Digital Photography for Newbies

If you are considering buying a digital camera, but are confused as to where to start, read on for some basic beginner's tips to get you up and running.

Picking Your First Digital Camera

One of the most important tools needed when adding digital photography to your lifestyle, is the tool itself. What type of camera should you buy? What makes a digital camera good or better? In actuality it boils down to four major features plus the type of software that's packaged with the camera. The four features include: resolution, lens aperture, lens zoom range, lens quality and software.

Resolution is the first thing you should be looking for when purchasing. Resolution refers to the number of pixels per image and that translates in camera resolution. Basically, the higher the resolution, the more detailed and clear your photos will be.

Lens zoom range refers to how close you will be able to zoom in on your subject while keeping your distance. A zoom lens has a variable focal length, which determines the magnification of the lens. Most digital cameras have a 3x zoom, which allows you to get really close to the subject in your photo without making the photo blurry.

Getting Started

Once you have chosen a camera you can now start to have some fun. Play around for a bit to get used to all the features of your new camera, and take some fun photos. Take some shots of your pets, or go outside and shoot some still objects such as a tree or flower. This will help you learn how to manage your camera's settings, and who knows, you may even turn out some photos that you really love.

Transferring Images to Your Computer

In days past, developing your pictures took time, and the outcome was a crap shoot. The average photography could look to having about one in twenty-four shots come out like they expected and there you might only wind up with a dozen or so that were fit for a portfolio or photo album.

That won't happen with digital photography. A digital camera uses a memory card instead of film, meaning that you have total control over which shots you keep. When you take a photo you can immediately see what it looks like on the screen of your camera. If you don't like it, you just delete it.

Periodically you'll want to download all your pictures onto your computer. This means that digital photography often results in a bigger collection of photos than you would have otherwise. You can file them all on your computer and then print off the ones you like on your own printer. Or you can take your memory card to a store that offers photo printing services and have your prints made there.

Photo retouching software will also allow you to minimize imperfections in your photos including shading, tones and eliminating red-eye.

Many folks still like to have hard copy printouts of their photos while others are content to store their images on their computers for viewing in slide show or screensaver mode. You can also share images electronically via email and digital upload sites with friends and families.

In the end, digital photography has provided the average picture taker with an exciting and versatile way to take pictures that will rapidly become an ongoing hobby.

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Jason Mann is editor of the Technology Basics Section at i-KnowHow | Information for Life, where you'll also find ideas and tips for hobbies, home and garden, personal finance, family and much more. Click here to get your own unique version of this article.

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