You and Your Camera

The famous photographer Edward Steichen once said: “No photographer is as good as the simplest camera.” You don’t need a fancy camera or a lot of photographic technical skills to take a great photo. Amateur photographers have created wonderful and amazing images with simple cameras and little technical background. Whether you have a point and shoot camera or expensive equipment, you can develop the basic skills needed to capture great images.

To better enjoy taking, viewing, and sharing your images, learn some basic skills. First, make it a habit to pay attention to what you see in your viewfinder or on your digital camera display. If you didn’t pay attention to your composition, you will know when you review your photo that it needs to be reframed, refocused, or that you need to adjust lighting or exposure. If so, shoot it again. Learn from your mistakes, pay attention to what you are doing and what you have done. You will start enjoying your photos more and be proud of those images you share.

Whether your camera is a digital SLR, a “Point and Shoot”, or your cell phone, learn how to use it. Learn basic composition skills, such as the “Rule of Thirds” and basic rules of artistic design. And don’t forget about post-processing, from cell phone apps to Photoshop, you can do some amazing things with your images, once they are captured.

You can learn much from your camera manual and by simply taking logs of image (and critiquing them yourself). If you would like to participate in a local class for photographers like you, join us at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation complex for our Thursday evening classes. Pasco Parks and Recreation is offering three classes:

            February 6 – Introduction to Digital Photography

            February 13 – Capturing the Awesome Image

            February 20 – Finishing Touches and Sharing

For more information on these classes call the Rec Center  at 813-929-1220 or e-mail: info@con2000.com.