How to take a great UFO photo
We’ve all seen them. I’ve even seen entire TV shows based around them. I am talking about blurry, grainy or otherwise unintelligible “UFO” photos. Now I know most UFO photos are taken by amateurs who may not even notice the UFO in their shot until after the fact, but I have seen my fair share of pictures taken by “UFO hunters” that look like they were taken by a blind chimpanzee jacked up on crystal meth. Even though UFO sightings are unexpected events, there are a few things you can do that can be the difference between a blurry shot and once that is tack sharp.
(These are just some examples I found with Google to illustrate the differences between a blurry and a sharp UFO photo - the second shot is almost certainly a hoax)
1. Hold The Camera Properly - The way that you hold the camera has an enormous impact on the quality of the pictures you take. Your right hand should firmly hold the camera so your index finger floats softly above the shutter release with the other three fingers wrapped around the front of the camera and your thumb gripping the back. (While you should hold the camera firmly, you do not want to grip it so hard that you shake the camera.) Your left hand should support the weight of the camera by either being positioned under the body of the camera or under/around the lens depending on the type of camera you have. Once you have a good grip on your camera, tuck your elbows into your sides and bring the camera up to your face so you are looking through the view-finder. If your camera does not have a view finder, bring it as close to your face as possible. The closer to your body, the more stable you will be. The more stable your are, the better your shots will be.
2. Stabilize Yourself - Aside from holding your camera properly, stabilizing yourself is the next thing you should do to help improve your shots. In a perfect world, you would have a tripod and your extraterrestrial subject would hover in front of it while you shoot away to your hearts content. Unfortunately, that is not the world we live in and you have to make due with what it around you. Since you will most likely be zooming in on your subject, even the smallest shakes can affect the quality of your image. To help reduce these shakes, lean up against something sturdy. Anything that is not prone to moving will due, a lamp post, the side of a building, a large tree, etc. In a pinch a car or even leaning back to back against a friend (as long as they can stand still) can help. The key reduce any unnecessary movement of the camera so you can take the clearest picture possible.
3. Use automatic mode - If you are using a digital camera, it is probably best to set the camera to automatic unless you are very good and very fast at picking your exposure settings. Today’s cameras are pretty good about picking settings that will give you the best shot possible, allowing you to concentrate on taking the picture (which in the case of a UFO sighting is probably best, considering how exciting it is liable to be). This is not to say that there is anything wrong with using manual or any other mode for taking a picture of a UFO (in fact in some conditions you will get a better shot by picking your own settings), I just think with the limited time of most UFO sightings is best spent taking steady, clear shots.
4. Turn Off Digital Zoom - You should have done this when you first got your camera, but if you didn’t know any better, it’s okay. Do it now. Digital zoom is not zoom at all, the camera is just using its built in processor to blow up the center of the picture you are taking (usually very poorly). The end result of digital zoom is usually blurry, grainy pictures that you can’t really do anything to enhance. Even if your camera has very little zoom, you are much better off trying to enlarge the image on your computer later. There are some very good computer programs for enlarging digital images (onOne’s Genuine Fractals Photoshop/Elements plugin comes to mind and from what I have heard is worth every penny), but even the enlargement features built in to your image editor are generally better than any in-camera enlargement (plus you keep your original file intact).
5. Practice - I know, you can’t just go out and shoot UFO’s, but you can go out and take pictures of planes (not near the airport though - people are a little jumpy nowadays), birds, cars, etc. to get used to taking pictures of fast moving objects. I personally recommend birds, because their flight patterns are somewhat erratic and they can be challenging to shoot. The more you practice the better your shots will be and the more second nature pulling out your camera and taking a good shot will become.
Now go out there and get some amazing UFO pictures. Just don’t forget to send them to your friends here at Where the Wired Meets The Weird.
Resources:
How to Hold a Digital Camera @ The Digital Photography School Blog
StumbleUpon
Digg
Del.icio.us!
Leave a Reply