Have you just got hold of a new DSLR camera or are interested in buying one soon? If you enjoy or are looking to get into photography, they’re an absolute must. You might enjoy taking snaps on your normal camera or even a smartphone, but nothing beats the power and possibilities of a DSLR. If you get one, you’ll really open up a world of potential, and should be able to take pics that wow your friends soon enough. But DSLR cameras can be a bit complicated to newcomers. So read this article to find out more.
The good news is that although DSLR cameras can be a bit daunting when you get them out of the box. If you start practicing and following a few simple tips, you should start to see results improve dramatically. That means great photos soon enough. So let’s get started on how to use a DSLR camera:
1. Buy the right camera for you
There’s a lot of choice out there with DSLR cameras. You could really spend as much as you want, Obviously, if you’re new to photography (which you probably are if you’re reading this) then you might not want to pay thousands straight away. But this is still a serious piece of photography kit, so if you are serious about getting into it properly, you won’t want to skimp.
Check for reviews online and head to shops to get a feel for the actual cameras. After all, you’ll be holding this a lot so it needs to be something that is the right size and weight for you. You don’t have to buy it in-store, but once you’ve found one you like you can do some searches online to see if there are any discounts or bargain deals available. Shop around a bit and make an informed choice on your camera, because it’s quite an important decision.
2. Get your camera set up properly.
Before you start using your new DSLR camera you’ll need to get it set up. Get it out the box and follow the instructions carefully. Make sure you’ve got a memory stick that fits (there are a few different types). Make sure you can get the photos onto your computer or other storage device. You might have to install additional drivers or software. A USB cable might also be necessary. Make sure you’ve got the right batteries and charger, and that the camera is fully powered up before using.
3. Have a play
Before you start really taking your photography seriously with the next few steps, try having a fiddle and play around with your camera. Take a few snaps, it doesn’t matter how bad they are. Learn some of the different functions of your camera and have a go uploading photos. Make sure you understand the basics about how to turn on and use your camera before we start looking at more serious photography tips.
The great thing about a digital camera is that you can practice to your heart’s content without spending any more money. With a traditional camera, it took a lot of time and money to get good. And you had to wait for photos to developed to see how well you were doing. But importantly, you had to pay for the film. Now, with a digital camera, you can make as many errors as you want and this won’t cost you any more money. And you can see your results straight away.
4. Understand exposure
To get a better idea of how your camera works, you need to understand expose, and especially the exposure triangle. This exposure triangle is how three different parts of your camera work, and it affects the sort of photos you can produce.
The three things you need to understand to know how the exposure triangle works are ISO, aperture and shutter speed.
ISO is how sensitive the camera is to light. if you in a dark area, you can adjust the ISO to let me light in so you can produce a better picture. But increasing this ISO a lot could lead to the picture becoming grainy, so a fine balance is needed.
Aperture is how much the camera opens to allow a picture to be taken and what is treated more importantly by the camera, along with depth of field. The lower the aperture number, the more it opens to allow light to get to the sensor. Very low aperture leads to a shallow depth of field, while the opposite is true for a higher aperture.
Shutter speed refers to how long the shutter is open. Faster will lead to less light getting to the sensor. Having a longer shutter speed will allow a blurry shot, or one that implies motion. Whereas a shorter shutter speeds freeze a picture more clearly.
These three elements all work together to create an image, so it’s a good idea to understand how they work in order to take better photos.
You can start practicing photography with your camera by isolating one of the 3 different elements and leaving the other two the same. Change the settings and see how this influences your photos. Work with higher or lower aperture while leaving the other settings the same. Once you’ve worked out how altering the aperture can change a photo, leave it on one setting and change shutter speed settings. You get the idea. Eventually, you’ll learn what ISO, shutter speeds and aperture can do to a photo and will know what to change in different circumstances. They all work together in different ways to help come up with your photos. Learning how they work with your camera is important.
Hopefully, you now know a bit more about how to use your DSLR camera. Start enjoying yourself and taking some snaps. Start learning from mistakes and taking better pictures.
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