Photography:5 Tips for Using Your New Digital Camera

So, you have a new digital camera and now you want to get busy taking great photos but can you use a digital camera the same way you used your film camera? Well, the answer is both yes and no.

The first and currently most common type of digital camera is similar to an automatic film camera in that it takes care of the focus and light exposure automatically and gives you a few options that you can use to change how the image is captured. All you really need to do is point and click.

The second type is the digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera that has both automatic and manual settings much like a film SLR camera. This are the more expensive of the two types.

The following tips are meant to get you started experimenting with your new digital camera and making use of some of the differences between film and digital photography.

1. Take lots of pictures.

With film cameras you were always wondering if you have enough exposures left on the roll and if you had another roll of film. With the digital camera, you can take lots of pictures and then immediately edit them to remove the ones you don't want. If you didn't get the shot you want, you can probably try again. This is especially useful taking group shots - someone almost always has their eyes closed. The two things that determine the number of photos you can take before downloading are the resolution (quality) and the amount of memory.

2. Don't always use the highest resolution.

Yes, I know, you can print great 8x10's from the highest resolution but it eats up memory and really, how often are you going to be printing 8x10's. The option is always there when you need it. I personally take the vast majority of photos on medium resolution. When you are experimenting with your new camera, use the lowest resolution to allow you to take the most shots until you have learned what you can do with each option on the digital camera.

3. Try using the fill flash mode.

This neat feature allows you to take better pictures in strong sunlight or shadow. In sunlight, it softens the dark shadows and in dark shadows it lightens the whole image. This is not the regular flash setting, it is usually called 'fill flash' and is less intense than the regular flash.

4. Use a polarizing filter for great outdoor photos.

A polarizing filter gives you more contrast and richer, warmer tones when taking outdoor photographs. If you use polarized sun glasses, you know what I mean. A polarizing filter can be rotated to give the desired effect. Have you ever taken off you polarized sun glasses and noticed the difference in how you see what is around you? Try holding the sunglasses in front of your face and look through one of the lenses. Rotate the sunglasses and notice the difference in the tones and contrast of your surroundings. This is what you can achieve with a polarizing filter. If you don't have one, you can use your polarized sunglasses - just hold one of the lenses as close as possible to your camera lens. Oh - make sure your sunglasses are clean!

5. Use a tripod for low light photos.

You may have visions of large, heavy tripods (I do have one of those for use my ancient 300mm zoom lens that weighs 5 lbs) but you can get lightweight tripods and mono-pods that can do the trick depending on the weight of your camera. You can use objects in your surroundings to steady the camera but be careful to make sure your camera is stable enough so that if the wind should come up suddenly or the cat jump up on the table it won't take a tumble and suffer damage.

I hope you will try some of these tips and see what a difference they can make in the quality of your photos.