administration mode
Pssst...Ferdy is the creator of JungleDragon, an awesome wildlife community. Visit JungleDragon

 

Article: 20 DSLR photography tips »

FERDY CHRISTANT - APR 29, 2008 (08:02:23 AM)

This article lists 20 tips to get started with DSLR photography. It is particularly useful to those who are used to point-and-shoot digicams and now want to take the next step in their photography skills.

I first got in touch with a DSLR camera during our holiday in Costa Rica. You can check some of those pics here and here. Although we got a lot of postive feedback about those pictures, there's a problem with them. We used the DSLR cam as if it were a point-and-shoot snapshot cam in automatic mode, not knowing about the power of the various manual controls. The fact that some of our pics turned out nicely, says more about the camera than it says about our skills. Furthermore, the selection we published is a very small subset of the 1,200 pics that we took in total, of which many are of a sub optimal quality.

By experimenting a bit and reading a few books, I now know more about DSLR photography, and we hope to put this in practice during our next trip. Most people know from experience that when it comes to services that could be anything from those provided by o2.co.uk to computer lessons or software or bits of equipment, that having some tips from a fellow user can come in handy. The DSLR is not hugely complicated to use but it does take some time to get used to. Hopefully with the following information you should be able to cut a few corners while you learn. I'm still a beginner though, so here's a beginner passing on beginner tips to those who are just beginning with DSLR photography :)

1. Landscape composition

If you're shooting landscapes, there is a very easy rule to follow: the rule of the thirds. The idea is simple: 1/3 or 2/3 of your image should make up either the sky or the foreground, depending on where you want to put the focus on. This gives the photo more depth and a more dramatic look. It's a simple tip but beginners often position the horizon at exactly 1/2 of the photo.

Below is a photograph with the horizon at roughly 1/2 of the photo. Quite dull, and without any depth:

The next one focuses on the foreground, with the foreground at 2/3 and the sky at 1/3. Notice how this increases the depth:

And this one focuses on the sky (2/3), and leaves 1/3 for the foreground:

2. How to use aperture

somewhere on your cam, there is a manual setting that shows the options P, A, S, and M. A stands for aperture. Personally, I find this the most useful manual override on any cam. Aperture indicates how much of the stuff you see in your viewfinder will be in focus. A low aperture means that only the foreground will be in focus, whilst the background will be fuzzy. This is typically used for close-ups and macro-photography, or when you simply want to highlight a subject in the photo. A high aperture means that everything will be in focus, this is typically used for landscapes.

This example shows a subject shot with a low aperture, putting the foreground in focus whilst the background is fuzzy:

This example uses a high aperture, meaning that the full scene is in focus:

The range of aperture settings differ per lens, so be sure to play around with this.

3. How to shoot ultra-sharp images

The key to shooting ultra-sharp images is to of course keep your camera steady. Most cameras now have automatic stabilizers, giving you some tolerance in your movement. However, I noticed that even with the automatic stabilizers, upon close inspection on a large LCD screen, most of our pics had subtle blur effects in them. The only way to truly avoid this is to use a tripod. Inconvenient, but indispensable if you have the believe the experts. I have no experience with a tripod, but I will definitely bring one along on our next trip. An alternative is to use the self-timer of the cam, but you will not always have a steady surface to place the cam on.

4. Shoot in soft light

This one was kind of counter intuitive when I first heard it. I thought the best time to go shooting was in full daylight, but nothing could be further from the truth. Direct sunlight is in fact a photographer's nightmare. It causes overexposure, harsh shadows and a loss of detail. The best time to go shooting is at diffuse light, i.e. at dusk, dawn or right before/after a shower. If you have to shoot during the day, always shoot from the side, never let the sunlight be in front of you or behind you.

5.  How to use ISO

ISO is a setting on your cam that determines the film speed. For beginners like us it basically means that the higher you set your ISO, the more light comes in. So, in dark settings, you can increase the ISO to capture more light. This comes with a major downfall though: it dramatically increases the noise on your pictures, and noise is hard to remove during post processing. Ideally, you should keep ISO as low as possible, only slightly increase it when shooting in dark scenes.

6. How to use white balance

Most cameras allow you to set the white balance. The white balance setting tells the cam which intensity/colors to see as highlights. This is one of the settings that you will want to override often. For example, when I'm shooting indoors in artifical light, I set the white balance setting to the "artifical light" mode. The result is that you get pics that look as if they were shot in daylight, without the need to use a flash. Note that if you shoot your pics as RAW, you do not need to worry about white balance, as this can be set during post processing. This is not the case for JPEG images, unfortunately.

