Digital Photography

So you’ve just gotten your first Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera. You’ve read the manual and surfed the web, and now you’re ready to start taking photos you’ll be proud to display on your wall.  Right?  Sure! But before you take off with camera in hand, take a moment to read over these five tips so you can help your images go from great to fabulous.

1.  Dump the Flash

While it’s true that professional photographers often do use a flash or complicated light rigs, you shouldn’t need a flash in most lighting conditions. Subjects taken in natural light often look more natural and have more detail and depth than pictures taken with a flash. Additionally, ditching the flash for the first week or so will make you intimately familiar with how your camera works with light – an invaluable skill for the beginning photographer.

2.   Turn Off Auto Focus

There’s no arguing that a camera that auto-focuses is infinitely handy and easy to use. However, learning how to focus on the fly is an important tool in any photographer’s tool box. Since cameras don’t understand your intent, it’s up to you to make sure you’re focused on the right thing at the right moment. It’s amazing how interesting an image can be when you let the focus be out of the direct center of the frame, so don’t forget to set your camera to manual from time to time.

3.  Take a Photo Class

You can buy all the books in the world and browse the internet for days, but the absolute best way to learn about photography is in a hands on environment. Find a class at a local college or adult school and see how understanding the basics will improve your photos for the better. As a bonus, your teacher will likely give you assignments based on individual elements of photography you may have never considered.

4.  Say Farewell to Color

Before you dive into color, buy a few rolls of T-Max 400 (great B&W film) and see if taking it back to the basics changes your interpretation of the world around you. You know it’s time to upgrade to taking color images when you can print a black and white image that has pure black, pure white and every tone in between. Shooting in black and white will force your mind to think less about the “photo” and more about how light interacts with objects (the important part) in a frame.

5.  Shoot, Shoot, Shoot

This may seem obvious, but if you’re interested in becoming a “great” photographer, you’ll need to shoot lots and lots of photos. The more pictures you take, the better you will get. Photography is often as much about luck and timing as it is technology and skill. Even “great” photographers only average 3-4 good photos at a time, so don’t worry about taking a lot of images. It’s far worse to miss a shot than take too many!

There is no secret trick to being an amazing photographer. The more you challenge yourself, the better you’ll become. If you start with a strong understanding of how your camera works and what it takes to take a good photo, the rest will come with practice. Your camera will never change- only your ability to manipulate it. So keep your camera close and extra film (or a memory card) on-hand. Never be afraid to experiment with new ideas! And remember, the best picture you’ll ever take is the one you’re about to take. And once you have that fantastic image, don’t forget to share it by framing it on your wall.