Digital cameras are now mainstream. Many people have them, and most of the people that I know of (gosh, its actually all except one of my daughters) have abandoned film. Even amongst the professional ranks, digital has made tremendous inroads. One of my clients is a local travel write and photographer and he is still using film. It turns out that his clients still prefer slides, and the film he uses is a very fine film that in fact is probably still better than digital. But, the handwriting is on the wall.
I have looked at people using their digital cameras to understand how they use them and have come up with a few tips.
The first thing I notice is that people tend to just take snapshots, rather than try to compose their photos. Now, I do understand that this is in fact what most people want - to just point and shoot. But you should realize that finer photography is just a step away. The first thing is to subscribe to one of the excellent camera magazines. My favorite is Shutterbug (www.shutterbug.net). This is a very traditional film camera magazine that has recognized the need for digital coverage and is probably 50% digital content now. But many of the articles pertain to both - especially about lighting and composition. The current price is $17.95 for 12 issues - well worth it.
The same publisher also offers eDigitalPhoto magazine, which is actually more geared towards the novice photographer. In the same spirit is PCPhoto magazine. Both are very digitally oriented and have articles to help you take better pictures. These two magazines are also more "goodie" oriented than Shutterbug, and tend to present and promote the latest gear and accessories. I enjoy just looking through the ads.
There are also many Internet websites for digital photography - probably too numerous to mention. But for reviews and forums, I still like www.dpreview.com the best. I also often go to www.robgalbraith.com
The second thing that I would do to enhance your digital photography is to get a good photo editing software package. What may have come with your new camera or scanner may be adequate and perhaps easier to use, but there are better packages on the market. Assuming you don't want to pay $600 for the king-of-the-hill Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Paint Shop Pro, or Corel PhotoPaint might be viable alternatives. Tip: if you are not using the "layering" capability of your software, you're probably still in the novice ranks.
Paint Shop Pro 8 currently sells at buy.com for $55 after rebate, and Photoshop Elements 2 at about the same price. Both are well worth it and cheap for what you are getting. But, be prepared to learn - these are not "automatically step me through to make a mediocre photo" programs.
You should also start to build your library of digital photo books. I have a number of books oriented towards Photoshop, so it's tough for me to recommend books for other programs that I don't have. But you should find endless book reviews and recommendations at the larger books stores, such as Barnes and Noble or Amazon.
Finally, just get out there and shoot. I have to confess that I have been so busy in my consulting business lately that I haven't really taken much in the way of "artsy" photos lately. But I am a bit discouraged by the local heat and humidity during the summer, and I am looking forward to a digital camera autumn!
(Bob Seidel is a local computer consultant in the Southport / Oak Island area. You can visit his website at www.bobseidel.com or e-mail him at bsc@bobseidel.com).