A standard lens will capture exactly what the human eye sees. The standard focal length for this lens is 50 mm. This is great as a general-purpose lens. And the best part, it’s lightweight and compact.

A telephoto lens allows you to isolate the subject of your photo from the background. There are different types of telephoto lenses including those for taking portrait photos and ones with zoom capabilities for subjects far away. It’s best to use the zoom feature on the telephoto lens for getting shots of wild animals, dangerous subjects, or ones that you physically can’t get close to.

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This is where the quality of your camera is important because the more pixels you have in your photograph from the more options you have regarding size and resolution. The higher quality the input is, the better the outcome will be.

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Most of the time whenever I take a digital photo, it usually requires some degree of sharpening. There are various tools and techniques and some work better than others.

The video shown here is just one of the techniques I personally use to get predictably good results. I hope this helps you.

If you wish to view this video full screen, click on the video and when you are the youtube site, simply click the full screen icon on the right side of the player controls.

Another important consideration when choosing your digital camera is to decide whether you are going to choose a point and shoot type camera which is much easier to use or if you prefer more options and greater creativity, then perhaps a digital SLR which stands for single lens reflex camera might be better suited to your needs. The digital SLR camera works in much the same way as a regular 35 mm film camera.  It gives you the option of changing the lens and provides many more features as far as exposure and shutter speed.

Photography is a term originating from the Greek words “photos” (light) and “graphos” (drawing). So essentially, photography means drawing with light. It’s no wonder why lighting is so incredibly important!

To improve upon your digital photography skills, especially when photographing nature, there are a few things to consider, regarding lighting, before you try for that perfect shot.

The time of day and cloudiness are the first things to come to mind. The sun can add a beautiful soft glow to a scene or ruin it with high contrast and harsh shadows. The best time of day for a photo shoot is either dusk or dawn. This is when the sunlight is the least intense because the sun is lower to the horizon and shines its light at the best angle. This will almost eliminate harsh shadows and overexposure making you one step closer to that perfect picture of nature at its best.

Unfortunately, the window of opportunity at these times is smaller than one would want. That’s when other props and equipment can be used to filter the sunlight or bring out the little bit of rays left of the day. Those tools are well worth the investment and can give a photographer more lighting options for his or her scene.

Clouds and fog can greatly affect your photograph as well, since they can block, interfere or enhance your light. They can create a smoky or textured look that you’d use for a sunset or gray out a vibrant scene with less light. Whatever the feel you’re going for, use them to your advantage.

Overcast days are okay to shoot on because you can always add more light with artificial lighting. Be careful though, they can give certain hues a blue undertone, which may not work for a warm-toned shot.

There are also settings in your digital camera that adjust the shutter speed, the length of time the “eye” of the camera or aperture is open. This feature can allow more or less light into the photograph, depending on the look you’re going for.

Sometimes you want to create a high contrast but more so with nature, high saturation. If the aperture is open too long, the photograph will be washed-out, hiding all the detail and colors with too much whiteness. If the aperture is not open long enough, your picture can come out almost black and/or blurry because the camera didn’t have a sufficient amount of light coming through the lens. Refer to your digital camera’s manual for more specific information on aperture settings.

As long as your subject is evenly lit and there are no harsh shadows or lines in the picture, then your photograph should come out quite nicely. You do want soft shadows to create different shades and tints so be sure not to wash out your photograph with too much light.

Once you achieve the “perfect” light, you’ll know it because the image in your camera will look exactly as you saw it through your own eyes and it will be beautiful.

Before rushing off to buy that premium photo paper so you can have your digital photos in hand, there are a few things to know when preparing for a digital print. It can be as simple as “upload and print”. But, if you want the maximum quality, clearest resolution, and the most vibrant and true colors, follow these tips used by professional photographers and graphic artists every time they print.

First off, you may have seen the 2 acronyms, ppi and dpi. Many people confuse them to be the same thing. They do roughly share the same principle (defining the resolution of your photos) but are used in totally different stages of the photography/ printing process.

