Yesterday, I acquired my 2rd SLR. It’s a Sony A350, comes with 14.1MP and produces the 
most gorgeous pictures even in low lighting. I obtained it to replace my Canon 1000D which I found a little too entry level for my taste. Its Bionz processor guarantees me vivid holiday pictures that will truly make my buds wonder why they never joined on on vacation.
These cameras are becoming cheap. Dirt cheap. Because prices are dropping, some of you may be venturing into the digital SLR world. Now there’s this myth, that just because you have such a device, you can take magical snapshots of anything. Not true. An SLR is only as good as the fella pushing the buttons. All those toggles, switches and dials don’t amount to squat if you can’t compose the scene, find adequate lighting and capture it in seconds. For the newbies, here are some hot tips:
1) Before you shoot, always find the light. As long as there is lighting (a lamp, or the sun), a subject will come out dazzling. It’s good practice to especially have a light source behind a person when shooting. This will cast a warm ethereal glow around the silhouette.
2) Flatter your subject. If you’re shooting a person, have them face 45 degrees from the camera. This affords a 3/4 shot which offers a nice slimming effect. Shooting head-on gives the appearance of bulk, which isn’t good for old dames. For an even more slimming effect, use a telephoto lens (say, 50-200mm). Stand far from the subject and zoom in to 150-200mm. Longer zoom lens affords a compression effect on the subject- making the target drop a few pounds.
3) Use polarizing lenses. These $20 add-ons eliminate glare and reflections. Shoot a stream or river with these and beautiful koi under the water leap out at the picture!
4) And finally… ditch the flash! The flash is the one accessory I think should be ripped off every respectable camera. Notice how the flash makes even the sexiest models look pale, flat and zombiesque? The harsh glare washes out the natural skin tone. Pros avoid using the built in pop-up flash. If they MUST use a flash, they purchase those optional ones which flash towards the ceiling and not at the subject. Indirect lighting in this manner brings out more delectable shots.
Happy shooting!
