Arts and Photography tips and guide

Knowing how to use your SLR is not as awkward as it would seem. Imagine that your camera as a box that lets in light. On top of that box is a sequence of controls. These controls allow you to let a light in to the camera sensor so you can take a picture. The amount of light coming in may determine how well you take your shot.

Let's start with the automatic setting. The automatic setting allows the camera to make the decisions for you. This lets you just focus on taking the photo instead of worrying about the technical settings. The automatic setting is simple however it is what professional photographers use. You don't have to use manual, but if you don't you won't have control over the images you create. The ideal place to be is having as much control over the camera and the lighting as possible. this is the key to creating beautiful portraits and stunning photos in general.

The basics of digital SLR photography are easy to learn when you appreciate how the camera controls lighting. Camera has control over the light two main ways; Aperture and shutter speed. Your aperture is the opening in which you allow your light in. Your shutter speed is how you control the speed at which the light is coming in. You need both to be able to manipulate the light.

Confused? Okay, try this: Think of the camera as the same as our human eye. Your aperture is the iris that opens up and closes down. The shutter speed is like the eyelid. It can blink quickly or slowly, and, even stay open for a while.

Your aperture is commonly known as F stop. F-stop is a number that tells you how much the iris is open. If the aperture is fairly wide then we say that it is a big aperture. A big aperture is a small number. For example F2.8 is a very large aperture. It means the aperture is open very wide. It is comparable to how the iris operates in low light. The iris will open more to let additional light in so that we can see in the dark. Your camera is the same.

Aperture not only has control over how wide the iris is but it plays an important role to play in depth of field. Depth of field simply means what part of the photo is in focus. If every single article in the photo is in focus then we call that a long depth of field. If there is only a small part of the photo that is in focus we call this a short depth of field.

When you have a large aperture, F2.8 for example, your depth of field can be small. If you have a small aperture such as F 22, then everything in image is in focus. (Lighting permitting of course.) I will explain this in a different tutorial.

Shutter speed is very much linked to the timing of motion and movement. Shutter speed is calculated in fractions of a second, seconds and then minutes. Some digital cameras have a setting called "Bulb". This means the shutter stays wide open for as long as you keep it open. You can connect a particular cable to the camera and press it just the once. The shutter will open. It will close up only when you press the cable button. This means you could have the shutter right open for an hour if your camera allowed it.

Let's take for instance the evening sky. There is not much light at the human eye can detect. In this case we may want to leave the shutter open for 10 seconds or more. However if we want to take a shot of movement that is fast-paced and "freeze" the speed of motion, then we want to have a very fast shutter speed. This is where we get into fractions of a second. I have a Canon 5D Mark II and the shutter speed can go as high as 1/8000 of a second. This is super fast! Use a quick shutter speed when you want to create the effect of water suspended or frozen in midair for example. (It is a very fun way to learn shutter speed- throw things in the air and photograph them fast.)

You will see various shooting modes on your digital camera dial. Not only do you have the automatic mode but you have aperture priority, shutter priority, manual and possibly more. Aperture priority means that you choose what f-stop to use and the camera selects the shutter speed. Shutter priority works the opposite. This means that you pick the shutter speed and the camera does the rest. These two shooting modes are okay but you still will not get the loveliest result. The best setting to use is manual.

When you employ the manual setting you have the most control over your camera. You can position the shutter speed and the aperture simultaneously. Once you become familiar with how manual works then you can begin to have more influence over lighting. Once you have most control over the lighting that is when your pictures begin to look lovely.

Learning how to use your SLR is not an extreme or hard course. It actually a lot of excitement and pretty uncomplicated when you get the hang of it. The basics of digital SLR photography purely depend on your camera's capability to interpret light. This of course means that you have to read light too! Once you understand how light works through your camera you can then select the shutter speed and aperture that produces the pictures that you desire.

Once you learn the basics of digital SLR photography you can then move on to shooting with tools to enhance your light. These methods can improve and have influence over the appearance of light in your pictures. Using the flash is one such example of this. But I will leave this to an additional article.

Your internal light gauge is a very vital part of knowing light. Your internal light meter is a small indicator that you observe when you look through the digital camera. When you place your dial on manual then the indicator will be more to the left or the right.

Based on what camera model you have the indicator means there is not enough or too much light. When the indicator is sitting in the center of the scale it means the camera believes there is just the right amount of light and you may safely take the photo. To be proficient to master light effectively simply begin shooting in automatic and write down the aperture and shutter speed that the camera has recommended. Then change your dial to manual and pick those same aperture and shutter speed settings. You will observe that those settings may not be the best ones that you once thought. At times at those settings will make the photo under exposed. This is why it is significant to shoot using manual.

Learning how to use your SLR takes a bit preparation. The great thing about SLR photography is you can always remove the photos you don't like. Do not be fearful of making errors. Errors are opportunities for discovering new things. Once you ascertain how your camera interprets light then you will be free to become the photographer you've always wanted to be.

Amy Renfrey has been a professional photographer for 8 years. She has developed a training package of ebooks to show you how to take the most stunning photos every single time you press the shutter button, even if you know nothing about photography and have never used a digital camera before. To discover how to do photography better than ever, visit her website today. http://www.DigitalPhotographySuccess.com/focusezineSub1.htm

View the original article here