Taking the Perfect Outdoor Picture
by Debbie Mayer

After a Costa Rica Outward Bound course, or any outdoor trip, your pictures allow you to share your memories and relive your experiences. Here are some tips to make sure that your pictures capture the beauty of your surroundings: 

Know Your Camera:
Learn all the settings on your camera.  Many cameras have different modes for sports, night, portrait, landscape, and more specific settings such as flower, food, and beach.  Be aware of all of the options on your camera, as they can be very useful. 
*For example, portrait mode selects a large aperture to keep the subject in focus and blur the background. 
*For close-ups of nature, the Macro mode is very useful.

Flash:
If you are taking a close-up portrait, you can use flash to light up your subjects face and prevent it from being clouded by shadows.

Lighting:
Always be aware of the sun and try to keep it behind you.  You may need to rotate your angle to achieve ideal lighting. If this is impossible, you may need to use flash to make sure people's faces aren't shaded.

Rule of Thirds:
This rule is a guideline which helps photos appear more balanced and interesting.  It also works with the natural way that our eyes look at images.  To use the rule, imagine breaking down the image into a 3 x 3 grid.  Try to position subjects or other points of interest on the grid lines.  Example:  If you're taking a photo of a person on a mountain overlook, position the person 1/3 into the frame.  If you're taking a landscape, have the horizon 1/3 from the top or bottom of the frame.

Backpacking tips:
• Keep your camera accessible while hiking.  A strong, waterproof case with a strap for a carabiner can be very useful, just make sure the carabiner is secure.  On that note, if you're relying on the camera strap, make sure it's strong.
•If you're visiting Costa Rica in the rainy season, expect to get wet.  Make sure to prepare your camera by bringing a waterproof case, or investing in a waterproof camera.
•Take extra batteries & make sure your memory card is large enough to hold all the pictures you expect to take.  By turning off sounds on your camera, you can save a bit of battery.  Other tips to extend battery life?  Wait until getting home to view pictures and delete them (unless you need to free up memory space). 
•Be conscious of horizon lines, try to keep them straight.
•Reduce camera shake by holding the camera with both hands.  Don't inhale or exhale while taking the picture, it can contribute to blurry pictures.
•Most shutter buttons have two stages. When you press it halfway down, the camera sets focus and exposure. When you press it all the way down, you take the picture. To capture action shots, hold the button halfway down while focused on the scene. When you then press the button the rest of the way, the camera shoots immediately because focus and exposure have already been calculated. On some cameras you can also press the shutter button all the way down in one action, but there will be a delay before the photo is taken and it may be out of focus.

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