Two weeks ago, I attended the 2nd Annual PhotoCamp Utah 2010. This year one of the keynote speakers was Zack Arias. I first became familiar with Zack’s work when he guest posted on Scott Kelby’s blog. It was a great post and worth checking out if you have a few minutes. His presentation at PhotoCamp Utah this year was absolutely fantastic. I walked away with LOTS of good information and plenty to work on. One of the things he talked about, I thought I would pass along here.
Zack Arias talked about knowing your camera like it is an extension of your hand–knowing what each button does and how to adjust your settings without having to think and search the manual or the menus each time something new comes up.
How do you get to know your camera? Can you guess what I am going to say? 1) READ your camera manual. 2) Practice everyday.
#1 Reading the manual. When I talk about reading your camera manual, I am not talking about glancing casually through it once or twice. I am talking about giving it a really good read through. The camera manuals that come with DSLRs are fairly hefty. Mine checks in at a whopping 400+ pages. Camera manufacturers don’t send the manuals with the camera just to weigh down the box. They are filled with crucial information you need to know in order to operate your camera. Do you know how to adjust your ISO, aperture, and shutter speed? It’s in the manual. Do you know how to set the self-timer? It’s in the manual. Do you know how to change your white balance? Or set a custom white balance? It’s in the manual. Do you know how to change/toggle your focus points? It’s in the manual. Do you know what focus mode your camera is set to? Do you know how to change your focus mode? It’s in the manual. There is so much information in your manual that is critical to fully operating your camera that you can’t just read the first few pages and forget it. You may not understand or remember everything on the first read through, so I suggest reading through parts of the manual as you have questions about a specific setting or issue.
#2 Practice everyday. Okay, so getting out the camera EVERY day may seem a bit overwhelming to you. However, in order to consistently improve, you have to take LOTS of photos. And not just lots of photos once a month or every other month–lots of photos and regularly. If you can’t take photos every day–try to make it at least 4-5 days a week. Keep your camera in a place that is easily accessible. Mine lives within arms reach almost always. When my daughters come in and tell me that my son is doing something cute or going down the slide for the first time, I can quickly grab the camera and catch the moment. My camera doesn’t travel with me EVERYWHERE, but even my large camera fits in my purse (don’t laugh) and it does take regular trips in my van. I average between 400 and 500 personal photos a month and I know this is one of the reasons my photography improves. You may be wondering, “What do I photograph when I pull my camera out everyday?” My answer–whatever inspires you and maybe somethings that don’t. I didn’t ever think of myself as a nature photographer AT ALL until one day, 18 months ago,–with nothing else to photograph–I ventured outside and took some random pictures with my macro lens. I liked the results and felt inspired by what I was able to capture and so I started looking for things in nature that inspired me. I didn’t have to look far–my sad little yard still provides plenty of inspiration because I am looking.
So, if you are serious about taking better photos with your DSLR, break out the camera and go through your camera manual again until YOU know your camera like it is an extension of your arm 
!!
Some additional resources to help you know your camera:
DTown TV: Hosted by Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski (both photographers and Photoshop professionals), each episode is only about 15 minutes long. The first season (Episodes 1-24) focused ONLY on Nikon cameras and covered some basics and some not-so-basic themes. The second season (Episodes 25-and counting) focuses on ALL things DSLR and you will find both Nikon and Canon cameras used as examples.
Digital Photography School: Has lots of photography tips and tutorials for photographers of all levels.
[...] thoughts that I wanted to share with you. Even if you aren’t interested in Photo Camp Utah, you should read her post. She has wonderful info that applies to everyone who holds a [...]
I take photos nearly every day. For over 2 years I took them .every. day, if only to fool with the settings. Because I took it everywhere with me, I became very comfortable taking photos, developing my style, “seeing” a photo in the making. I also had a lot of phtos that were trash, but that’s ok…..it’s a learning curve and you have to practice to become skilled. When you become comfortable with your camera, you begin to want to experiment and try to get things on purpose that you got by accident earlier. Today, 3 years after getting my camera…..I .still. don’t know everything about it but I’m pretty proficient at what I do know.
[...] thoughts that I wanted to share with you. Even if you aren’t interested in Photo Camp Utah, you should read her post. She has wonderful info that applies to everyone who holds a [...]