Digital Photography Tips: Preview Your Pictures

Perhaps the biggest advantage of using a digital camera as opposed to film is the ability to preview your pictures immediately after you have shot them. Obviously, it is not an advantage in all situations, but if you are trying to shoot a particular scene or capture an object in a certain way, digital cameras afford you the opportunity to preview an image and reshoot it until you’ve photographed it the way you conceived it in your mind’s eye. When you preview the picture, maybe you notice that your subject isn’t looking toward the camera or maybe you shook the camera a little bit. Try again until you get the shot exactly the way you want it.

After you preview the image, you also have the option to delete it. I am hesitant to delete pictures until I have had a chance to transfer them and really take a look at them on my computer. Often, they turn out not to be as bad as I thought or if I am working on a project, they may still be useful. That is not to suggest that I never delete a photo right from the camera. Sometimes, I clearly missed the shot I was trying to get. Or I have made an obvious mistake or error in judgement that I know I cannot help even with the aid of Photoshop. If there is any question, I tend to save rather than delete the picture, though.