Digital Photography For Anyone! Learning Digital Photography for Fun or Profits!

The first thing to know about taking pictures is your camera. Take the time to read the manual that comes with it. Learn what it can do. The beauty of digital photography is you can shoot hundreds of "test" pictures without any cost. No film, no processing is required. Shoot away, testing every feature your camera has, and then simply delete them and start over!

This is the fun part, learning what your camera can do. When I got my first digital SLR camera, I took the same picture with all of the various setting. With flash, without it. I used the portrait setting, landscape setting, etc. so that I could see the difference each setting would produce. I used the zoom feature, I used the cropping feature, I used everything!

I got to know my camera - what it could do, and what it couldn't. I found my favorite settings. I was taking pictures of outdoor scenes, portraits, moving sports shots, day shots, night shots, long-range shots, close-ups, everything. After you know your camera, you can begin to refine your techniques to produce the best pictures you can.

Taking pictures is so much fun, after you know how your camera works.

Here are the basics for how to take good pictures. This may be a section about digital photography for beginners, but these techniques apply to photographers at any level.

Holding Your Camera

It all starts with the basics. Your need to know how to handle your camera. This helps to eliminate retakes. A big part of how to take good pictures is taking fewer shots overall.

Hold your camera firmly so that it doesn't shake or shift when you press the shutter button. Make sure you keep your fingers away from the lens. There's nothing more frustrating than taking a great shot and then finding your finger (or it's shadow) in the picture! %uF04C If you have a camera with an optical viewfinder, hold the camera up to your eye capture the image. It creates more stability and reduce camera shaking. It you don't have that option but just have larger LCD viewfinder, here's a tip: when you get ready to take the shot, breathe in and hold your breath while you push the shutter button. It helps keep the movement of your upper body controlled.

Focusing Your Camera

Most digital cameras have a shutter button half-depress feature. It's critical when you're learning how to take good pictures that you make sure to use this, as your camera will not focus properly if you forget. Once the camera sets the focus, you then continue to press the shutter bottom down and snap the shot!

Sometimes, as in a low-light situation, or when using a long zoom, employing a tripod is the best way to eliminate blur, out-of-focus pictures, and drag lines.

With a digital camera you get the chance to preview your shots immediately after you take them. If you shot looks just the way you want, you're good to go. If the shot is blurry, someone has their eyes closed, or the framing is bad, or the view is obstructed, you can simply delete the shot and take it over again. Some digitals also have a multi-shot feature that will continue snapping pictures as long as you have the shutter button pressed down. This can give you a variety of shots of the same scene, with slightly different angles. This can give you a non-posed look with sometimes creates a perfectly beautiful picture.

Saving Your Shots

Always make cure to save your pictures. Don't take a chance of missing that perfect shot because your camera's storage is full. I've done this, and it's a bad feeling, let me tell you!

Always carry tow things with you wherever you go with your camera: (1) a back-up, fully charged battery, and (2) additional storage for your pictures. I have always used SD cards, but there are many forms of storage. Find the one that works for your camera and you, and don't forget them!

Taking that one step further, there is no worse feeling than seeing the perfect kiss, smile or sunset, reaching for your camera and clicking the button, only to realize that your storage is full and you've missed your chance. It's happened to everyone, but still, you can prevent it by clearing off your old pictures monthly (or more frequently if you are a shutterbug). Bring a second memory card/stick with you when you go on a trip, even if your primary card/stick is large, just in case you need the extra space. When you come back from your shoot, download your pictures to your computer into a file that you label so you can keep track of things. Then, don't forget to back up your computer too! :)

One of the ways professional photographers differ from amateurs is that they always have a clear and defined awareness of just what they are taking a picture of. Sounds simple, and basically, it is, but many people don't really take the time to understand what that means. For example, they'll take a picture of a historic home, but they will also include backgrounds, or distracting things like signs, electrical wires, parked cars, etc., and these things take away from the subject. People's eyes will wander to those distractions rather than focus on the main subject. Another example is taking a picture of a sports team in action. The viewer many have a hard time figuring out what to focus on. By zooming in on one player, or the action between two, it makes it easier for the viewer to capture the moment.

