As a supplement to the longer tutorials I post on here, I am starting a series of quick tips to help the followers of this blog make the most of their photography. A lot of these will be aimed at DSLR users, but not all! I hope you find them useful:
Top tip 1 – Don’t touch that dial!
One of the great things about a DSLR is that when it goes into standby mode, the battery does not use any power AT ALL. I found this out in one of the earlier books I read (I think it was Digital Photography for Dummies – which is a very apt title for people like me).
We all talk about capturing “the moment”, but what if that moment passes while you’re fiddling about with your camera to switch it on? Just leave it in standby mode, pick it up and your camera will respond immediately. I have left cameras laying around for weeks, come back to them and the power level is still the same as when I last picked them up. Try it and you’ll see what I mean.
I would also recommend leaving the lens cap off (unless your camera is packed away for travel or stored while you are using another one of course) and either just buying a UV filter or leaving your lens hood on (if you have one) to protect your lens. That way you don’t have to worry about fiddling with the lens cap either. Now you’re really ready for “the moment”.
So that’s really two tips in one! I’m feeling generous today.
Cheers,
Joe
