photography.

Learning how to use my Canon Rebel T2i DSLR camera has been on my yearly goal list since 2012. In April I took a photography class at NIACC. As a way to remember the information, I summarized what I learned.

*The first thing you should do with your camera is make sure the date and time is set correctly. This helps with picture organization when you upload the pictures onto your computer.

*Scene modes vs Auto vs manual modes: everyone is familiar with the auto mode on the camera, right? its the setting we all use to ensure that we get a half way decent shot. the dial on the top of your camera has a section for scene modes (nighttime, action, landscape, etc) and also manual modes (P, M, Av, Tv, and A-dep)

*White balance is what color the light is (sunny, cloudy, fluorescent, tungsten, etc). i even learned how to set a custom white balance (so fancy!)

*ISO: how intense the light is

* P is for program...this is the first setting you should use if you want to venture off of Auto.

*Av and Tv: Av is Aperture priority--you set the aperture, the camera figures out the shutter speed, and Tv is shutter priority, you set the shutter speed, your camera sets the aperture.

*Manual mode is only for professionals. ha! It's tricky but I'm determined to get to the manual shooting mode, practice practice practice.

*Composition is an important piece of taking photos, and includes the angle you are shooting at or the rule of thirds.

*AF point: I learned how to set the area of the viewfinder that I want to focus on so the camera will put that object into the most focus--such an easy and awesome trick to know, especially when I'm taking pictures of flowers.

A lot of these tips have helped me take better photos with my iPhone too.

Got any easy photography tips to share?