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Introduction to Digital Photography
by Deborah Kilgaron
http://www.rpphotography.com
If you have access to a computer, you can take
advantage of the latest wave in photographic
technology, the digital camera. Even if you don't
have a computer you can use a digital camera, but
a computer definitely helps. The essential piece of
equipment is the camera itself. They are available
in a variety of styles, so pick the one that appeals
to you.
Keep in mind that you'll be paying more for a high-
quality digital camera. Cheaper versions are like cheap
traditional cameras--they're all right for quick snapshots,
but you shouldn't use them for important pictures. Mid-
priced cameras can yield terrific results, especially
if you want to use them to post your pics on the internet.
As a rule of thumb, go for a high number of pixels. For
a beginning, 3 megapixels is plenty. But the quality of
the lens must also be high, or else the pixels won't
matter.
It's also a good idea to choose from a well-known brand,
since they have a reputation behind them. However, the
technology is advancing so rapidly that online reviews are
the best place to start.
Even people who never considered themselves
photographers in the past are learning that with
digital cameras they can take great pictures. There are
a few main reasons for the popularity of these medium:
1) Digital photography is actually cheaper in the long-
term than traditional photography. After you pay for
the camera itself (as well as any ink and paper you may
need to print out photographs), the cost is minimal.
Traditional prints are incredibly expensive, and we've
all learned that most rolls of film include at least a
few pictures we wish we hadn't taken. But with digital
cameras you can just delete bad pictures and focus on
the ones that are good. Also, most people generally
don't even print out digital pics--they beam them around
the globe via email or by posting them on the web.
2) Creativity. This is a main selling point for many
people. With traditional cameras, you had to shell out more
money to get your prints blown up, cropped, or fixed. It
was almost never worth it. But with digital cameras you
have the ability to go in and become an artist, cropping
out whatever looks ugly, creating a better color
saturation, and so on. It's easy, even for those who are
new to digital photography.
3) Freedom. With the old style of photography, you were
constantly worried about "wasting" film. But digital
cameras have given us the freedom to snap as much as we
want, without censoring ourselves. It is so easy to take
many photos, and you can always just delete any that come
out badly. And whereas we once had to take rolls of film
just to ensure that we'd get one good shot, today we can
simply snap away and look at the camera screen to be sure
we got a great pic. This is obviously much cheaper and
much less wasteful.
With these things in mind, here are a two tips:
Experiment. Once you have invested in your equipment you
will not have to spend more money on having bad pictures
developed, so go crazy. Try different angles, different
times of day. Take pictures of details. If you are on
holiday, take pictures of things you might not normally
bother with - the food you are served, the inside of
shops... Some of these pictures can turn out to be the most
memorable when you return home, really evoking your time
away.
It's not just the camera you'll need to experiment with,
however. Learn how to utilize the accompanying software,
too. Reading through the manual or taking the computerized
tutorial is well worth it--you'll see an improvement in
your pictures as well as an increase in your ability to
fix them after the fact. The people you show your snaps
to will certainly be impressed!
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