Learning Digital Photography

Learning digital photography can be an exciting, fun and rewarding venture. If you have no help getting started, however, it can beconfusing, frustrating and even overwhelming!

When you purchase a new camera, no license is required. A course in digital photography basics would help, but it is easy to set the camera on automatic and start shooting photos. Soon we have hundreds (even thousands!) of pictures and don’t know what to do with them.

You may be wondering how to take good photos, how to get the pictures out of your camera and how to share your photos with family and friends.

Photography for beginners can be simplified by following a step-by-step system. In my photo sharing secrets system, step one is to choose your digital camera. There are six features to consider when you buy a camera. If you already have a camera, you can see how your camera compares.

The six camera features to compare when choosing a camera are: the viewfinder or LCD screen, the lens, the number of megapixels, the camera settings available, the shot delay when you press the shutter button and the size and feel of the camera.

Step two is to take pictures the fast and easy way. You will choose your camera accessories, get your camera ready to use, choose your camera settings and take better pictures.

When I purchased my first digital camera, I didn’t check any of my camera’s settings. I went on a trip to Alaska and had fun taking hundreds of photos with the camera on automatic. When I got back home, I found out I had the camera set to the lowest photo quality setting! I still loved the photos, but they could have been better!

Step three is to get the pictures out of your camera. This is the step that often makes digital photography for beginners a very challenging process. Don’t despair! There is an easy way to transfer the photos to your computer.

If you have tried to get your photos out of your camera, you may have experienced computer problems or programs that start automatically. There are a few simple techniques that you can learn to make the process run smoothly and without frustration.

To get the pictures out of your camera, simply make a new folder on your computer desktop. Next, put your camera’s memory card into the card slot on your computer or into a card reader connectedto the USB or Firewireport on your computer. Open the folders on the card reader and copy the photo files to the new folder on your computer. When you are finished, properly eject your card, make a back-up copy of the photos, erase the card and start taking more photos!

You may need help with these digital photography basics. When I first started, I didn’t know how to make a folder on my computer, I didn’t know what a USB port was and I certainly didn’t know how to make back-up copies of the photo files. You can learn the process by taking it one step at a time.

Step four of my photo sharing secrets program is to share your photos with family and friends. This is the fun part! You will be the expert in your crowd when you capture memories in pictures and let others enjoy them.

You can quickly and easily share your photos by using an online photosharing service. You can register and personalize your account, upload your photos, organize your photos, improve your photos with simple edits, make slideshows, prints, photo books and other products.

Much of the joy of photography is in taking the pictures, but sharing them with others is the rewarding part. Have fun!