This simple technique alone will greatly improve the quality and view-ability of your pictures!

The Rule of Thirds

This is an "old pro" technique for making pictures interesting and easy to view. In your viewfinder, when lining up your shot, imagine two vertical lines intersecting with two horizontal lines - like a tic-tac-toe board. Now it becomes easy. Just line up the horizon, or bottom of the scene with one of the horizontal lines. Line up the subject (whatever it is) with either of the vertical lines at the point of intersection.

This may sound contradictory to the other paragraph where we discussed elimination distracting backgrounds and items from the main target. It's not. There are times when you will want to incorporate more into a picture than others. This is a "fail safe" technique that will always work. You can adjust your shots to your liking before pressing the shutter button, but this is a starting reference point. You can always edit your pictures later for a more polished shot. Moving subjects at times photograph better if they are moving "into" a picture from one of the sides.

Lines

Professionals rarely shoot "straight down the line". They use different angles to reduce the complexity of certain scenes and add interesting visual effects. They take a shot that leads a viewer's eyes toward their target.

You can do this by simply moving left or right of the straight line, and then using the Rule of Thirds to align the shot, or tilting the camera for a 45-degree angle shot.

Examples of when you would use this technique are capturing a line of buildings on a street, or waves on a beach, or someone walking down a long street. A curvy road is an excellent example. Shooting a road with curves "straight down the line" is boring, and does not show the full vision of the road. But move left or right and take the shot, and the road "comes alive", showing more detail of the various twists and turns.

Perspective.

Most amateur photographers take pictures from one vantage point: eye level, or 5-6 feet in height. After a few shots, all pictures begin to look the same, as they are taken from the same angle. Two ways to incorporate perspective into your shots are:

Crouch or lie down before aligning your shot. Doing this can add greater significance to your subject, and also add flair to an otherwise "regular" picture.

Taking pictures from an elevated position above your target (climbing a tree or ladder) does the opposite. It reduces the significance of any one person, yet enhances the overall picture. Shooting a street scene from a third-story window would be an example.

There are many digital photography techniques that vastly improve the quality of your pictures. Here are some of the top techniques.

Symmetry

As you are preparing to take your picture, check the viewfinder for the larger, more pronounced subjects. Arrange people, nature (mountains, trees, animals), architecture (houses, buildings, etc.) so that they enhance each other.

A symmetrical setting will have objects of similar size on opposite sides of the picture.

An symmetrical setting will have objects of various sizes are positioned on either side of the picture's center. These types of shots are often more interesting as they draw a viewer's eye to different locations and objects.

How to Properly Frame a Shot

You draw attention to your subject, and add depth to your photos when you frame them. You can eliminate certain parts of the picture, or focus on your subject in a "tighter" fashion, like shooting an outdoor scene through a window. You can use natural barriers, such as a hallway, door frame, trees, a cleft in a rock, a window, a door frame, or between to objects like buildings. The options are limited only by your creativity. The "frame" you use is what encloses your subject, just like the picture frames hanging on your wall.

Lighting

If there is a "be-all-end-all" in photography, it is light. Getting the proper light will determine the quality of your pictures. For the best results, try and get as much ambient light as possible. Natural sunlight or indoor lighting fixtures will reduce your dependence on flashes, aperture, and shutter speed.

When you are shooting indoors, you obviously are not going be benefit from natural sunlight as if you were outdoors. Professional photographers would rather use additional light sources than rely on flashes with can bother the subjects. Sometimes additional light may not be available or practical, and in those times, you will have to rely on your camera's flash, or purchase an external flash. Be careful that you are not shooting too far away for your flash to be effective. Most flashes on digital cameras are good for about 12 feet.

