I'm getting ready to do my first digital photography tutorial for a group of super cool neighborhood moms who want to learn how to take better photos with their DSLRs and iPhones. It's a fantastic group of people, there will be wine, plus my colleague and friend, Tracy Peterson, will be co-hosting this with me! Trifecta of a good night, right?

As a result, I prepared a short 2-page quick start to help you all start taking better pictures straight off your DSLR [iPhone tips coming soon]. From a high level, I cover shutter speed, aperture, ISO, gear and how I got specific shots.

Download the digital photography quick start >>

My top tips on digital photography:

1. Practice, practice practice. Take a photo, look at it, try the exact same shot but at different settings. Observe what differences you see if you modify any of those settings.
2. Never shoot in program mode [see the guide for why not!]
3. Don't get bogged down by equipment and megapixels. You don't really need 30 megapixels unless you want to put your photo on a billboard. If you still want them, awesome, but don't let anyone sway your purchase based on this alone. 
4. Back up your files and print those images! 
5. Have fun! It's one of the best hobbies to pick up and learn at your own pace.