Ppi stands for pixels per inch. You can think of this as the input unit, or how many pixels are captured by your camera’s sensor when taking a picture. If you have a low ppi, you can raise the dpi all you want but you’ll still have a very small picture. And should you choose to enlarge the photo, it will be very grainy and blurry, also known as pixelated.

Pixelation happens when there are not enough pixels in the image to represent every color and line; therefore, you get a mosaic, blotchy look. When the resolution is even the slightest bit low like this, the lines aren’t as smooth as they should be.

This is where camera quality matters because the more pixels in the photo, the more flexibility you have with the size and resolution. The better the input, the better the outcome.

Dpi on the other hand is a part of the output process. It stands for dots per inch. This refers back to an old printing process. If you’ve ever looked at a magazine page with a magnifying glass (or maybe you should now to help you understand), you would have seen all the tiny dots used to compose the image. Going back to the basics of art and design, it is taught that a line is really just a series of points arranged in a continuous pattern. So therefore, everything you see is essentially a dot.

This brings me to the next focus, if there are not enough dots in each square inch, your photo, again, will have a low resolution and look grainy. Some of the colors may be inaccurate as well because there are not enough actual dots to represent each element and color in your image.

There are standards in the printing and graphic design world to give you great starting points when printing your hi-res photos. The industry standard used for any print work, magazines, brochures, etc. is 300dpi.

Images that will be viewed within say, 2 feet or less need to have a higher dpi as well as if they are printed on a high gloss paper, like brochures, magazines, and postcards. Images that will be hung on a wall or put in display, viewed further away, can have a lower dpi of 150 because they won’t be seen close enough to need a great amount of detail. This is also the case if the image is printed on matte or semi-gloss paper because the rougher texture is more forgiving than a smooth high-gloss paper.

If you decide to get your photos professionally printed, all this will be done for you and your photos will have superb resolution. However, if you choose to print them on your own, you now have the all the secrets of the trade so you too can have high resolution, high quality, and beautifully vibrant photos like the pros.

Outdoor photography can help you share the duty of the wilderness with your friends and family. If you will be taking pictures of wild animals, the first and most important rule is to be patient! Good pictures require lots of patience, so make sure you move slowly and don’t scare the animals away. Keep far enough away so you don’t scare the animals, but close enough where you can get good pictures.

Small animals will look small in a picture, so take the picture closer to ground level to get a better picture. You may need a zoom lens for this type of a photograph. This is probably something you will want to consider when purchasing a camera. Even if you don’t get any good pictures on the first day, don’t be discouraged. There will always be another opportunity to take a good picture. Also, don’t get too close to large wildlife, since they are big and can be photographed easily. Always be prepared, since the right one opportunity to take a picture could be there one second, and gone the next. Also, make sure that you capture the eyes of the animals. When you capture the eyes, you capture a great photo.

Natural lighting is another important factor in outdoor photography. Depending on the time of year, time of day, etc., your lighting will be different. The time of day, such as sunrise or sunset, can give your photo personality and feeling. Also, the angle of the sun is important. You may have to use a fill flash to decrease the amount of shadows in the picture. The time of year also has some bearing on the lighting. The worst time of day to take pictures is mid-day, since the sun is directly overhead. The use of flash and help offset the harsh shadows the sun creates, especially in the middle of the day.

The best way to ensure image brilliance is to use a tripod. The tripod will bring out the best in the lenses that you buy. Make sure you buy a sturdy, rigid tripod, as this will create the best images. Also, make sure that you keep your lens clean, since sand or dust can create a speck on all of your pictures. If you have sand, make sure you don’t try to clean it yourself. Get help from a professional, because if you scratch your lens, you will have to buy a new one or else have scratches in all of your pictures.

After you download your pictures to your computer, you can use a photo editing program if needed.