Here are the top digital photography tips:

Adjusting Your Camera

Most digital SLR (single lens reflex) cameras offer a number of manual controls that allow you to customize its functionality. This is extremely helpful in situations where lighting is problematic. Aperture settings control how much light is permitted to enter the camera. The higher the aperture, the wider the lens opens, and the more existing light is allowed in.

Shutter speed is another way of adjusting your camera. If you set a longer shutter speed, the shutter stays open longer, thereby allowing more time for the existing light to enter the camera. If you don't mount the camera on a solid surface or use a tripod, you will more than likely experience camera shake, and that causes blurring.

Adjusting exposure can help adjust for the quantity of light. Night shots are common types of pictures that require some of these adjustments.

Control Your Lighting

Lighting is more of a "feel" than an exact science. You can change the feeling or the drama of your shots by using various elements of lighting, making for much more visually significant pictures.

Straight on light, background lighting, or lighting coming from the sides or top and bottom all have effects on the way the picture comes out. Side lighting can create shadows. Back lighting will light up the scenery or background images while darkening the foreground, which is a very interesting look.

By experimenting with different light effects, you can change the mood of your shots. I learned more about lighting by taking the same shot with different lighting. This way you get a real view of how the lighting can change the end result and view-ability of your shots.

Using a combination of light sources, and controlling the flow of light can enhance portrait shots and other "staged" situations.

Your camera may also provide control over the end result of your pictures.

Aperture

Aperture is called the "F-Stop". There are different stops. Examples are F2.8 and F8. The LOWER the F-Stop, the LARGER the lens opening, and the HIGHER the F-Stop mean a SMALLER lens opening.

Higher F-Stops (smaller lens opening) combined with longer shutter speeds can be used to capture well-lit scenes. Lower F-Stop (larger lens opening) combined with short shutter speed can be used with action shots where things are moving quickly.

You can also control the focus (or depth of field) with the aperture. A small aperture will bring the entire image into focus, and a larger aperture allows , and a larger aperture allows you to highlight the subject while gently "blurring" the background.

Shutter Speed

Faster shutter speeds can be used with fast moving subjects (sports shots, or fast moving water scenes) where you want to capture the moment. Slower shutter speeds can be used for low-light shots, or provide a feeling of motion in your shots. Examples would be traffic on a busy street, or getting the movement of a waterfall.

ISO or Exposure

Most digital cameras control exposure automatically, and I would recommend just letting the camera do so. ISO defines the sensitivity of light to the digital light sensor much like the way it controls the sensitivity of light to film did in the past. It is much easier to get great shots without adjusting this control.

Filters and Lenses

Many digital SLR cameras allow you to use various filters and lenses. Filter, of course, change how life enters the camera. Some of those filter options include:

Softening filters - creates a very subtle softness to a picture
Blurring filters - slightly blurs the edges of a picture
Light flare filters - looks like the shot was taken into a mirror
Polarizer filters - controls glare

You can also, with many cameras, add or swap-out lenses. Some lenses include:

Macro lens - allows you to get very close to an object
Wide angle lens - allows you to capture large scenes like landscapes
Telephoto lens - allows you to zoom in to an object very far away

Picture Editing Software

One of the most fun things about digital photography is the ability to change an image before you print it, post it, or display it. There are many packages to choose from. Some offer minor "touch-up" features, while other, more robust packages allow you to do professional-grade special effects.

An online search will give you all of the available choices.

Some of the photo album software programs that allow you to "touch up" a picture are:

Google's Picasa
Apple's iPhoto
Lview

The robust programs (also can be expensive) are:

Adobe Photoshop
Corel Paint Shop Pro

I have always used Adobe Photoshop. I have an earlier version, but it allows me to do everything I want to images, and I think it's an incredible program. I have seen and tried Corel, but for me, it's Photoshop. Well worth the investment! And, I'm not getting paid to say that!

