Laasya Palicha believes if you’ve just purchased your first DSLR and want to learn the basics or are looking for simple ways to update your existing photography skills, the following tips should help you build a strong foundation. 

Of course, photography is an art you’ll never really be ‘done’ learning, says Laasya Palicha. The best way to keep improving is to practice often, make mistakes, and be open to learning from others, whether they’re well-established photographers or newcomers to the craft. 

Learn to hold your camera properly With laasya Palicha

This may sound obvious, but many new photographers don’t hold their cameras correctly, which causes camera shakes and blurry images. Tripods are of course the best way to prevent camera shake, but since you won’t be using a tripod unless you’re shooting in low light situations, it’s important to hold your camera properly to avoid unnecessary movement.

While you’ll eventually develop your way of holding the camera, you should always hold it with both hands. Grip the right side of the camera with your right hand and place your left hand beneath the lens to support the weight of the camera.

The closer you keep the camera to your body, the stiller you’ll be able to hold it. If you need extra stability you can lean up against a wall or crouch down on your knees, but if there’s nothing to lean on, adopting a wider stance can also help.

Learn to adjust white balance

White balance can help you capture colors more accurately. Different types of light have different characteristics, so if you don’t adjust the white balance, the colors in your photography may take on a slightly blue, orange, or green hue or ‘temperature.’

White balance can be fixed in post-processing, of course, but it can become a bit tedious if you have hundreds of photos that need slight adjustments made, so it’s better to get this right in the camera. Some of the standard white balance settings you’ll find on your camera include Automatic White Balance, Daylight, Cloudy, Flash, Shade, Fluorescent and Tungsten. 

Each of these is symbolized by a different icon, so if you’re not sure which is which, check your camera’s manual, says Lassya Palicha. Automatic white balance works alright in some situations, but it’s generally best to change the setting according to the type of light you’re shooting in.

Invest in some good photo editing software

Once you start shooting in RAW, post-processing will become a must rather than an afterthought, so you’ll need to invest in some photo editing software that will allow you to perform basic editing tasks such as cropping, adjusting exposure, white balance and contrast, removing blemishes and more. 

Most professional photographers use programs like Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom, but if you want something a little less pricey to start with you can try Photoshop Elements, Picasa, or Paint Shop Pro.

Getting overexposed, blurry, or badly composed photos can be frustrating, but rather than letting such photos discourage you, use them as a learning tool. The next time you get a bad photo; don’t immediately hit the delete button. Instead, spend some time studying the photo to work out what went wrong and how you could improve it.