We're all photographers ... wouldn't you say? All one has to do is to consider the enormous number of images that are published every day on social media. And of course, then there is the Iphone, which is perhaps the single greatest tool that most folks use to take, store, and share their images these days.

I think the value of owning a camera, especially one that is relatively simple to use, is the ease we're afforded to capture a moment, an expression, or an event. I am often impressed with the native "eye" that many folks have doing just that. Among other things though, when I compare someone who has some training in photography with another who has not, one of principal things that distinguishes them is the knowledge they possess about how to use and "take advantage" of the capabilities of their camera (or phone), rather than just pointing and shooting.

I guess it's easy for us to be overwhelmed with many features and capabilities found on today's camera's. In fact, The first thing that many of my recreational photography students are looking for is just for me to explain what the buttons, dials and menus do on their cameras. To be sure, I myself have stayed with a particular manufacturer of camera in part because I learned on their elementary models, and the placement of controls even in their more "expert" cameras was quite similar. That helped to reduce my learning curve as I adopted a new tool.

So here's the deal ... if you want to advance your photography skills, the first thing you have to work on is understanding how every feature on your camera works. Duh ... right? But many of us don't take the time to learn how to use the tool, or do so incompletely. These days it is as easy as going on Youtube and taking advantage of the on-line resources posted there. When the baby smiles, or the couple kiss, or the owl is perched above you, adjusting the controls of your camera as quickly and automatically as possible to get a truly great image is what it's all about. So take the time to learn your camera and practice; it's bells and whistles won't get you the picture of a lifetime until you learn how to use them seamlessly. Good shooting!