The constant and new advancements that are being found in digital photography have made it possible for your special moments to be captured with far better accuracy and detail than ever before. The new and improved photo resolution and shutter speed, help to make it easier for both professional and novice picture takers take excellent pictures. When these features don’t help photos be materialized, advanced editing options that come with digital photography these days lets your pictures do full justice to the moments they capture.

Any photographer that is worth his salt will tell you that when it comes to taking good photos, timing is everything. There is a very small window of opportunity to capture a truly great shot, and whether you’re after that sunset or trying to capture that all important race’s winner, your fingers must have precision timing and an intuitive sense of when to snap. It’s tougher than it looks, and it’s why photography is really considered an art form.

Most of us only come close to getting the ideal shot and never quite realizing it in the end. More often than not, our pictures have most of the elements, but the also have a tendency to fall short in a few key areas. Perhaps you frame your subject well, but the lighting is just a little bit off. Or perhaps the lighting is good but you forgot to include a flash or to use red-eye reduction settings. This is where modern digital photography becomes a necessary component in getting the perfect look for your photo.

Within minutes, just about any picture can be edited to reach its full potential when it is created with a digital camera. Automatic color enhancement, red-eye reduction, and zoom and crop features that go along with taking digital photos are just a few of the many awesome features that digital photos have to offer. With these tools in easy reach, taking beautiful pictures becomes easier than ever.

Digital photography could be accomplished without a good digital camera as well as photo software. Your camera’s ability is only the beginning. It is your vessel for taking the perfect picture, but from here it is up to your software programs to help you to truly make the most out of your pictures. This is where the magic happens. By magic, I mean that you can use your picture software to change your images and do whatever you want to.

If you really want to be able to take excellent digital photographs, you can certainly find everything that you need including the camera and the software online or at your local retailers. Digital cameras are so popular these days you can find them just about anywhere. You just want to find a camera that will do what you want it to. You want a camera that offers great pictures as well as easy docking options for downloading to your printer or computer. You can edit your pictures as you like with programs like Kodak Picture, and Corel photo software.

The first thing you should understand before you buy a camera is megapixels. Why do megapixels matter? Megapixels matter because the number of megapixels determines the resolution and size of the image. The more megapixels, the larger a print of the image can be. Nowadays, 5 megapixels is a good starting point for an entry level digital camera. You can expect excellent prints at 4 x 6 and even as large as 8 x 10.

The next important thing when buying a camera is which type to get. An SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera is expensive, but if you are looking for a high-resolution camera with excellent picture quality, SLR cameras are the way to go. This would be the digital equivalent of a 35 mm film camera. If you are familiar with 35 mm film cameras, you will find many of the same features and then some. One of the most popular features of a digital SLR is the ability to change lenses.

A point and shoot camera will cost less, still give you excellent image quality, and can be very good at macro photography. Also, point and shoot cameras don’t have the loud shutter clack that many SLR cameras have, although the newer SLR cameras are much quieter. Another advantage of point and shoot cameras is they have many automated features and preset programs to give you optimal photographs especially if you are a beginner.

After you get a camera, you must choose a good memory card for your camera. The most popular types of memory cards for digital cameras are MultiMediaCard (MMC), Memory Stick (MS), Smartmedia (SM), Secure Digital (SD), xD-Picture Card (xD), and CompactFlash (CF). Certain cameras require certain memory card types, so make sure you ask an expert which memory card is right for the camera you have. One of the most important things to consider with memory cards is how many pictures you plan on taking it at one time before downloading them to your computer.  Also if you plan to use the higher resolution settings on your camera, you will able to take fewer pictures so you may want to invest in a memory card that has a larger storage capacity.

It is important to know how to transfer pictures from your camera, since you only can send and edit pictures once they are on the computer. Now, your camera probably came with a USB cable. That is one option. Another option is to get a memory card reader. A USB cable is a wire that plugs into your camera at one end and your computer at the other end. A memory card reader is a piece of hardware that plugs into your computer and then you remove the memory card from your camera and insert it into the card reader. Memory card readers are also usually faster to download your pictures than a USB cable.  Using a memory card reader also allows you to save the batteries on your camera because the camera does not have to be on during the transfer.

