Time was when you needed many pictures of one particular subject if you wanted a near perfect shot. Even with a choice, sometimes you just couldn’t get it right. It really was the age of ‘trial and error’. Today, with most of the old cameras being relegated to the trash can or to an antique status, the digital cameras that have taken their place mean that you can shoot and you don’t have to wait to see the results. What’s more, if you aren’t satisfied, you just delete and go on to take the picture till it is, well, picture perfect!
The old cameras were called SLRs because they had a Single Lens Reflex. The cameras operated with a lens and a mirror, with the light entering through the lens and the mirror reflecting that light so it was seen through the viewfinder to help the photographer frame his picture. The picture was then recorded on the film in the camera. Different lenses were used for different resolutions and the lenses could usually be interchanged. So you got varying depths if you wanted them.
The new DSLRs or the Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras use a lens and mirror too but now instead of film, you have a chip to record your pictures. With the light sensor chips inside it and the digital memory it has, these cameras can capture and hold a number of pictures. So in reality, all they are happen to be a digitized version of the old SLR cameras. The great thing is that if you don’t like a picture, it doesn’t need to sit in your camera occupying precious space. All you have to do is hit the delete button and hey presto! the picture is gone forever. What you store in your camera are the pictures you are satisfied with.
These digital cameras function better if you were to invest a bit of money and get yourself more lenses and memory cards. Who knows? These few additions might just set you onto the path of photography as a career!
Let’s go through a few tips to help DSLR camera owners to get the best out of their cameras.
When you want to take pictures of people against a backdrop, try and take upper body shots and not full body ones. When you do a full body shot, the images of the people in the picture are far too small. Or you could also try to keep the person slightly off-center and then zoom into the picture so the subject comes into the center of the frame.
Of course the light source is all-important. Never have the sun behind a person or all you’ll get is the person’s silhouette, never mind that you can see the person’s face through the viewfinder. And if the sun is right in front of the person, you might find him screwing up his eyes because of the glare or maybe even wanting to wear sunglasses.
You could however, use your own sunglasses as a kind of a polarizer to cut the glare and take off the reflections. This also increases the exposure of the objects. When you do this or if you are using a polarizer, try and see that the light source is placed perpendicular to the object.
If you want to shoot outdoor portraits or bright landscapes, make sure your white balance has been changed from auto to cloudy. Remember not to use a flash when the sun is shining down. If you want a particular characteristic emphasized, use the zoom. Of course the main thing to do would be to practice as much as you possible can. It really does make perfect….well almost always. The quest for that perfect shot is always there. Use digital photography to get you to it.
Getting started on wedding photography is not tough at all. With a light fixture, a few fancy background easels and some really good spotlights, you are all set. Creativity knows no limits. That is why careers in photography are prospering. Everyone has to look for photographic services at one time or the other, on any sort of occasion.