With the advent of cheap digital cameras anyone can grab one and snap hundreds of pictures. Without the cost of developing, taking multiple shots is easy, smart and inexpensive. Out of those hundreds of pictures, a few will be decent. Cropping on your computer will help with the composition and the photos that cannot be fixed with Photoshop go into the recycle bin. This is modern photography for the beginner, consider this option.
It’s lazy, wasteful and even though a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then it teaches the photographer nothing and reinforces bad habits that can set a veteran photographer’s teeth to grinding. The sad thing is photography is not difficult. The work required to edit, crop and Photoshop pictures could be reduced or eliminated with just a few tips.
Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) Cameras are your only choice
Seriously. Simple little point-and-shoot cameras have their place. Stick one in your pocket to catch those shots that you would normally miss or, better yet, give it to you non-photographer friend to snap hundreds of pictures while you get a dozen great shots of your real subject.
The difference between compact and DSLR cameras are many, but the most important is the ability to control what the camera ‘sees.’ A DSLR is not stuck in some generic mode and you can determine focus, aperture, depth-of-field, focal points and other significant aspects of your camera. Most importantly, you can get lenses for your DSLR camera that change what the camera sees. Zoom lenses can bring distant objects closer, without losing digital quality while wide angle lenses, often referred to as landscape lenses, are designed to get more of what you see in the picture.
Don’t leave home without your camera
Practice constantly. No matter what you are doing, you should have your camera with you and, no, I’m not talking about the camera on your smartphone. Get used to the weight on your shoulders and take pictures. Not only for practice, but to train your eyes to see exactly what the camera sees.
You never know when you will be inspired with a view or scene and if you don’t have your camera, it does you no good. There are many reasons to carry your camera all the time, pick one and stick with it.
Take your tripod
Since we are talking about carrying your camera everywhere, there is no reason not to take accessories with you, as well. Extra lenses, your tripod for stability, a camera strap to secure your camera around your neck or on your shoulder should all be in your camera bag or on your shoulder to use when inspiration strikes.
Your tripod, as awkward as it might be to lug around, is one of the most indispensable tools you have at your disposal. Having a tripod will minimize the natural shakiness that gets transmitted to digital pictures and allows you to use advanced techniques to get those special shots or just reduce personal shake enough to get sunrise or sunset pictures.
Learn Long Exposure techniques
Speaking of advanced techniques, one that any serious photographer should learn is Long Exposure. Long exposure means keeping the shutter open for extended lengths of time. Depending on the effect you are trying to achieve, a 30-second exposure is not uncommon.
Long exposure shots blur moving objects in the photograph. Water will appear as flat and cloth-like, car headlights appear as long streaks of light and all moving objects blur. It is a wonderful technique that can take your photographs to the next level, but it takes patience, practice and a good tripod.
Practice High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography
Since camera sensors don’t have the same range as the human eye, it can be difficult to take a photograph that captures the detail in both light and shadow. On standard shooting modes, the camera (or you) will choose one or the other quality to show, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
There are two ways to take HDR photos that will capture contrasting scenes with detail closer to what the eye can see. The first can be done by the camera if it has a HDR setting. The camera will adjust exposure and light levels to bring out the colors in the shadows and mute the brightness of the light. This setting is fine, but it leaves the control to the camera. That’s good for most photos, but bracketing, the second method, allows you to take multiple pictures and blend them together to get those great shots. It is a wonderful technique to explore.
Becoming a photographer means devotion to your craft. It’s all about learning good techniques, having the appropriate equipment and practicing taking great pictures within the camera not with Photoshop. Save the processing tricks for when you are a good photographer to make your pictures even better.
Author bio – Aside from primary area of interest and expertise in business consulting, Ian could be tagged also as a passionate sports fan, nature and photography enthusiast, always trying to keep up to date with tech innovations and development, with particular interest in trying to master the fine art of Social intelligence.