7. What is Shutter speed?

Out of the P, A, S, M settings, S stands for shutter speed. A low shutter speed is useful to get sharp pictures from moving objects. You can also intentially set the shutter speed to a high value in order to create a more experimental picture, i.e. to capture fireworks, or the trail light of a car. I have little experience with shutter speed, so I will just tell you what it is for. Note though that shutter speed automatically increases in dark scenes, you will really need a tripod or self-timer for pictures to be sharp then.

8. When to use Automatic mode

Out of the P, A, S, M settings, P stands for program mode. You can consider this the fully-automatic setting of your cam, where it intelligently sets the aperture and shutter speed for you based on what you shoot. The best use for P is when you are not sure what you will shoot. Examples can be wildlife, or an urban scene where the scene itself changes so fast that you do not have time to manually tune your camera for the shot. Be sure to shoot a lot, so you increase your chances of having a sharp shot.

9.  Keep things simple

Don't try to capture it all at once. Often it is better to keep your subject simple. Particularly complex backgrounds can really ruin a picture. Another poor example is to shoot crowds, they are simply not interesting, too complex and don't bring a clear message.

This is an example of a meaningless picture:

Now compare this to  the focus and simplicity of this picture:

10. Allow your subject to move

Particularly with a zoom lens it is tempting to comes as close as you can, and to barely let the subject fit the frame. This is not the right thing to do though, as the subject becomes too static and the viewer cannot determine the context. This is best explained by an example.

Notice how the snake barely fits the frame. It seems locked in, and we do not have sense of its context or where it might be going:

Now notice that in the next example, the bird has room to go where he is pointing towards:

11. Never trust your LCD!

This is one of the most important tips that I have. I learned this the hard way. With a modern cam, you can instantly check the quality of your shot. The problem is, everything always looks sharp on a 2 inch screen. It is not until you come home and project your pics on a large screen that you will notice the blur, unsharpness and composition errors. Do not trust your cam's LCD.  If your cam allows it, zoom in to the maximum to check every portion of your shot for errors, while you still can. Also, take a lot of shots in order to increase your chance of success.

12.  Move around and experiment

A lot of photographers walk up to a scene and just start shooting. Often you will not get the best shots this way. It is recommended to move around the subject and see it from different angles. Also, try out various settings on your cam to experiment. Film is cheap. This tip is kind of a no-brainer, but many do not put it into practice. A slightly different angle can make a world of difference in exposure. I personally experimented a lot in our garden. Nobody bothers me there and I can try out lots of things at my own pace. You'll be surprised how much you can learn and how interesting your shots can be in even the dullest of gardens. And of course, you really do not want be to be learning your cam on the scene, you should be ready on the scene.

13.  Avoid built-in flashes

I never knew this either, but using your cam's built-in flash is rarely a good thing. The problem with this flash is that it will point directly at your subject and cause hard light with harsh shadows. Diffuse light is much better. This is why most pro cams do not even have an integrated flash, instead they rely on an external flash which they point to the ceiling or wall to create diffuse light with soft tones. Also note that you can often avoid flash by tuning your ISO and white balance settings.

14.  Choose one brand, and stick to it.

If you're into digital photography for the long run, it is best to choose a single brand and stick with it. the biggest investments you will make are in lens equipment and you will want to make sure that your lenses fit when you replace the cam body. There's plenty of good brands around, but if you ever want to evolve into a (semi) pro, it seems there is little choice: Canon or Nikon.

15. Consider purchasing filters

Filters are lens extensions that you can screw onto your lens. A common one to have is a U/V filter. It protects your lens from direct sunlight. Although many disagree with this, there's one other benefit. The filter will protect your lens if you drop it. The filter may be gone, but your expensive lens is likely to survive. Other filters you can consider are the polarizing filter (to decrease reflections), colorizing filters (increase richness of color) and the IR filter (to shoot in complete darkness). I'm not much of a filter fan personally, as most filtering effects can be done during post-processing.

16. Learn more by watching others

A very cheap and effective way to learn about photography is to browse through photo sites that display metadata. You just select a picture you like, and then you wonder...how did he do that? By reading the meta-data, you can see which settings for aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc the photographer used. Next, you can apply the same settings to a similar subject.

If you're into reading books, I highly recommend to use multiple books on the subject. I have read a few and some advise was conflicting with another author.

