After spending almost an hour helping a friend diagnose a simple camera problem I was reminded of the importance of knowing your digital camera. Not only will it help you to get better pictures, but your techno-geek, digital photography expert buddy you call for help will appreciate it too.

First and foremost, read the Manual. Read it four times if that’s what it takes. Have the camera in front of you as you go through the book. Be sure you know (at least) how to Reset to factory defaults, change the ISO, use the exposure modes and Scene modes, switch from AF to MF, and be able to force the flash On or Off. Know where Macro mode is and Exposure Compensation.

Second, don’t muck around with all the settings in the Menu unless you know exactly what they do. My friend set the camera to shoot TIFF files (presuming better quality images) and didn’t understand why a 2 gig card would only hold 100 images instead of 400. RTFM. And, if you change some settings for a particular shot be sure to change them back!!

Lastly, use the camera enough that you’ll use and remember different buttons and settings. Experience is a great teacher. Besides, a palm to the forehead during that “Ahah” moment is better than a 2×4 to the back of the head!

** NOTE to techno-geek, digital photography expert buddies: To reduce your stress while helping a friend, go download a copy of the Manual for THEIR camera. It’ll make things so much easier for you.