So You Have Bought Your First Dslr?
By Nick Stubbs, Fri Dec 9th

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

You have joined the ranks of the "keen amateurphotographer" by buying a new digital SLR, but what do all thosebuttons and bits actually do?

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

People who have previously just owned film or point and shootdigital cameras, will now as prices fall, have the opportunityto 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 beexciting but also a tad confusing. Even if you have owned a filmSLR in the past, I can guarantee that it didn't have thismany buttons all over it with "custom functions" and the like!

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

When reading reviews about a particular digital SLR camera thatyou wish to purchase, please take it with a pinch of salt. Thereviewers are there to delve into every possible avenueopen to discussion and any personal gripes should not put youoff.

If were released with everyone's whims catered for, thecamera would have no room for a viewfinder or lens because ofthe hundreds of buttons

everywhere. What you need to do, even ifyou never use them, is to learn what each button, gadget andgizmo actually does just in case you need it one day.

Taking a photograph with one of these is so much moreinvolved than with any other camera, but it is also so much morefun! The control that a DSLR give you over taking yourphotographs means that you can let your creativity run wild andtry things that just weren't possible with any other camera.

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

6.Lenses 7.Filters 8.ISO or ASA settings 9.Depth ofField 10.Shutter Speeds 11.Black and Whitephotography 12.Using a Tripod 13.Keep your eyespeeled 14.Camera viewpoint 15.Break the rules

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

Better Digital Photography for beginners at AllThings Photography.

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

The Digital SLR Explained

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

Nick Stubbs AllThings Photography

About the author:Nick Stubbs is a professional photographer with more than 20years experience. He started out at just 13 years old and at 16got his first apprenticeship with a local photographer.