So you gathered your courage and more than a few of your hard-earned dollars, looked into the abyss, and leaped into a dSLR purchase. And as you flip through the menus and all the new camera-speak that you need to learn, you’re asking yourself why you didn’t just get a simple ‘point and shoot’. Don’t wimp out, now! Be brave… forge ahead. At the time of writing this, I am just a couple of months from where you are now. Here’s what I’ve learned (with lots of help – more on that later) that might get you out of the realm of the chicken and keep you from chucking that new camera to the heights that eagles soar.

It’s All in the Eyes

You’re wondering around with your camera (yes, you are a photographer now) when suddenly your attention gets grabbed and you have this urge to record what you are seeing so you can amaze your spouse with ‘opus maximus in digital’ and justify the hole in your household budget caused by your camera purchase. Get used to this because this is the first sign that you have a healthy addiction, both to capturing the moment and to justifying regular new expenses.

Go ahead and ask yourself – “What do I see?” And there we have it, the beginning of photographic reasoning!

Let’s make it really simple:

If what you are seeing is stationary (nature scene, building, road, fence, etc) then think APERTURE.

If what you are seeing is moving (cars speeding, birds flying, people running, etc) then think SHUTTER SPEED.

Like I said – let’s keep this in the realm of the KISS principal. That means if you do it right, your spouse will be so impressed that this might even be the regular response to your photos.

Locate the Best Feature in What You See

Something caught your eye and made you stop. Identify it. Very simple rule – large apertures (f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6…) allows you to put things that are closer to you in focus, and can put things that are further away out of focus. Smaller apertures (f/11, f/16, f/22…) increase the amount of your scene that can be put into focus.

And yes, the numbers confuse everyone at first, because they are fractions, so f/4 and f/5.6 are larger than f/16, and f/11. This relationship is a lot like reality – the SMALLER you dream, the LARGER chance you have of fulfillment.

Want to make a subject that’s close to you (mushroom, apple, hinge on fence, etc) stand out? Using a large aperture will allow you to focus the subject while creating some blur in the background.

Want to capture the full detail of that road as it winds down through the trees full of fall color? Using a smaller aperture will allow you to put all or more of the features into focus.

This concept is wrapped up into a larger concept that photographers refer to as DOF or Depth of Field.

If you spend time shooting lots of pictures in your camera’s ‘Aperture Priority’ mode, analyzing your results will help you to quickly get a grasp on this concept.

You See Movement

If movement is part of your potential masterpiece, then you need to make a decision about it. Do you want to freeze the movement? Or, do you want to make like an artist and paint that sense of movement into your photograph?

A fast shutter speed (1/200, 1/400, etc) can be used to freeze movement, while a slower shutter speed (1/100, 1/50, etc) can be used to capture a ‘blur’ such as the ‘light trails’ behind a moving car, or give a smooth, silky appearance to flowing water.

Your camera won’t show shutter speed as a fraction. It will only show the denominator (i.e. 200, 400, etc). So the higher the number you see, the faster the shutter speed.

To sum speed up then, just like in a Bruce Willis movie, if you need to say ‘freeze!’ then you have to say it fast! And if you want to invoke comparisons to Rembrandt’s smooth and silky strokes, then you have to go slow.

If you spend time shooting lots of pictures in your camera’s ‘Shutter Priority’ mode, analyzing your results will help you to quickly get a grasp on this concept.

When you’re ready to combine shutter speed and aperture concepts, then you can enter the brave new world of Manual mode. No need to rush, though. Just like a fine wine, it gets better the longer you sit with it.

Back to the Eyes

See lots. Shoot lots. Show lots and let others tell you what they see. That’s where the ‘lots of help’ really comes in. Joining a site like PhotographyCorner.com gives you an opportunity to get feedback on your photos. More importantly, it gives you a chance to see what other photographers are doing.

Originality is great when you’ve got it. When you don’t - be a copy cat. Be a thief when it comes to ideas. I can’t stress how much I’ve learned by seeing a photo that I’ve liked and then trying to recreate a similar concept on my own.

Finally, every picture you take reveals something about who you are. This is especially good news for those of us that are male. When my wife says “You never share anything with me about…” I just pull up my pictures and invite her to sit close to me and tell me what she sees of me in each photo I’ve taken.

And the money I save on flowers and chocolate goes into that ever-growing camera accessory fund. Now, please pass me the brochure on that macro lens…

See it and shoot it, my friend. See it and shoot it. You’re a real photographer now.