Mastering Digital SLR Photography

Why not just use the pre-set modes on your digital SLR camera and be done with it? You can, and there is nothing wrong with that. By using the pre-set modes, you will gets loads of good photos, and every once and a while, you may even get that great photo.

But wouldn't it be nice to get loads of GREAT photos and a lot of FANTASTIC photos? That's the difference between professional photographers and weekend users. Professionals seem to get the GREAT photos rather effortlessly - mainly because they have mastered basic photography principles and know what lenses to use with what type of picture they want. Furthermore, they know what aperture, shutter speed, film speed, and white balance to use also. This is what it means to master SLR photography.

No, it is not hard to master digital SLR photography principles. But one thing it does require is practice. But that is where the beauty of the digital camera really shines.

With the old film cameras, you had to load film, take several shots at different settings and write these down, develop the film, and examine the prints to find the photo with the right settings. All of this could take from 1 day to several weeks, depending on when you finished the roll of film, if you were the one developing it, etc.

With the digital camera you get instant feedback, right on your camera. You get to see if the shot is blurry, over-exposed, under-exposed, etc. What would have taken weeks or months to get a certain photography principle down can now take one to two days to gain a full understanding.

These two pictures, taken by a friend, use the same camera, same lens. But the second one was taken after a better understanding of some digital photography basics. If you really want to have some great photos, a good digital photography guide will be your best bet to teach you the basics of photography.