Getting the most out of your camera

To capture high-quality images suitable for banner printing, follow these tips

1. Use the Highest Image Setting

  • Switch your camera to the highest resolution (JPG “High” or RAW).

  • Navigate via:
    Menu > Image Quality / Resolution / Image Size

  • Choose the largest pixel dimensions or “Best” quality setting.

2. Shoot in Portrait Orientation

  • Over 75% of a landscape image is cropped for the final banner.

  • To keep as much of your composition as possible, shoot in vertical (portrait) orientation.

Click on the links to see a comparison of portrait and landscape cropping.

3. Simplify Your Composition

  • Banners work best with less cluttered images.

  • Try using bokeh—a soft background blur—to highlight your subject.

“In photography, bokeh is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens. Bokeh occurs for parts of the scene that lie outside the depth of field. Photographers sometimes deliberately use a shallow focus technique to create images with prominent out-of-focus regions.”
~ source: Wikipedia

4. Keep Your Subject in Focus

  • Shallow depth of field is okay, but your main subject must be sharp.

  • Check focus before capturing.

5. Be Creative with Perspective

Avoid repetitive shots from common angles. Instead try:

  • Close-ups of familiar scenes

  • New perspectives (get low or high)

  • Different times of day or lighting

  • Emphasizing unique textures or patterns