There’s no one way to do things.

By not using a flash you are able to capture natural light giving your image life and realism.

Its been awhile and I hope you all enjoyed your holidays, I know my family and I did. I’m sure many of you out there probably got some really awesome gifts and I’m sure some of those were probably cameras. Well now is the time to learn about that expensive toy that you just got and there’s no better time like the present. It’s not going to be easy but I assure you, once you start to get an understanding you will become addicted and you will love taking photos.

Learning how to adjust your camera allows you to shoot in a variety of conditions such as in a cave with very little to no light available.

I was talking to a new photographer the other day and we were discussing the challenges of learning photography. As we all know, photography is not simple. There is no magic button and getting things right in the camera can be very challenging. New photographers are very lucky to be growing up in the digital age. Film was so very different. There could be a great length of time between the time you took the photo and the chance you got to see the result on paper to determine if your training was paying off or not. Digital photographers have the ability to learn so much more quickly because they can instantly see the result of their photo. This makes understanding and learning so much easier.

What a new photographer needs to remember is that you have to learn each aspect of a cameras functions and understand how, when combined with all of the other aspects, they work together to make a great photo. You cant just

Experiment with different settings to see how they adjust the image result. The only way to learn is to try.

learn Aperture and not learn ISO or Shutter Speed. At the same token just learning ISO will not bring you great photos, you have to learn what works with ISO to make a great photo. And still you have to realize that no two photos will have the same settings. As I have mentioned before, a camera is not an image capturing device it is a light capturing device plain and simple. Everything it does, everything it was created to do was to capture light and how the eye sees light. There is no magic Aperture setting that will work for most photos or one magic Shutter Speed. They will change from minute to minute, setting to setting, and light change to light change. You have to experiment to find what works.

To help you understand what settings to use, I suggest shooting with your information display on to help you learn these settings. Your camera is a sophisticated piece of technological and engineering art. Its pretty dang smart but it’s not perfect. Much like your high school algebra teacher. They can teach you how to use the tool but they themselves wont be solving any of the worlds most advanced algorithmic anomalies. When you shoot in any of the automatic settings the camera will then adjust certain settings for you based upon its interpretation of the light in the photo. By reviewing your settings on the display after a shot you can begin to see why the camera chose an ISO of 400 and a Shutter speed of 2500 when you had the Aperture set to 2.8 on a really sunny day on the soccer field. You can begin to understand how they all work together and how by changing one it affects the other like changing your Aperture to 11 and seeing your Shutter Speed then drop to 850. A camera is much like a performance car. The fuel injection, ignition, piston size, camshaft size, timing, and transmission all

If I had used flash it would have made the image appear flat and unflattering. By shooting without a flash you add drama to your image.

work together to gain the most performance possible. You cannot adjust one and expect to get great results. They all have to work in concert to achieve the desired output.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to learn how these functions all work. Read, and read a lot. We all learn different ways but trust me, picking up a book at the locale B&N or Borders and studying what knowledge other photographers are willing to share will help you go a long way in your quest to take the perfect photo. There are many, many, many, online resources and YouTube videos out there that will teach you how to use the settings on your camera. Before you go spending a ton of money on a photography class check these out. They are quick, easy to understand and most of all FREE! What a bonus right?! Find one that works for you and you’ll be glad you did.

I don’t usually do plugs but this book really helped me understand my camera and I suggest it to everyone. It’s the Digital Photography Field Guide by Harold Davis. You can find it on Amazon for a good price. They also make books designed specifically for your camera model if you happen to have a DSLR with one of the major brands (Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc) so check it out and buy the book. It will be money well spent. An investment in your photography eduction if you will.

Feel free to share your own findings. We all learn better when we share.

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