44 essential digital camera tips and tricks

Digital camera tips: 31. Use a solid ND filter to extend exposure times

Solid ND (neutral density) filters are great if you want to extend your shutter speed, but they can be used to control the aperture as well. A three-stop ND filter would allow you to open the aperture by three stops to get a shallow depth of field, even in bright conditions.

Digital camera tips: 32. Polarizers

The effect of a polarising filter is impossible to recreate digitally, which makes it the number one filter choice for outdoor photographers looking to cut down reflections or intensify blue skies. Don’t skimp on price, or you’ll be skimping on quality.

Digital camera tips: 33. Black & white

Unless you know that you definitely want to print black-and-white images from your memory card, it’s best to shoot in color and then convert to mono later in your image-editing software – it will offer a lot more control than your camera. If you decide to shoot black-and-white JPEGs, don’t forget about in-camera filters: red, orange and yellow filters can all add drama to boring skies, while an orange filter will reduce the appearance of freckles and blemishes in portraits.

Digital camera tips: 34. Use a white balance preset

Because they’re processed in-camera, you’ll want to get the color right for JPEG files at the time of shooting. So use your camera’s preset options (Daylight, Shade, Tungsten, etc) instead of relying on the auto option to get it right. Although Auto White Balance is often considered a little ‘basic’, if you’re shooting raw files there’s no reason to choose anything else – you can set the white balance when you process your images.