17.  Consider using Adobe Lightroom

Many of you will use Adobe Photoshop for post-processing, which is an excellent choice. Do know though, that there is a dedicated, professional-level photo processing application from Adobe as well. It's called Adobe Lightroom, and comes far cheaper than Photoshop. Although targetted at professionals, even a noob like me can use it. In essence, the "Develop" panel will show you a ton of sliders that you can use to tune your pictures.

Here is an unprocessed photo:

1 minute later, after playing around with a few sliders in Lightroom:

This example is slightly over-processed if you ask me, but it's only an example to show how much impact post-processing can have. 

18. Backups and memory cards

It is better to buy a few fast, small memory cards, than a single large one. This way you will decrease the chance of losing everything when the card fails. Also, the sooner you get to backup the card to a hard disk, the better. Always store your pictures on multiple disks, preferably at different locations. Photographs you have taken cannot be replaced once lost.

19. Keep track of what you shoot

During our Costa Rica trip, we did not keep enough track of what we were shooting. Back home, we had a lot of trouble organizing the photos by location, animal, etc. Therefore, at the very minimum write down where you were at what date. This way you can match the date of the photos with the location later on. Even better is to keep a note book to write down extra details. Some cams may also give you the option to attach a voice recording to a photograph.

20.  Metering mode and focus mode

This last tip is kind of targetted towards both myself and you. I have learned that you can set most cams into different metering and focus modes. I somewhat know what this means, but have not experimented with it enough to tell you when to use which mode. For now, just know that it's there and that it may require some follow-up.

Concluding

Those were my tips. Again, do not trust me as an expert on this, be sure to read some books from professional photographers. I still hope that you found my tips to be somewhat useful in figuring out the basics of DSLR photography. 

Share |

Comments: 115
Reviews: 82
Average rating: rating
Highest rating: 5
Lowest rating: 4

COMMENT: THEO HESELMANS emailhomepage

APR 29, 2008 - 03:23:36 PM

comment » Nice tips, Ferdy.

Tx for sharing. «

COMMENT: DEREK PUNARO emailhomepagerating

APR 29, 2008 - 05:39:39 PM

comment » These are good tips, and ones I've learned myself as I made the switch to DSLR. My suggestions would be that you should think about investing in additional lenses way before filters (although lenses are generally more expensive). I have 3 relatively inexpensive lenses that make a world of difference depending on what you're shooting.

Google's Picasa is a great, free tool that you can use instead of Lightroom for lots of basic photo fixes.

Lastly, definitely learn the different light metering modes. That's a key element to taking landscape shots and shots with bright backlight. «

COMMENT: JOOST REUZEL emailhomepage

MAY 22, 2008 - 12:14:28 PM

comment » Good tips, though I tend to disagree about the filters. Some things you simply can't do with Photoshop. I'm definitly fan of two filters specifically:

1. polarizing filter to remove or enhance reflections. No way you can achieve these results afterwards with Photoshop.

2. Greyscale filter to allow for long duration shots during the day. Great to add movement to your pictures...

Regards,

Joost «

COMMENT: DAVE HARRIS emailhomepagerating

JUL 31, 2008 - 17:07:37

comment » Good stuff Ferdy, very useful. You might be chuffed to know that your in the top ten pages on google for "dslr photography fireworks".

I've just made the switch over to DSLR myself (using a Canon 450D and very happy with it) but most of the subjects of interest to me, such as monkeys, eagles, etc are reasonably distant, my apartment and office both being high rise. So I've been looking at my first additional lens (the standard 18-55 is very good, but it's not there for shooting a monkey on the ground when you're twenty floors above. And a store near me has a 55-250 for about €215.

The search for fireworks is because Malaysia's Independence Day is at the end of August so there's fireworks at midnight. It also crowns my daughter's birthday very nicely.

BTW, nice to see S3maphor3 still going strong with the OpenNTF and Mr Castledine's templates freely available. «

COMMENT: FERDY

AUG 1, 2008 - 11:48:09 AM

comment » Thanks for kind words, Dave. I appreciate it! «

COMMENT: ASHIK rating

FEB 4, 2009 - 12:24:39

comment » Superb comments...good work. «

COMMENT: DEXTER

MAR 26, 2009 - 09:36:00 AM

comment » thanks. it is good stuff for sharing. «

COMMENT: NODDIO rating

APR 6, 2009 - 08:04:19

comment » Exlcellent!!

