New Camera and Excited to Learn Photography Basics

Photography Terms

First, I wanted to provide you with some terms. You can find a complete list here, but I will give you the most popular ones.

• Aperture—Aperture refers to focal stops or F stops. F Stops measure how much the image will be in focus and affect its brightness or darkness.
• Body—The camera body is the central part of the camera, where you attach lenses or accessories. It also has a viewfinder.
• Composition – This is identifying how the visual elements of an image are being arranged.
• Exposure is how well-lit an image is. The shadows and highlights in the image still contain digital information and can be altered if necessary.
• Exposure Triangle – The magic of mixing ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed to achieve the perfect exposure regardless of the situation.
• ISO – International Organization for Standardization that represents light sensitivity. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive it is to light, meaning taking a picture in the dark is more effortless.
• Lens – Lenses come in different focal lengths, and brands will have various lenses for most cameras.
• Point and Shoot – This camera doesn’t have interchangeable lenses. Instead, it usually can fit in your pocket and is relatively small and compact.
• Pop-up flash: This refers to the flash built into your camera. Most professional-level cameras don’t have a pop-up flash, so external flashes are placed on top of them instead.
• Shutter Speed is the speed at which the shutter curtains move to capture an image. It is measured in seconds and milliseconds, often called 1/100 of a second.

Now that you know some terms, I recommend checking out my YouTube series on photography basics. The series is divided into short videos, so you can choose which ones to watch first.

Understanding Your Camera: Different Modes

Depending on whether this is your first time holding a camera that wasn’t a cellphone or your new camera is a cellphone, knowing how to adjust settings is vital to getting the correct exposure. One of the things I recommend for cameras with different modes is going through each mode and taking a picture of the same thing each time and seeing how each mode changes the image, if it changes it at all.

Some standard modes for cameras are:

• Auto: Automode is where your camera changes all your settings based on the information pouring into the lens. While it can’t tell if a kid is running or a wave is crashing, it can determine how much light is needed to ensure a perfect exposure. It can tell how much light is available and whether or not the popup flash should be used. Auto is a great starting point if you’re getting comfortable holding your camera and aren’t ready to worry about changing things yet.
• No Flash: This mode is where the flash on top of your camera is turned off, but the rest of the settings are automatic. In dark settings with no flash, your camera will use a slower shutter speed, and your images will likely be blurrier.
• Creative: Sport, Night, Portrait, Landscape, and macro. Each one serves a different purpose and is, to an extent, self-explanatory. Sports are for fast-paced situations like sports, children, or moving cars. Night or low light is for darker scenes. Portrait is when someone sits still, and you can focus on their face. Landscape will ensure more things are in focus, so you’re capturing the entire landscape. Macro is for those close-ups of flowers, crafts, products, rocks, etc., and anything small you want to focus on.
• P, S, A, B: Program, Shutter, Aperture, and Bulb. Each setting allows you to change one aspect, and the camera changes the others. If you’re still learning to operate a camera and understand the exposure triangle, these settings can help.
  • Program or P allows you to change both the shutter and the aperture. The camera will auto-change the other as you change one, so the exposure stays the same. Try pointing at different areas, both darker and lighter, keeping your ISO the same, and watching how the shutter and aperture change.
  • Shutter priority (S) or TV is similar to Aperture; you can change the shutter speed in shutter priority, and the camera will automatically adjust the aperture.
  • Aperature or Av allows you to change the aperture, not the shutter speed. So, as you change the aperture, the camera will change the shutter to ensure the exposure stays correct.
  • The bulb setting lets you control the shutter speed using a wired or wireless remote. A bulb is ideal for long exposures with water scenes, light painting, or night skies. It is ideal when you need to start and stop the shutter in an unusual amount of time or need an extra long time. 
• Manual: Manual mode is where you will have control over all the settings that the camera allows. Each camera comes with its controls, so some cameras may have limited settings, whereas more professional pieces will have more options to choose from. Regardless, you will have control over the options available in manual mode, from the exposure triangle to white balance to file sizing.

Camera Settings to Check

Whenever I get a new camera, the first things I like to check on the back end are the file format, the in-camera copyright information, the date and time and wifi. 

Wifi is a feature of newer cameras, but it often causes the battery to die faster. Sometimes, when Wi-Fi is enabled, you won’t be able to use other features like video recording. So, I always ensure it’s off when I’m shooting unless I use a wireless remote to control the shutter or import images wirelessly onto my phone or computer. 

1. File Format—If you know you will be doing a lot of editing, it is essential to ensure your images are taken in RAW format rather than JPG or JPEG. RAW holds more information within the image and allows for more control over editing later. 
2. In-Camera Copyright—Most cameras’ settings allow adding copyright information. Here, I put the name of my business, my name, and my country. The camera copies my copyright into every image’s digital footprint. You can also automatically add a copyright to images when you import them into Adobe Lightroom. 
3. Date and Time – This is optional, but I use date and time searches frequently when looking for specific images. Having the correct date and times allows for easy searching later but also helps with accuracy when posting online, as this information, like your copyright, will be embedded into the image’s digital footprint. 
4. Wifi – This feature of newer cameras often causes the battery to die faster. Sometimes, when Wi-Fi is enabled, you won’t be able to use other features like video recording. So, I always ensure it’s off when I’m shooting unless I use a wireless remote to control the shutter or import images wirelessly onto my phone or computer. 

Time to Start Shooting

Knowing how and where to start can be tricky, but the best thing to remember is that photography should be fun. Learning what you like to photograph takes a lot of time. So, initially, do your best to pick up your camera as often as possible. Take pictures of everything and everyone (with their permission, of course).

If you don’t know where to start, I recommend going for landscapes, objects and close friends and family. One of the habits I got into when I was learning photography was going for 30 to 60-minute walks every day or as often as possible and taking my camera with me. I would listen to music or podcasts and take pictures of everything. I have many images of weird rocks on the pavement, cool-looking leaves, the cityscapes and people walking on the street. 

Thankfully, we live in a digital world. So, if you don’t like an image, you can delete it later. But at least if you take a lot of pictures and pay attention to the settings you’re using, you’ll be able to learn what works and what doesn’t. It doesn’t mean you need to show anyone; sometimes, your photography is just for your eyes. And that’s okay. 

Now that you have some basics down take time to learn how to use your camera and what you like to shoot.

Happy shooting, I believe in you.