So you have bought your first DSLR?

 Ok! So you have bought a DSLR (Digital SLR)…now what?

You have joined the ranks of the "keen amateur
photographer" by buying a new digital SLR, but what do all those
buttons and bits actually do?

The way things are going what with pricing and
technology, I can see a boom about to happen with regard
to Digital SLR sales.

People who have previously just owned film or point and shoot
digital cameras, will now as prices fall, have the opportunity
to join the rest of us in the exciting world of the Digital SLR. 

I can imagine that for a lot of people the transition will be
exciting but also a tad confusing. Even if you have owned a film
SLR in the past, I can guarantee that it didn't have this
many buttons all over it with "custom functions" and the like!

These new breed of cameras are quite simply amazing and I
despair when I see reviews and forums airing their
disappointment that a new camera just released hasn't addressed
the issue of "having to go to the menu" to make an alteration. 

When reading reviews about a particular digital SLR camera that
you wish to purchase, please take it with a pinch of salt. The
reviewers are there to delve into every possible avenue
open to discussion and any personal gripes should not put you
off.

If cameras were released with everyone's whims catered for, the
camera would have no room for a viewfinder or lens because of
the hundreds of buttons everywhere. What you need to do, even if
you never use them, is to learn what each button, gadget and
gizmo actually does just in case you need it one day. 

Taking a photograph with one of these cameras is so much more
involved than with any other camera, but it is also so much more
fun! The control that a DSLR give you over taking your
photographs means that you can let your creativity run wild and
try things that just weren't possible with any other camera.

Things for you to learn or consider are; 1.How to hold the
camera.
 2.Using both eyes when shooting.
 3.How to
capture your subject
 4.Composition
 5.Lighting

6.Lenses
 7.Filters
 8.ISO or ASA settings
 9.Depth of
Field
 10.Shutter Speeds
 11.Black and White
photography
 12.Using a Tripod
 13.Keep your eyes
peeled
 14.Camera viewpoint
 15.Break the rules


For a full run down of each of these subjects see; 

Better Digital Photography for beginners at All
Things Photography.

For an in-depth explanation of what all the buttons and bits
actually do on a DSLR, go to;

The
 Digital SLR Explained

All the best and welcome to this great thing that is photography.

Nick Stubbs All
Things Photography