There are many advantages of digital versus film photography.

You get to see your pictures as you take them, so you can decide if they are good enough to save, or whether you need to re-shoot the picture. If so, you can simply delete the prior, unwanted shot without any cost!

There is no film to buy or develop. Pictures are stored on a memory devise (cards or sticks). The cards and sticks can be used over and over again, and they can hold thousands of pictures. It's easy to copy pictures and share them with other people, or post them onto social media sites. You can also take the storage media to a Walmart or other retail location and print the ones you want without having to print out the entire run of pictures.

You can also decide whether you want a picture to be in color, or black-and-white ... after the picture has been taken! You can also determine other effects - like cropping.

Most digital cameras allow you to take one picture after another in rapid timeframes just by holding the shutter button down. This allows you to capture real, "in-the-moment" shots. The images are taken rapid-fire and can catch emotions that do not show during the actual posing. You select those shots you want, and simply delete the others.

Digital photography allows you to save thousands of pictures on your computer and store them in albums. Then, you can print those you want, and still save the rest for as long as you want. They never get moldy, they don't get torn or crinkled, and they don't fade!

The Megapixel Issue

There are several things to consider when buying a digital camera, but megapixels is far and away the most important. Megapixels will determine the quality of the picture and how much it can be enlarged before losing that quality.

If you choose a 3 megapixel (or less) camera, it will be fine for only very basic shots, and the camera will likely be small and very portable. The pictures will be okay as long as you don't want anything more than a basic 4x6 print.

If you go with a 3-5 megapixel camera, you will be able to find a lot makes and models. You can get better quality pictures and you'll be able to print those you want in larger sizes.

5-10 megapixel cameras begin to get more sophisticated, offering more options and features. Again, you will get better quality pictures and be able to print those you want in even larger sizes.

Most of these cameras mentioned above are small in size, and offer and LCD screen at the back of the camera. Some people like this type of pre-snapshot view, while others prefer a viewfinder that allows you to get the camera right next to your eye. The LCD screen cameras can be difficult to use in high-lighted conditions as the glare of the natural light makes seeing the screen difficult.

Cameras with a 10 megapixel feature (or higher) will deliver professional results. They offer the ultimate in image quality, the cameras provide many more features, and you can enlarge the shots on a much larger scale.

mounting/framing, if you want more flexible cropping options, or if you simply want the ultimate in image quality.

Zooming In

There are optical zooms and digital zooms. An optical zoom lets the lens magnify the light coming in, bringing an image that is far away closer. A digital zoom simply magnifies an image after it has been taken. For me, digital zoom lenses are not really zooms. They perform more like a cropping function, whereas an optical zoom actually moves closer to the image. Optical zooms produce significantly better quality pictures.

I used a Nikon digital camera that had a viewfinder, a 10x optical zoom, and 10 megapixels for years and I was never disappointed with the pictures it gave me.

Visit these sites for the latest digital camera reviews.

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/

http://www.consumersearch.com/digital-camera-reviews?gclid=CMCi-8P76a0CFUFN4AodZALp4A&ef_id=83JOw-sjakYAAIBn:20120125005532:s

http://web.consumerreports.org/digitalcameras/v2/index.html?EXTKEY=SG72E00&CMP=KNC-CROELECG&HBX_OU=50&HBX_PK=digital_camera_reviews

http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/

These sites will give you the specifications, features, and prices for the perfect camera for you!

For those of you who absolutely love photography, but do it only as a hobby make want to consider making some extra money with your shots. There are so many ways to earn money using your camera, it would surprise you. You don't have to be a professional photographer to make extra money with your camera.

Whether you'd like to just sell some of your shots for the thrill or fun of it, or begin a part-time business, or become a full-time photographer (one can naturally lead to the next step), it's up to you. Making money doing some you love is the best way ever to make money. Check out these photography money-making guides below, and begin earning cash for your "work".