How To Take Good Photos With A Digital Camera

(Photo: Peeterv/Getty Images)

Digital photography tin can be an addicting hobby. The medium offers instant feedback you lot don't become with film (unless you're shooting Polaroid), and large retentiveness cards let you to experiment with angles and lighting to your eye'southward content. If you're by the beginner stage and you're looking for some new ideas to help ameliorate your shooting feel, check out these tips for some inspiration. And if yous have any that you lot'd like to share, please experience gratuitous to add together them to the comments section.

1. Shoot in Raw

Almost digital cameras are set to capture files in JPG format out of the box. This is very user-friendly, every bit it allows you lot to apace share files with friends and family unit—without the need for postal service-processing. But you're giving up a lot of control past not shooting in Raw—which is an unprocessed file that contains the image equally the camera's sensor captured it. A Raw file allows you to tweak colors, exposure, black levels, sharpness, and other attributes with much more than flexibility than an already-compressed JPG allows. You lot will need software to work with Raw images. Your photographic camera may have a bundled solution, but a dedicated program like Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Archetype CC or Phase I Capture One Pro volition evangelize more tools and better results.

two. Consider Off-Camera Lighting

Y'all may have already added a defended wink to your camera so that you can avoid the harsh light created by the on-camera flash. But if you lot really want to experiment with flash photography, moving the flash away from the camera is central. It'due south easier now than e'er to take advantage—brands like Godox offer affordable wireless flashes with automatic TTL metering for all popular systems, and y'all can pace up to and spend more on Profoto lighting to handle the demands of regular, professional use.

Portrait lit with off-camera monolight (Photo: Jim Fisher) (Jim Fisher)

At that place are many dissimilar choices for off-camera lighting. You tin opt for a portable bombardment-powered flash that can also exist used on-photographic camera, or opt for more than powerful studio lights. The portrait above was shot using a unmarried Elinchrom monolight with a reflector for a stark, high-dissimilarity look. But yous can use different lighting modifiers like a softbox or umbrella for softer, more fifty-fifty light. And if you're working outdoors, a portable reflector to fill in shadows is a useful tool, although you'll need an assistant to concur and position it.

3. Endeavour Some Different Lenses

Lensbaby Composer Pro has a look unlike other lenses (Photograph: Jim Fisher) (Jim Fisher)

Chances are y'all've already moved abroad from the 18-55mm kit lens, either opting for a better quality zoom or a fast prime number lens. But if y'all're stuck in a creative rut, or just want to experiment with some new types of photography, a specialized lens tin can really come in handy. You tin opt for a super-sharp macro lens that can focus close and fill your frame with small objects. You tin become in the opposite direction and catch a Lensbaby, a artistic lens system that allows you lot to suit the airplane of focus, creating photos that take a sharp point of focus that gives manner to soft, swirly, dreaminess.

If you lot have a mirrorless photographic camera your choices are even more than vast. There are numerous lens adapters bachelor that make it possible to mount virtually whatever lens to these cameras for use in manual focus style. More interesting options include CCTV lenses, which are generally very fast, but produce images with extremely soft corners, Russian rangefinder lenses like the Industar-69, and lenses from toy cameras like the Holga.

Pentax 43mm Lens on Sony mirrorless camera

Use adapters to try classic lenses on new digital cameras (Photo: Jim Fisher) (Jim Fisher)

Check out How to Utilize Vintage Lenses on Mirrorless Cameras for more ideas. If you want to try a lens before yous buy, yous can rent online using BorrowLenses or Lensrentals.

4. Keep Your Sensor Make clean

If you're the type to change lenses in the field, there's a skilful chance that you've got some dust on your image sensor. This is ofttimes invisible at wider apertures, but if yous take a photograph at f/5.vi or smaller these spots can distract from your photo. A uncomplicated blower, like the Giottos Rocker Air Blaster, is a uncomplicated (and whimsical) tool for dust removal. For more persistent spots, consider a cleaning kit from Visible Grit and Lenspen or, if y'all aren't comfortable doing it yourself, a professional person cleaning is in guild.

v. Replace Your Strap

If you lot're going to exist doing a lot of shooting, you should be comfortable. If y'all're lugging your SLR or mirrorless camera around on the cervix strap that came in the box, don't. In that location are dozens of third-party options out there—many of which are more than comfy and practical. My electric current favorite is Acme Design Slide Low-cal, a skilful fit for mirrorless cameras and full-frame SLRs alike.

