When you start to delve into the inner workings of making great images, it can be hard to sort out the “must know” from the “good to know” – so you end up with a hundred or so things to remember, which get in the way or truly enjoying the craft of great photography. So here are the most important tips you should start with:
So many people don’t understand the potential of their camera simply because they don’t read the manual – there’s a ton of information in there that can help you get the settings you want for great images. Carry it with you for the first year or two until you know your camera inside and out.
Shutter speed setting is pretty easy to understand, but many people struggle with aperture. In a nutshell, it controls the amount of light coming into the lens, as well as depth-of-field (the amount of focus from front to back in the image). Take the time to learn it – you’ll love how much creativity it offers! See this post for an in-depth tutorial.
White balance is another overlooked area of photography. You’ll notice it most when you are working with a lot of white, shooting indoors, or at night – the colors just don’t look “right” in the image. If you learn to set your white balance you’ll get truer colors in your images, as well as learning when setting a different white balance can help to warm up skin tones in your kid’s portraits. Full tutorial coming soon here!
If there’s one additional piece of equipment you need, it’s a UV filter. This piece of glass screws on the front of the lens and protects the lens glass from dust, debris, and the damage of UV rays. Get one and put it on before something happens to your lens.
Automatic focus is pretty good, but it’s not always perfect. Learn how to focus manually for those moments that you must get perfect, such as when your baby is sleeping peacefully! It comes in really handy for ensuring you get really crisp images.
That’s it for now – come back for more kid’s photography tips, in the meantime use this week to practice and learn about all the essential photography tips mentioned above!