Does it require costly cameras to be able to take photos professionally? If you have the budget to buy the highest resolution digital camera in the world, would you pay the price knowing that it will be superseded by new models with twice the resolution and features in a year’s time? With an average digital camera costing as cheap as $ 120, nowadays, you could have a Sony DSCW120 with 7.2 effective megapixels resolution (or any brand within that range) and that for me is enough for an equipment to come up with extraordinary shots. Just follow these tips for a start.

1. Camera Settings – Just remember to charge the battery to assure the optimum performance of the camera. Then set the basic settings on the menu button;

    a. ISO – refers to the sensitivity of image sensors to the light available, in digital cameras, the higher the ISO, the better it is to use the camera in low light conditions without flash. ISO settings could be set from Auto, 100,200,400,800,1000 depending upon the manufacturer’s provided options on its models. If you are confused, just hit auto, as for me on an average bright day, I use 200.

    b. Mode Selection – The control dial has a choice of options from Auto Adjustment, Program Auto, Movie, Snow, Beach, Landscape, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Soft Snap, etc depending upon the options provided by the manufacturer. If you are lazy about reading the operating manual, you could either use Auto Adjustment or Program Auto.

    c. Flash Settings – You can set flash to auto to lessen your load.

    d. Picture Resolution – Options could be provided from Standard to Fine. Remember the clearer the image the higher memory it will take from your memory card thereby minimizing the number of shots that could be taken. But if your camera is loaded with a 1 GB memory card, you might as well set it to maximum/ finest settings available.

2. Handling – camera handling is essential. You wouldn’t want your digital camera to be easily      damaged as a result of miscarriage so take note of this.  

    a. Securing your camera – Present digital cameras come with a safety strap. It could be a long one which you could hang on your neck or just a short one which you could wear on your wrist. If you are right handed, wear the strap around your wrist in such a way where you could take shots while the strap is around it. If the strap is long enough to reach your neck, do the same. The logic is that you may slip while taking the best position to nail your subject, if it does, the camera will not get the risk of being thrown over involuntarily.

     b. Focus – As a marksman awaiting the best opportunity to hit the target, take your time. First evaluate your subject, is it an animal, a person, a landscape, etc. If you have evaluated your subject, decide on the purpose of the picture, if it is a person, place your subject at the center. Failing to decide on your subject, your mind will probably get swayed in choosing between subject and background and you may regret the result. Have you seen the half body of a person with the backdrop of a big sky behind? Then you will realize, if you focused the camera straight to the person , you will capture part of the sky as evenly as having your subject’s whole body taken without a big space to spare (unless you’re trying to capture a passing airplane overhead).

     c. The Shot – If you are using a Canon digital camera which boasts of a built-in image processor, your time in between shots could be faster and immediate movement after the shot will not affect the picture. Some cameras don’t have that and you need to keep your hands fixed on the target after the shot for 2-3 seconds. It is also important to press the button halfway to fixed-focus the lens before a shot. At times, the lens is aimed but not focused so if you have done the shot, it will appear blurred.

3. Shooting Techniques – The world of technology has allowed everybody to bag the best camera for a few hundred bucks. The trouble is three out of ten may have that patience to read the operating manual and what you have out there is a loose crowd whose only training is to aim the camera and push the button. So it is best to be confident about yourself when you walk out there. Don’t be dismayed by comparing your equipment with that of others. When I was in college, I had my Engineering Drawing subject where we were taught how to draw side views, front view, back view, top view, isometric, etc. In the same manner, knowing where you stand from your subject will definitely be a factor to a good picture.

     a. Front View – I had this shot of an Alpha Jet using an Olympus mju400 4.0 megapixel digital camera, my first digital camera . Since digital cameras have LCD displays, take your time to focus on your subject, front views should have balanced gaps on 4 sides (distance from subject to the edge).

     b. Side View – This is a side view of a Cessna 208 Caravan. Side shots are taken in reference to existing lines. It may be natural lines like the horizon, leveled surface, etc. As for this, I used the markings on the taxiway making it parallel with the LCD as my guide. Otherwise, you may not perfectly level it by the shot but making sure the subject is centered so that you can crop and adjust it perfectly on the computer. 

      c. Isometric View – This is an isometric view of a BO-105C helicopter. Isometric views are taken so that details about the front and sideviews could both be seen. This is usually made in approximation to the desired angle you wish to shoot your subject.

      d. The Bird’s Eye View – The bird’s eye view is understandably an aerial shot, or an air to surface shot. I got this picture taken on my flight mission to Cotabato in the Philippines using a manual Olympus camera with 135 film way back in 2002. I took the side main gear of the Islander aircraft and aligned it with the road. You will have the best preference on what sights to take as the situation unfolds (preview it on the LCD) and you will be amazed how it would show up later. As for me, I have prioritized my shots owing to my loads of film at those times and imagine, those times you can’t see the picture you have taken until they are developed at the processing studio.  

      e. Air to Air Shots – I was once blessed with a job with free ticket to fly to places so imagine the loss having no camera to capture the extraordinary scenery that I may see each day. So I make it a point that as a flight mechanic, the camera is as basic as my tools that I have to carry with me. Just for a tip, at a speed of 120 knots, no picture taking is possible outside the aircraft window. So I made this shot on the same helicopter hovering behind, through the side windows. 

      f. The Squirrel’s View – I call it the squirrel’s view or in similar sense, a worm’s eye view. To achieve this, let the camera bottom touch the tree trunk then tilt it a bit. The availability of Sony’s latest digital cameras with tilting LCD could make this shot a bit easier. To come up with something new, you really have to do things unconventionally and see for yourself. This view allows for a subject to look bigger and taller, have you imagined how big and tall would you look like if the camera is placed on your feet as you stand? 

      g. Life and Death – The credit of the above picture goes to Paulo G. Muller, a passenger of the ill fated A330 Air France during a trans Atlantic flight from Rio to Paris. These photos were found in a digital Casio Z750, amidst the remains. Although the camera was destroyed, the Memory Stick was recovered (this was forwarded to me in a chain email by a friend). The picture was able to convey its message after the photographer dared his last shot, a shot he took as the tragedy unfolds. Imagine the luxury we have having all the time in the world to take pictures. 

Who taught the first teacher? You could keep asking that when you are at a loss comparing yourself against the best out there. Some people started out late in choosing their path but still managed to make the best of it. The idea about the first teacher is that the first who did it discovered things for himself. Then photography schools and institutes were founded to teach what those pioneers learned from experience. Unfortunately I wasn’t from those schools so I’m sorry to say that I lack the credentials to teach photography by the curriculum. But I shared what I’ve got from my own experience and in my own school, I bless you with the certificate of patience to get your shots right. So pick up the camera and start capturing images. The only permanent things in life are the changes. But capturing each changing scene could freeze up a frame and time stops there. You have technology’s power in your fingertips. Good luck.