I bookmarked it already «

COMMENT: JULIA rating

APR 20, 2009 - 08:44:00 AM

comment » this has been very helpful! thanks a lot!!! «

COMMENT: MARK rating

MAY 25, 2009 - 05:26:27 PM

comment » I'm just starting out. Had my dslr about 3 days. really enjoyed the tips. a bit confused on why the sample pictures change though. «

COMMENT: PAUL rating

JUN 3, 2009 - 05:14:57 AM

comment » A good site for general advice about dslr's. I defiitely learned a bit, and other concepts were reinforced. Nicely done! «

COMMENT: ANDERS homepagerating

JUN 14, 2009 - 11:56:37

comment » Good guide, but the only thing I have a problem with is #14.

There are other brands other than Nikon and Canon. You have the OPS-trio (Olympus, Pentax and Sony), all of them equally good as Nikon or Canon, but not as widely used.

I use a Pentax K200D and I've got to say that it takes equally good pictures as a Canon or Nikon. «

COMMENT: HEEWEIHAN emailhomepagerating

JUN 19, 2009 - 08:47:33 AM

comment » Great tips. I am an avid photographer myself utilizing the Canon 40D. «

COMMENT: PRATAP ALLURI rating

JUL 28, 2009 - 07:50:50 PM

comment » Very good tips for the beginner like me. «

COMMENT: CHRISTIAN rating

AUG 16, 2009 - 11:32:14 PM

comment » Very informative. I am a new DSLR owner and learned a few things today. Thanks! «

COMMENT: RIPON email

SEP 13, 2009 - 07:27:34 PM

comment » really too much change my photo.thanks

18 «

COMMENT: SHAR rating

SEP 25, 2009 - 05:25:34 PM

comment » These tips are really useful and simple to understand! Thank you! «

COMMENT: ANTHONY rating

NOV 8, 2009 - 04:56:44 AM

comment » Great tips! very useful. «

COMMENT: RAJKUMAR emailrating

NOV 20, 2009 - 10:10:38 PM

comment » It is really good for beginner. Its simple and informative. «

COMMENT: IAN email

NOV 26, 2009 - 01:25:49 PM

comment » ferdy, good day..i just got my dslr a week ago and i have taken a few good shots with it.its a nikon d3000..I agree with you in so many ways: read a lot, browse a lot of websites, shoot more, experiment...as for the other things, i don't just agree with you; i've learned them from you...your tips come in a simple way which i can relate to a lot..you also have a good sense of humor..keep it up buddy...il keep on reading some more of your new discoveries soon.. «

COMMENT: FERDY

NOV 26, 2009 - 20:20:18

comment » Thank you for the kind words, Ian. «

COMMENT: MERRY rating

JAN 1, 2010 - 11:29:03 PM

comment » Good stuff! «

COMMENT: SANJU emailrating

JAN 1, 2010 - 11:41:35 PM

comment » Useful tips...waiting for some more... 01 «

COMMENT: SIDDHARTH emailhomepage

JAN 22, 2010 - 03:50:40 PM

comment » Indeed... Great tips. Google Picassa is a better option than lightroom (its free, too) ... Add it in the post. Thanks for sharing again «

COMMENT: KLINT emailrating

JAN 27, 2010 - 11:46:43 AM

comment » these tips are great, im new to this and to sony cameras,

great work mate .

thanks 12 «

COMMENT: IMQCHUMMY

FEB 11, 2010 - 03:58:18 PM

comment » Good tips but even if you use a tripod, use a remote or time delay your shot because as you press the shutter button it can create a small shaky movement and slighty blur your pic. «

COMMENT: JOAN

MAR 5, 2010 - 02:48:23 PM

comment » well, im using sony alpha, and it's also a good brand.. i like it.. took great pics with it.. 18

neway, great tips thou.. thanx! 21 «

COMMENT: JOHN L homepage

MAR 22, 2010 - 07:02:28 PM

comment » Thanks for the tips, Ferdy! I just got my first DSLR, a Nikon D90, a few weeks ago. I'm a newbie to photography, although I've long since had a desire to take it up as a hobby. I like the non-technical nature of your tips, and they've provided me with a nice overview of the basics. «

COMMENT: ELSA ALVAREZ rating

MAR 28, 2010 - 01:29:54 AM

comment » I like how you included photos for examples. Very easy to follow and understand. I just bought my first DSLR and I took a lot of notes from your post. Thank you!! «

COMMENT: MIKED emailhomepage

APR 22, 2010 - 15:19:03

comment » A way around the problem of sorting large amounts of photographs can be to rename the files to the date and time of the digitized creation date of the photograph! Lots of packages will do this and this info can be read from a program to read the EXIF data of the photograph.

