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6 Things To Know After You Buy Your First DSLR

Over the past couple years, I've spent a lot of time with people who have just bought their first DSLR. Their attitudes range anywhere from "oh my god, I love it!" to "what the heck is wrong with this freaking thing?" A lot of beginner DSLR users feel their camera hasn't met their expectations, and it can be overwhelming. I hope this post can help clear up some of your DSLR anxiety!

1. DSLR CAMERAS ARE COMPLICATED 

You're not going to figure out what all those buttons and dials do overnight. Understanding shutter speed, aperture, and ISO takes a lot of time and practice. If you don't want to bother with learning a new skill, this might not be worth the investment.

Before you give up and take your camera back to the store, I'm asking you to give it another chance. Remember the reason you bought it. Most of the people reading this blog are moms who want to take great photos of their children. Think about your out of focus, square Instagram photos of your kids; is that all you want to pass on to them when they grow up?

DSLR photography is complicated, but completely worth it to learn. With a lot of time and dedication, you will be well on your way to understanding your camera.

2. IF YOU BUY A DSLR AND SET IT TO AUTO MODE, IT'S POINTLESS

You might as well be taking pictures with your smartphone or your $89 compact camera. I'm not kidding. I've encountered many parents who bought a DSLR camera because they thought it would automatically result in professional quality pictures of their child. They were met with disappointment because a DSLR set on Auto is no different than a regular ol' cheap camera.

Forget about Auto mode. You've got to learn Manual mode, or at least Aperture-priority mode. (I can help--stay tuned for upcoming posts on the technical side of photography.)

3. IT'S NOT YOUR CAMERA, IT'S YOU

Don't blame your camera for not taking good pictures. "I hate my DSLR. Every picture I take with it comes out blurry." I know it sucks. I know you're mad because none of your pictures turned out and I have soooo been there. But it's not your camera's fault.

Your DSLR can do amazing things, but you have to tell it what to do.

There's this saying in the photography industry as a response to the "you've got a nice camera" comment that people think is a compliment.  We say, "Thank you, I taught it everything it knows." And it's so true. Your camera on Auto mode thinks it's so smart. But it's actually pretty dumb. It gets confused when there's bright snow, or when it's really dark in your house, or when there's too much going on and it doesn't know what to focus on. Unlike your camera, you have eyeballs that can actually see and a brain that can comprehend the scene in front of you. You KNOW that your shutter speed can't be 1/10th of a second because your child moves way too fast for that.

Your camera can't take good pictures until you know how to take good pictures.

4. A PRIME LENS IS DEFINITELY WORTH THE INVESTMENT

Kit lenses (the ones that come with starter DSLRs) are okay, and some established photographers still use theirs every now and then, but they can only go so far. I felt that my kit lens limited me. I wanted to shoot with a dreamy, shallow depth of field, and my 18-55mm just wasn't doing it for me.

What is a prime lens? It's a lens with a fixed focal length, meaning it doesn't zoom. My first prime lens was a 35mm f/1.8, and it was a huge game changer for me. I immediately noticed a difference in the quality of images I was producing. It's a faster lens, which really means that it performs better in low light situations. And with a shallow depth of field, I could separate my subject from the background better.

Nikon and Canon also have very affordable options for 50mm f/1.8 lenses under $200.

I'm not saying you need to run out and buy a new lens right away, especially right after throwing down a few hundred bucks on your brand new DSLR. It's not necessary, just something to consider saving up for.

5. CULL AND EDIT ONLY YOUR GOOD PHOTOS 

Your work isn't done when you stick the SD card in your computer and upload. Rather than dump 75 unedited photos into a Facebook album from a single day, choose your top 10 or so. Any photos that are blurry, out of focus, missed the moment, are horribly exposed, etc. need to go. Even professional photographers take bad photos. Do we let anyone see 'em? Nope.

Straight out of camera, your images need a little "punch."  This is another situation where you are smarter than your camera. You saw the scene in real life, how vibrant the colors were and how beautiful the light was. But even if you nailed the shot, the image needs a little boost in Photoshop, Lightroom, or another editing program.

It's okay if your editing is pretty basic. Actually, that's a good thing. A simple bump in brightness and contrast might be all your photo needs. There are so many free editing resources out there--a quick Pinterest search will help you get started.

6. YOUR INTUITION WILL GROW 

There will be a day when you don't have to take 7926 test shots before you figure out your settings. Ain't nobody got time for that. If you keep at it, there will be a day when you can take just one or two test shots, adjust, and go.

As you practice photography, you are training your eyes to recognize different kinds of light.

The more you keep at it, the better you will be at shooting intuitively. Now that I've been doing this for several years, I get my settings pretty close to where they need to be without a test shot--and then usually after a glance at the LCD (and maybe a peek at the histogram) I'll take another test shot and be on my way.

As a beginner, it's so important to understand what makes a good image... good. Did you take a picture you love? Ask yourself why it worked. Record the location, time of day, shutter speed, aperture, and ISO that you used for that shot. Do this often. You will build on this knowledge every time you pick up the camera. Before you know it, this will become natural to you.

You got this.

My First Public Photography Gallery

A couple weeks ago I had my very first photography gallery display as part of my town's First Friday Art Walk. If you're not familiar with these events, many cities all over the US participate. It usually involves some kind of art show in the downtown area, sometimes with live music, refreshments, performances, and more. Anyway, Vincennes started these First Friday Art Walks last Fall, and Tom Bartholomew of Bartholomew Wedding Photography asked me to showcase my food photography prints in his studio.

Most of my food photography has not been seen outside of a computer screen, which is a real shame, I know. I guess I figured that if I was going to order a print to hang on the wall, it would be a picture of Holden. When I pulled out the 20x30 prints the day I received my order, I had to stand still and stare at them for a while. I think I even said out loud, "I did this. This is mine." 

I printed four 20x30 prints. Printing on canvas or framing them was way too expensive, so we opted to use hangers to display them. Tom had several on hand, but I'm going to use PosterHanger.com in the future to buy my own. The doors were Tom's ideas, too. I've used old doors as a backdrop for pictures before, so these fit so well with my "rustic" style. I also had over twenty other images mounted on styrene foam board to display along shelves. 

It was a fantastic night--SO many people came out! Friends, families, other photographers, complete strangers, community leaders. Thankfully I've overcome my shyness in recent years, and with two glasses of wine, the mingling part wasn't as overwhelming as I'd assumed it would be. 

Big thank you to Tom Bartholomew for inviting me to display my photography, and my sweet friend Dee (of DSisk Photography) who came and dropped off some old-fashioned food props for me to use.  I'm doing this all again on Friday, March 6th and I'm adding a couple of images to my display as well as selling some little mounted 4x6 prints. If you missed it the first time, I'd love for you to come out! There WILL be wine and cheesecake. 

Food in Focus (second showing)

Friday, March 6th 5-8 p.m.

@Bartholomew Wedding Photography

26 N. 1st Street in Vincennes