Mistakes to Avoid as A Beginner - Part One

Once you get your hands on a DSLR, you become curious about all the buttons, the different modes and so on. But during the beginning stages we tend to make some mistakes.

The previous night, you might have shot a nice landscape in Manual mode with ISO 800, exposure of 4/5 seconds and exposure compensation set high. You sleep, go for a morning walk and start to take pictures, but when you look at the image it looks washed out. Yes, we will forget to change it very often as we are not used to with a DSLR in hand. Whereas some might change the mode from manual to aperture but, keep the ISO value and exposure compensation unchanged, which can make your photos grainy and washed out.

Keep in mind to check your settings each time you take a shot under different conditions.

Review the image you took and decide whether you need to make adjustments in order to produce a much better shot.

Take time to understand the surroundings, just noticing them will help you choose the settings you need.

Compose your shot well, take your time and decide how to frame your image so that it looks appealing.

Capture your image in RAW format, it helps a lot in post processing.

So keep in mind these things the next time you take out your DSLR for capturing fantastic shots.

I will write dedicated posts on Composition, Aperture, RAW format, ISO and so on.

Read More »

Anyone can capture a good picture

The secret to capturing a great image is not necessarily having a great camera. There is no need for a high end point and shoot or a DSLR to capture what you see or the story you want to capture. It is more about you or the person behind the lens. An ordinary mobile phone camera can produce amazing captures too. Then comes a question on how I can shoot long exposures? If there is ample light, all you have to do is capture 9/10 pictures without changing the composition and you can later do some post processing to mimic long exposure shots. So many things are possible using a normal camera, be it the one on your mobile or an ordinary point and shoot. A good picture has a nice composition and good lighting. (I can talk about lighting and composition in the coming posts). 

DSLR’s do have advantage over a normal camera, mainly because of its sensor, the lens combination, an extensive manual mode and so on. But if you are on a tight budget, buying a good point and shoot is a good alternative. Most mobile phone camera’s now possess a decent sensor and enough resolution to take clear pictures. So what is your excuse now? Go ahead and capture. 

Keep in mind to:

• Compose the shot well (include a little bit of foreground when necessary).

• Try to keep the subject well lit.

• And get close to the subject.

Read More »