Lesson Notes

None!

Transcript

Hi! My name is Kim Bultsma, and welcome to the Introduction to DSLR Photography premium course. This course is designed for those of you who own a DSLR camera but just haven’t had the time to really learn how to use it–and use it well. If you are still using the Auto mode–don’t worry! We’re going to get you beyond Auto and into the manual modes and even learn about different photography techniques. So grab your camera and let’s get started!

Ok, let’s start by just holding on to your camera and thinking about what this all means. You’re holding a DSLR camera, which is a “digital single lens reflex.” What this means is when you look into the viewfinder, the image has already entered through your lens and reflected on a mirror and then through a prism. When you press the shutter button, the image is captured digitally, instead of on film with traditional SLR cameras.

We’re going to turn on your camera and switch your mode to Auto, which on many cameras is indicated by a green square or the words “auto” in green. What this means is that the camera thinks it’s smarter than you are. It won’t let you change hardly any settings: you focus, you point, you shoot. While this sounds easy, it may not be the best option for every shooting situation. Many cameras, like Sonys, have an “iAuto” or “Intellgent Auto”, which applies some additional fine tuning of your image. You might also see “Superior Auto” or “Best Shot”…all of these apply a similar sort of fine tuning. Ultimately, this is the mode that many new photographers grow out of because there’s no thought on either the camera or the user’s end. But it’s also quite helpful, especially when you want to get that quick picture and don’t have time to think about what mode the camera should be in.

Let’s take a picture. Partially press the shutter button. Many cameras will beep, or you will see in your viewfinder a green dot to indicate that the camera has focused on a subject. Without letting go, fully press down on the shutter button. If you let go of the shutter button after you’ve focused, you can lose focus, which can result in blurry pictures. If the camera is choosing focal points that you do not want to focus on–don’t worry. We’ll cover how to change that in a later lesson!

We’ve done enough logistics for one lesson. Let’s talk about other necessities for your DSLR. First, you need to know how to change lenses. Most DSLRs come with what’s called a “kit” lens, which is like a photographer’s training wheels. It’s typically an 18-55mm, which means how much your lens can zoom. Smaller numbers have a wider angle of view, meaning more of the setting will appear in the photo. Larger numbers indicate telephoto, which brings you closer to the subject (or zooming in). Nikon telephoto lenses might include 55-200 or 70-300mm lenses; Canon has a 55-250 and 70-300, and Sony has similar lenses, too. It just depends on how close you want to zoom in on a subject…and how much light you need to capture the moment. But we’ll talk about light in another lesson.

Make sure you have your next lens out and ready to go. Place it face down so the contacts of the lens are facing toward you, and remove the dust cap. To take off your lens, simply locate the button on the front of your camera and, holding the body of the camera face down, twist and remove the lens. Nikon twists off clockwise, while others twist off counterclockwise. Place the lens face down on a surface and either cover the camera mount with a body cap or another lens. Line up the white or red dots on your lens and camera body, then twist the next lens until it clicks in place. It’s very important to have good lens changing technique. The less dust and debris you get on your sensor, the longer your camera will last and the better your pictures can be.

Memory cards. If your DSLR takes video or it shoots in high burst rates (often called frame rates), use a high write speed memory card. Compact Flash cards will indicate on the packaging whether they are UDMA high write speed or not. If there is no indicaiton, the card is a slower card. With SD cards, you’ll need at least a Class 6 memory card, which is indicated by a C with a 6, 8 or 10 on the inside. Many DSLRs won’t even record video to any card that is less than a Class 6.

Finally, protect every lens you have with a UV filter. Not only do the better ones–like Promaster’s Digital UV filter–do a better job at blocking against sun spots and excess reflective light, but they also protect your lens. It’s much cheaper to buy a $30ish filter than replacing a $300 lens.

Assignment: Get out there and just shoot in auto. Take pictures of people, landscapes, pets–a variety of subjects, settings, and lighting situations. Take mental notes of what you like and don’t like…because we’ll start to look at some of these pictures and discuss what’s right and wrong with auto and how we can improve.

So next time, we’ll meet back here to discuss photos taken in auto mode–why they worked, and then why they didn’t work. We’ll also talk about your other auto modes and why they are cooler than the green square.

But until then, get out there and take some green square pictures!