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Sunday, May 10, 2009

The Basics of Digital Photography

By Jason Mann

Are you thinking of purchasing a digital camera, but don't know where to start? Read on for some beginners' basics.

Picking Your First Digital Camera

Of course the most important tool here is the camera, so this is the first purchase you will need to make before you get started. The quality of a digital camera is mainly defined by four features: resolution, lens aperture, lens zoom range, lens quality and software.

Resolution is one of the most important features to consider. The resolution is the number of pixels in the captured image, which basically means that the higher your camera's resolution, the more detailed and clear your pictures will be.

Lens zoom range is next. This refers to the amount of distance you will have to maintain between you and your subject when taking the picture and how far in your lens will zoom at that length. Most digital cameras come with a 3x zoom and that will allow you to come in really close on your subject without getting a blurry result. You will be able to stand at a distance, and the lens will zoom in so that it looks like you're standing up close.

Getting Started With Your Digital Camera

Once you have chosen a camera you can now start to have some fun. Play around for a bit to get used to all the features of your new camera, and take some fun photos. Take some shots of your pets, or go outside and shoot some still objects such as a tree or flower. This will help you learn how to manage your camera's settings, and who knows, you may even turn out some photos that you really love.

Getting On Your Computer

Once you've taken a fair amount of photos, you're going to want to transfer them either for printing or display. With a regular camera, you could expect about one in twenty-four shots to be good. When you sent your film to the shop, or started developing it yourself, you'd have to remind yourself not to be disappointed that what you saw in your head didn't transfer to the shot.

With digital photography, this process is all but eliminated. Because these cameras work digitally, you can simply look at and delete the pictures you don't like. You can, therefore, continue to take a shot until you get the image you want.

Occasionally, you'll want to take the time to download and organize your photos on your computer. In actuality, with digital photography, people are taking a lot more shots because storage and organization is so much better than with traditional photography. You can file them all on your computer, then print off only the ones that you want. You can also take your memory card, which all digital cameras come with, directly to a camera shop or drugstore and print directly from the memory stick, paying only for the pictures you print.

Photo retouching software will help you touch up your images prior to printing like shading, increasing crispness of the image and getting rid of the dreaded red-eye which is the bane of every photographer.

Many folks still like to have hard copy printouts of their photos while others are content to store their images on their computers for viewing in slide show or screensaver mode. You can also share images electronically via email and digital upload sites with friends and families.

Digital photography is a flexible, exciting new method of taking pictures. Once you get started, you'll be taking shots of everything. Digital photography will bring out the creative person in you.

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