Digital Photography Basics -- Learning to Take Better Pictures

You've finally got your first digital camera. Now you’re ready to learn some digital photography basics so you can start taking the kind of pictures you've always wanted. Once you learn some basic digital photography techniques you'll be taking better pictures in no time. This article will tell you want you need to focus on to get great photos. Maybe you have a new camera or maybe you just want to get more serious about the one you already have. Whatever the case, you need to know your camera inside and out. Read the camera manual thoroughly to discover what features your camera has. Knowing how to do simple things like turn the flash on and off, set your camera to macro mode, and switching your camera to manual mode will give you more control over how your pictures turn out and help you take better pictures. Now that you know what your camera can do, start experimenting. Use different shutter speeds and ISO settings. Try adjusting your white balance manually. All of these things affect your picture. Experiment with taking the same picture using different setting so you can see the effects. All this experimenting will help you get to know what your camera does better. In order to take the best pictures you need to think about the composition of your picture. Composition is a part of digital photography basics that you can’t ignore. It’s one of the most important elements. Even if you have a perfect knowledge of your camera if your pictures are badly composed it just doesn't matter. Take some thought about where objects will land in your picture. What's you color palette? What is the most important thing in the picture? Where do you want the viewer's eye to focus? Try putting the focal point of the picture of center. This will add interest to the composition. Light is another important element of photography. Learning the basics of controlling the amount of light that gets into your camera will help you get the best results possible in your digital photography. The best time to take a picture is in the hour before sunset or the hour after sunrise. This time of day is called the golden hour by photographers. The light has a lovely glow at these times of day. The effect in you pictures can be breathtaking. Now that you know some digital photography basics, you're ready to start taking pictures. Study your camera and then go out and experiment with light, composition and camera settings. With time you'll be able to get the pictures you want.