Learning the W.I.S.E. Method of Photography for Point & Shoot Cameras
I created the W.I.S.E.® method of photography to help people remember an easy way to achieve professional photography results with any point & shoot camera. To take great photos, all you need to do is learn your way around your own camera and a good starting point is to read your camera's manual. Once you become more familiar with your camera's features, you will be able to achieve professional results that are even better than setting your camera to full auto mode. Let's take a look at what the W.I.S.E.® method of photography is, and how to use it.

W.I.S.E.® represents: W=White Balance - I=ISO - S=Scene Selection - E=Exposure Compensation

W=

White Balance: Every light source gives off a different color (kelvin) temperature that your camera records. Set your white balance to the current lighting conditions. If the sun is out, use the sunny white balance. If its 100% cloudy, use the cloudy white balance, and so on. You can also use white balance to produce different color effects for artistic results. Here are some sample images of a scene shot with different white balance settings:

I=

ISO: Is "film speed." A lower number, such as 100, will result in clean, grain-free images. This is concidered a slow speed. ISO 100 would be a good choice for landscape photography while using a tripod. ISO 800 or higher is concidered fast, and with a higher ISO setting and your shutter speed a few stops faster, you should be able to hold by hand. ISO 800 is a good choice for shooting sports, action shots, and other fast-moving objects. Here are some examples of how ISO affects your image.

At first glance these images appear to be the same.

ISO 100

ISO 400

ISO 800

But if you look closer you will notice the effect ISO has on an image. Look at the background, notice the grain.

ISO 100 Enlarged

ISO 400 Enlarged

ISO 800 Enlarged

S=

Scene Selection: Scene selection does many things. It tells the camera what type of picture you're going to take and it sets all the appropriate camera settings including aperture. If you know what each scene does it gives you more control over an image. It's important to note that when you choose a scene selection in some cameras, you may lose the ability to manually select an ISO speed. If you want to retain control over ISO, choose Program mode.

Full Depth of Field

When shooting full depth of field (everything in focus) use the landscape scene. Your camera will use the smallest aperture to get full depth of field. If it's bright enough outside your camera will use the highest ISO of 100, if it's dark it might use 400 or 800. This setting works best with a tripod.

Shallow Depth of Field

For shallow depth of field (only your subject in focus) use the portrait scene. Your camera will use a larger aperture to isolate your subject,  keeping it in focus while rendering the background blurry. This will give your photo a more three-dimensional look.

E=

Exposure Compensation: This controls the exposure (brightness and darkness) of your image. You can adjust this by plus or minus to get a better exposure. Here are some examples of what exposure compensation does to an image:

To get professional results:

• Use a tripod with self timer mode. This will ensure sharper images.
• Set your point & shoot camera manually using the W.I.S.E.® method.