Simple 5 steps to improve shooting technology quickly

Lead: I'm new to digital SLR, but I don't know how to improve my shooting level quickly. Here are five ways to improve your shooting skills quickly. As long as you have patience, the effect will be immediate!

Quickly improve the shooting technology in 5 simple steps 1, and read and learn the camera manual carefully.

Many photographers, even professional photographers, don't fully understand their cameras. They may not know some functions of the cameras at all, or they may not be able to use some functions correctly.

When you buy a new camera, be sure to read the attached instructions carefully. Of course, I can get started quickly without reading the manual, but I will miss a lot of useful things.

In addition, if you are not familiar with your camera, you may think it is not working or defective, but in fact, the method you use yourself is not correct enough.

Here are some common complaints:

Inaccurate autofocus: Even if some defective cameras have focusing problems, generally speaking, 90% of the focusing errors are due to the photographer. Read the autofocus part of the manual carefully and learn how to use it; Pay attention to setting the focus at the center of the topic (or where you want to focus). In addition, please remember that autofocus is not perfect, and you can't always expect to get clear photos, especially if you shoot fast-moving subjects.

Image color cast (or? Friends' cameras provide better colors? ): Usually the color cast is caused by the white balance setting; Personally, I always use automatic white balance, because I use RAW images, and I can adjust the white balance to get perfect colors. Another complaint I often hear is? Are the colors of Canon and Nikon cameras better than mine? . All digital SLR cameras produced at present provide good colors; What really matters is not the camera, but the post-processing-you must process your RAW file so that you can get accurate colors with any camera.

Photo imaging is not sharp: many photographers think the camera is not sharp. The reason is that low-end cameras tend to sharpen images automatically, while professional SLR try to reduce the processing of the original images, so as to leave more space for later photographers. Taking photos in RAW format, coupled with good post-processing technology, can get perfect clarity; Of course, you also need a good lens and good shooting skills (photos must be properly focused, and tripod or high-speed shutter speed must be used to avoid blurring).

Underexposure of photos: Some cameras automatically measure light to expose less than 0.3 or 0.7. I suggest you take some time to understand the basic knowledge of exposure, especially the use of histogram. Histogram is a very useful tool. Once you know how to view it, you will be able to get the right exposure.

SLR camera is a very flexible and powerful tool, so don't skimp on your time to read the instructions carefully.

2. Understand the composition, lighting and background.

To master the technology and art of photography, it is recommended to read articles on nature photography. But if you don't know where to start, please follow the following principles:

Composition: don't put the subject (or horizontal line) in the center of the picture: the central composition often looks too rigid. Instead, you should try asymmetric composition: if your object is a flower or an animal, you can arrange more space in front of it; If you shoot scenery, let the sky account for 1/3, and the ground account for 2/3, and vice versa.

From the point of view of wildlife, the most common mistake beginners make is to shoot animals and plants from the eye height, resulting in a overlooking effect, which looks very unsatisfactory. If you want to improve your photos, you must lower the position of the camera: the camera should be at the same height as the subject's eyes, or lower.

Light: the change of light during the day. Taking pictures in the early morning or late afternoon can get better light and warm and sweet colors. The light at noon is too strong to take good photos.

Background: an important element in the background picture: it should usually be as clean as possible, otherwise it will distract attention from the subject. The easiest way to get a good background is to use a long focal length and a large aperture.

Step 3 learn from other photographers

One of the best ways to improve photography technology is to accept the suggestions and criticisms of other photographers and analyze and learn their excellent works. I suggest joining a photography forum where you can post your photos and get useful feedback. You can also check the photos and comments of other photographers.

4. Practice the later technology.

Good post-processing technology is the key to obtain the best effect.

I know that many photographers, even professional photographers, have poor post-processing skills, so the photos they take can't reach a certain level.

I suggest using Adobe Photoshop image processing software to process and optimize photos reasonably. Many forums have PS teaching.

5, the correct choice of shooting equipment

If your budget is limited, I will buy a lens instead of an expensive body: Canon 500D with a good lens can get better results than Canon 1Ds with a dog's head!

What is a good lens? A cheap 70-300 zoom lens is about 1000 RMB, which is more flexible than 300mm fixed-focus lens, but the price is only one tenth of it. However, why are professional photographers willing to spend a lot of money to buy a fixed focus of 300mm f/2.8? Because under the same focal length of 300mm, the imaging of fixed-focus lens is very sharp, while the imaging of zoom lens is more fleshy. In addition, professional lens autofocus is faster, anti-shake and better workmanship.

Of course, this is an extreme example; You don't have to spend a lot of money to buy a good quality lens. Now even some cheap lenses, such as Canon 18-55, have good picture quality: if you are interested in a certain lens, but hesitate to buy it, you can go to the forum to refer to relevant materials and samples.

Besides the lens, another important function is the tripod. A tripod is very helpful to get a clear image. If you hold a camera, many times you need to use a large aperture and a high ISO to get a faster shutter speed, but this often leads to insufficient depth of field or high image noise.

With a tripod, you can concentrate on the action of the subject; In addition, you can use the lowest ISO, and the aperture and shutter value are not limited. The result is a clear and low-noise image.