[caption id="attachment_7105" align="alignright" width="210" caption="The Canon Rebel t3i was one of the most popular DSLR cameras this holiday season"]
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Chances are many of you out there have just opened your holiday gifts to be surprised by a brand new DSLR or Mirrorless camera. It looks impressive, if not imposing, and it sure cost your significant other quite a pretty penny. So now what do you do with it? Chances are after fumbling to attach the kit lens and camera strap, you have set the camera to "AUTO" mode. Getting the camera out of the box and setup was probably more than enough work for you and you're well on your way to being a great photographer, right? Well it really isn't that simple, there is so much to learn about photography beyond "AUTO" mode on your camera. If you really want to get this most out of your camera, you need to learn the fundamentals of photography. It isn't so much about learning how to use the particular camera you own, but photography in general. Once you have those skills under your belt, using ANY camera will be a breeze. Here are a few quick tips I came up with for the new DSLR owner.
1. Take a Class
The best thing you can do is get your derriere into a photography class. Many of the younger employees here at Unique Photo went to Montclair State University or another local NJ/NY school to earn a degree in photography. Chances are many of you don't have the time or resources to go back to school for a degree. The good news is that we offer a wide range of classes targeted towards beginners here at Unique Photo. Do not try to learn photography or how your camera works by reading your camera manual. The camera manual is great if you have a question of how a function works on your specific camera, but it will certainly not teach you how to become a better photographer. There are some great videos and books out there that cover the basics of photography, but from my own personal experience, it was best to learn from another person. A hands-on learning experience helps you "get" how everything works much quicker than trying to figure it out from reading a book.
2. Get the camera off AUTO mode
[caption id="attachment_7108" align="alignright" width="300" caption="SAY NO TO AUTO-MODE"]
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If you plan on improving your photography even the tinniest bit, get your camera out of AUTOMATIC mode. There is almost no point to using automatic mode and expecting anything more than average photos. Sure beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but why settle for less when your camera can do so much more? In the GOOD OLD days people had use manual focus lenses and fully manual cameras. Somehow they were able to manage and take amazing pictures. Even the casual user knew how to user their camera. So despite all the gadgetry and confusion that supposedly exists with digital cameras, the fundamental principles of photographic exposure have remained the same. Try to remain calm when looking at the back of your digital camera. Many of the buttons and dials can be learned about later. To get started, there are really only three settings you need to learn to use: ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. Even getting your camera to "Program' or "P" mode is going to let you at least control exposure compensation, whether or not you use a flash, and/or your white balance.
3. Practice, practice, practice
Beyond reading anything online, taking any kind of classes, etc... The number one thing you can do to improve your photography is to practice. That means making mistakes! It is perfectly fine to make 100's of mistakes with your DSLR because you can just format your memory card and start over for free! Learning on a digital camera is actually easier than learning on film like many of us old-timers did, but many people throw a monkey wrench into this process by over complicating and worrying about all of the unnecessary scene modes and weird features on their cameras. As I mentioned, to really understand the fundamentals of photography you should just learn how to change your ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. Worry about white balance, focusing modes, and everything else later on. If your pictures really aren't coming out right and you are afraid you messed up something in the camera menu, you can always restore your camera back to factory default settings. If you make a mistake while you are out photographing, don't delete the picture in-camera on the spot. Take the opportunity to look at your photos on the computer later and understand why you made those mistakes.
4. Read for specific issues
[caption id="attachment_7112" align="alignright" width="300" caption="There is a lot of good information online for photographers, but there is also a lot of useless technical rubbish as well (art: justinketterer.com)"]
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Once you get your feet wet in photography, chances are there will be specific types of images that you would like to create. The good news is that there are plentiful resources online that can help you with your bizarre questions. Chances are you aren't the first person to wonder how to photograph ducks playing basketball or how to do 8-point lighting on a half eaten cheese sandwich. Google is your best friend. On the other hand chances are you will lose best friends if you continue to pester them with your obscure newbie photography questions. That isn't the case with me though. When your obscure questions stumps google or gets the "ignore" button from your friend's cell phone, you can always try e-mailing me: [email protected]. I try to check my e-mail everyday and will do my best to help you out or at least point in you the right direction. On the other hand, the worst thing you can do is dive into the rabbit hole of online photography forums where you will sometimes find helpful advice, but often you will find middle-aged men screaming at each other about who has better equipment or what lens is slightly sharper than another similar one. You may even read someone saying that the camera you just got as a gift, stinks! This is all rubbish and you should leave the bickering to the flaccid mathematicians. If you are ever overwhelmed by the massive disinformation campaign of online photography forums, turn off your computer and do your best based on what you already know. I've had to perform far too many exorcisms on customers who have walked into the store possessed by the dpreview forum demons.
5. Bring your camera everywhere
[caption id="attachment_7109" align="alignright" width="263" caption="Think bringing a camera everywhere is pain? At least you aren't this poor guy!"]
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One of the mistakes some new photographers make is only using their cameras when they are going on a trip/vacation or when they are taking a photography class. If you follow this, you'll never become a better photographer, but you will feel more frustrated. This is like trying to become an expert chef by occasionally watching the Food Network and adding some oregano to your mac & cheese. It just doesn't work that way. The old cliche "Practice makes perfect!' is 100% true in the world of digital photography. Camera manufacturers would like you to believe that the latest greatest "HDR super scene" mode is going to make you a better photographer, but it is actually the persistence and dedication to learning the fundamentals that will help make the technical side of photography and afterthought. Then you can focus on personal/artistic style, which is what photography is really about.