The First Basic Thing to Do If You Want To Take Better Pictures

One of the questions that I get from family members and people who are not really good picture takers is what camera did I use to take my photos. I always get the feeling that they think if they get the same camera, they will take better pictures.

Some of the time, this is true.

That's because some of the time, people don't have the right camera when taking pictures. You can't use a "cheapo" disposable camera and expect postcard like pictures for every picture you take.

In other time, they just don't understand how to take pictures. They think that buying the right camera and setting to auto will do the trick. This will work in many cases... but not every single time.

But, if you want to really take stunning pictures consistently... you will need to know your camera.

No matter what camera you have - cheap, 35mm, digital, fancy or professional - you need to know your camera. It doesn't matter what you have. There is a limitations to what your camera can do. But, knowing those limitations, you will have an idea of how your pictures will turn out before you take them.

For example, if your camera doesn't have a flash, your pictures will likely be very dark when you take pictures in the dark. If your camera doesn't have a zoom, you distant subjects will look really tiny when you get your pictures back.

Now, how do you get to know your camera? Well, practice shooting photos with it. Like everything else you learned in your life, practice makes you better at it. Take your camera every where you go. Take pictures of anything. Take the several pictures of the same subjects with different angles and different settings.

Then, study the pictures. See how they turned out. Understand what you did.

I always say that experience can teach you a lot. And learning from mistakes (yours or others) can only make you better.

But, remember, it takes time to master any craft. So, don't get discourage. Just keep at it. I know that I'm still at it, and I'm still learning.

David