Though DSLRs were very expensive and were used only by professionals when they were first introduced, today, many people use them, but many of them don’t understand the working and are not able to make the most of the fantastic features.
By following this guide, you can experiment and take better pictures with your DSLR.
Cleaning the Lenses
Make sure that the camera lens and the sensor is clean. This will enable you to take pictures without smears or dots on them. Breathe on the lens and then wipe it with a circular motion. Before you change the lens, you must turn the camera off, so that dirt does not get into the sensor, but never change the lens in a windy or uncontrolled environment. Many DSLR cameras also feature automatic cleaning of the sensor whenever the camera is turned off or on.
Best Position
It is important to get the subject of the photos in the correct position, so that there is nothing odd or awkward near their heads or in the background. The best way to learn to take good photographs is by viewing the subject from various angles and in different positions.
Proper Framing
This is a very important aspect of good photography when you take a picture with your DSLR camera. Observe pictures and photos in magazines and see the way in which they have been framed. You need to give some headroom to the subject, but not too much. You also cannot crop the photo in a clumsy way. It is not always a good idea to place the subject right in the center of the frame, as other positions can also look good.
Lighting
The lighting helps set the right atmosphere for the photo. The internal flash must be set to the right level and if you have gone through the manual you will know how to work things out. The flash control can be easily accessed in most DSLR cameras. You can also attempt using an external flash.
If you are taking shots during the daytime, use the sun to the best advantage. A backlit picture can look great, as it helps to separate the subject from the background and offers a third dimension. Using a reflector or a white card for bouncing the light on the subject’s face can be very effective, as it improves the photos and lifts the shadows from the face of your subject.
Controlling Exposure
You can control the shutter speed as well as the exposure manually, as this will allow you to remain in control of what you want to expose. On the other hand, if you select the auto exposure mode of the camera, it will expose all that is mainly in the frame. For instance, if you are taking the picture of a person against a waterfall that is in the background, an auto exposure will adjust the iris and expose the white waterfall, with the result that the subject or the person will appear dark or underexposed.
DOF or Depth of Field
If you want to be really creative with your photographs taken in your DSLR, you need to know the basics of DOF and the way in which the F Stop changes what is in focus in the picture. You must also learn about slow and fast speeds of the shutter, as this will affect the F Stop. Try to switch over to manual focus for certain shots, especially in case of close up shots, as you can set the focus to exactly where you want it.
Whatever be the model of your DSLR, it is a finely tuned device and offer precise and mechanical controls with high tech electronic features, which are designed to help you take the best pictures possible. However, many users may not even use half of the features due to inexperience. The above tips can help you get the most out of your DSLR camera.
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