In This Chapter
Selecting exposure mode
Focusing and choosing focus mode
Previewing depth of field
Selecting image format
Taking the picture
Reviewing the image
Printing your photographs
It's really exciting to buy a new digital camera.
If you're like me, what you want to do right away is go out and take some pictures.
What you may not want to do is to stop and read a manual — particularly a manual that is complex and written in English that treads not-too-delicately around the edges of incomprehensibility. (The manual probably reads like it has been translated through several languages, in no case by a native speaker.)
If you've never used a digital camera before — or even if you have — the steps you need to take to prepare your new camera may seem baffling. In addition, if you are not a photography pro, the meaning and implications of the camera's settings may not be readily apparent, nor may it be clear from the camera manual how much of this stuff you really need to know before you can just start taking pictures.
This chapter tells what you need to know to get a quick start taking pictures with your new digital camera.
Figure QT.1 shows you an overview diagram of the steps involved in preparing your camera, taking your first photo, and printing it or saving it for the Web.
Figure QT.1. Preparing a digital camera, taking a photo, and printing or saving a photo (flowchart schematic).
There's nothing wrong with automatic exposure. The majority of the time, automatic exposure on a digital camera does a good job of setting an acceptable exposure; so the path of least resistance when you take your first pictures with your digital camera is to select automatic exposure.
Automatic exposure is usually chosen using an exposure mode dial, and is indicated by the word Auto.
Note
In the due fullness of time you will probably want to use aperture-preferred and shutter-preferred metering for special situations (and you will certainly want to understand the ramifications of the exposure settings selected by the camera). For more details, see Chapter 3.
Many, if not most, digital cameras have exposure modes you can select in addition to Auto. When these exposure modes are used, the camera still automatically selects the exposure. However, the camera knows it's supposed to optimize its selection of exposures for certain kinds of situations.
If you know right off the bat that you are photographing in one of these situations, you should select one of the automatic exposure modes shown in Table QT.1 rather than just plain vanilla automatic (assuming, of course, that the exposure mode is available on your camera).
Note
The names of these modes differ slightly with different camera brands, but the idea is the same no matter what the mode is called.
Table QT.1. Automatic Exposure Modes
If You Are Photographing... | Select This Mode | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
Close to objects such as flowers | Close-up | Selects small aperture and exposes for central object |
Vistas of cities or mountains | Landscape | Turns off flash; exposes for wide areas and contrast |
People | Portrait | Flash set to red-eye reduction; exposure best for skin tones |
Fast action | Sports | High shutter speed used |
To activate a digital camera's autofocus, use the viewfinder to point the camera at the primary area that should be in focus, and partially depress the button (the shutter release) used to take the photograph.
With the shutter release partially depressed, the camera will autofocus, using one of the two focus modes shown in Table QT.2.
Depth of field, the range of distances within a photograph that are in focus, makes a big difference in the end results of your photography (see Chapter 3 for more details). You should get in the habit of reviewing depth of field before taking a picture.
To view the effects of depth of field on the actual photograph you take with a digital SLR, hold down the depth of field preview button, which is usually located on the front of the camera near where the lens is mounted.
With a non-SLR digital camera, you can usually see the impact of depth of field using the simulated view in the LCD screen of the image.
Note
The optical viewfinder of a non-SLR camera will not display depth of field.
You should decide what format to save your photographs in: JPEG, RAW, or both. You may also have to choose an image size and compression ratio if you select JPEG as your format. Make sure to select a format and size that is appropriate for your purposes before you take the picture.
Note
For more details on choosing a file type and size for your pictures, see Chapter 2.
Table QS.2. Auto Focus Modes
If You Want to... | Choose | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
Lock the focus and then move the camera | Single-servo mode | You want to focus and then recompose without changing the focus |
Let the focus change as needed | Variable-servo mode (sometimes called continuous mode) | When you are tracking something that moves, like an active person |
The camera is prepared, an exposure mode selected, and you have focused. It's time to take the picture. With the camera turned on, depress the shutter release button.
Hold the camera steady as you depress the button. Congratulations! You've taken a digital photograph.
It's easy to display the image you just exposed on the LCD screen of your digital camera. With an SLR, the screen is used primarily for this purpose (and also to allow menu selections). With a non-SLR, the LCD screen is also used as a viewfinder to compose pictures.
In either case, there will be special button controls near the LCD screen that allow you to view the image and to cycle through all the images on the memory card.
You can also delete images that don't live up to your expectations directly in the camera by pressing a delete button near the LCD viewer. Normally, this button is marked with a trash can icon, and you have to confirm by pressing twice to delete the image.
Note
Some cameras use menus and the LCD screen rather than buttons to display and delete images.
Tip
Don't be too hasty about deleting images based on the in-camera display. It can be awfully hard to see images on the LCD viewer, especially in bright light conditions.
With your photographs saved on the memory card in your digital camera, you can print the images in a number of ways. You can
Use cabling to connect directly to an at-home photo printer.
Remove the memory card from your camera and insert it in your at-home photo printer.
Note
For a more detailed look at printing your images, read Chapter 7.
Remove the memory card from your camera and bring the card to a kiosk in a store to print your pictures.
Use cabling — either attached directly to the camera or to a separate card reader — to download the pictures to your computer, and then print them from your computer.
Download the pictures to your computer and upload them via the Internet to make prints using online services.
Tip
Downloading photographs to your computer has the advantage that you can digitally enhance the images before printing them (see Chapter 7 for more information).
Most of the time, a USB cable is used to connect your computer to your camera. The cable should be connected to the computer with the camera turned off. After it is connected, you can turn the camera on.
You can elect to use the software provided by the digital camera manufacturer to download pictures to your computer (and manage the catalog of pictures on your computer). In this case, you should have the software installed before you connect your camera. The software automatically launches when the camera is connected to the computer and turned on. This software will help you copy photographs to your computer and delete them from the camera so you can reuse the camera's memory card.
Alternatively, you don't need to use the manufacturer's software, particularly if you are using third-party software such as Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, or Picasa that can catalog and manage your photographs.
Note
For more on specific photo-editing software, see Chapter 7.
With your camera connected to your computer and turned on, the memory card in your camera will be seen simply as another storage device (a drive). You can use software such as Windows Explorer (or iPhoto on the Mac) to drag and drop photographic files from the camera to your computer, and then delete them from the camera.
Once a photo has been saved on your computer, you print it just as you would any other file — by dragging and dropping it on the icon representing your photo printer or by selecting Print from the menu (make sure to select your photo printer).
You can send a photo along with an e-mail by attaching the photo file to the e-mail message. Depending on the e-mail program you are using, most likely you can attach a file to the message by selecting Attach from the File menu, or clicking an Attach button.
You can upload a photograph saved on your computer to an online photo sharing service such as Shutterfly (www.shutterfly.com) or Flickr (www.flickr.com). Many online services also have software you can use to upload to photos and make basic edits. There are many other photo sharing services on the Web if you don't find either of these to your liking.