Image via Complex Original
Whether or not you've just purchased a DSLR (digital single-lens reflex camera), there are parts about your camera that you may not know how to use. From choosing the right lighting to cleaning your camera, this list will help take your photography skills to the next level. We've got you covered with 10 Basic Things You Need to Know About Your DSLR To Take Better Pictures. Familiarize yourself with all the settings on you camera and don't be afraid to experiment.
RELATED: The 50 Greatest Street Photographers Right Now
RELATED: 50 Actually Talented Photographers You Should Be Following on Instagram
Make sure your sensor is clean.
This is easy to overlook if you continuously use your camera. Make sure your sensor is clean, and check if your DSLR has an auto-sensor cleaning function. Otherwise you will have to schedule cleanings for your camera at a store.
Get to know your camera's shooting modes.
The modes affect what you can do in different scenarios and determine all the functions you can control. These are the following modes:
Aperture priority: This is a good option when you want to control the depth of field, and the camera automatically adjusts the shutter based on that.
Shutter priority: This is good for if you want panning, slow motion, or blur, or if you want very fast shutter speed for sports. The camera will make an aperture/f-stop based on that.
Program: This is in between the automatic modes of aperture/shutter priority and full manual control.
Manual: This is good if you want full control, but you have to be mindful of your DSLR's menu and adjustments.
Familiarize yourself with your DSLR's metering.
Look into this function on your menu because it controls what the camera focuses on, which determines your lighting and exposure needs. The scene is always being calculated by the camera, which directly affects if the image is correctly exposed or not.
Don't be deceived by too many focus points.
As technology advances, new cameras keep coming out with more focus points, which sounds great initially. When you look through the viewfinder, you will see squares highlighted on the composition. When you half-press the shutter, you should see one of these squares highlighted in red. That is the active focus point and shows what the camera is focusing on. But this can be tricky when the camera has to many sensory points on the lens, and it can make it difficult to focus on your subject. For your best bet, start out with a single focus point.
White balance is essential.
White balance affects the overall outcome of your image's and color tone. Different light sources (such as the sun, light bulbs, fluorescent strips, etc.) emit light of different wavelengths, and therefore different colors. This is known as color temperature. Look at your camera to see your options: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Incandescent, etc. You can also choose a manual function, where you take a picture of a neutral/gray surface in your environment, and your camera adjusts accordingly. This is very helpful and creates an accurate image.
Keep the size of your images in mind.
Shooting in Raw is a good habit to develop, especially as a new photographer. You should look into the image sizes and how they affect what you can do in post-production, web/print, editing, etc.
Explore your camera's full ISO capabilities.
This is important because the ISO lets you control the lighting in dark environments, but be aware of grain/speckling. You can also pair the ISO with the shutter and aperture if you want to create special effects, capture stop motion, photograph light-trails, etc.
Experiment with on camera and off camera flashes.
You can create good effects with on and off camera flashes. Off camera flash is relatively inexpensive and important for events, shooting subjects at night, and other needs. Research what your DSLR offers in terms of wireless/cable flash. Using off camera flash gives you more power and other capabilities. You can choose high-speed sync, which lets you use flash with any shutter speed (usually you need to keep the speed to 1/200 sec. or below).
Make sure to lock up your mirror and use your self-timer.
Locking up your mirror prepares your camera to take the exposure, reduces vibration, and ensures a sharper photo. The mirror is located behind the lens, in front of the shutter. It is released when you take a picture with the shutter just long enough to make the exposure. This is great paired with a tripod, for shooting from above, or with landscape and nature photography. The self-timer function reduces shake and motion because you can expose the image on a still surface and avoid any hand shaking.
With tough lighting environments, exposure bracketing can be helpful.
Your camera will adjust and take up to three or more pictures at various exposures. When editing in post-production or experimenting with manual functions, it's good to play around with this until you get comfortable deciphering proper exposures on your own. A lot of times, the LCD brightness can be misleading, leaving you with an image that appeared brighter initially but ends up being underexposed when you import it.
