Greetings to all

[korni]

Hello to everyone and happy new year!

I'm almost as new to photography as I am to to this forum. Recently bought an entry-level DSLR camera and I am looking to learn how to capture "what I see" in a photograph.

My camera is a Nikon D3400 with kit lens, plus an additional Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G lens to get that bigger aperture.

At the moment I don't have a set interest in a specific type of photography. I like to shoot landscapes and some family photos for my own archive, but also try to convey a message through other stills (hence the quotes in "what I see").

I'm an engineer by trade, so understanding some basics like numbers, exposure histogram etc and their supposed effect seemed straight forward to me, but mastering those and capturing the output I want will be a completely different story.

What I'm looking for from this forum is to learn three things:
a) General concepts of photography and how to improve
b) How to use my gear best
c) How to post-process my raws to rescue that one dark photo or to make "the message" more clear

I generally believe that we are the biggest variable in this equation, so prefer to grind myself learning before spending on gear.

Finally, I'd love to get comments on any photos I might post in the gallery in the future. I'm the kind of person that much prefers take criticism over a "stale motivational message".

 

[jaomul]

Welcome to the forum

 

[Dean_Gretsch]

Happy New Year to you. Welcome to the forum.

 

[BigJason]

Hi Korni!

If you are looking for tips then here are a couple people I recommend to learn from. Generally speaking, I look for non-cocky, true photography experts...not gearheads or those who want to make fun of others to show how awesome they are in comparison.

Mike Browne and Bryan Petersen can both be found on YouTube. Bryan's vids will probably be under the Adorama banner and in glorious 480p because they're older...come to think of it, so are most of Mike's...but they are great, patient teachers who explain very well. I've been following both for about a year.

Expect to come back to videos later on. You see a concept, you go out and get some experience with it. Then you come back, watch the video again a few months later with that experience, and you'll get even more out of the education.

Bryan also has a book called "Understanding Exposure" which is the best on the ISO/shutter speed/aperture 'exposure triangle' I've seen. If you want to save a few bucks get an earlier edition...the basics don't change but the photos in each edition do ;-)

"And until then...You Keep Shooting!"

 

[Designer]

Welcome!

 

[korni]

...

Thank you BigJason for the tips, I will have a look on YouTube for those guys. It's good to have some starting point as there is a ton of information out there.

 

[snowbear]

Welcome aboard.

Don't forget to post them here, once you are underway, and get some critique.

There are a number of online beginner's classes, many being free. The one I like is at morgueFile (it's a publishing term.) You'll need a Facebook account, but check it out to see if you think it might help. Disclosure: I am an unpaid moderator at the site.

 

[korni]

Thanks snowbear! This is also a good lead.

 

[zombiesniper]

Welcome to TPF.

There are and abundance of excellent photographers here that are more than willing to aid you in shooting better.

When posting up a thread for help. Try and aid the members by keeping the photo count to one or two photo's and give an idea of what you are struggling with or what your goal was for the image. This will help guide the critiques in the most productive direction and help eliminate the personal taste type of answers.

To add to your online learning linked below is a good free photography course.

Introduction to Digital Photography