Photographing your Boat

This is not going to be a long winded technical page all about F stops and shutter speeds there are plenty of books about that.  However, the information below may help you to improve the pictures you take of your boat.

Although I don't suggest that you run out and buy a new camera just to take pictures of your model boat, I have included some information on what you can expect to achieve with a variety of different types of camera.

Probably the most simple camera to use is a 35mm or APS compact camera.  These are available with or without autofocus and zoom lens depending on the model.  The more advanced models also have fill-in flash and close-up mode (these will be explained later).  A basic compact camera without zoom lens is fine for general pictures of model boats and groups of boats.  A model with a zoom lens and close-up will allow you to photograph small details on your model and also to take good pictures of your boat on the water.

The next step up is a  35mm SLR or APS SLR camera, either manual or autofocus.  These cameras have the ability to change lenses and therefore allowing much greater scope.  Lenses for these cameras include wide angle, macro (close-up), zoom and telephoto.  These cameras were once only used by professionals and keen amateurs, due to their complexity.  However, the modern types have all sorts of program and auto modes making them no more difficult to use than some compacts. They also allow you to use a more powerful separate flash gun if required.

Finally, we have the digital camera.  There are a lot of these cameras about at the moment and you have to give some thought as to what you want to do with your pictures before you buy one of these.  Unless you only intend to view your pictures on your computer or put them on a web site I would suggest that you avoid the cheap low resolution models.  The images produced by these cameras are just not up to being printed out.  The higher resolution models (2.1 megapixel and above) produce decent pictures which are suitable for printing out as well as being ideal for web sites. As with traditional cameras, there are a host of facilities available on their digital counterparts. These include zoom lenses, wide angle lenses, close-up mode and much more.  The more you pay the more you get!  One advantage the digital camera has over the traditional type is that most of them have an LCD display on the back which allows you to preview your pictures and delete them if unsatisfactory.  This can be very useful if you are after one really good shot of your boat.  One drawback with some digital cameras is the cost of the memory card, however this can be used over and over again by removing unwanted images or transferring them to a computer. Well that's it on cameras, the choice is yours to make!

Tips on Taking Pictures of your Boat >>>

Most poor pictures of model boats are usually due to being either out of focus, suffering from camera shake or the image is just too small to have impact.  In most cases these problems can be overcome quite easily:

To avoid out of focus pictures either make sure that the autofocus indicator is lit on your camera, the image is sharp in the viewfinder, or that you are not too close to the subject.  Most inexpensive compacts will not focus any closer than about 4 - 6 feet.

Try using a tripod or monopod to avoid camera shake or rest your camera on a firm object.  A wall, bench or fence etc.

If your boat looks just too small in the picture try moving closer in to take your picture making sure your model is still in focus.  Sadly, this is not usually possible with the cheaper compact cameras.