Be sure the camera time is set correctly before you start shooting! «

COMMENT: ANDREI email

APR 22, 2010 - 11:03:32 PM

comment » For TONS of tips or reviews on lenses, cameras, accessories, this is one of the best resources on the net: www.fredmiranda.com «

COMMENT: R.ADHIKARI emailrating

MAY 7, 2010 - 07:40:38 PM

comment » Useful tips...waiting for some more for beginner.... «

COMMENT: ALEX email

MAY 25, 2010 - 09:01:34 AM

comment » Thanks for the tips. My dad got me a Nikon D3000 last week and I really want to be able to make good use of it. «

COMMENT: DEEPTI email

MAY 30, 2010 - 07:49:16 PM

comment » Thank You!! «

COMMENT: SUMAN SARKER emailrating

JUL 27, 2010 - 11:20:29 AM

comment » Excellent.........

Really helpful.....

Keep posting such tips & tricks..... Whenever you come across new things...

Thanks a lot..

01 «

COMMENT: BOSCKIE email

JUL 29, 2010 - 10:14:55

comment » Thanks. I am planning to buy Nikon D5000. So collecting all knowledge. «

COMMENT: COMBAT PACK emailhomepage

AUG 6, 2010 - 06:33:58 PM

comment » Thanks a lot for the tips, I am also a beginner and sometimes it is overwhelming the amount of info you can find on DSLR photography. Your 20 tips summarize the basics very well. «

COMMENT: PYTHON emailhomepage

AUG 19, 2010 - 01:17:31 PM

comment » A very great tutorial. Gotta get my DSLR right away. Some of my pictures can be viewed here http://dslrjourney.blogspot.com «

COMMENT: FIROZ

SEP 14, 2010 - 07:41:43 PM

comment » Nice tips and frank to the extreme.

Thanks for the share. 01 «

COMMENT: BEN homepagerating

SEP 24, 2010 - 10:15:42 PM

comment » Great tips. Thanks. I liked the 2/3 tip with landscape photography. Personally, I've never noticed a problem shooting handheld in bright daylight, so I don't carry a tripod unless I know I'm going to be faced with low light conditions. I'm not sure if this is a best practice, but it's sure much easier! «

COMMENT: JURGEN rating

OCT 18, 2010 - 07:02:12 PM

comment » Great tips for beginners. Thank you for sharing. «

COMMENT: CHARLIE emailrating

NOV 5, 2010 - 09:07:29

comment » That was great. I am a begginer just like you and I am just about at the stage you are I think. I would not have been brave enough to put my knowledge on line or capable to do it so well. Good Work. «

COMMENT: LA-FERNANDEZ emailrating

NOV 29, 2010 - 04:51:44 AM

comment » Excellent tips, I'm looking to buy my first DSLR camera and the tips are excellent, thank you for having the pictures as samples...Canon & Nikon are top on my list and then the lenses....I'm so excited!!!! 01 «

COMMENT: JENNIFER rating

DEC 12, 2010 - 02:14:31 AM

comment » Interesting tips... Excellent, I love took pictures, now I finally decided not to bought a simple digital camera and instead a DSLR camera and learn more about digital photography the terms and taking picture with a sense. 18 «

COMMENT: MUNTASIR emailrating

DEC 16, 2010 - 07:48:30 AM

comment » I really enjoyed ur tips and they r usefull indeed..looking forward for more tips in future.. «

COMMENT: ALLEN emailrating

DEC 22, 2010 - 08:19:25 AM

comment » Thanks you Bro/Sis, good for beginner entry for learning take a good photo. many Thanks to you. «

COMMENT: RUPESH rating

JAN 1, 2011 - 04:02:00 AM

comment » Awesome «

COMMENT: NAGARJUNA REDDY rating

JAN 5, 2011 - 09:26:45 AM

comment » Thanx a lot Mr.Ferdy. The details u've shared are worth appreciating. «

COMMENT: THE JOCKEY rating

JAN 11, 2011 - 20:20:55

comment » This was exactly what I was looking for to get me started but why doesn't this sort of thing come with the camera when you buy it? You should consider selling this to the camera companies. 25 «

COMMENT: ANGELICA emailhomepagerating

JAN 22, 2011 - 03:15:20 PM

comment » I'm new with the whole photography thing and I really enjoyed reading these very practical tips. I'm looking forward to putting them into practice. Could someone please check out my flickr page and tell me what I could improve on.

