Experiment with Exposure: Digital cameras typically work best in sunlight, just like film cameras. Once you step inside or into dim light, things get a bit more difficult just like with film cameras. Experiment to know how to handle these situations.
Try all sorts of variations. Shoot your subject from different angles with different lighting if you can. Try turning off your camera's flash in some shots. Try 'fill flash' if your camera will allow it. Sometimes fill flash can make a perfectly exposed picture better. Sometimes you can add drama by turning off your flash and leaving your subject somewhat underexposed.
Try taking the same photo three different ways, with three different exposure options. The result can be three very different pictures from each other, but all will look good. You never know if you don't try.
Bracket your shots if you can, with one shot slightly underexposed, one slightly overexposed, and one "just right." Even though some digital cameras will do this automatically, you still need to practice. The last thing you want is two of your shots to look as if they were taken accidentally or by a surprised photographer who was expecting only one shot instead of three.
Special Features: Many digital cameras now come packed with some interesting special features. Examples can be found in the ability to take short QuickTime clips and record sound annotations. Some cameras will even let you experiment with special effects like shooting in black and white or sepia toned images. Focus on the basics before you dive into special effects.
Many of the special effects offered by digital cameras can be done without them. Software such as Photoshop can quickly and easily change your normal color image into a perfect black and whit or sepia toned copy. The reality is that if you can do it easily in Photoshop, concentrate on taking a good color photo and let the program take care of the special effects.
This does not mean that you shouldn't try out some of the other special effects. For example, if you pan your camera to track a car moving at high speed, the car will be in sharp focus but the background will be blurred, creating an interesting picture. Or you can do the opposite: focus on a particular stationary object such as a child flying a kite, or a freshly-painted fire hydrant and let a speeding car to enter the frame. You'll then have a sharply focused center of attention with the added advantage of motion.
Silhouettes are another nice special effect. Try taking a photo with your subject in shadow, eclipsing a brightly-exposed object in the background. Now try the reverse, a brightly exposed subject against a dark background. Although different, both can be interesting. Getting a good silhouette with film is expensive: you shoot a lot of frames with little or no reward. With a digital camera, however, the only cost is your time and patience, and your patience will be rewarded.
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