New Camera? "RTFM", Then...Practice.

Yes, reading the manual has always helped.

You've got that sweet new camera, and now after a few photos taken Christmas morning (or a bit later if you had to wait for a battery to charge) you are thinking of all the great photos you are going to take. Whether your new camera is intended to launch you into a more advanced and deeper participation in photography, and upgrade to an existing kit, or just something you though would be nice to own for those special occasions, it's important to learn how to use it properly.

The first step is to read the manual. Um, yeah, what manual? Few cameras come with physical manuals of late: usually all there is in the box is a quick start guide, and buyers are expected to either download the .pdf manual from the company's website, or perhaps find it on whatever software DVD came with the camera. Like it or not, reading the manual is an important step what should not be skipped.

“But da-ad,. I want to start playing with it right now.!”

You can do that, by sitting down with the manual and playing with the camera as you read through it. Trust me, you will be glad you did. I frequent a gear-oriented online website and the forums are flooded with questions about how to do certain things. Things that are found in the manual. Things people really should know before they even try using the camera.

Asking for such information on a public forum can get a range of responses from very helpful to confusing to “RTFM” (Read The F***ing Manual). Best to avoid all that by actually reading the manual, then going online to ask questions if something in the manual isn't clear. Which is usually the case. The manuals are translated into English from Japanese.

The manual is important because even consumer grade cameras today are filled with more features than most people will normally ever use (especially if they don't read the manual). Finding out what your camera can do, and how to do it, can avoid the frustration of thinking it can't do something, or not being able to capture pleasing images in certain situations due to lack of proper camera settings. A common occurrence is indoor photos that have an unpleasant color cast to them because the person using the camera doesn't know how to set the White Balance control. RTFM.

So, you've read the manual and as a result know the features you want to use and how to use them. You've even set things up so the camera is a breeze to use. You're all set, right?

Of course...not.

Producing photos that go from “hohum” to “nice shot” to “Wow, you must be a professional” is a process of practice much as it is with music. Even the most automatic keyboard still requires the player to practice his part, even if that's just the melody. (Besides, there is much more satisfaction in actually learning how to play piano than in just knowing which keys to press while the keyboard does most of the work.)

Here's the real gist of this article: how to practice photography. I'm going to talk about that on two levels, beginner and experienced.

Photography involves seeing, and that means training your “photographic vision”. This happens in two ways. One is to study, not just glance at, photos that impress you with their quality, both technical and aesthetic. Just as listening to master musicians can inspire, so too can studying photos by master photographers. Just as budding musicians will learn and practice songs as played by masters, photographers can benefit from attempting to emulate the work of masters. This includes both learning the technical aspects (such as Edward Weston's lighting technique) as well as the aesthetic.

With photography, the technical knowledge and ability often makes aesthetic success easier, so learning how Weston lit his famous bell peppers can mean the ability to realize all sorts of images you want to produce, without looking at them and thinking they aren't quite what you hoped to accomplish. This aspect of developing photographic ability applies to both experienced and beginning photographers. I constantly study works by masters and pursue learning new techniques.

To get really good, be prepared to take your camera with you as much as possible. Sitting in a closet or shelf does you know good. Keep it in the car (out of sight to avoid theft) take it with you when you go out for a walk. Sometimes photo opportunities pop up unexpetedly, but sometimes you create those opportunities yourself. As the saying goes, the best camera is the one you have with you when the chance to make a photo arises.

A major learning stage for a beginner is using your camera in all sorts of different situations. Sit down and make a list of the situations you anticipate photographing, then practice techniques that will help you both get to know your camera and the situaton better. For instance: if you are going to be doing a lot of photography involving your kids playing sports, then study the features of your camera that relate to action (shutter speed, ISO settings, autofocus modes). Take that knowledge and practice.

No soccer games in the offing? No problem. As your kids to run around kicking a soccer ball in the back yard or at the park so you can practice panning, anticipating the height of action, framing moving subjects et al. An ideal situation is to practice photography during your kids' sports practices. That way when a game comes up, you will already know how to capture the action like a boss.

Such regular “practice” is what results in photos that wow people as opposed to those which just look like anyone else's snapshots. This goes for any subject.

One thing I do want to mention, and this applies to both beginners and experienced photographers, is “Don't just stand there”. People tend to take photos from the natural position of standing up. This often results in boring, or at least ordinary, photos.

Years ago I read an interview with a photographer known for the quality of his nature photography workshops. He said he could tell at the start of the workshop who would produce the best photos. Was it their cameras? No, it was their clothes. The photographers who showed up in older clothes they were willing to get dirty were the ones prepared to get down on their knees or clamber about in trees to get the shot. The ones in nicer clothes wouldn't do that. The photos showed the difference in their willingness to do more than stand there with a camera.

The next aspect of practicing is to pick a theme or subject and shoot it consistently for a period of time, working to capture it in as many different ways as possible. Some suggest a “photo a day” approach, but I feel that for some that can actually limit creativity. Try working on a particular subject or theme for a month, or maybe a few months. A year even. It doesn't have to be an exclusive effort, but it should involve a disciplined, regular activity designed to develop both technical and creative abilities.

For more experienced photographers, stretch yourselves by making your projects subjects or themes you don't normally photograph, even to the point of them being things you aren't normally interested in. I don't normally photograph cars, but in 2017 one of my learning projects will involve going to a car show or two to hone skills in that area. Why? Because I want to constantly be improving, and because I may find income opportunities from it.

Some would suggest joining a camera club to help learn. Maybe. I'd recommend attending a few meetings before actually joining. I've had some bad experiences with camera clubs that were very cliquish and spent most of their time debating gear instead of actually sharing a love of photography.

For beginners, photography classes are often a great way to learn to make the most of your new camera, and well worth the cost in the long run. Or even just buying a few photography how to books. Both earn a return on investment by helping you get the most out of your camera.

These are just a few suggestions on how to optimize that great new camera you have wanted for ages. One thing I've seen happen too often is people get a new camera, but after the excitement of having a cool new toy wears off, it gets shelved and only used for special occasions such as birthday parties or holidays. Usually this results from the owner reaching a certain plateau of enjoyment or ability. The overall quality of the photos starts to stagnate, or lack of facility with the camera results in a lot of missed shots or spoiled photos, or he/she can't figure out how to take photos in certain situations. The camera becomes a source of frustration, rather than enjoyment, so it ends up hardly being used. To me, that's a lot of money wasted for something that can be handled by an inexpensive point or even a smartphone.

Remember that the real enjoyment of a camera comes not from the camera itself, but from the images you produce with it. That's why putting in the effort to lean the most you can about both the camera and photography is important, because it can increase your enjoyment of the images you make.