Version: 2008
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Frequent photo flubs: 15 picture pitfalls and how to avoid them


Avoid these pitfalls
14: Stamp out date stamps
Stamp out date stamps
Pitfall explanation
A bright, colorful photo with a grinning child--say hello to the classic snapshot. But please, it's time to say good-bye to that artifact of film photography: the date stamp. With digital photography, you don't need to emblazon the date across the laps of little children. The metadata stored in the image file records the time that you snapped the photo, and you can view that information with any number of free utilities.

Can this photo be saved?
Not really. Cropping out the date stamp would cut across his hands and result in a less powerful composition.

How can I avoid this problem?
If your camera has a date-stamping feature, don't use it.

Which cameras handle these scenes best?
Any of them.
Editors' top cameras



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