An area where tall tales are exchanged and some of the greatest table top hockey games of all time have taken place. The purest forms of decor are painted concrete floors and a fine array of garage sales finds. A real wood burning stove occupies the finer rec rooms of Canada.

Most common location…basement.

A tradition of Canadian culture. A place to relax and gather for games and entertainment. The rec room (aka recreation room).

At this stage of the dart game, the goalie is pulled for safety reasons.

Table Top Hockey and Billiards are some of the favorites.

Sharks come in all sizes.

Tips for Indoor Hand-held Shooting

It’s easy to believe that a well lit room indoors should be fine for photography. Our eyes deceive us because they are so remarkably adaptable. Indoor light at it’s best is not always adequate. That’s why the flash was invented.

Flash works well but can be harsh, so flash diffusers of every shape and size followed the flash. An external flash can be pointed to a ceiling to bounce light. Being less direct, bouncing helps. I have all that flash gear and gizmos, and still hesitate to use it.

With these shots, I started out using the flash and after a short while put it away. Ambient light is so much nicer. For example, the light on the Christmas tree will have a rich warm glow with no flash. Use the flash and it loses the magic of ambient light.

The cause of blurry photos is almost always a lack of light. The shutter is thirsty for light. If there isn’t enough light, it stays open to drink in more. If you’re holding the camera in poor light, any slight movement will compromise the sharpness. This is known as camera shake.

Wide Angle Shutter Speed :

You need a shutter speed of about 1/30 of a second with a steady hand. So let’s say about 1/60 of a second to be carefree about it. Wide angle means zooming out. These shots were wide angle.

Telephoto Shutter Speed :

The more you zoom in, the more it slows down the shutter speed. This all depends on how much zoom is involved. I’ll suggest about 1/300 of a second shutter speed is required. That said, I have a 400mm lens that needs about 1/650 of a second for tack sharp shots. These are guidelines.

Here are some options :

• Use the ISO feature. It boosts the shutter speed. Here’s a whole lot more on ISO.
• Use a tripod with a cable release or use the self timer function. This works for still scenes only. You need not be concerned with shutter speed using a tripod.

Other commonly quoted options :

• Add light. Turn on all the lights. If daytime, open all the blinds. This is OK.
• Use the flash. You’ll decide in time how and when to use it.

I would have liked to take more photos, but who could resist the home made Christmas dinner call.

It’s the new year. All the best to you and yours.

Have fun, take lots of photos and share them.