It’s that time of the year again. No, I wasn’t referring to the flooding season (as flooding has now become an all-year long issue,  ^_^ ), I actually meant the holiday time of the year. Ramadhan, Independence Day, school breaks, yup, it’s time to dust your camera and shoot some holiday pictures people!

For those of you hitting the beaches, you’re in luck, as creating good pictures at light abundant places like the beach is less challenging. Malls? A totally different story and a completely different set of problems (which I will cover in a future article, so don’t touch that remote, ^_^).

Museums might not be anywhere near the top of your list when it comes to vacation spots. But with the surprisingly (at least I was surprised ^_^) large number of museums in Indonesia, it should be. And below are several points that you might want to remember before you go clicking away:

Find areas where there’s plenty of light

Photography is a game of so many parameters, controls, dials and switches. So, let’s make our life simpler by taking one hurdle out of the equation and not worry about the lack of light. Find places outside of the museum, where light is abundant so you can spend your energy on the other million hurdles, ^_^

Avoid using camera flash

What escapes most people is that fact that the inside of museums looks nice because of their light ambiance, the harmony of the shadows and the bright spots. Flashes will usually wash out this ambiance, creating harsh spots and shadows all over.

Watch for blurry pictures

Trying to handhold a heavy camera in a dark place would frequently result in blurry pictures. Check your shutter speed often. You have to keep your speed at 1/focal length at the very minimum (example: your speed must be at least 1/50 sec if you’re shooting with a 50mm lens). If you’re reading a speed slower than needed, try pushing your ISO, but know the limit of your camera. ISO 800 is considered safe with today’s cameras. Still not getting the speed? Use a tripod, or brace yourself against a wall to minimize movement.

Use fast lenses

Now you must be pissed, J Dark places with no flash? How? Try using fast lenses. By “fast”, I’m referring to lenses with large apertures like 50/1.4,  24-70/2.8 or 17-35/2.8. These lenses would allow you to gather more light so you can still get bright enough pictures.

Or wide lenses

Camera movements are less visible in wider lenses (try it, really ^_^). So don’t get too caught up in zooming to the max, people.

If you really have to use a flash, try bouncing it

Tried all of the above and still not getting the speed and brightness you need?  Try bouncing your flash to make your light softer. Even better, if your camera system allows remote flash, bounce your flash to a large surface so that the bounced light falls nicely on your subject.

Don’t forget the art of things

Worrying about all the technical things above can easily make us forget that photography is still an art. So, pick a good object, frame it nicely, and tell your story through the picture. ^_^

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