It's much appreciated. Thanks!

Angelica «

COMMENT: G.SINGH email

FEB 23, 2011 - 12:00:27 AM

comment » Awesome. thanks for sharing these tips. «

COMMENT: VISHAL emailhomepagerating

MAR 4, 2011 - 07:44:29 PM

comment » Gr8! Post for beginners.

thanks. «

COMMENT: DANNY homepagerating

MAR 5, 2011 - 13:16:18

comment » good down to earth tips enjojed reading something i could understand , THANK YOU. 01 «

COMMENT: SRI rating

MAR 28, 2011 - 08:35:39 AM

comment » Gud onw «

COMMENT: SUSAN email

APR 2, 2011 - 03:57:47 AM

comment » Thanks for walking us through all these, Ferdy! Really helpful for photography newbies like me. :) Great blog, too. One of the few that I came across this week that has sensible and worthwhile content. «

COMMENT: LACHEL ARDI RUPIN email

APR 3, 2011 - 06:39:10 PM

comment » This is a very good list of tips..Though I didn't read them all, for sure I'll spend more time after this to read it again..Nice work there, and now I know fresh photos from the camera aren't that stunning, we still have to edit it anyway right..XD 01 «

COMMENT: RAVINDRA HALKATTI emailrating

APR 5, 2011 - 03:01:14 AM

comment » really nice notes for DSLR beginners !! I have to more put more time to learn DLSR photography ! «

COMMENT: ASAPU SHIVA emailrating

APR 20, 2011 - 12:49:58 PM

comment » Thanq !!!!!!!!!!

N those were good one's. «

COMMENT: NALLA emailrating

APR 22, 2011 - 05:28:23 PM

comment » Good one... 01 «

COMMENT: KRISTIAN emailrating

APR 24, 2011 - 04:03:22

comment » nice tips... i'm a new on dslr camera, thoose tips are very useful, they will help me learning how to take a photo, and i'm gonna download picasa right now...

regards, Kristian... :) «

COMMENT: AD rating

APR 28, 2011 - 07:01:10 AM

comment » Great tips for beginners !! «

COMMENT: ROBERT emailrating

APR 29, 2011 - 08:20:11 AM

comment » Thank you so much for sharing with us your knowledge about photography, pretty much useful tips and so interesting specially like me as a beginner, it helps a lot... More power and hope you will continue to share your knowledge to others. God bless! 01 «

COMMENT: JAZMIE JAMALUDIN email

MAY 5, 2011 - 04:14:10

comment » Cheers Ferdy for the tips. They are pretty much helpful to a beginner like me. Just switched to DSLR (Canon 500D) few days ago and I learn a lot from this post.

God bless! 01 «

COMMENT: OVIDIU rating

MAY 5, 2011 - 10:15:47

comment » Great tips! «

COMMENT: RAJ emailrating

MAY 11, 2011 - 09:04:29 PM

comment » the tips are helpful for a complete novice like me...thanks 01 «

COMMENT: CHIRAG emailrating

MAY 13, 2011 - 04:53:09 AM

comment » thanx...nyc tips....got 2 learn many new things!!! «

COMMENT: DHARMA rating

MAY 31, 2011 - 02:57:39 AM

comment » Great tips «

COMMENT: MARIA ALONSO emailhomepagerating

JUN 6, 2011 - 04:43:35 PM

comment » These tips are awesome! What every photographer - amateur or pro - should always remember. «

COMMENT: KAMARMS emailhomepage

JUN 7, 2011 - 04:19:39 AM

comment » nice tips... i used sony a390 with 18-55 and 75-300 sony lenses.

sometimes, i change the flash intensity in the menu to control overexpose or underexpose. «

COMMENT: JEETA rating

JUN 8, 2011 - 07:58:53 PM

comment » Hi,

Very informative.Gives a basic insight of the features in a DSLR.Came across this while contemplating to buy a DSLR.Now I understand what are the features I should focus on,which I would mandatorily want my camera to have.

Thanks,

Jeeta «

COMMENT: ANKIT G. rating

JUN 14, 2011 - 06:24:49 PM

comment » Very nice write-up.. Thanks for the tips.. I'll be getting Lightroom soon.. Also good to actually read what is the RULE OF THIRDS.. «

COMMENT: PRAKASH rating

JUN 15, 2011 - 01:02:21 PM

comment » thanks a lot ferdy, i bought my entry level dslr few days back and didnt tried too much with aperture and shutter speed and all. ur write up is really an eye opener and now i got the confidence to try more. thanx. «

COMMENT: REHMAN rating

JUN 26, 2011 - 05:28:12 PM

comment » Super information.... Very valuable information, which can only be gained with experience...I am sure your guidance will help me capture pictures better.

