A polarizer filter creates deep blue skies in photographs.
Since you've made the investment to purchase a digital SLR camera, it's time to learn get the sharpest and most colorful images possible. All the additional buttons and options may seem a little daunting after using a point-and-shoot camera. However, once you learn to manipulate your camera's controls and use some general shooting practices, you'll see the quality of your images improve.
Instructions
Colorful Images
1. Adjust your white balance settings to match your lighting conditions. Your DSLR likely defaults to an auto setting, but if you choose the mode that's appropriate to your lighting situation, the resulting colors are more accurate. Consult your camera manual, or scroll through the menu to find the "WB" option. Choose the setting that corresponds to your lighting situation, be it sunny outdoors, cloudy outdoors, indoor lamp lighting or indoor fluorescent lighting.
2. Underexpose your images slightly -- by about a third or half stop -- to get more saturated color. Find the exposure compensation button, usually marked by a "+/-" sign, and hold it down while you scroll toward the minus sign. Alternatively, if you're shooting in a manual exposure mode, dial in a shutter speed or aperture that underexposes your images by one stop or less, depending on your lighting situation.
3. Use a professional quality lens. Many people purchase their first DSLRs as kits that come with zoom lenses. Most camera manufacturers also make lines of professional lenses which are an upgrade from standard lenses. The qualities vary among manufacturers, but they're often constructed differently (are aspherical), are composed of higher quality glass and reduce chromatic aberration (unwanted color halos around the edges of objects). You'll find a professional lens creates crisper images as well.
4. Experiment with lens filters for different color and contrast effects. For example, a polarizer filter gives the deep blue skies you see in professional photographs. Screw the filter onto the end of your lens. Twist the outer element of the filter until you see the depth of blue that you desire in your photo, and make the exposure.
Crisp Images
5. Use the manual mode if your subject is still and you have to be particular about which area to focus on. Turn the focus ring at the end of the lens by hand until you see the area focused. Use the continuous autofocus mode if your subject is in motion. As you hold down the shutter release button halfway, the lens continues to refocus on whatever object is in motion. Choose single autofocus mode to focus on an object that's off to one side of the composition. Place the subject in the center of the composition, tap and hold down the shutter release button halfway to bring it into focus, and then recompose the image and press fully to shoot.
6. Turn the shooting dial to shutter speed priority and dial in a fast shutter speed, such as 1/1000 second, particularly if the subject is in motion. This freezes the subject and creates a sharper image. If you're using a shutter speed that's slower than 1/60 of a second, you'll probably need a tripod to keep the camera from moving and blurring the image.
7. Select the lowest ISO setting possible. ISO controls how much light your camera needs to make a proper exposure. A low setting, such as 100, requires more exposure, but creates less digital noise, resulting in crisper images.
8. Use a macro lens or macro filter if you're photographing objects up close. These lenses are capable of focusing within inches of an object. If a macro lens isn't within your budget, research macro filters that screw onto the end of your lens and focus at a set distance.
Tags: shutter speed, your lighting, hold down, lighting situation, your camera
