Does it just take experience?..

[That One Guy]

Thanks a lot for the responses.

So what setting do you usually keep it on when you first started shooting? Manual or Program?

And you adjust shutter speed with the ISO option, correct?

Sorry, I'm new and haven't really found a good site that thoroughly explains it all.

when I first started I kept mine in automatic modes and concentrated on composition. I bought the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson and that helped alot. Once I understood what the book was saying, I switched to the creative modes of the camera.

Check out this thread I started. It has a few links that may help you

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=108610

 

[Emerana]

get the book understanding exposure and that will help alot

 

[That One Guy]

In a nutshell:

Aperture is the size of the "hole" that allows light into the medium (ie film, flash card)

Shutter speed is the amount of TIME that light is allowed into the medium.

If you are taking a portrait of someone, then use Aperture priority mode. You select the size of the "hole" and the camera will set the shutter speed for you.

If you are shooting a sporting event or something with action, then use shutter speed priority if you want to stop the action or imply motion.



ISO is basically the speed of the "film" you are using.

100- very good quality. needs lots of light.
200- still good quality. doesn't need as much light,but still needs quite a bit
400- good general ISO.
800- good for low light. starts to show grain.
1600- excellent for low light. lots of grain.

 

[Happy Hour]

Thanks a lot for the responses.

So what setting do you usually keep it on when you first started shooting? Manual or Program?

And you adjust shutter speed with the ISO option, correct?

Sorry, I'm new and haven't really found a good site that thoroughly explains it all.

First of all I recommend you buy Understanding exposure
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=107484
as for what settings to keep your camera on? My Digital slr is very good at picking white balance I do play with it but majority of the time it's close enough that It can be fixed in one second in Picasa. As for everything else? After reading Understanding exposure, You won't want to shoot in anything other than (M) Manual mode you will notice the more you shoot in it with the understanding of how to properly expose a picture. The better your pics will get on a daily basis!! And the more you shoot the more you will notice how fast and easy it can be to get a properly exposed picture!And the more you get to know your camera the better you will understand when to use aperture priority, or Shutter priority, Or manual mode ect.ect. As for trashing pics? Everyone and I mean everyone!!! Has a high throw out to keeper ratio!!! Even the guys who don''t admit it!! I have been shooting many years and this is my first year with digital But I have always had more pics to scrap than I keep! that doesn't mean I literally throw all my pics out. what it means is If I shoot 100 pics I might have 3-5 out of that 100 that I LOVE!!! Another 20-50 that are ok (meaning I wouldn't blow them up to a 8x10,but I still like the pic) And the rest are either unsaveable or I just don't like them at all. But those #'s are not set in stone! They change on a daily basis. and so will yours!! Best of luck to ya!!! Everything takes time to learn! And don't forget to read that book! It will be the best $$$ You ever spent!:mrgreen:

 

[That One Guy]

In a nutshell:

Aperture is the size of the "hole" that allows light into the medium (ie film, flash card)

Shutter speed is the amount of TIME that light is allowed into the medium.

If you are taking a portrait of someone, then use Aperture priority mode. You select the size of the "hole" and the camera will set the shutter speed for you.

If you are shooting a sporting event or something with action, then use shutter speed priority if you want to stop the action or imply motion.



ISO is basically the speed of the "film" you are using.

100- very good quality. needs lots of light.
200- still good quality. doesn't need as much light,but still needs quite a bit
400- good general ISO.
800- good for low light. starts to show grain.
1600- excellent for low light. lots of grain.

btw this is just the absolute basics

Can you post a few pics for us to look at?

 

[shorty6049]

That really kind of sad. Four years into it...do you really not have a grey card and a ballpark idea of what the DOF looks like at f5.6 a meter from your subject?

to finally answer this-

is everyone required to have a grey card? My photos come out fine without one. And yeah, i guess i could say i have an idea of what the dof looks like at f5.6 (why 5.6?) a meter from my subject... (but wouldnt that also depend on the lens? I know my 10-20 at 10mm at f/5.6 would have a greatly different DOF at 1m than my 70-210 at the same distance...

see? i'm not as stupid as you think

 

[trapspeed]

:meh:

This may sound silly, but have you read the manual yet?

