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Chances are you’re a bit of a social butterfly at the moment. Between work functions, Christmas gatherings and the fast approaching New Year’s Eve, there are plenty of excuses to don a killer dress and head out with your nearest and dearest.
If you don’t want December to pass by as a whirlwind of blurry memories then you need to start getting snap happy.
Now is the best time to get heaps of shots of you and your friends having a good time, you’ll appreciate looking back on them so much when it’s the middle of another long depressing winter! But capturing the moment when you’re out and about can be tricky!
Here are our top tips for party photography… Tip 1: The Camera When taking photos on the go, you need a sexy wee camera that can easily fit in your handbag or pocket. We’re in love with the gorgeous Sony Cybershot T10 (and not just because it comes in pink!). This great camera may be small enough to cart around, but it doesn’t compromise on features. It has 7.2 megapixels and has a fantastic 2.5 inch LCD screen so you can easily view your images.
Tip 2: Take Lots of Shots It’s not like you have to worry about wasting film, so clear off your camera’s memory before you head out and get snap happy. When you’re taking photos at a party, chances are you’ll end up with lots of unusable eyes-half-open type images, which is why it’s important to take a lot of photos, that way you’re guaranteed to end up with at least a few keepers! Invest in a high capacity memory card like a 4GB Memory Stick, or use medium resolution settings such as 3MP for shots that you don’t plan on printing out larger than 6x4” size so you can fit even more shots!
Tip 3: Avoiding Blurry Photos It’s hard when you’re seeing the world through champagne tinted glasses to hold that camera steady. The photos may look alright on the viewing screen, but if you download them the next day only to discover they’re a blurry mess then action must be taken! A good start is to look for a camera with an anti-blur function. The T10’s Double Anti-blur Solution is a powerful technology combining Optical Image Stabilisation with High ISO Sensitivity that works to reduce blur, giving you crystal clear images, even if your hand isn’t perfectly still or you’re shooting in low light conditions (both obvious side effects of a party!).
Tip 4: Lighting Obviously this ties into the blurriness factor, but do think a little about your lighting. Utilising ambient lighting can result in some great images, but you need to play around to make sure you’ve got enough light for the photo to come out. Also check your camera settings if you are using a flash to make sure red-eye reduction is turned on… friends with devil eyes never look good!
Tip 5: The Self Portrait Take a camera to a party and inevitably you will whip it out and try and take a photo of yourself and a friend. The problem with this is one person is almost cut out the picture and the other one (usually the photo taker) suddenly looks like they have four chins! Spend some time perfecting your angles, so next time you meet a hot boy/ celebrity/ long lost friend, you can get the shot with ease and actually be proud of it! The T10 also has a 2 or 10 second self-timer function for even easier shots of you and your friends without a photographer, just rest your camera on somewhere stable and get ready for the shot!
Tip 6: Go for Variety Make sure you get a mix of candid and posed photos. It’s great to have nice photos of people smiling prettily for the camera, but the candid shots tend to be the real keepers if you’ve timed them right. The key to catching people unawares is to keep your camera handy at all times (around your wrist is a great spot) so you can flick it up and capture the moment before the subject has even realised what’s happened.
Tip 7: Don’t Touch Delete Ok, actually you can hit the delete button whenever you like, it’s your camera after all, but don’t let anyone else get precious and start getting rid of any shots. You definitely want to have all the images on your camera to laugh at the next day, so have a firm “no deleting” policy in place!
Tip 8: Look After Your Camera Really, we can’t emphasise this tip enough. One of the nzgirl staff knows first hand how upsetting it is to lose your camera during a big night. Not only do you miss out on the pictures, but cameras aren’t exactly cheap to replace! Keep your camera on you at all times - the T10 comes supplied with a handy wrist-strap to keep your camera close - or assign a trustworthy friend to look after it. Whatever you do, don’t leave it unattended even if the DJ starts playing your favourite song and you really, really, really want to dance, ‘cause the chances are you won’t see it again
Need some inspiration for taking casual party shots? Head to www.sony.co.nz/cybershot/T10/, there’s a great gallery of images taken at fun events so you’re sure to get some ideas. While you’re on the site make sure you enter the competition to win a pink Sony Cybershot T10 for yourself*… after all every girl wants a pink camera!
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moment. Between work functions, Christmas gatherings and the fast approaching New Year’s Eve, there are plenty of excuses to don a killer dress and head out with your nearest and dearest.
It’s hard when you’re seeing the world through champagne tinted glasses to hold that camera steady. The photos may look alright on the viewing screen, but if you download them the next day only to discover they’re a blurry mess then action must be taken! A good start is to look for a camera with an anti-blur function. The T10’s Double Anti-blur Solution is a powerful technology combining Optical Image Stabilisation with High ISO Sensitivity that works to reduce blur, giving you crystal clear images, even if your hand isn’t perfectly still or you’re shooting in low light conditions (both obvious side effects of a party!).
Take a camera to a party and inevitably you will whip it out and try and take a photo of yourself and a friend. The problem with this is one person is almost cut out the picture and the other one (usually the photo taker) suddenly looks like they have four chins! Spend some time perfecting your angles, so next time you meet a hot boy/ celebrity/ long lost friend, you can get the shot with ease and actually be proud of it! The T10 also has a 2 or 10 second self-timer function for even easier shots of you and your friends without a photographer, just rest your camera on somewhere stable and get ready for the shot!
en realised what’s happened.
Need some inspiration for taking casual party shots? Head to