SYGADC: Reading the Manual and then Shifting into Automatic

1. Welcome and Introductions:
1. Introduce yourself and your camera
2. What do you typically photograph?
3. What do you want to photograph?
4. Do you edit your photos at home/work?
5. How comfortable are you with your camera?
6. What do you want out of this course
2. The Camera as an Object:
1. Temperature/Moisture - condensation too!
   
2. Physical abuse - dropping, wrist straps, neck straps, tripods
3. Left hand/Right hand
4. Thumb - navigator
5. Index Finger - decider
6. Lens cover - our friend
7. Lens Cleaning Cloth
8. Digital Lens Cleaning Fluid
9. Compressed air
3. Manuals:
1. Read 'em - and then read 'em again
2. Download them - updates, product recalls, new programs to go with the camera (A downloaded manual is searchable)
4. The Basics:
1. The first time you use the camera, or if the batteries have been removed or dead for an extended period, you should enter the date and time. The date and time will help you organize, locate, and identify your images later.
2. Always check camera settings on the control panel and in the viewfinder. Notice how many pictures you can take at the current settings and the status of the battery charge. Also, learn what the icons mean because it's not at all unusual to change a setting, then forget you have done so.
3. If an image is being stored when you turn the camera off, the image will be completely stored before the camera powers down.
4. Most shutter buttons have two stages. When you press it halfway down, the camera sets focus and exposure. When you press it all the way down, you take the picture. To capture action shots, hold the button halfway down while focused on the scene. When you then press the button the rest of the way, the camera shoots immediately because focus and exposure have already been calculated. On some cameras you can also press the shutter button all the way down in one action, but there will be a delay before the photo is taken and it may be out of focus.
5. If the viewfinder appears blurry, see if the camera has an diopter adjustment that makes it sharper.