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Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) Cameras
This is Photo Tips III on DSLR cameras. If you have a digital camera, please go to Photo Tips II . If you're looking into buying a DSLR, or you're new to DSLR, I hope this section can be helpful to you. This section will focus on the basics of DSLR cameras. Keep in mind that I'm not a professional, and this guide is here to better help you understand the complex and exciting world of DSLR cameras. This can be a pretty difficult read, but I tried to simplify everything as best as possible. I recommend pulling out your DSLR so you can see what I'm talking about.
First off, to get this section started, I think the best way to understand DSLRs is breaking down the word "photography." In Latin, photo means light, and graph means writing, so literally photography means "light writing." I always keep this concept in my mind because DSLRs give you more freedom to manipulate light, and all of the basic settings are dealing with light manipulation. Not to say digital cameras cannot do the same, but they are limited.
1. Technical Stuff
As I mentioned in the introduction of Photo Tips I , there are really four terms you need to know when working with a DSLR.
Aperture - aperture refers the size of the opening in your camera. This opening lets light into the camera, and it increases or decreases size depending on what the F-stop number is. A wide aperture or opening will let in more light while a small opening will let in a less light. Aperture also affects depth of field.
F-stop number - F-stop number is directly related to the aperture; it dictates the size of the opening. Do not be fooled, though. A large F-stop number is actually a small number, and a small F-stop large number. For example: F/1.8 is a large F-stop number. Why? Because it produces a large aperture (opening) and lets in more light. F/22 is a small F-stop number because it produces a smaller aperture and lets in less light.
Bokeh Comparison (and Depth of Field)
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Aperture: F/11.0, a small F-stop number also increases depth of field, which means it captures more detail at farther distances; it's why small F-stop numbers are great for landscape photography. See how all my dolls, the tree, and background are more in focus.
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Aperture: F/2.2, a large F-stop number decreases depth of field, which means captures details close up and blurs out the background creating bokehs. The larger the number, the bigger the bokeh.
ISO - ISO refers to how sensitive your camera is to light. ISO does not affect aperture or the F-stop number. A low ISO decreases your camera's sensitivity to light, which produces a finer grain (which is what you want! 
). Use low ISOs on bright days, sunny days, wherever the lighting is good, or if you have a tripod. High ISOs increase your camera's sensitivity to light, which also produces a larger grain meaning grainier photos. It's used for low light situations. I don't recommend using a high ISO for doll photography. It's better to invest in a tripod, so you can use the lower ISOs.
Tip: Tripods are really useful in any kind of photography. Use a tripod for low light settings without having to mess up your camera settings and to minimize camera shake. Low light settings doesn't necessarily mean night time photography, it can be indoors where the lighting might require a slow shutter speed or if you're doing a set up. Also, invest in a camera remote to eliminate camera shake. It allows you to take pictures remotely without having to push a button on your camera.
Some tripod photos taken indoors.
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Shutter speed - Shutter speed is how long light is received into the camera, or even the amount of time it takes for your camera to take a picture. Shutter speed and aperture are interdependent. If you adjust one, you technically should adjust the other, but I'll get into that later. But, if you notice on your DSLR, it has a meter with F/X.X on one side and 1/XX on another. Shutter speeds are measured in seconds and fractions of a second (6, 2, 1, 1/20, 1/60, 1/2000, etc.).
Note: Shutter speed and aperture are adjusted to the subject's brightness. So however, bright your subject is, the shutter speed and aperture will suggest the ideal settings, which you may or may not want to follow depending on what kind of lighting you're going for.
2. Manual Mode: The Total DSLR Requirement
When using a DSLR, manual mode is a definite must! I even recommend using it if you just picked up a DSLR for the first time, because practice makes perfect, and you won't fully understand manual mode if you're always in auto. Because using auto mode is just like using a basic digital camera--the camera's picking all the settings for you, and you're just snapping away and ending up with photos that the camera manipulated and created that may or may not have came out the way you would've liked.
If you're just starting out, I only recommend using auto if you cannot determine what shutter speed or F-stop number you should use, then quickly switch back to manual mode and adjust accordingly!
Main Settings:
F-stop number - which affects aperture (the size of the lens opening)
Shutter speed - how long light is received into the camera
ISO - camera's sensitivity to light
Other Settings that are equally important:
White Balance - different settings for different kinds of light: auto, fine weather, cloudy weather, indoors, etc.
Exposure - how dark or bright you want your photo to be.
Metering - measures the brightness of your subject. The camera divides the frame into multiple areas, and it measures the brightness to determine how the camera sets its exposure from Digital SLR Camera Basics: Metering . Check out this link for a better explanation and some examples on metering. This is for Nikon, but it might be helpful for other types of DSLRs, too.
Tip: On deviantART, check out a photograph's Statistics at the bottom to see some of the camera settings that were used. You can also do the same on Flickr. With Flickr, you could originally check EXIF data by clicking the camera used, but now the statistics are shown toward the bottom under "Additional Information." You can click on the data to view all the camera settings for a particular photograph. Doing this is especially helpful in learning what settings people used in their photos and helping in creating some amazing photographs yourself.
Photo Tips I - Introduction
Photo Tips II - Digital Cameras
Photo Tips III - DSLR Cameras (Part 2) is coming soon!
The next part will cover lenses and tips on taking great photographs with a DSLR.
If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions, leave a comment or send note to me, and I'll be happy to get back to you.
Happy Snapping!
Pullip-Annonymous — Photo Tips III - DSLR Cameras (Part 1)