I'm not aspiring to be professional, receive money for photos, or receive awards for photos. I am just trying to take better pictures. I was thinking about our camera and looking through a bunch of photos on our computer and I got to thinking.
I am not anywhere close to where I would love to be as a photographer. When people ask, "Are you into photography?" Usually my response is, "I love taking pictures. Bryce knows the technical stuff. But I love to just play with the camera and take pictures." It's true. Bryce knows and understands more of the technicalities of a DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) camera. As far as DSLR cameras, they are different that regular point-and-shoot cameras mainly because they have removable lenses and have a reflex mirror which allows live optical viewing through the lens taking the image. Read more about that here.
We have a Canon Rebel Xsi with a couple different lenses. We have an image stablizer zoom lens 70-200mm and a 17-70mm lens which I use most.
Lessons I have learned/am learning as I try to take better photos:
1. I have a lot to learn.
2. You can take pictures that look awesome on the camera, but when you pull them up on your computer and zoom in a little, they are blurry. Gah! Talk about frustration.
3. Real photographers can put it on manual and set all the settings and take great pictures. aka they understand the technicalities of all the settings.
4. Set the "f stop" to a lower number if you want/need more light in the picture (or if you want that blur effect), set it to a higher number if you want more of everything to be in focus.
5. #4 shows that...I still have a lot to learn.
6. You can definitely tell the difference between pictures taken on a DSLR versus a point-and-shoot camera.
7. Point-and-shoot cameras still have their place (I keep mine in a tiny case in my purse and take it everywhere.)
8. It's important to keep my DSLR camera out of the case in plain sight so I use it and remember to take it places.
9. The more I practice, the better the photos look. Not just the quality, but the creativity of the photo with angles and set up.
10. DSLR cameras are heavy and can be cumbersome.
11. Pretty much all professional photos you see have been edited to some degree.
12. I love taking photos of families and kids. And food.
13. I need to learn how to take crispier photos of active children. (Is crispier a word?)
14. On that note, landscapes and food are much more photo-friendly.
15. It helps to look at professional photographer's websites and study their photos, poses, colors, angles, etc.
16. Enjoy taking pictures and don't just worry about whether they are award winning awesome photos.
17. The unposed and candid shots are always more fun but harder to get good ones.
18. Pictures look better with natural light...try not to use the flash if possible!
19. Hold the camera very steady and/or get a good tripod.
20. Have ample memory for the camera to store pictures on, especially if you shoot photos in "raw".
21. I shoot almost always in Aperture Priority mode.
22. I prefer shooting with Canon cameras. Not for any particular reason other than the fact that I have always used Canons and feel most comfortable with them.
23. Photography helps you discover what you believe to be beautiful.
24. If you want to take better photos, you can't be embarrased to get dirty, crawl around on the ground, or look awkward with your camera.
25. A DSLR camera doesn't guarantee awesome photos.
That's it for now. Oh, and photo equipment is expensive.
Some blogs that have good tips on taking good photos:
Digital Photography School
Pioneer Woman Photography
Under the Sycamore
Learning the Light
Mom*Tog
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