Thank you Sir. «

COMMENT: ASHWIN rating

JUL 13, 2011 - 12:07:10 PM

comment » Nice content..I am novice user..So it was super cool..!! :) «

COMMENT: AMRON rating

JUL 16, 2011 - 23:01:37

comment » thank you so much «

COMMENT: SAM rating

AUG 4, 2011 - 09:09:06 PM

comment » good tips!! «

COMMENT: RAJ rating

AUG 11, 2011 - 04:06:35 AM

comment » Nice guide. It explains in a simple manner. Thanks. «

COMMENT: PANKAJ emailrating

AUG 24, 2011 - 09:56:07 AM

comment » I was wondering being a new bee in SLR world about the jargon we use..Thanks Fredy to make me aware most of it..besides this the experimental nature and curiosity will definitely help......8-| 8-| B-| B-| «

COMMENT: ZEDD homepagerating

SEP 3, 2011 - 11:21:36 PM

comment » nice tips! use your time to shoot more, less time with the post process in the computer. Adobe Lightroom is great! «

COMMENT: BRETT rating

SEP 5, 2011 - 11:44:22 PM

comment » Thank you so much. I tested my Nikon D3100 in my living room (75% of my apartment) with AUTO mode, and Program mode. All I can say is HOLY CRAP. In the program shot, I can read EVERYTHING. In AUTO picture, I can only read parts of things... I would've never thought about program mode without reading this honestly. «

COMMENT: SAHAN rating

SEP 15, 2011 - 05:48:05 AM

comment » good stuff mate thanks «

COMMENT: ROSS emailrating

SEP 21, 2011 - 05:46:36 AM

comment » Your tips really helps the beginner like me.. Thanks a lot.. It give me more ideas on how to shoot with my dslr camera. «

COMMENT: CHAKS rating

OCT 23, 2011 - 12:37:19 AM

comment » excellent «

COMMENT: SALLY NASH email

OCT 24, 2011 - 20:32:37

comment » Thanks, very helpful - will bookmark it- «

COMMENT: SHAFIQ INTIZAR emailrating

OCT 26, 2011 - 05:05:01 PM

comment » I am Very Greatfull to u for Excellant & helpful Tips «

COMMENT: JEN emailrating

NOV 5, 2011 - 08:11:14 PM

comment » Thank you so much ! Very helpful, indeed :) «

COMMENT: HARSHVARDHAN homepage

NOV 6, 2011 - 10:45:42

comment » thnx very useful and great for a beginner like me....i m loking forward to take great shots following these tips. thnx very much.............keep it up! «

COMMENT: RAKESH emailrating

NOV 26, 2011 - 08:47:59 AM

comment » Thanks for the useful tips.

Very nice write-up.. Thanks for the tips.. :-) «

COMMENT: KENZ CHUNG emailrating

NOV 30, 2011 - 11:58:52 PM

comment » dude ur guide was fabulous... it is extremely helpful thks a lot.... bravo job... «

COMMENT: PKV rating

DEC 12, 2011 - 05:33:15 AM

comment » Really well done - and extremely helpful. Thanks for taking the time. «

COMMENT: DIPANJAN BHATTACHARYA

DEC 24, 2011 - 12:02:59 AM

comment » Very nice tips for the beginners...

I have a comment on the following part:

"ISO is a setting on your cam that determines the film speed. For beginners like us it basically means that the higher you set your ISO, the more light comes in. So, in dark settings, you can increase the ISO to capture more light. This comes with a major downfall though: it dramatically increases the noise on your pictures, and noise is hard to remove during post processing. Ideally, you should keep ISO as low as possible, only slightly increase it when shooting in dark scenes."

ISO determines the sensitivity level of the detector. It is equivalent to the Gain of the detector. It does not enhance/lower speed (directly)... So with increasing ISO of the camera, we enhance the sensitivity, which increases noise automatically... «

COMMENT: RINA emailrating

DEC 30, 2011 - 08:51:57 AM

comment » The tips are really good! Thanks for sharing.. I've learned alot from you :D :D «

COMMENT: IAN rating

JAN 16, 2012 - 05:41:30 PM

comment » Well done great tips «

COMMENT: VIDISHA emailrating

JAN 17, 2012 - 08:11:03 AM

comment » Hi, thanks for these tips. The comments are equally helpful. Iam a new owner of Alpha 55 from Bangalore India. I was looking for some beginner's tips. This info is certainly usefule for me.

