Do you have a digital camera? Here are some things you should be doing with and for your countless (and priceless!) digital photos:

1. Take more pictures!

Don’t worry about running out of space, and don’t delete the photos you snap while they’re still in the camera. Wait until you’ve seen what they really look like after you download them to your computer. The more pictures you take, the better the chance that you’ll end up with a gem.

2. Use the Internet to learn more about photography.

There is a wealth of information and advice online that can help you improve your photos, at any point in the process. For example, take a look at Digital Photography Tips and Tutorials, from Digital Photography School. That page has compiled links to tips from all over the site; there’s bound to be something there you’d like to learn.

3. Make sure your camera’s clock is set correctly.

The photo cataloging software that goes hand in hand with digital photography reads this data, so if the camera’s clock is correct your photos will already have the correct time and date attached to them. Also, if the date is wrong then some day in the future you might have no idea when the photo was taken!

Canon SD800 IS

4. Learn about your camera’s manual and semi-manual modes.

This one will probably require you to spend a little time with your camera’s instruction manual. Even a simple point-and-click model digital camera probably has capabilities you are unaware of. I have a Canon SD800 IS (pictured at right).

This is a very handy little camera that I take everywhere with me. For the most part I just use the automatic mode (manually turning off the flash when necessary–which is often), but I’ve also discovered that it has presets for different environments such as beach, aquarium, and snow. I love this feature! It makes my pictures come out much better in what would otherwise be challenging conditions. This is the sort of information it’s very handy to learn about your camera and it only takes a small amount of effort.


I took this photo at Kailua Beach in Oahu last February and, thanks to the beach setting, the picture came out great despite the glare off the ocean and the sunshine and sand.

5. Transfer all the photos you’ve taken from your camera to a computer (or another storage device).

Do not save photos on your camera any longer than absolutely necessary. You never know when something could happen (for instance, your camera breaks, you lose your camera, or your media card stops functioning) and you don’t want to be at risk of losing your precious memories. Also, if they’re on your computer rather than waiting around on the camera, you’re more likely to do something with them.

6. Take a few minutes before you share your photos to do some minor editing.

One of the primary reasons we take pictures is to share them with other people.  Most photographs can benefit from cropping, leveling, and possibly some minor color-tweaking or red-eye removal. It really pays to take a little time to perfect your photos. This will be the subject of a future how-to article here.

7. Use online services like Flickr or Shutterfly to share with friends and family.

Flickr is an online community centered around the sharing of photos–if you take a lot of photos, you’ll probably want to check it out. Shutterfly is more of a photo service; not only can you upload your photos to their site to show them to family but you can also order prints in multiple sizes, create personalized photo books from your own photos, and create many other photo-related keepsakes. You can also have these items sent as gifts. (Note that there are other sites that do the same sorts of things, it just happens that I’m familiar with and have used Shutterfly.)

8. Always backup your photos!

Hard drives are great, they hold lots of data and they generally last a long time. However, when they die they usually die very unexpectedly. Often the data is difficult–and/or very expensive–to retrieve, so give yourself some peace of mind by backing up your important photographs. Even if you keep your best photos online, you probably want to make sure your originals are safe. I, for one, typically upload my photos at a lower resolution than they’re stored in on my computer so I wouldn’t want to find myself with nothing but my online versions.

This list is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to digital cameras and digital photography. Keep an eye out for further articles relating to some of these tips. Also, please let me know if you have a particular area you’d like us to focus on.

Tagged as: digital camera, photography