How to get amazing photos with a basic digital camera
What kind of investment in camera equipment is needed to deliver photos that stand out in most amateur offerings? Well, first of all, I never liked the term hobbyist when it comes to creativity. Anyone can be creative with a basic camera if they understand a few very basic principles. Capturing those once-in-a-lifetime moments requires the full attention of the photographer.
You simply have to be aware of your surroundings by divorcing yourself from the reality of the moment. Concentration is a difficult thing to master as most of us are so caught up in our jobs, families, and daily lives that we don’t take the time to smell the flowers, let alone see them.
I have been directly and indirectly involved with photography for almost 40 years, but I admit that I am still involved in the learning cycle. I hope I never “know it all”. The learning process is a journey that delights me every day. A truly creative photographer sees life with the same vision that all “sighted” people have. The difference is how the brain interprets the scene.
Can you be conditioned to get to that point? I think you can. How? Well, a good starting point is to master the camera to the point where it is simply an extension of your eye. If you’re not thinking about aperture and shutter settings, depth of field, ISO, and all the other complications associated with camera operation, your mind is free to capture and absorb the scene around you. As Shakespeare wrote: “Sweet are the uses of adversity, Which, like the toad, ugly and poisonous, Still wears a precious jewel on its head; And this our life, free from public places, Finds tongues in trees, books in the race”. streams, sermons on stones, and good at everything.” I wish we could do that in most situations in life: find the good and beauty in everything: see that precious jewel instead of an ugly, poisonous toad. In fact , beauty is in the eye of the beholder Look for the good, see beauty in the simple things Photographs can document a life My mother had a clumsy box camera The only controls it had were a shutter release and a thumbwheel advance the film. I still have some of the black and white images he captured of my brother, sister, and myself. Many were taken just before and during World War II. She wasn’t a skilled professional, she was a mom who loved his children and he wanted to preserve our way of being. Well, isn’t that what we’re trying to do today, capture the moment?
If I had to list the most important things needed for professional-quality shots, it would include:
1. Do not get carried away by your own importance. When your sole purpose is to please others with your work, your work will improve!
2. Master the camera first. Know what each switch, knob, and button makes happen.
3. Keep an open mind. Dominate the situation, do not let the situation dominate you.
4. Allow your living subjects to simply be themselves. Smiles should be natural, not cajoled.
5. Don’t meddle with nature. Capture beauty as it is.
6. Learn and remember that photography cannot be achieved in total darkness. Light has a greater influence on your results than any other feature. I recently faced a challenge.
I have worked as a technical writer and commercial photographer for the last 10 years. I learned digital photography the hard way, they gave me a camera and a photo-editing computer program, and then they let me go. My photos of the products I wrote about were correctly lit, correctly exposed, and well focused. There was certainly nothing dramatic about these shots.
The drama was not on the storyboard. And then I was presented with another challenge. A family member was getting married, a really low-budget wedding, so Grandpa Don was asked to cover the photo. Well, Grandma Margie, Uncle Rob, and I are off to capture this special event. Between the three of us we took almost 500 images, none of which would be considered for awards. But the couple was happy with them.
With that experience behind us, it seemed like we might return to retirement, but another family member stepped up their wedding plans. I suggested to Grandma Margie and Uncle Rob that we revive my old wedding photography business. Well, we created over 700 images at this wedding and I spent countless hours removing lens flare from many of the images we took during the bright, sunny day of that outdoor wedding.
During a post-wedding meeting, we decided that my two partners could use some professional help. Why not see what we can find on the Internet? It is packed with tips and tutorials. I found a lot of useful information, but what I wanted to achieve was to instill in my partners a sense of creativity that I felt unable to teach. They needed to hear it from another source. After several Google searches, I found a very impressive website loaded with some of the best shots I have ever had the privilege to see.
The website header began with: “Finally! How to take the digital photos you’ve always wanted, and finally make them look like they were taken by a professional photographer… even if you’ve never used a digital camera.” Before and I don’t know anything about photography.” My first thought was that this is just more advertising on the Internet. As I read, I realized that I had found what my partners and I needed. I thought that it would not hurt to participate in this course too. You see, I think you can teach an old dog (like me) a few tricks.