Depending on the type of computer you have, a message will come up saying that you camera is connected. Or, in the case of a Mac computer, you just go into iPhoto, which comes standard on newer Mac computers. Use the help tab at the top of your screen to find out how to download your pictures. After you have downloaded your pictures, you can delete the pictures on your memory card, freeing up lots of space so that you can take more pictures. It is also a very good idea to periodically make a copy of the pictures on your computer and burn them to either a CD or DVD as a backup copy in case your computer’s hard drive fails. You probably have spent a lot of time and effort in creating some beautiful pictures and you wouldn’t want to lose them.

Photography is quite a dynamic art form. With so many elements all working together, it’s amazing when a photographer captures the essence of the scene creating a beautiful story with that one shot. It’s when everything just flows and all the peace in the world illuminates the photo- that is pure perfection.

There are many tips you can learn to improve your digital photography skills so you too can master the art and create your own stories to show. We’ll just go over a few today.

Lighting

If you take anything from this, remember that lighting is EVERYTHING. It can really make or break a photo. What you want to do is make the lighting look as natural as possible and as close to the real scene as you can.

Make sure your subject is evenly lit with the right amount of highlights and shadows. Avoid harsh lines of contrast as well as over and under exposed photos. You want to have the right balance between your highlights, shadows, and midtones, accentuating the focal points and letting the background blend together.

Mastering the skill of lighting will put you at the top with the pros.

Composition

Composition is another extremely important photography element. It’s actually a principle of design and since, as the photographer, you’re “designing” the story and the scene piece by piece, you need to fully understand how to compose a photo.

It helps to have “the eye” to really see the balance, flow, proportion, the entire layout of a scene before you shoot it. However, if you know what you’re looking for, you can train your eyes to envision it before you shoot.

You first need to have a focal point or a vanishing point, like a perspective drawing. Most digital cameras have guidelines in the viewfinder (you may need to turn this grid on) to help you compose your image. Use them to line up the elements in your photograph.

The Rule of Thirds

Imagine your photo divided into nine sections composed of three columns and three rows. Your camera’s guidelines actually create these sections for you so this will be easy to understand once you familiarize yourself with the grid. The human eye is naturally drawn to a point around two-thirds of the picture. Any of these points actually occur at every intersection created by the grid. What you want to do is line your subject up with these points instead of the exact center.

Your photos will be the most aesthetically pleasing when you use these lines. For example, use either of the horizontal grid lines to place over your horizon and either of the vertical lines to place over a tree or building or whatever other subject you may have.

Look for elements in the scene that compliment each other or balance each other out. You don’t necessarily want your viewer’s eyes to stay on one side of the photograph. You want to take their eyes on a ride, starting at the focal point and sweeping them around the entire photo for full satisfaction.

This is another topic worth learning more on because perfecting this skill will give you beautiful photographs every time.

Focus and the Use of a Tripod

Having your subject in focus is as equally important as lighting and composition. Could you imagine waiting for that once-in-a-lifetime shot that Mother Nature seldom gives and messing it up because it was out of focus?! It would be such a disappointment.

So to avoid blurry photos, you can use a tripod (with three legs) or as an alternative, a monopod (with one leg). There are advantages of each. If you have the space and a fairly even ground to set up on, then a tripod would do the job. But if you’re out in the wilderness with uneven terrain, roots, and other debris in your way, then a three-legged contraption like a tripod would be very awkward. Monopods aren’t as sturdy as a tripod but they are much sturdier than your own body, nervous with excitement to capture that perfect shot.

There are many more helpful tips to improve your digital photography skills. These mentioned are just the top, most important tips to master in order for you to have the perfect scene with the beautiful story unfolding in front of your viewer’s eyes. Succeed in these tips and you’ll be a digital photography pro.