots. If you take my very handy tip of photographing those things for the daily chores and the like, it’s easy and makes sense to edit those out when they’ve served their purpose
I usually try to avoid the in camera editing, because I find it tedious. When I download them to my computer I can easily send the unnecessary pictures to the recycle bin, and the more important images can be viewed on the larger computer screen were I find it easier to determine the quality of the photograph and from there do any and more detailed editing.
You should also be careful with “in camera” editing. On all my digital cameras, when I review and go to erase the image, it offers options to erase this one or all of them. You must be careful not to erase them all, unless you have saved or printed those you wanted, otherwise you will not be a happy sailor. Once they are erased, they are gone forever.
You might think that when you have saved or printed the pictures you wanted that “erase all” would be a good way to empty your memory card and start photographing anew. Actually there is a better, preferred method to emptying your card and that is to “format” your card. With this method you do not only remove old files, you also clean your disk of folders, etc. It is like making fresh, new pixels.
On my camera, and it is likely for nearly all compacts, I get to my “format” feature pressing the “menu” button and the pressing the right arrow to get into the “tool” symbols, and then the down arrow to “format.” I then press the “set” button in the center of the arrow buttons and I get my choice to erase one or “all.”
I have to save the discussion on what else to do with them…editing and printing until we sail away next time, until then permission to come ashore.
