Desperate Help ;$...

[Cupcake]

I had a digitcal camera and was really good at it. But now I'd like to start something a little more advanced. Only problem is, I have no Idea what to do! .. I'm getting this cam soon, but I have no idea how to deal with things like focus and exposure and shutters bla bla bla.. I dont even know what most of em mean .. Can someone kindly explain the essencial jargon when it comes to photography? And what steps I should take after this? Thanks

 

[tirediron]

Your question really is: "Can you please explain photography to me". Sorry, given the number of books written on the subject, it's unlikely that could be done in a few posts on a forum.

1. Go to your library, borrow books which explain the basics of photography (the basics don't change whether it's film or digital) and learn what shutter-speed, apeture, and ISO/ASA mean, and how they relate to each other. Understand the impact of each on your images. A book or two on composition and/or lighting would be a good idea as well. There's lots of information on-line as well.

2. When your camera arrives, open it, remove the manual, put EVERYTHING else back in the box. Don't touch it. Read the manual. When you've read the whole manual, read it again. THEN take the camera out and start playing with it.

If you have a specific question, eg "What is the recommended shutter speed for taking pictures of ..." or "How do I achieve a softly focused background for my images?" those can be answered here, but broad 'meaning of life' type questions are really beyond the scope of this sort of venue.

Good luck!

 

[bigalbest]

lol

 

[Overread]

stage 1:
read the manual

stage 2:
read the manual again!

stage 3:
shoot in the auto modes for while = and look at the f number, shutter speed and ISO settings your camera uses for different situations and differnet modes (for example it will be picking fast shutter speeds and small f numbers for its sports mode).

stage 4:
get one of those digital camera guide books - there are a lot on the market at the moment and most shops have a few in stock - so you can easily get one or two to guide you through the basics of operation and exposure.

stage 5:
move to "aperture priority mode" and start learning how to set your depth of field by varying your aperture (this tends to make sense to most people more than varying shutter speed - further aperture priority mode is one of the most used modes on the camera by many people)

stage 6:
remember:
A low f number means a Wide or larger aperture
A high f number means a fine or smaller aperture

Have fun!

 

[janetm1000]

what overread said, but a slight variation:

-read the manual

-google photography for beginners (or something similar) and read up on things

-then read the manual again (all of a sudden things will make more sense!!)


when i first read the manual it helped me, but so many things i didnt understand and they werent explained...

 

[Alex_B]

the problem is, it is not just jargon as you call it. there is a technical meaning behind most terms in photography which do not have a simple standard vocabulary equivalent, but need to be explained. And not all concepts are easy to get if you are confronted with them for the first time.

so there is no short explanation of the jargon I would say.

 

[Dao]

To start, you may want to take a look at this

http://images.photoworkshop.com/rebelxtlessons/interface.html

If this still over your head. Then pick some beginner books may help.

 

[tron]

To start, you may want to take a look at this

http://images.photoworkshop.com/rebelxtlessons/interface.html

If this still over your head. Then pick some beginner books may help.

then put off buying the camera