THE LEAST YOU NEED TO KNOW
The best way to learn how to use a camera is… to use it! So take your camera out of the box or out of the closet, go out into the world and start taking pictures. But before you start, here are some pointers that will help you understand your camera better and help you take better pictures.
1. Know your gear.
Read your camera’s manual or at least have somebody show you the camera features. This seems annoyingly obvious, but few of us really ever bother to do it. I know I never read my camera’s manual, I only refer to it when I have a problem or when I want to do something that I don’t know how to do. BUT, I did have somebody show me how to use my camera, and I had some photography classes before.
If you are buying a new camera, you can have the salesperson show you the main functions of your camera. Or just read the manual. It is a pain, but a necessary one, and you have to only do it once.
Fiddle with all the buttons and try out everything so that you know what does what. Know your gear. Or at least know what button to press to turn it on and take a picture.
2. Shoot a lot.
When I was in my photo class, my professor told us that in one roll of film with 36 shots, you can only get at most 4 good photos. This might seem like a steep ratio but as you learn more about photography, the more this makes sense. National Geographic actually uses up 1000 rolls to get that 1 good picture. And what a great picture that is.
If possible, try to bring your camera everywhere. Just make sure the places you go are safe and nobody would steal your camera.
3. Framing and Composition
THE RULE OF THIRDS
The most important rule in photography is the Rule of Thirds. It is not a hard and fast rule, feel free to break it whenever you feel the need to, but it is important to understand it. As humans, it is our natural tendency to put the subject in pictures at the center of the picture, making it very boring and static. The center is actually the most boring place you can ever put an object.
The Rule of Thirds divides your photo with 2 vertical lines and 2 horizontal lines.
The points where the lines intersect should be where the subject of the picture should be for more dramatic effect. These points, according to millions and millions of photographers, and according to the Rule of Thirds, are where it will be most pleasing to the eye.
HIGH AND LOW
Do not be afraid to look like an idiot when you are taking pictures. Because you have a camera in your hand, you now have a license to crouch down, lie on the floor, sit on the grass, climb up a chair or whatever it takes to get the right angle for your photo. Walk around your subject and study it from various angles to see which ones would be best.
4. It’s all about the Light
Photography is all about the light. It is not enough that you capture an object, you have to shoot it in the best light possible.
When shooting outdoors, some say do not shoot between 10 am and 2 pm because the sun is up and produces too many harsh shadows. The best times are after sunrise and before sunset because the sun is at an angle.
Do not shoot against the sun. The sun should be behind you, not behind your subject so that the subject will not be backlit.
Experiment with using a flash and without flash.
5. Meet your new best friends, Aperture and Shutter Speed.
6. Be Inspired.
Look at magazines, websites or books to see different kinds of photography and to learn from it. See what you like, try to emulate the styles of different photographers to find out what your style is.
ASSIGNMENT
Go out into the world and shoot some pictures. Choose 4 of the best ones, think of a title for each one. Have them printed, preferably in 8×10 size.
