Hints on Using Your $DR Digital Camera

I will give this this you in simple point form:-

1. Start with page 1 of the manual.
2. Read through the entire manual
3. Now Pick up your camera and start to work your way through the manual.

Try and repeat the photos that are used as examples.

There is a lot of other features that you will learn as you go along and pick up by constant use and exploration of the camera, reading up techniques on the net or simply discovering by accident.

What is your style of shooting?

What subject do you photograph the most of?

How Many Photos do you take a day?, Week?, Month? Year?

Which Artist influences your "seeing" a photo"?

Does a song, or a piece of music influence you? There is no right or wrong answer to any of those, really not even a trick question.

You might just want to record images of you and your family snaps of dogs or graduations. Not masterpieces or historic occasions

, just plain ordinary have fun.

However if you have a couple of "tricks" up you sleeve, hey why not use them.

This is something I observed myself, I do not know if it is actually included in my cameras manual, it may very well be but clouded in some gobbledy gook type of phrasing.

14 Months back, due to the onslaught of an ailment, which still is with me. The major part of my problem is that i have a hand tremor and even when using my 55mm at 250th of a second there is discernible camera shake, which might not be too bad but plays havoc on my auto focus as well. I have had to make a change in the manner that I take photographs, by chance, while in hospital with the initial stabilisation, saw a lot of television, they had the Food Channel on late nights, I think the Matron was a "Foodie". Be that as it may they had a short inset on taking natural food photographs, not the usual, painted and extra food colouring and synthetic trimmings that are often brought into play for magazine shoots, which was very very interesting and simple.

Change number 1, I use a tripod at all times.

Change number 2, Manual focus only

This has opened up my preview panel as my eyepiece, and has that made a difference to framing of shots, my use of the rule of thirds unless I am deliberately not using it for a reason.

The end result is my focusing is crisper as I can use my 10X magnification spot to check if that grain of rice is in focus.

As to that "Foodie thing", where possible get in at a low angle, have natural light come in from beind the subject shoot with f5.6 or lower and a long exposure, ISO 100.

I have pets, both dogs cats and parrots, I will not use a flash to capture a portarate of them.

For 2 reaons,

1, The flash flattens their features

2. The Flash hurts their eyes

Oh by the by I would never ever take a photo of a baby for those self same reasons.

With those parameters in mind I am Sure you will open a new way of seeing and using your camera

Some of my best photos, as far as I was concerned. Was when they were taken as a reflections of the mood I was in at the time.

At my step Brother-In-Laws Wedding, I had my camera with me as always, the professional person that was doing the actual photos, I realised and noticed that she began to try and copy and imitate whatever shot I was taking. We where in a terraced garden and in went up a terrace higher than the couple, I was pissed off, as she had no clue as to what a wedding shoot should be.

Needless to say, the perfect shot was there, looking down at her, framed her head neck shoulders centred with dress and veil spread around in a a natural fold. called her name and as she lifted her head, she had a natural smile, not that normal cheesy grin that so often appears in formal wedding sets.

The pro was so engrossed in trying to get the full frontal type of seated shot, that she had not seen me exit stage left.

Now the Rub, sent these of to the labs, had a set printed and 60% where usable, that 1 photo absolutely stunning, Ma-In-Law grabbed the package, negs and all to show them off to her friends et al.

I had wanted to make up an album to send it to them as a 1st anniversary present. But No! Next thing my prints negatives and all aer down to the happy couple, who where ecstatic, and happier with my pics than the Pro's effort.

I never saw my prints or negs again, until we visited them about 16 years later and they had the print blown up to 10X16". All I ever got was a thank you.

Lesson learnt never give away a negative or rights to a photo.