Peak Pattern Slide Lite

Sling straps, like those from BlackRapid, are often used by event photographers who comport multiple bodies with heavy lenses fastened. They're a practiced match if y'all have a telephoto lens with its own tripod collar too. I still reach for one when using a big zoom lens.

Yous tin can also go the classic road with a broad, material strap—readily available via Etsy shops, or go total hipster with an artisanal, handcrafted leather strap like those made in Brooklyn by Tap & Dye.

6. Invest in Support

A camera strap is important for handheld photography, merely y'all'll also want to add a quality tripod. It'south an invaluable tool for making landscape and long exposure images, or exploring beyond our globe with astrophotography.

Height Design Travel Tripod (Photo: Jim Fisher) (Jim Fisher)

You'll spend a fleck more on a quality set up of carbon fiber legs and a expert ballhead, but y'all'll find that they'll outlive your photographic camera. We don't review a lot of tripods, but like the Peak Design Travel Tripod for its extra-small folded form factor. Trusted brands like Gitzo-Manfrotto, MeFoto, and Sirui are also prophylactic bets.

If you lot selection a tripod with an Arca-Swiss uniform head, and I recommend you exercise, you can make your life a little easier by adding a compatible base plate to your camera. I keep a Actually Right Stuff Baseplate on my full-frame mirrorless then it's e'er ready to go on a tripod, no fiddling with quick release plates required.

Gimbals stabilize handheld video (Photo: Jim Fisher) (Jim Fisher)

Today'southward digital cameras don't only capture high-quality still images, they're also very capable video cameras, and y'all can share video clips on your Instagram feed with the same ease you do images. There are some stories that are best told with a photo, but others require a scrap of motion and sound. Information technology's a different skill set, and one that's benign to acquire.

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If you're more interested in video tools, check out our favorite cameras and accessories for getting started with vlogging, and remember about adding a powered gimbal for Steadicam-smooth handheld video.

8. A Drone?

Drones add aerial shots to your portfolio (Photograph: Jim Fisher) (Jim Fisher)

You don't have to just take images when standing on level ground. Adding a drone to your tool kit makes it possible to take hold of shots from perspectives you'd never be able to get otherwise. Most drones can capture 4K video and Raw format images, and current models are prophylactic to fly (assuming you follow the rules). Check out our tiptop picks in the category.

9. Print Your Work

It's easy to share your photos online or to view them on a digital picture frame, merely if y'all have a photo that you truly love, information technology deserves to be printed. You tin can impress at habitation on an inkjet, just for the all-time results yous'll desire to go with a dedicated press service. Many of our favorite photograph printing services offering fun ways to display your work, including prints on canvas, metallic paper, and true black and white photo newspaper for a classic expect. You can likewise opt for a custom photo book, an update on the classic family album with your photos printed directly onto the pages.

x. Upgrade Your Camera for the Correct Reasons

If you're enthusiastic most your photos, yous might exist itching to buy a new camera. There are plenty of reasons to upgrade, but you don't always take to accept the latest photographic camera to take skillful photos. If you lot're using an entry-level SLR or mirrorless model, you lot'd exist better served moving up to a higher-course body rather than a higher-resolution photographic camera of the same class. Semi-pro cameras offer clearer viewfinders, more physical controls, meliorate autofocus, and sturdier construction.

If you lot're looking for a more specialized guide, check out our explainers on photographing lightning and fireworks.

Photographers looking for a new photographic camera or lens should peruse the digital cameras product guide for the latest reviews, and the best digital cameras for the summit products we've tested.

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