Digital Photography Basics
How many times have you taken a photo and been excited to think that you’ve taken the most amazing shot in the world, only to discover that once you have seen the picture on your computer or in print, that everything is so dark that you can’t tell who is who or what is what? Or you find that all you can make out is a line of rather fuzzy things that could be people, or trees, or a piece of abstract art?
So what went wrong?
Modern cameras are getting smarter and smarter. They are able to do fantastic things when in automatic mode to help you and I get better pictures.
But sometimes putting the camera on automatic isn’t enough and we need to use and change some of the controls and settings in the camera’s help menus to get a better picture.
How does that make you feel? Are you confident changing the settings on your camera, or does the thought of changing anything fill you with terror because you’ve never even looked in the manual, never mind taken the camera off automatic and looked inside a menu?
So what is holding you back? Is it simply a lack of knowledge? Are you completely in the dark when it comes to your digital compact camera, can’t tell your ISO from your AF?
You’re not alone. Many, many people struggle to make sense of the principles involved in photography and the common controls used by all cameras, whether you use a compact camera or digital SLR.
Does this sound like you? Have you ever caught yourself asking something like:
- How can I capture better holiday memories?
- Why can I not get a good picture of the children?
- How can I start taking better pictures?
- How do I get a better understanding of the way my compact camera works when no-one seems to want to explain it in a simple, straightforward way?
- How do I get a solid foundation of photographic knowledge, one that is explained in simple layman’s terms that can be understood by young and mature alike?
- How can I get more creative with the pictures I take?
Basic principles aren’t difficult to understand IF they are explained simply and in a way that uses everyday language. But when you flick through many of the camera manuals, they can seem to be written in a foreign language.
Well now I have a solution for you
I have a great series of articles and features for you, in which we take a look at some of the basic common controls found on most cameras, whether compact or DSLR.
In these articles, you will start to get an understanding of what each of the controls does, how they work, any disadvantages or draw backs to them and how to start getting better results from each control.
Using this understanding, you will be able to use each control to improve the quality of the pictures you take, and get yourself ready to move on to more complex techniques and camera controls.
What’s even more exciting is that everything will be explained in a straightforward, easy to understand way. If any photographic term or jargon is used, I’ll be sure there is a clear, concise and understandable explanation of what it is.
[box type=”tick”] Next up: Let’s start to build the foundations of your knowledge by starting with the basics.[/box]
