6 Step Cheat Sheet to get off AUTO

A lot of DSLR Beginners know that to take Creative Control over their photos they need to get off AUTO.

This can be daunting. So I have created a 6 Step Cheat Sheet to walk you through getting off Auto. These are ‘baby’ steps that are easy to follow and will remove the overwhelm.

I recommend starting with Aperture Priority Mode (Av or A depending on Camera make). It’s a safe step because the camera will still help you get the correct Exposure BUT it will let you experiment with one of the key settings towards more Creative Photos.

The key setting is Aperture. Aperture affects Exposure but it also affects Depth of Field (DOF). Depth of Field is one of the most important concepts to understand and control for more creative photos. It’s the factor that can really separate amateur ‘snap shots’ from Professional Photos.

This cheat sheet shows you how you can control Depth of Field. The best Aperture for Portraits and the best Aperture for Landscape photos. It also looks at another key factor in controlling Depth of Field: Focusing Distance.

Basically: the closer you focus the narrower the Depth of Field. That means it is better for isolating your subject from the background. The background will be more blurred when you focus closer to your camera.

Experiment with these steps and see the effect on your photos.

The beauty of Digital cameras is that you can take hundreds of photos on your memory card AND you get instant feedback. Learning photography has now become much easier and quicker.

Click on the image on the left or Right Click on the link below and choose “Save as…” or Save Link as…” to download this Cheat Sheet.

6 Step Cheat Sheet to Creative Photos

I hope you find this helpful. Please Share and Like if you did 🙂

A little curious about learning more about DSLR photography?

… find out how you can get a great deal on my DSLR video training course for beginners here ->  EasyDSLR Digital Photography Course (includes all the details of what you can learn in 4 hours!)