I struggled today...not with the two in the photo but with the camera.
the shot looks much better on the camera's LCD but when I open it in photoshop - omg - it was grainy and dark.
I am uploading the photo exactly how it came off the camera.


Camera: Kodak Easyshare P850 (5.1megapixels)
f2.8, 1/20, -2.0,-0.7, iso400

The subjects - fortunately - my pets.

I kept playing around with the shutter speeds & aperture because I either kept getting blurs, or overexposure.

okay what do i need to do for better shots.
I hope to set this one up again with better results after the critiquing.

Thanks in advance

Hi,

A difficult thing to deal with is just how much better a photograph looks in the LCD vs what the histogram actually looks like. For example, I find that properly exposed images look washed out in my LCD.

So - there are two things. The first is metering the scene properly. I have never used a Kodak Easyshare. However, I would be surprised if it does not offer a spot metering mode. Metering off of a mid-toned part of the critter, or other object, in the scene may give you a much better exposure.

James

Also, I expect a lower iso (if possible) would give a less grainy image.

Dave

Your primary problems is light. You are not going to get good indoor shots without light. The onboard flash will give red eye and harsh shadows.

I would set your easyshare(which I think allows for this) on aperture priority at the 2.8 and use whatever light sources you can find. If you have shop lights, those can work great in a pinch.

Outdoor photos in evening sun are lovely, but, I doubt I would put the Macaw out there!