Photography skills I’ve learnt and want you to know

Summary

The author shares their journey of learning photography, starting from childhood to mastering their digital single-lens reflex camera, emphasizing the importance of understanding camera settings and techniques for capturing better photos.

Abstract

The article "Photography skills I’ve learnt and want you to know" is a personal narrative detailing the author's passion for photography that began in childhood with a simple throw-away camera. The author's enthusiasm for photography grew significantly with the birth of their children, leading them to purchase a digital single-lens reflex camera in 2009. Initially, the author relied on the camera's pre-programmed mode but soon realized the need to delve deeper into photography skills to improve their craft. The author highlights key skills learned, such as understanding the relationship between shutter speed and aperture, the importance of object placement within the frame, the impact of camera movement, and the benefits of familiarizing oneself with the camera's menu for achieving desired effects. The article concludes with a recommendation for an AI service that offers similar capabilities to ChatGPT Plus (GPT-4) at a more affordable price.

Opinions

The author expresses a strong emotional connection to photography, reminiscing about the tactile experience of handling physical photographs.
There is a clear preference for hands-on learning and experimentation with camera settings to achieve personalized photographic effects.
The author values the depth and control that a digital single-lens reflex camera provides over pre-programmed modes, suggesting a commitment to mastering the art of photography.
The recommendation of the AI service at the end of the article indicates the author's belief in the value of accessible, cost-effective technology for enhancing creative endeavors.

I love photography a lot. More than I had ever expected.

It started when I was a kid. I think I was 8 years old when I went to the Czech Republic with my very first youth orchestra. My parents gave me a camera to take photos. It wasn’t a digital one, but an old throw-away camera. My parents had a good camera for taking pictures when my sister needed to give concerts. Camera with rolls. I still love that! To touch and feel the photo is incredible. I relive the memory more intensely when I feel the picture in my hands.

I never knew how to take pictures until I bought my very first digital single-lens reflex camera in 2009 after my second daughter was born. I took photographs endlessly of that tiny girl and her elder sister. I did it each day. I had extremely many photos and I didn’t arrange them. Then I understood also that my pictures weren’t that good enough as I took the pictures on the pre-programmed mode. This mode is suitable for somebody who doesn’t understand photography that much and who doesn’t want to get to know a bit more about photography. That’s fine.

But I was willing for the next move to improve my photography talents.

Even if you don’t want to know about photography skills, I think it doesn’t hurt to know a little bit more for your next holidays.

Skills I have learnt with my single-lens camera:

Know what shutter speed and aperture is and what that has to do with each other. This has to do something with the light and where you stand to catch the light or when you don’t want light at all or a mix of both.

Know where the object is on the screen and move when the object(s) move too or standstill and then you have some wonderful effects. When the object isn’t moving, just move with the camera.

When you capture children, bend on their height, so you capture everything from the child or what it does at the moment.

You have different menus on the camera, know them all and play with them as much as you can to have your right effects.

Probably there will be more great features for photographers. But I haven’t found them yet, or I was too busy with my children.