44 essential digital camera tips and tricks

Digital camera tips: 39. Get the flash off-camera

Getting your flash away from your camera will transform your portraits, especially if you use a dedicated flash that can be controlled wirelessly by the camera, and reflectors to reduce any harsh shadows.

Digital camera tips: 40. High speed flash

The duration of a flash is much shorter than your DSLR’s exposure times, which allows it to ‘freeze’ high-speed events. Water drops are the easiest place to start, and all you need is a dark room, a flash, and a whole heap of patience.

Digital camera tips: 41. Changing lenses

So much has been said about ‘dust bunnies’ (small particles of dust that can land on your camera’s sensor and cause dots in images) that many photographers seem paranoid about changing lenses – but that’s one of the main attractions of DSLR and mirrorless photography! There are some simple precautions to take though.

Always switch the camera off when changing lenses, as this removes any static charge from the sensor which can attract dust particles. Shield the camera from the wind and weather and make sure you have the replacement lens ready to fit. Finally, keep the camera’s lens opening pointing downwards when changing lenses, to minimise the risk of anything falling into it.