Digital Photography for Beginners

Welcome to Digital Photography for Beginners. Here I'll take you through some basics you really need to know to turn you average photos into extraordinary ones. It's really not that hard. Trust me. These are the steps you have to master before we can really move into the nitty gritty aspect of taking better photos. So let's get started.

The Golden Hour

If you're wondering what on earth the Golden Hour is, this tip is for you. Here's your first digital photography for beginners tip.

Have you ever found yourself taking a picture outside in the middle of the afternoon and thinking the light just wasn't quite right? How do photographers get the beautiful light in their pictures that seems to make everything glow?

Most photographers will tell you that it's all about when you take the picture. There's a time of the day referred to as the Golden Hour. This is the time when the sun is in the right place in the sky to make a beautiful picture. I experienced the Golden Hour just the other day. I went out for a walk with my husband at sunset. We walked by some flowers--flowers that we'd passed a million times before--but that day the sun was a just the right point in the sky to make those flowers seen to radiate light. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera. Isn't that always the way it goes?

The hours just before sunset and just after sunrise will provide you with light for great pictures. Everyone has their own personal favorite. I love to take pictures around sunset. I used to have a roommate who would wake up at the crack of dawn and go out with her camera to take pictures. She liked the way the mist would sometimes rise from the ground in the mornings.

Here's a beautiful example of a picture taken at the Golden Hour. I love this photo.

Simplicity

Keep it simple. This is a basic photography tip that many people don't follow. So let me say it again, keep it simple.

You're photos don't have to be complex to be interesting. Even the simplest images can tell a story. Here's a good example.

Find Your Focus

Chose one thing to frame and make that the focus of your picture. That thing doesn't have to be in the middle of the frame. As a matter of fact, it's better if it isn't.

Find a focus in a crowd. Keep it visually interesting. Bright colors and different textures work well to ad visual interest.

That was just a few examples of helpful digital photography for beginners tips. I hope they gave you some ideas on how to improve your pictures. You can look around the site at the other tutorials to learn more.

Want more info?

Find out about white balance settings or get go back to the Digital Photography Tutorials page for more great picture taking tips.

Need to learn more about the words used in digital photography? Check out this page on Digital Photography Terms.

Check out more digital photography tutorials.