Holiday photography is probably not the best time to be trying
'tricks' - indeed, what follows are not really tricks, but a few
techniques that might produce a few different shots.


1. Switch on your camera flash if taking portraits in bright sun.
It may sound daft, but think of wedding photographers using
flash. It brightens shadows and puts a little catch-light in each
eye. Many cameras will now work out the flash exposure for you,
but even fixed systems are often OK.

A fully auto camera can be fooled into using flash by putting a
finger over it's sensor window. It then switches on the flash,
thinking the light has dropped.


2. Shoot into the sun, but keep it out of the picture. Sunlit
water, for example, will make the camera under expose, and any
foreground shapes will become silhouettes. Unfortunately, some
modern systems try to top you doing this - they think you have
made a mistake !


3. Take a polarising filter for still or video. A few seconds
revolving the filter in-front of the lens will show a new world
in many cases. Clouds stand out and colours become more saturated
while reflections are reduced.

The effect varies with he angle of the sun, and of the camera to
the reflecting surfaces. Exposure is taken care of by through the
lens systems, but for separate sensors an extra 1 1/2 stops are
needed. Use your cameras backlight button.

4. Try some night shots. Put the camera on a wall top or similar
and set the delayed action. Basic cameras will not be very
successful, but those with a reasonable auto exposure system will
give long exposures. If manual over ride is available, as on most
SLR's, try exposures of 10 or more seconds at f8/f11.