Get the Best Digital Picture – Every Time: Decide on Standard Camera Settings to be Ready to Aim and Shoot

Digital cameras can really perform photographic magic. Digital photographers can really enjoy some of the freedoms that digital provides and spend more time thinking about and framing the shot.

While many digital cameras are point-and-shoot involving little technical tweaking, knowing more about the technical side will better ensure that the perfect shot is taken every time. Most of the settings below are found on DSLR cameras – a few do apply to point-and-shoot.

Digital Camera Settings

Regardless of the type of photography practiced, be it landscape, portrait or pet, there are some photo opportunities that require fast response time. To ensure that the camera is ready for the surprise opportunities, find a set of settings for your camera to call the standards. Leave the camera set in the standards during the down times. When the settings are changed for special circumstances, always immediately return the camera to the standard settings.

Determine the standards the first day the camera is used – write them down – carry them in the camera bag –reset the camera if needed to the standards before putting the camera back in the bag.

A good example is to leave the camera set at single-shot autofocus at all times. When needed change to manual focus – take the picture or pictures – immediately put back on the autofocus.

Other standards might include presetting:

• Aperture
• Density
• White balance
• Red eye reduction
• Auto flash
• Exposure

Digital Photos – Ready, Aim, Shoot

There are so many advantages to keeping the camera in ready, aim and shoot mode. First, as a beginner gets more comfortable with the digital camera, the technical aspects of photography will emerge and will eventually become second nature. Until that happens and possibly way beyond, taking away the worry of figuring out which autofocus to have on or which aperture setting is the best, will reduce the anxiety and increase the pleasure of the hobby.

With the feature-packed photo correcting software available today, many first time digital camera users just take the picture regardless of the settings. It is still better to get the best photo possible using the camera than it is to correct that shot later with software.

One other aspect of the ready, aim shoot mode is to make sure the camera has a fully charged battery in it at all times. It is a good idea to buy an extra battery for the camera. When a photo session is over, put the used battery on a charger and put the backup fully charged battery in the camera for the next time.

Get the Best Digital Photo

Many beginners – and quite a few of the seasoned – digital photographers will share tales of having the best picture present itself and when they went to use the camera, the settings were way off and all they got was darkness of an out of focus subject.

Keep the satisfaction levels and the confidence of getting that best shot by keeping the camera ready at all times.