Thoughtful Thursday- Know your Camera!

Last week's "Thoughtful Thursday" was about how I stay up late editing. Well, tonight is not such a personal entry. This is for all of you who are just starting out on your photography journey.

In the photography world today, things are much different than they used to be even twenty years ago. Most photographers no longer use film cameras or have a need for dark rooms. Instead we have digital cameras and editing software on our computers. Before, a photographer had to really know their camera in order to get the shots they wanted, and usually had to have a light meter. Now, cameras are so much more accommodating. Digital cameras now can be set to automatic and do the work for you, except pushing the button of course. There is a saying I've heard before, "Anyone can be a photographer these days!" I find this saying somewhat offensive. I don't think everyone is cut out to be a photographer, just like not everyone is meant to be a painter or a sculpter. Photography is an art form. It is craft you have to work at and constantly strive to better. I want to challenge all of you aspiring photographers to take your cameras off of automatic and keep it on manual! Learn how your camera actually works. Take control of your camera, don't let it control you. A camera set on automatic won't usually give you the results you want. You need to know your f-stops and shutterspeeds, your white balance and ISO, and how they all work. It may seem difficult or not worth the hastle of memorizing how everything works. Trust me when I say, it is totally worth it! If you are confused and can't figure it out on your own, take some classes! If you want to be a great photographer you have to dive in, don't limit yourself by staying on automatic. Manual equals freedom! When you know your camera, you can get your shots as close to perfection as possible before you mess with them in your editing program. Editing plays a major role in photography these days but you should always try to get your photograph as close to the way you want it without editing. If any of you have any questions, please ask me! I love to discuss all things photography, although I will say, I may not have all the answers! Like I previously wrote, photography is an art form, you have to constantly strive to be better and to know more! Below are three examples of photographs straight out of the camera, and then the edited version with explanations.

 In the first example, the SOOC (straight out of camera) shot is obviously too dark. I had my camera set at a low F-stop to give me the blurred background. I had to set my camera at a faster shutter speed because it was very windy when I was trying to take this photo. For me this photograph was more about getting a clear photo rather than a perfectly lit one in a short amount of time. Editing wise all I did was brighten the photo, add a tad of contrast and a little more orange tones.

 In this example, they are very close. My son is very hard to get good photographs of because he won't usually hold still long enough. So I snapped the photographs as quick as I could before I could adjust my white balance. All I did was add a tad of contrast and a little more orange tones.

Last but not least in this example, all I did was add a bit of contrast. Can you see how close the SOOC shot is to the final product? I try to have this result with all of my photographs. The key word here is try. You probably won't ever get the perfect photo straight out of camera without wanting to do a little something to it, even if it is just adding a touch of contrast. Sometimes you don't always get the chance to change your white balance or your f-stop or maybe even your shutter speed but the point is to try and get it as close as you can! Stay tuned for next week's post that will be all about editing!