Stop wishing for that Amazing Camera and Appreciate The One You’ve Got

This photo was taken with a 2 megapixel Canon Powershot A60 at Cannon Beach, Oregon. I don't care what the readers think of this photo. I like it. I waited, concentrated and opened the shutter at just the right moment for this.

I know a lot of DPS readers are dreaming of and saving for that perfect digital camera – today Dan Dyer from Automatic Camera has a post for you with a good reminder.

All cameras have are essentially the same thing, a shutter that exposes light on a light-sensitive surface. Sure, there are differences in engineering tolerances and technical ranges and the latest technology. But Ansel Adams didn’t have today’s latest gadget. He had know-how, and practice.

The real difference between an average photo and an amazing photo, is the photographer, not the camera.

Here’s how you can make your camera amazing. It just takes a little bit of work.

1 Read your camera manual. If you don’t have it anymore, you can probably find it online. Learn every feature and aspect of the camera you have. It will take amazing pictures if you know how to use it properly.

2 Take your camera with you everywhere you go, and take lots of photos. Take photos of everything. Find something uninteresting and find a way to make it interesting. That is the essence of art.

3 Practice in manual mode. All cameras have a manual mode take a photo and change a single setting. Then change that one setting and take another photo. In my opinion this is the best way to understand the manipulation of light.

4 Make each photo count. One of the biggest downfalls of digital photography is the ability to take so many photos so easily for so little monetary investment. So we buy a cheap camera and snap away, hardly taking a thought to what is in the view finder. STOP! Think about your next photo, then take the time to make it amazing. You’ll start thinking like a photographer and your photos will improve ten fold.

5 Keep your best photos in a special place, discard the rest. Professional photographers take thousands of and show only their best to the client. Take photos for you, you are your own client. One day you’ll look back and be amazed at your work.

Now get to work.