On a recent trip to the Piedmont region of Italy, the hilly area that borders France and Switzerland, photographic opportunity and a lovely view intersected for me and…ecco! (That’s voilà! in Italian.)

Your ability to capture in a photo the picture you see with your eyes (which are vastly more sensitive to light and have more color receptors than any camera) will greatly improve if you have a bit of basic photography knowledge. What I saw that Piedmonte morning was the iconic Italian vista of a tidy vineyard with distant, mist-shrouded rolling hills. What increased the likelihood of my photographic success was partly my camera and equipment and partly my experience. I used a tripod because the photogenic low light of early morning or early evening necessitates longer exposure times. Even the slightest movement of a hand-held camera will cause a blurred image. If you use a tripod — or stabilize your camera some other way — sharpness increases. Setting your aperture to a higher number (f8 and above) will record what is more like what your eyes see looking into the distance, known as depth of field. If you shoot at a lower f-stop, the image will be sharp at the point of focus but will be less in focus in front of and behind that point. Understanding the way your camera works and practicing outside of its default “auto” mode will get you closer to realizing your personal photographic vision.