How to Take Professional Quality Pictures with a Digital SLR Camera

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A former point-and-shoot photographer can take professional quality pictures with a digital SLR (single-lens reflex) camera by learning about and experimenting with its complex operations. There are many advantages to making the transition from a point-and-shoot digital camera to a digital SLR camera. These include capturing images “more quickly, more flexibly, and with more creativity” (Busch, Digital 9). Furthermore, taking photos with a digital SLR camera reduces the amount of time that otherwise would be spent editing with photo-editing software to improve the quality of the photos. Why would one want to switch from a point-and-shoot digital camera to a digital SLR camera? Some of the reasons are: a more accurate viewfinder, a more powerful sensor, less noise in the photos, depth-of-field control, speed, similarity to a regular SLR camera, more lens flexibility, and freedom from image editors (Rowse). Some disadvantages are: expense, size and weight, and complication of use. What are some of the key features to think about when purchasing a digital SLR camera? Some of the features are: lenses, sensors and image processors, exposure systems, and focusing systems. There are also special features to consider for the individual photographer’s needs (Busch, Digital 61-63). Lenses are one of the main items to consider when purchasing and using a digital SLR camera. All digital SLR cameras come with a basic general purpose (mid-range or normal) lens, but many people would rather have some specialty lenses, depending on the type of photography in which they are interested. Some of these specialty lenses are: zoom, prime, wide-angle, fish eye, telephoto, and macro. In addition, it is important to get a lens wit... ... middle of paper ... ...35-40). One should take many pictures in different ways so that the ones offering the best composition can be chosen later. If the above suggestions are followed, quality photographs should be the result. However, the photographer may want to enhance the photos by using photo-editing software such as Adobe Photoshop, Corel Paint Shop Pro, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Picasa, Picnik, GIMP, or Adobe Photoshop Express. The last four programs are downloadable and free (“Photo Editing Software”). In conclusion, a former point-and-shoot photographer can make the transition to a digital SLR camera and take professional quality pictures by learning about and experimenting with the camera’s complex features and operations. The first step is to purchase a digital SLR camera that suits the photographer’s needs. Then, one should start taking pictures - lots of them!

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