With all the photos I have taken in my life, I have never learned how to use the settings in my camera. There are many things that I know help take a better photo. The digital photography course I am taking this spring is going to be extremely helpful for me. The first class we were taught about using white balance and ISO. Below are some sample photos I took of beginning to understand how to use the different settings and features of my phone.

This photo was taken in my living room with tungsten lighting.
The white balance was taken off of auto, and set to CHECK SETTING.
This photo is much warmer than the actual living room setting. It makes the shot seem very inviting.

This photo was taken in my living room with tungsten lighting.
The white balance was taken off of auto, and set to CHECK SETTING.
This photo is much cooler than the actual living room setting. It makes the shot feel almost snobby.

This photo was taken in my living room with the overhead light on with the ISO set toof 50.
With the ISO set so low, the amount of light that was allowed in was very little, making the shot very dark.

This photo was taken in my living room with the overhead light on with the ISO set to 400.
With the ISO set so high, the photo comes out a tad bright, but a much nicer photograph than with the ISO set low.

White balance can change the whole feel of the shot, it can make it warmer or cooler, it can add life and take it away. Changing up the white balance can be helpful in taking the shot exactly how it is wanted to be taken. The ISO allows pictures to be taken in darker lighting without the use of a flash. A flash can make or break a photo and sometimes it is just to harsh.

I have a feeling I am going to enjoy this class a lot. Especially since we will be doing journal entry assignments that the instructor wants us to post online in a blog format. Not only will this be great for displaying assignments, but also in keeping me using my blog!