I have a few basic tips to share with you on the usage of your digital SLR. Some may be tips you didn’t know and they’ll benefit you. You may know a lot more about it than me in case you’re a digital SLR professional. In which case, I did say “basic” tips.
The number one tip is to have fun. Get to know the digital SLR camera you’ve selected. The media for digital has come down quite a lot in the last year or so. This includes the cameras themselves. So, unlike the days of film, you can point and shoot to your heart’s content, erase, and do it all over again.
There are some really key features to getting better than good shots with a digital SLR. The ISO setting is one of the important features that can sometimes confuse amateurs (and even semi-pros on occasion). You will generally increase ISO settings to improve photos. ISO stands for International Organization of Standardization and was meant for film classification before digital came on the scene. So, that probably doesn’t amount to a hill of beans when what you really want to know is how it improves your picture-taking skills.
Well here is the bottom line. You have dark and blurry photos, especially if you take night shots and use an automatic setting. The reason for this is that the lens is set to a lower ISO on your digital SLR than needed and that keeps the shutter lens open too long. Set the ISO on your digital SLR higher and then the shutter time is reduced. Try different setting until you feel you get a better, less blurred photo.
Another tip to decrease blurriness in your digital SLR pictures is to stabilize the camera. If you don’t have the steadiest of hands, you will have the camera shake and pictures will be blurred even after increasing your ISO settings. This is as simple as sitting the camera on a flat, steady surface such as a table. This should help to take some of the blurriness out of your masterpieces.
The last tip I have to offer on the usage of your digital SLR is to invest in a really good tripod. This is not the time to go cheap. Cheap tripods are really no better than no tripod. They break easily and what if they just happen to break while your really nice digital SLR camera is sitting atop it? A super tripod will be sturdy enough to last for years so you’ll definitely get your money’s worth. They should also be light and easy to store.
by JA