How to improve photo?


kurby

Member
Dec 19, 2004
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Hi,

I am using a LX3. Took some photos of my kids bday at Mac.

Didn't use the flash and I was mainly on IA mode. Hence alot of the photo were quite noisy and at the same time, a lot of blurring due to kids motion.

How can i improve on this. Should I use Flash (i did use on some photo but the effect is not good. The background were all dimmed out)? Shoudl I use manual a settings?

Pls advice. Thanks.
 

Maggie Mee answer -

1. Use an external flash + diffuser or bounce device. Even if your built-in can cope, it's usually a losing battle at kids' parties.
2. Use a slower M shutter speed or up the ISO/increase the ambient light levels so the backgrounds don't look so dim. Google 'Dragging the shutter'.
3. Look up discussions on using an external flash on the LX3, and
4. Google 'How to photograph Children's birthday parties', and 'Basics of digital flash techniques'

CHEERS!
 

Use flash with higher ISO e.g. ISO 400 will brighten the background.
 

Use flash with higher ISO e.g. ISO 400 will brighten the background.
not necessarily.
It all depends on whether the camera treats the flash as the primary light source or not.
That will determine how it sets up the other parameters.

I think 'slow sync' is a good idea. The background should be properly exposed this way, BUT if it's quite dim, then the shutter speed will be slow and pretty much everything will be blur.

You have to let as much light in as possible, to give yourself the best chance of getting a decent shot in indoor light.
Largest possible aperture, highest tolerable ISO speed, slow sync flash, and give it a try. No guarantee it'll work.
 

MHO is to use a flash.

K7JP5014.jpg

The photo was done with an off camera flash that I placed somewhere to the top left. It was left there as a light source for most shots.Relying on the ambient lighting would have been a pain as you have found out as well.
I prefer to have a shutter speed that is easily hand holdable and likely to stop motion (min. 1/60, pref 1/90 to 1/125). ISO is preferred to be lower than 800 to keep noise down. The combination of these factors mean that the flash generally becomes the main light source.

You will need to read up more on using flash manually, but imho, its worth it.

Here is a simple thread I started about photographing children.
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=698116
Hope it helps.
 

Speed: 1/50 sec

Aperture: F4

ISO: 400

DSC03170.jpg
 

Cake.............. yum yum.
 

Sample of pics with and without Flash.

4630420567_0fe1d426d6.jpg

4630424691_4c8ab39336.jpg

4630424691

The colour of the pic without flash is nice, but the motion of the kids blurred the pics. Then the pics with the Flash....the pics doesn't look nice cause of the dim background.

Thanks for the tips...looks like somemore readings to do on slow sync and lightings....
 

Last edited:
Thanks for the reply...

Gotta go read up on slow sync and also google "How to take picture of children parties".

So it seems that external flash is the best way to go.....will try out some shots after reading....thanks again
 

You'll need to right click on the photo in flickr and copy the url of the image instead of copying from the navigation bar of the browser. I've undeleted the post and edited the pics for you. You can edit your post above and see how it is done.
 

Thanks ziploc!!
 

did you set to Sports mode and selected Indoors?
 

I used mainly iA. Think I did some with "Baby" mode selected from SCN.

How to select Indoor?
 

I used mainly iA. Think I did some with "Baby" mode selected from SCN.

How to select Indoor?
In SCN Mode, select Sports. Should get a prompt asking whether indoor or outdoor.
 

Hi,

I am using a LX3. Took some photos of my kids bday at Mac.

Didn't use the flash and I was mainly on IA mode. Hence alot of the photo were quite noisy and at the same time, a lot of blurring due to kids motion.

How can i improve on this. Should I use Flash (i did use on some photo but the effect is not good. The background were all dimmed out)? Shoudl I use manual a settings?

Pls advice. Thanks.

Not sure how the LX3 works, but for most cameras, when you select manual mode, light is metered according to the ambient lightings so the kids will probably still turn up blur because of slow shutter so that the backgrd turns out properly exposed. Choosing portrait, sports or indoor mode will set the camera to take at a faster shutter, but you might get noisy images ( ISO high) or underexposed photos.

Maybe you can try using a noise reduction software like noise ninja to clean up the noise in the photos? :) Another problem is your flash range is not that far ( as seen in your photo taken with flash) so natural lighting photos will probably look a lot nicer.

My 2 cents worth will be to suggest you can try to recompose your shots to cover the shortcomings of the flash power and to keep iso low. Take them under better lighting or closer to the backgrd. But i understand at events, sometimes it is not possible ):
 

Hi,

I am using a LX3. Took some photos of my kids bday at Mac.

Didn't use the flash and I was mainly on IA mode. Hence alot of the photo were quite noisy and at the same time, a lot of blurring due to kids motion.

How can i improve on this. Should I use Flash (i did use on some photo but the effect is not good. The background were all dimmed out)? Shoudl I use manual a settings?

Pls advice. Thanks.

LX3 without flash actually works pretty well. I think basically its the event and your expectation of the photo outcome.

(1) You can choose your scenes to suit the event. Like kids party a lot of movement maybe go to sports OR party OR High sensitivity mode(this last mode might have noisy photos)

(2) Ambient lighting is important. When even i use aperture priority in evening time with auto ISO, my photos are all noisy - so i concluded i must lock my ISO value. BUT if i lock my ISO value, then i got to play with other components.

(3) So far, i seldom use Auto (iA) mode unless its bright condition area and subject is very direct, because Auto mode sometimes doesn't give me what i expected it to be maybe all settings are auto moving.

(4) Exposure value can be played with too.

(5) Baby Mode - is only for the date of birth i think. (if i did not remember wrongly.)

(6) If you taking like kids running a lot of movement - just use burst mode, i think out of the few photo sure have a couple is good for you.

(7) Enjoy your LX3 .. i am falling in love with it. :heart:
 

LX3 is a good camera....I probably expect a good camera to do better...hahaha and forgot that it is the skills that make a good picture not the camera...

Do you think a DSLR would have done better under these same circumstances?
 

Ur question is contradicting with ur conclusion