Some of the digital photography courses you come across online are actually a series of detailed articles.  This is not as bad as it at first sounds.  First of all, these kinds of online digital courses are usually free, put up by camera supply websites in order to help stimulate your interest in a hobby that supports their business.  However one of the most popular is put out by About.com (which is heavy on advertising, but it’s free).  That one comes in your email like an e-book.

You can also go to websites like ExpertVillage.com and click on their digital photography category to get a video version of digital photography courses in one to five minute chunks.  The great thing about the videos is that you can rewind them.  You can also make fun of the teacher without him or her knowing it.  And, of course, it’s free (provided you have internet access and a computer.)

Before You Go

Before you sign up or attempt one of these free online digital photography courses, you do need to know a little bit about digital cameras.  You want to have the camera in front of you and be able to identify the parts.  You also want to know what kind of memory card your camera takes.  Good digital photography courses will also give you a glossary of terms used, but not all will.  Make sure in advance.

You also need to know that you have all of the specifications to be able to read the online digital photography courses.  Some many require you to have the latest version of Abode, which is free to download IF you already have an older version of it.  Abode is usually standard with Windows XP and higher.  You will also need to check the spam filter of your email box in case your digital photography courses are sent to you by email.  Your email security program might not recognize the address and immediately assume that it is spam.

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1. Why Take Online Digital Photography Courses?
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Go Outside And Play

The fist big digital photography tip for model horse lovers is take your models outside and photograph them in natural light.  Indoor lighting just doesn’t do it for models – even those that look super realistic, such as incredibly expensive resins.  But unless you have professional indoor photography lights and a couple of digital photography courses under your belt, your models will wind up looking flat and lifeless.

Must Have Zoom

The first digital cameras were not equipped with any kind of zoom function.  This was in the age of the dinosaurs, but some of those cameras are still being used today.  Here’s a digital photography tip that will save you a lot of hassle – unless your digital camera has a zoom function, use a traditional film camera instead.  You will not be able to get a focused picture without zooming in.

Don’t Center In Performance Shots

The usual model photo is of the horse in the exact center of the frame so you can see the coloring and detail.  However, this implies the horse is absolutely still.  This doesn’t work for performance classes like hunting, jumping, dressage, barrel racing or whatever.  You want to imply movement.  Here’s a little digital photography tip – make sure your model is just off center as if he’s coming into the shot.

Resist The Dark Side

One of the big temptations is to “clean up” or digitally manipulate their images to make their models look better than they really are.  The best digital photography tip here is to resist this call from the Dark Side!  You are allowed to touch up ONLY lighting.  Other than that, you must not retouch your photo in any way in order to compete at model horse photo shows.  This rule can be avoided if you are going for a particular comedic effect and are only going to enter the images in fun classes.

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3. Beginning Photography Tips For Everybody