Sony India aslo has some tips on landscape photography, i would like to share here for benefits of everybody. This was posted on their Alpha gallery http://www.flickr.com/groups/sonyindiaalpha/discuss/72157628711362415/

Keep sharing more information «

COMMENT: NEWBIE

JAN 19, 2012 - 09:27:36 AM

comment » Thanks for the wonderful tips. «

COMMENT: BUMBLE BEE rating

JAN 25, 2012 - 05:55:18 PM

comment » great tips for newbees. «

COMMENT: TARUN SUNDAN emailrating

JAN 31, 2012 - 06:15:55 PM

comment » very nice article for rookies...Thanks for some really nice tips :) «

COMMENT: KENDRA rating

FEB 2, 2012 - 03:44:19 PM

comment » This is great. «

COMMENT: JOHN GEORGE emailrating

FEB 7, 2012 - 08:56:02 AM

comment » really interesting tips, «

COMMENT: RITHICK emailhomepage

FEB 9, 2012 - 10:22:19 PM

comment » very well thought & indeed very usefull tips :) thank you so much :) «

COMMENT: M.SATEESH BECOL emailrating

FEB 21, 2012 - 04:39:30 PM

comment » thanks alot for ur tips «

COMMENT: GERRY email

FEB 29, 2012 - 11:19:17

comment » get serif photoplus x5. It is inexpensive and does everything photoshop does. «

COMMENT: M ROMERO emailrating

MAR 8, 2012 - 10:00:46 PM

comment » Lots of useful tips! Thx! «

COMMENT: CHANDAN rating

APR 5, 2012 - 03:12:45 AM

comment » Really helpful stuff for a newbie like me.... Thanks a lot . «

COMMENT: PRASANT emailrating

APR 16, 2012 - 04:02:09 PM

comment » great tips for beginners.thanks ferdy. «

COMMENT: SRI LANKAN emailrating

APR 29, 2012 - 12:15:41 AM

comment » you may not a expert mate.. but you shows skills of an expert by sharing all the valuble tips with us..

Thanks heaps for that mate..

have fun with rest of the shootings

Cheers «

COMMENT: SAMIT KUMAR SINHA emailhomepagerating

MAY 26, 2012 - 11:12:08 AM

comment » Thanks Fredy for the wonderful tips. And i think you are not better, but the BEST in the art of digital photography. your tips are really very helpful. «

COMMENT: SAMIT KUMAR SINHA emailhomepage

MAY 26, 2012 - 11:20:45 AM

comment » It would be very kind of you to give us some tips on how to clean the sensor.

Please «

COMMENT: OUTREANIMA

MAY 28, 2012 - 10:32:51 AM

comment » This may seem counter-intuitive, however I've found setting the camera's contrast all the way down, then pulling down highlights in post results in a much better dynamic range later. Compressing the histogram can also help re-saturate as well. I'm not a huge fan of post processing images, but often conditions just don't allow for the perfect shot. «

COMMENT: HIBA rating

JUN 4, 2012 - 11:08:31 PM

comment » Thanks a lot,it's extremely helpful.. «

COMMENT: SRUJAN rating

DEC 25, 2012 - 11:10:45 PM

comment » You are awesome! «

COMMENT: VISHI emailrating

DEC 27, 2012 - 07:00:18 AM

comment » Very Useful for a beginer. Very Well Written. Thanks for sharing «

COMMENT: RISHAB rating

DEC 27, 2012 - 11:41:48 AM

comment » Gr8 Stuff.. very usefull for beginner like me... keep up the good work :)

cheers

RJ «

COMMENT: SUAN emailrating

JAN 14, 2013 - 16:00:51

comment » iam a new dslr ownr,thanks for the tips,it w0rkd al0t «

COMMENT: SHANE

MAR 27, 2013 - 09:04:40 AM

comment » some useful tips thanks and i have come back a couple of times to this page. Your tips have really improved my photos !

Thanks ! «

RATE THIS CONTENT (OPTIONAL)
Was this document useful to you?
 
rating Awesome
rating Good
rating Average
rating Poor
rating Useless
CREATE A NEW COMMENT
required field
required field HTML is not allowed. Hyperlinks will automatically be converted.