Before you take your first photo, take two minutes to check a few simple settings.
These aren’t advanced tricks — they’re day-one basics that can save you frustration later. If you jumped right in, then find these settings below to make the decisions that fit you best.

Here are the 4 things I recommend setting immediately:

1️⃣ Set the date & time
Your photos will stay organized forever. Skip this and everything turns into a mess later.

2️⃣ Choose JPEG or RAW (don’t stress)
If you’re new, start with JPEG. It’s simple, share-ready, and totally fine. You can switch to RAW later.

3️⃣ Check your drive mode
Use Single Shot so one press = one photo. Burst mode can wait.

4️⃣ Set your mode dial
It is okay to shoot in Automatic - the other modes will come in time, but start where you are comfortable and focus on composition and why you believe the scene is photo worthy.

That’s it.

Once these are set, stop digging through menus and start shooting.

👉 For more details see my blog post
👉 Or my YouTube Video that walks through this step-by-step

Getting better One Photo at a Time,
Doug

Email me: [email protected]