“Someone will throw you an awesome picture one day–the question is, will you be ready for it?”

I took a Beyond Beginners Class for Digital DSLR Cameras on Thursday at Creative Photo in Fort Myers. The instructor, D3, was credible and easy to understand. You could tell he truly had a passion for photography, which I can totally appreciate. I enjoyed it so much. I learned a ton, and wanted to share some of the tips and tricks I learned to help out my Love Bugs! So without further ado, here ya go: 

1. New to DSLR’s like me? Check out this awesome DSLR simulator to help you learn all the buttons  on your DSLR: CameraSim 
2. Put your DSLR on Program mode, and use the flash during the day when taking pictures of people. This will allow you  to take advantage of natural sunlight, and avoid  squinty eyes. Most people take pictures of their subject and have them stare directly into the sun. With Program mode and flash, you can introduce light to the scene comfortably without causing eye pain, and this enables you to get rid of all shadows–just have the subject move to the side of the sun so they are not looking directly into it.
3. Average shutter speed is 1/60.
4. The AEB button (auto exposure bracket) is pretty neat. It allows you to take 3 simultaneous pictures that are normal, over exposed and under exposed. This will pretty much guarantee you the best shot taking advantage of all types of light! On a side note,the Nikon 3000 series, unfortunately does not have this capability
5. If you are going on vacation, and find a tourist willing to take your picture, the best setting to put your camera on before handing over your DSLR camera is: Program mode with flash, and adjust to the proper white balance.
6. I loved playing with the Aperture and F-stops on my camera! F/2= biggest lens up. F/22=smallest lens down. The easiest way to remember this is that they are completely opposite! The F-stop simply means the amount of light you allow into your camera. You can take great pictures with the F-stop that allow you to focus on a subject, and blur out the background. Just remember 4.8 is great for the focused/blurred photo, and F/16 is great for landscape photos.
7. As the ISO gets higher, the Shutter speed gets faster. A safe ISO to keep your camera on is 400 if you are outdoors and 1600 if you are indoors.
8. Use the S (speed) mode when you are trying to get action shots!
9. When the situation arises, we all want to be able to take a great waterfall picture! The best possible way is if you have a tripod. You must also set your camera on S mode, and bring your shutter speed all the way down to 1/8th of second.
10. The Golden Hour is your best friend! This happens 60 minutes before sunset. Light is the warmest and softest during this time, and allows you to get the best photos!

If you really want to get into photography, but think the hobby is too expensive, think again! Do not, I repeat do not, rush to get the most expensive DSLR on the market. Remember, Amazon is your best friend. Get a decent camera, and invest in a great lens. It is all about the lens! I shoot with a Nikon D3200, and it is a great beginner camera for people new to DSLR cameras. Also, if you are in the Fort Myers area, take advantage of the photo classes at Creative Photo. D3 is awesome, and really helped me out. I will be back!

“See the world through your eyes, picture the end result, pick up your camera, and then capture the moment.” D3, the photography instructor, said this during class and it really resonated with me. So many people look at the world through the camera lens, and miss out on the real moment. See it with your eyes first!

Thanks for reading, Love Bugs. It means so much.