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Discover how Digital Dreams are created!
By Dan Feildman | October 5, 2008
Gone are the days when photography was viewed as an arduous and expensive hobby, or even a profession to master. The introduction of digital cameras has successfully broadened the spectrum of photography aficionados, with the affordability and convenience it has brought into the field. With the use of electronic devise to capture images in binary data, digital cameras allow the photographer a plethora of time and money saving alternatives, where he can view his photograph even before he prints it out, sort through the images to only save the appropriate ones and delete the rest and even upload the images directly onto his computer. This invariably allows the photographer a lot more freedom to experiment and explore, while also saving on the amount of time it would have cost him to scan individual pictures to his laptop. Present-day digital cameras also offer a multitude of image and lighting options to the user, letting him achieve what he once regarded as very difficult or even impossible.
But before you learn how to shoot exceptional pictures on your digi-cam, it is vital that you first understand how exactly a camera works. Most digital cameras boast of a Liquid Crystal Display on the back, which functions quite like the viewfinder. In fact, it allows the user a preview of the picture, even before it is shot, to make the requisite adjustments and review the picture right after it is taken. Images shot with digital technology, comprise of thousand of mega pixels, each of which is the equivalent of one million pixels or picture elements. Digital cameras are also equipped with, what is known as a Shutter-release button, which must be pressed in two steps, once to lock the exposure and adjust the focus and then to actually take the photograph. Also, digital cameras are more susceptible to ‘Camera Shake’ which may result in the image being blurred and hazy.
Most cameras are set by default to an automatic ISO setting which means that the camera automatically adjusts the ISO as per the light conditions. However, you can even adjust the ISO manually, as per the effect you are looking to create, which will also allow you to reduce the noise in the image. Here, the most important thing to remember is that the ISO setting and the light conditions are inversely related the brighter the light, the lower the ISO and vice versa. If you still find the resultant image noisy, that is you find random speckles dotting your image, you can even choose to work with the noise reduction tool, but doing so will mean that you are compromising on the picture detailing. Also, noise is much more prominent in a lager-sized print than in a smaller one.
If you prefer, your camera can self-adjust the flash settings to accommodate the light conditions. If you aren’t too comfortable with the use of flash, you avoid it altogether and enhance the lighting in the room. You can even toggle between the external flash unit which you fix on your camera, and the in-built flash mechanism. A trick many seasoned photographers use is to tilt the flash device upwards so that the light is reflected off the walls and the ceiling on the subject of your image. This creates a more subdued effect while also ensuring adequate exposure. Backlighting is recommended only when you want to specifically create a silhouette. More a more dramatic effect, you can use the flash to first light up the background and then apply an additional fill-in flash to bring out the subject in the foreground.
If you are looking to capture a rapidly moving object, you can activate the ‘Burst Mode’ on your camera. This will let you take multiple pictures in a rapid sequence, while you simply press down on the Shutter Release button. You can also increase the intensity of the color while capturing your images, to produce more vivid hues. You may also want to activate the Macro mode if you want to click a close up of a small object. Closing in, without making this adjustment may bring your subject out of focus. Digital cameras are also enhanced with Optical Zoom, where the focal length of the lens extends and retracts to let the image be magnified by the lens itself, while keeping the resolution intact, to produce images of the finest quality.
It is vital that you learn the correct way to hold your camera to obtain the best results the camera is capable of. Many cameras offer you only the LCD without the little viewfinder. This makes it impossible to hold the camera to your face, as you would other wise and compels you to take pictures while holding it at arms length. Needless to say, your image will be distorted as your hand is bound to be unsteady. This is one of the key points you need to bear in mind when purchasing your digital camera.
However, irrespective of how many pointers you may commit to memory or pages on in-depth analysis you master, the only way you can actually learn how to master your digital camera is by using it as often as you can. However, this is not to imply that you don’t refer to the manual at all. In fact, this is just what you need to do refer to the complete, detailed manual and not just the Quick Start Guide. Though it may seem a daunting task to plow through all those pages, it is essential that you start with the guide, simply because it explains what your camera is capable of and hence allows you to determine what you can achieve. Also, it does help to keep referring to the guide even while you’re practicing your photography skills to help to fine tune your expertise. You can even save the pictures you seem to have developed your technique on for reference, within the camera itself, or your computer. And every time you step out on a picnic or a hike, don’t forget to carry your camera along. Its practical size ensures that you don’t have to bother with bags of equipment, every time you set out on a foray into the world of photography. So go out there and capture your first master piece for all you know, there will be many more to follow.
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