Beginning Photography Tips - The Camera Manual
One of the most important beginning photography tips we emphasize is to read the user guide for your camera. It is equally important that you carry the manual with you whenever and where ever you take your camera. We raise this issue because in 3 years of teaching a digital photography course we found that most students had not read the manual and did not carry it with them and in some cases did not know where it was. On the opening night of our 10 week classes, the first question to the class was "How many of you brought your camera AND the manual?" The most heard response was "the manual?". Consequently our first rule for the duration of the course was that they MUST bring both the camera and manual to all classes. This led to our first assignment which was a one page list of questions specifically designed to teach them about specific functions and features of their camera and to find those instructions in their manuals.
| Name | | Phone No. | Use the back of form for answers | | | Digital Camera Features | Does your camera have it? | Did you find it in the camera manual? | Recommended actions to test | Problems using this feature? | | Adjusting ISO Speed | Yes or No | Enter page no. | Repeat same shot for each ISO setting | | | White Balance Setting | Yes or No | Enter page no. | Repeat same shot for each WB setting | | | Exposure Compensation | Yes or No | Enter page no. | Repeat same shot for each setting | | | Histogram Display | Yes or No | Enter page no. | Do you understand it? | | | Change Color Mode | Yes or No | Enter page no. | Repeat same shot for each setting | | | Grid Lines on LCD | Yes or No | Enter page no. | Is it turned on? | | | Camera Menu | Yes or No | Enter page no. | Any questions about the menu? | | | Focus Modes | Yes or No | Enter page no. | How many are there? | | | Dial with many symbols | Yes or No | Enter page no. | Repeat same shot for each setting | | | Flash - red eye adjustment | Yes or No | Enter page no. | 1 Photo without & 1 photo with it turned on | | | Lock Exposure Setting | Yes or No | Enter page no. | Tried it? | | | Format Memory Card | Yes or No | Enter page no. | Tried it? | | | Transfer images to CD or Computer | Yes or No | Enter page no. | Tried it? | | | Change Image Size | Yes or No | Enter page no. | Tried it? | | | Deleted images from memory card | Yes or No | Enter page no. | Tried it? | |
- Circle the Yes or No depending on whether your camera has this feature or not. If the camera does not have the feature, do not worry about it.
- To make sure they actually looked in the manual we ask you to Enter page number where you found the instructions.
- Where we instruct you to Repeat same shot for each setting, we want you to see the difference between each of the settings so that you will better understand when to use each of the settings. Especially for the White Balance because we find so many people who simply leave the setting on Auto and then they come to us wondering why their photo turned out the way it did.
Here is another beginning photography tips for those of you who are new to the digital photography world and have bought your first Point and Shoot Camera. There are some photography fundamentals / terminology that you may not understand because you have never owned a SLR film camera. We are referring to terms such as:- Depth of Field
- Film Speed
- Shutter Speed
- F stops or lens opening
- Exposure Compensation
These terms, what they mean, and how they will affect you, are very well explained on these pages written by Roger F Cram.
Highly recommended reading....
If you have any questions about the content of this form, or any technical photography questions, please do not hesitate to Contact Us If you have additional beginning photography tips or if you have any comments related to your specific camera model tips that you would like to share with us, Become a Contributor.
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