A few months ago we wrote an article to help aspiring photographers and photo-taking enthusiasts select the right dSLR for their needs. Now that the holidays—and holiday sales—have passed, we think it’s safe to say some of you are now proud of owners of a shiny new dSLR camera.
So for all those who have spent the past few weeks tinkering with this new toy, we’re sharing some of our favorite tips to help you maximize using your new dSLR camera.
1: Know the key terms
Photography in general has a ton of key terms you need to know in order to get the photo just right. But you don’t need to know everything at once—it’s okay to take things one setting at a time. Also, we’re here to help! We have a blog post that goes over the important camera definitions you need to know—check it out here.
2: Experiment with the settings
The one thing that makes a dSLR so great—the ability to customize and adjust your settings—is also what makes it intimidating to use. That said, don’t be afraid to experiment! Some of the best ways to learn is by trial and error. So go ahead and set that ISO too high or too low—you’ll see the impact when you review the shot and it will give you a better idea of how to adjust for next time.
3: Experiment in general
Take photos inside and outside, at night and in the morning, in motion or still life—the important thing is to just keep taking photos! The beautiful thing about using a digital camera is that a bad photo can simply be deleted.
4: Carry plenty of memory
It happens to the best of us. We spend hours shooting a beautiful scene and then, just when you get a good rhythm going, the camera says the card is full. Make sure you bring plenty of memory to your shoot—or have your laptop on site so you can backup everything to your hard drive.
5: Store your photos in the cloud
Speaking of backing up photos—while using a standard hard drive is a great best practice, you should also consider moving photos to the cloud. While it may seem silly to have backups of backups, a hard drive can corrupt or break. Plus, moving photos to the cloud will make them accessible anywhere you go.
Bonus tip: While a dSLR is a technical piece of equipment, learning all the ins and outs go by much quicker when they’re enjoyed. Make sure you’re having plenty of fun—it may sound crazy, but it will show in the photos you take.
