How To Take Better Photos With A DSLR Camera




To take better photos with any camera it simply comes down to understanding your equipment, technique and practice with a major emphasis on taking lots of photos.



I was asked a question by Connor on the podcast who recently got a new digital camera for the family.  He and his wife have made it a point to learn how to take better photos of their kids. He wanted to know some tips for taking better photos in general.



Here is what I personally did to get better at taking photos using any camera, from mobile phone to digital SLR.



13 ways to take better photos with any camera



* Learn your camera equipment – Read the Manual!* shutter speed, aperture and ISO* Take photos everyday* Take lots of photos* Framing and composing* Slow down and previsualize the photo* Learn to read the light* Simple post processing* Using lightroom presets* Keep your equipment simple* Hold your camera properly* Clean your equipment* Printing your photos



1. Learn your camera equipment – Read the Manual



Let’s start off with learning your camera equipment since this is the simplest and most basic thing you could do with a new camera to start taking better photos.



You need to learn where all the dials are , you’ve got to learn what all the buttons and menus do. Even if you don’t use them, you will one day down the track.



To do that, other than playing with the camera is to actually read the manual. 



I know, it’s boring, but you’ve got to do it. 



The manual will tell you how the manufacturer expects you to use their camera.



Same thing applies for anything, right? We’ve all got to read the manual if we want the optimum results.



The manual also has other topics such as troubleshooting tips, which are usually at the back of the book. It also talks about accessories. It even tells how to hold the camera.



It’s one of those things where as much as we loathe reading manuals, you’ve just got to do it. 



What I find works for me is looking at the index and finding different topics that I want to learn about.  It cuts out the boredom. 



Because if you start at the beginning after the first couple of chapters, you may think, 



“When am I going to get to the good stuff?” 



Unless you are a complete novice as It’s usually the most basic information at the beginning.   You may want to skip to different chapters if you’re finding it a little bit boring. That way, hopefully, you will get something out of the manual, Instead of not reading it all.



2. Shutter speed, Aperture and ISO



Auto mode will take you only to a certain point once the conditions become a little bit trickier or you want to get more creative, that’s when you need to know about the manual modes or creative modes on your camera so knowing your shutter speed, aperture and ISO is very important to progress.



The ISO is how sensitive the camera sensor is to light. The lower ISO ( low number ), which you would generally use when it’s very bright conditions, and the higher ISO ( high number ) is when it’s dark like indoors, useful if you don’t want to use a flash.



The aperture dictates how much of the photo is in focus. A low number e.g f2.8 will only have a small section of the photo in focus leaving the background blurry.  A high number e.g f16 will have more of the photo in focus perfect for landscapes.