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Do you have an interest in photography on an amateur level? Or have you taken a few photos that other people liked, and you want to find out how to get even better at the basics of photography? These tips on how to use DSLR camera for beginners can help anyone enter into the world of photography. Even professionals can strengthen or recall their basic knowledge of handling the camera. Now let’s start with the DSLR basics for beginner photographer!

1. Know Your Camera

If you just bought your camera and you have no idea what you are doing, the first thing we want you to do is to relax. We are going to go over the focal camera functions. By now, you have noticed that reading the instruction manual is boring and confusing. Don’t worry you don’t have to remember every word located in there. The most important thing you need to learn from the manual is how to insert a memory card and a battery into your camera. Now mount your lens and we are ready to go!

Let’s presume that you are holding your camera in hands. The first thing you are probably going to see is the camera wheel with different modes.

These modes are essential for understanding photography and developing techniques. Most digital cameras today have four main types of camera modes: Program (P), Shutter Priority (Tv or S), Aperture Priority (Av or A), Manual (M). We are not going to include automatic modes (Auto, Action, Portrait, Night Portrait, Landscape, Macro), they represent DSLR basics for a beginner. These modes are for snapshots. Don’t get us wrong, using automatic modes you can still get decent looking photos, but using manual modes you are going to get so much more out of your photos.

One of the most crucial things that lead to a quality photo is ISO settings of your camera, you need to correct ISO settings before taking any pictures. This setting can be in automatic mode, except when taking pictures in dark. Then you need to manually change the settings of ISO because in the dark the camera will usually make a mistake with adjusting the ISO. If you want the best possible quality outcome out of your pictures, then you will want to set the ISO on 100 preferably if possible when taking photos.

Also, one other instance, where using auto mode can be a little tricky, is with built-in flash. This probably happened to you already. You were trying to take a picture and the flash popped out while the camera was on auto mode. This is another instance where using auto mode is not recommended. Let’s give a few examples of why this is bad. Imagine yourself at a music concert, where you are trying to take pictures of the band. If you are using auto mode and it’s dark, the built-in flash will pop up. This flash will not help with the lighting because it will not reach the stage at all, it will only be a bother to people around you.

Another reverse situation is the flash not turning on while the camera is in auto mode. Now picture a bright sunny day. You are trying to take a portrait picture of your friend. Because the sun is too bright it can often create unwanted shadows on the body or on the background. This is a perfect time to use flash to negate these shadows. But, if you are using auto mode, the camera will not turn it on because it thinks you have enough light for the picture.

Now let’s get back to manual modes of the camera. Before you start using the manual mode you will need to learn a few things about your DLSR and photography in general. Educate yourself about aperture, ISO value and exposure time. You can educate yourself about these subjects on Pixobo. If you don’t understand something, feel free to send us an email. After understanding these concepts, you can finally get away from auto mode and enter into the amazing world of photography.

2. Create a Story

Every picture needs some kind of composition. This means that you need to have a motive to actually make a meaningful picture. I am not saying that snapshots are bad and that you should avoid them. Sometimes some snapshots are better than a well prepared and toughed out the picture. But if you are aiming for that perfect picture then you should spend some time thinking about it.

Ask yourself what do you want to represent with this picture? What is the motive? What is the meaning behind it? All this needs to be answered before actually triggering the camera to take the shoot. In these scenarios, you can’t go with the rule of: “This looks nice!”

3. Light Is Everything

This is one of the things that you either chose to master or just rely on automatic features. Mastering this will give your photos a new perspective. Sure, in the beginning, most of us rely on the automatic feature simply because it takes too much time to adjust settings every time. There is nothing wrong with doing this either, but your pictures will turn out average. In most cases, scenarios like a winter wonderland, bright sun or light-shows, your pictures will be nonexistent.

The reason for this is because the camera is focusing on the overall frame and balancing everything, while you want just one detail to stand out. In the case of the winter photos, it will give you pure white photos. Light-shows will appear dark with few light spots. It is a fight that the camera will win every time if you don’t learn how to control your exposure.

Tips on How to Use DSLR Camera for Beginners

Tips on How to Use DSLR Camera for Beginners