Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Photography
  3. Guides

Shutterfly guide shows you ‘how to take the perfect photo’ with any camera

Chase Melvin
By
shutterfly shows take perfect photo using dslr smartphone point shoot cameras guide 1
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Photo service Shutterfly has launched a Web-based, interactive photography guide designed to help you capture the best photos, regardless of the equipment you are using. Aptly titled, “How To Take The Perfect Photo,” this hands-on guide offers advice on how to shoot common types of images using your choice of camera: DSLR, smartphone, or compact point-and-shoot (mirrorless cameras aren’t an option, but you can use the DSLR tips). After making a camera selection on the menu, you then select the type of photo you’re interesting in shooting. Photo type choices include portraits, selfies, bokeh, macro, action shots, close-up, wide-angle, food, candid, by the water, landscape, and panorama.

After making the camera and photo type selections, the guide will give you two or three detailed, yet brief, tips on how to best capture the image. 

Recommended Videos

What’s great about this Shutterfly guide is its ease-of-use and versatility. You’ll be able to quickly navigate through the guide (as long as you know what camera and type of shot you want) and it offers a wealth of tips for many possible photo scenarios. For example, you’re in a restaurant and just received a stunning entrée – sounds like a great photo op. Using the “Perfect Photo” guide (or study and memorize these guides beforehand), you can set camera choice to “Smartphone” and photo type to “Food,” and then you’ll be advised to shoot your image from above and carefully choose your focal point by tapping the phone’s screen.

Related

Or, maybe you’re going on a rafting trip with your compact point-and-shoot camera, and you could use a few pointers. The photo guide will advise you to protect your camera, use a zoom lens to keep your distance, and to consider purchasing an underwater camera (if you frequently shoot near water). The guide will even offer some choices for underwater cameras to buy. 

The Shutterfly guide also gives advice on point and shoot cameras in different situations.
The Shutterfly guide also gives advice on point and shoot cameras in different situations. Image used with permission by copyright holder

Choose the camera and photo types, get some good advice, and take some interesting shots – it’s that simple. Of course, the tips are fairly rudimentary, as there are a lot more to taking great photos besides a few basic tips. But “How To Take The Perfect Photo” offers fundamental advice every new and intermediate photographer will find handy, and then move up from there.

In related news, CameraSim 3D will launch its interactive guide on how to shoot with a DSLR via a first-person 3D video game environment.

Editors' Recommendations

Chase Melvin
Chase Melvin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Chase Melvin is a writer and native New Yorker. He graduated from LIU Brooklyn where he spent 3 years as the News and Photo…
How to choose a camera: The ultimate guide to buying the right gear
From point-and-shoot to DSLR and mirrorless, here's how to choose a camera
Fujifilm X-T4

When Eastman Kodak unveiled the Brownie camera in 1900, it was little more than a cardboard box with a lens and a roll of film (a concept that made a bit of a comeback in 2019). As basic as it was, it was revolutionary in democratizing photography.
In those days, buying a camera was simple. Fast-forward more than a century later, and modern cameras are so diverse and advanced that buying one is definitely not a one-model-fits-all kind of decision.
Most of us already own a pretty decent camera in the form of a smartphone and knowing when a dedicated camera provides an actual benefit over our phones can be difficult to determine. Prices for new cameras range from a couple hundred to a few thousand dollars, with numerous brands and models at each tier along the way.
This guide is designed to get first-time camera buyers pointed in the right direction. As we'll be referencing different sensor sizes, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with those first, or scroll to the megapixel myth section for an explainer on why bigger sensors take better pictures.
Point-and-shoot cameras

These run a wide gamut. They can be compact, affordable, and easy to use, or advanced models with long zooms, large sensors, and full manual controls. The one constant is a lens that can't be removed from the camera.

Read more
7 cameras that revolutionized photography and changed how we take pictures
best tech of 2019 camera sony a7r iv

From the first camera obscura to 35mm film to the modern cameraphone, the tools photographers use have come a long way. How we understand and use imaging technology keeps advancing, and manufacturers are working hard to ensure they continue to create tools that meet the evolving needs of photographers. New cameras are released constantly, but most offer minor improvements and fail to leave a mark on history.

Here is a look at seven cameras that did the opposite, that revolutionized the industry and are still talked about today for their contributions to the art and craft of photography.
Leica I -- 1925
Copyright: Hubertl, Papperlapap, Markus G. Klötzer, Namrood, XanonymusX und Thomas Fries. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0 Image used with permission by copyright holder

Read more
The Oppo Reno 2’s quad camera array takes photos like no other at this price
oppo reno 2 hands on review camera features price back

Have you been looking enviously at phones with a telephoto zoom features, an ultra-wide camera lens, and plenty of other features like on the Huawei P30 Pro, the iPhone 11 Pro, and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10, but decided not to spend the money to get one? If so, the Oppo Reno 2 may be of interest, as it has an ultra-wide camera with a 5x zoom, a super macro mode, a Night mode, and smooth stabilization for video too.

In other words, it’s feature-packed; but it’s also a midrange phone, and the 450 British pound price (that's about $575) is very reasonable.

Read more