You don't have to be an expert to enjoy the benefits of digital photography. Some are satisfied with a lower cost point-and-shoot camera while some prefer the hi-end state of the art equipment. It's all a matter of choice and whatever fits your budget.
It is not the purpose of this web site to get into the hi-tech aspect of photography. You can find a lot of technical information from some of the web sites listed on the links page. However, I would like to list a few basic considerations that may help in getting the best from your digital camera.
I. Getting Started - Planning, preparation and patience are the three big P's that I have found to make a big difference in success and failure.
a. Plan the type of pictures you will be taking. Portrait, landscape, sporting events etc. can take different equipment.
b. Preparation is very important. You want to make sure you have all the right equipment for the type of photos you will be taking e.g. sufficient memory cards, batteries, flash, tripod, etc.
c. Patience is a must. without patience you may miss some an opportunity for a shot of a lifetime.
II. Post Processing - With some, post processing may be just taking the memory card to Wal-Marts for printing, but for the more serious photographer software programs like Adobe Photoshop are a must. With a good processing program, the photos can be enhanced, rearranged, modified in almost infinite ways and can be arranged for efficient transmission via the internet. You can access tutorial web sites via the sites page.
III. Organization and Storage - In the beginning this may not seem to be a major item, but as you start to accumulate more and more photos it is important to have some kind of logical method of filing and retrieving stored photos. Some set up folders by type or date or function, whatever works for you is fine, but some kind of system is necessary or soon you will be lost in a maze of unidentified files. Another consideration is external storage e.g. CD's. Photos take a lot of storage space and can eat up a hard drive in no time.
IV. Work Flow - Most proficient photographers have developed a work-flow process for their particular needs. For more information on work flow procedures, please visit my work flow page.