Experimenting With Your New Camera

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

08 Sep 2007 07:02 PM

Holidays are one of the most popular times to take photographs. Which is why last year I asked for a new camera in August (the month of my birthday). Doing so allowed me to experiment with my new device for at least three months before I used it to capture magical holiday moments.

If you don't feel your camera is providing you with the quality photos you desire now is the time of year to purchase a new one. Not only will you be able to take advantage of some amazing end of the season sales, but you will also have enough time to familiarize yourself with your new equipment before you put it to extensive use during the holiday season.

Manual Modes. Once you get your new camera you'll want to explore all of its features. One of the first things I do is to experiment with the manual modes. If you have a digital camera this is easy and affordable to do since you don't have to deal with film (you can take as many pictures as you want) or developing costs. You can spend countless hours finding out how every shutter speed and aperture setting affects the photos you take indoors, outdoors, and in low light situations. I also like to test how the camera takes action shots and portraits--manually. It's true; most cameras come with auto preset portrait and action modes, which simply change the aperture and shutter-speed settings for you, but it doesn't hurt to take control and experiment on your own. Who knows... you might really like the results.

Fiddle with the Flash. Automatic flashes on most point-and-shoot cameras are very fickle. They tend to do poorly when you are shooting in a dimly lit room. When you try to get close to your subject, the flash overexposes precious details. When you stand too far away, the shot is too dark. A good way to avoid this dilemma is to light your subject and room properly and experiment with your camera settings. For example, you could change the ISO settings on your camera. It's equivalent to changing film speed from 100 to 400. Light is captured faster at 400 than 100, but the shots will be grainier. Raising the ISO level in digital photography makes the pixels more obvious in your image. If you don't like the results with that option you could also fool around with the "night" photography preset on your camera (most digital cameras have this feature--it's the little picture of a person with a star). This setting uses the flash, but it holds the shutter open for a bit longer than if you opted not to activate it.

Related Articles:

Tips For Taking Pictures With Your Camera Phone

Digital Photography 101: The Pros and Cons of Ultracompact Cameras

Digital Photography 101: Ready, Set, Shoot

Digital Photography 101: Picking The Perfect Camera

Digital Photography 101: Getting To Know Your Camera

Digital Photography 101: An Introduction

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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