Nokia N96 manual Tips on taking good photographs, Picture quality, Background, Depth

To set the self-timer delay, in the active toolbar, select Self timer > 2 seconds, 10 seconds, or 20 seconds. To activate the self-timer, select Activate. The device beeps when the timer is running and the quadrangle blinks just before the image capture. The camera takes the picture after the selected delay elapses.

To switch off the self-timer, in the active toolbar, select Self timer > Off.

Tip: In the active toolbar, select Self timer > 2 seconds to keep your hand steady when taking a picture.

Tips on taking good photographs

Picture quality

Use the appropriate picture quality. The camera has several picture quality modes. Use the highest setting to make sure that the camera produces the best picture quality available. Note however, that better picture quality requires more storage space. For multimedia message (MMS) and e-mail attachments it may be necessary to use the smallest picture quality mode optimised for MMS sending. You can define the quality in the camera settings. See "Still image camera settings", p. 69.

Background

Use a simple background. For portraits and other pictures with people, avoid having your subject in front

of a cluttered, complex background that may distract attention from the subject. Move the camera, or the subject, when these conditions cannot be met. Move the camera closer to the object to take clearer portraits.

Depth

When shooting landscapes and sceneries, add depth to your pictures by placing objects in the foreground. If the foreground object is too close to the camera, it may be blurred.

Lighting conditions

Changing the source, amount, and direction of light can change photographs dramatically. Here are some typical lighting conditions:

●Light source behind the subject. Avoid placing your subject in front of a strong light source. If the light source is behind the subject or visible in the display, the resulting picture may have weak contrast, may be too dark, and may contain unwanted light effects.

●Sidelit subject. Strong side light gives a dramatic effect but may be too harsh, resulting in too much contrast.

●Light source in front of the subject. Harsh sunlight may cause the subjects to squint their eyes. The contrast may also be too high.

●Optimal lighting is found in situations where there is plenty of diffused, soft light available, for

Camera

67