You don’t know how many people have asked me that when they find out I am a photographer. Sometimes they made an impulse purchase of a camera kit, or maybe the camera was a graduation gift. Sometimes new parents or grandparents thought they would buy a camera to capture those cute images of babies they have seen. They snap photo after photo, all excited at what they would find when they were finished. Then they load the images onto their computer and there they are–but not the images they had hoped to see. All of us have been there. So, what did they do wrong? What did I do wrong?
The first mistake we all make is to take that manual they camera company carefully includes in the kit and toss it into the kitchen drawer with all the other useless things we don’t know what to do with. After all, just what is that manual, and why is it important?
The manual I found in my kit was obviously written by some engineer who fancied himself or herself a writer. Well, let’s leave than on the side. The manual was written in Japanese, and translated into, in my case, American English. It was full of drawings and identifying material. I could see the location of every dial, button, and switch on the my new DSLR. I learned what each was supposed to do, but there was no real explanation of how to choose each setting to capture the image you hoped to produce.
Now, if you get the feeling that I am saying that the manual is worthless, you misread what I meant. No matter what the limitations of the manual provided by the company, you will still need to know where to find all those buttons and switches. Therefore, do study your manual that the company offers your. Just don’t stop there.
Look for a book about your camera body written by a photographer. I found on that was at least twice as large as the manual. The photographer carefully lead me through setting up my new camera one step at a time. He identified each switch, button, and dial just like the manual did. And he when further by which settings he used for each and why that worked for him. No, I didn’t use every setting he suggested, but at least I understood WHY he used those settings. When I finished, my camera did more of what I hoped it would then when I started.
Now that you have your new, or first, camera, read the manual. Buy a book then helps you understand what each setting can do for you. Set your camera the best you can in the early days, and DO NOT be welded to those decisions. Try different things as you get out and capture images. Learn from your successes and your mistakes. Use your camera or read about photography every day.
That is where you start. None of us are instant experts just because we shelled out the big bucks for that shiny, newest camera we can afford. We learn every time we press that shutter button. We learn as we start to process our images in that digital darkroom we call our computer. Keep learning and experimenting. This is just the fist step.
Good luck as you enter this exciting world of capturing the world’s beauty all around us.
Mark A Phillips, CPP