I bought the camera used, I didn't get one but I'll check Canon's site for the manual.

 

[That One Guy]

I bought the camera used, I didn't get one but I'll check Canon's site for the manual.

What kind of canon?

check this out

 

[trapspeed]

I'm heading to Barnes and Noble now to buy Understanding Exposure because I sure as heck don't. Thanks for all the help.

EDIT : I have a Canon Rebel XT w/Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4.5 DC MACRO

 

[soylentgreen]

to finally answer this-

is everyone required to have a grey card? My photos come out fine without one. And yeah, i guess i could say i have an idea of what the dof looks like at f5.6 (why 5.6?) a meter from my subject... (but wouldnt that also depend on the lens? I know my 10-20 at 10mm at f/5.6 would have a greatly different DOF at 1m than my 70-210 at the same distance...

see? i'm not as stupid as you think

I have used my camera thus far without the use grey/white cards. With RAW, WB can be more easily adjusted in post. I shoot more wildlife than anytihng else, so with the change in natural light ocurring so frequently, re-adjusting my WB would be a pain. If I had time to set everything, I would. But try keeping a wild animal still for a moment for you to set-up. In a studio environment or set-shots, yeah, the adjusting would be much ,less tenuous. Now that I am moving towards PJ I see a need for it in portraiture, since the AWB on my 40D is a tad yellow in most instances. Though I prefer B&W for my PJ work, a corrected WB is the way to go.

 

[RKW3]

Yeah I never custom set my white balance, it seems to be fixed quite easily if you shoot in raw.

 

[Alpha]

to finally answer this-

is everyone required to have a grey card? My photos come out fine without one. And yeah, i guess i could say i have an idea of what the dof looks like at f5.6 (why 5.6?) a meter from my subject... (but wouldnt that also depend on the lens? I know my 10-20 at 10mm at f/5.6 would have a greatly different DOF at 1m than my 70-210 at the same distance...

see? i'm not as stupid as you think

I never said that you're stupid, and I don't think you are. I just mean that you're working with this medium that is giving you instant feedback on your shots, both good and bad. I'm not saying you should be nailing every exposure at this point, but after fours years of consistent shooting, you should be nailing it within a couple shots unless it's very tricky.

 

[shorty6049]

i always nail it within a couple shots I know what to do when i want more light or a shallow DOF, or if i want to hit the sweet spot to get a real sharp image and everything. Its like in music; Some of us are better at reading music , others are better at improvisation or playing by ear. I am the latter (in music and photography) I've talked to you about this before, and I know that you know your stuff because you have read a lot into it and everything. I do enjoy reading photography books, but i like just getting creative and figuring things out on my own sometimes too. But thats all I'll say. and to answer your question once more trapspeed- Yeah, it takes experience . LOTS

 

[JerryPH]

I'm sorry but something is wrong if you're moving this slowly...

No Max, I'm sorry to tell you that its not your place to decide how fast or slow anyone here learns. You do not know the person at the other side of the screen (if they are handicapped or not, slow or fast learners, busy or unemployed, etc...), so how can you make such a post?

I completely respect your technical abilities, knowledge and know-how... but kindly leave the attitude at home.

Humility will serve you better than arrogance.

 

[Alpha]

No Max, I'm sorry to tell you that its not your place to decide how fast or slow anyone here learns. You do not know the person at the other side of the screen (if they are handicapped or not, slow or fast learners, busy or unemployed, etc...), so how can you make such a post?

I completely respect your technical abilities, knowledge and know-how... but kindly leave the attitude at home.

Humility will serve you better than arrogance.

Well I think four years is objectively a pretty long time however you put it.

But in any event I was being rash and I misconstrued what he was saying.