Why should you love your old Camera?

It is pretty common tendency of people that to get decent pictures you need a decent equipment.
Many people love to brag how bad their "recently became old" Camera is. Thats true technically unless you Love your Camera. New cameras have advanced features and are more reliable, but it doesn't make your old one a piece of crap. It sounds pretty Philosophical and emotion driven statement but it is true on practical front... Lets visit the reasons one by one.

1. Your camera is best of its time.
You have studied the market first and got what you have in your hand. The camera satisfied exactly what was your budget and requirment. Now you don't want to fool your own decision right? People have taken amazing pictures with the same model. Then its not your camera, its your techniques that lag behind.

2. Your synchronisation with camera.
you have spent ample time with old camera. You are habituated to each inch of it. You knowing unknowingly hit the exact same button that you wanted to. You are used to its layout. That matters a lot when you shoot something that will never happen again. You don't want to keep playing between the 'advanced menu of the NEW camera' that you hardly know about while a once in a life time thing is happening in front of you.

3. Your camera limitations make you a genius.
Yes, they do make you a mastermind. If your camera cant go at high ISO you learn how to keep hands stable at real slow shutter and not causing a blur in picture.
if your camera has limited controls, you learn how to customize the 'function button' at your disposal. If your camera cant shoot any good picture in low light, you learn how to 'arrange light and object', it makes you a master composer.
This way, your camera limitations makes you think out of the box, out of the camera and takes you to the picture. It teaches to learn and control the reality than to get trapped into the made up realities of digital world. In sort it brings out your skills.

4. It will always be there as a back-up camera for your new high-tech one.
It has served you for a pretty longer time, it will do the same when your primary camera gets seek for sometime if any, or is battery drained or when you require an additional coverage. It doesn't deserve to be bragged bad.

5. Yes this one is emotional.
This camera of yours was your companion and has taught you many things. You have explored the world of photography because of this little chap. It was a miracle for time when people used to wait for its launch.
Can't you really show some respect to your old buddy and glance it just once with feeling of love and affection?

How to take good pictures???

You take good pictures. That's why you have thought about reading this. Now its the matter of taking your skills little further.

You know where is the button to take picture, how to play pictures, how to upload them to social media sites and know nominal techniques in your favourite editing app. Thats enough of knowledge to understand what I'm going to share with you.

I had several questions about photography few years back. It's always hard to know everything about the camera but at least knowing how it works and how to operate it can help improve your pictures a hundred times. After spending years on camera forums, hundreds of hours of youtube tutorials and workshops, I have ended up with these simple conclusions that will help you achieve flawless images without getting into much details.

Tip # 1.

ALWAYS SHOOT IN GOOD LIGHT

- It seems hard because we have parties in gloomy lights and indoor with fluorescent lights. Don't worry; I'm not asking you to use professional flash units. It's about how good the subject you shoot is lit. Make sure that the subject/person you take photograph of always has enough light to be seen properly. Other wise you will end up with dark image, or to get enough light, your camera takes long exposure that results in blurred image.

-Try to shoot with the light and not against the light (For example, a person facing the sun will have good light on his face than the one where sun is at the back of the head). This enables your camera to use optimum settings and produce a good exposed image.

-Too bright light gives scope to too hard shadows. So if you are under direct sun, your image will have too much light and too dark in the shadows, that makes up the worst image.

-Bottom line is, find the place and angle where your subject gets proper light to achieve the result you want.

Tip # 2.

KEEP THE CAMERA STEADY.

- Being careless about how you hold the camera is the major reason for getting blurred images.

- Hold the camera with both the hands, if possible use an additional support like a wall, a tree or what ever you can rest your arm or back on. This helps to  minimise the camera motions.

Tip # 3.

FRAME THE PICTURE BEFORE CLICKING.

- Have you seen profile pictures where you can hardly find the person who is featured in it? and see lot of trees or crowd around him/her? This may be because the photographer didn't know what to shoot.

- Always make a picture in your mind, try to find a place from where you get that light, angle and the frame.

- Keep unnecessary things out of the frame, look corner to corner for any unwanted object getting in picture.

Tip # 4.

OPTICAL ZOOM GOOD, DIGITAL ZOOM BAD.

- Optical zoom is mechanically altering the light your camera receives. It is like using a binocular. It is the best way to zoom while taking the picture.

- Digital zoom is simply stretching the pixels. In this case, your picture looses the quality drastically. If you don't have enough scope to zoom optically, move closer to the subject to get the desired field of view.

Tip # 5.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE AND PRACTICE.

- Taking more and more pictures will help you understand your camera and yourself. This develops a kind of bond between you and your camera that leads to great pictures.

- More photos you take, more expertise you get. In this way, you will understand every thing, how to handle, what is best light for what situation, what frame is good for what kind of things etc. etc.

Once you are done with this, and you start getting good result after following this, you can read further at BASICS OF PHOTOGRAPHY.