Advice for a beginner....

EleanorW · Aug 10, 2009

I am fairly new to photography, and specifially digital. I've taken 1 small course to get a basic crash course on the essentials and will be joining a local camera club in a few weeks. What else would be of use for me to do to expand my knowledge? I'm just learning to play with my settings... been taking 2 or 3 shots each time, with different settings to see how they turn out.

PhotoXopher · Aug 10, 2009

Best way?

Get out there and shoot... I don't care if it's the plants in your house, your cat, your bike, your carpet, dominos, what have you.

The BEST way is to get experience... Shoot in aperture priority for a day, shoot in shutter priority the next day, change settings, make notes of what you changed if you have to (otherwise it's in the EXIF).

Once you learn and can visualize how shutter speed, aperture and ISO work together then you'll be well on your way. (A book called Understanding Exposure is a great beginner's resource.)

Composition, a good start is learning about the rule of thirds - it's not for every shot - but most shots can be improved with it.

Most importantly, enjoy and have fun - if you get stuck switch to Auto and see what that says you should do.

syphlix · Aug 10, 2009

i'm a 3 week old photog myself

i'm finding that reading all the stuff on the internet has helped me immensely... i'll read an article on composition, and it links to an article on something else, and on and on

i like looking at these forums, and the ones at digital photography school

it's fun to look at a bunch of pictures that other people take, and see how people critique them

also i been looking at a lot of photos on flickr and such... in the interesting groups...

Plato · Aug 10, 2009

N0YZE said:
Best way?

Get out there and shoot... I don't care if it's the plants in your house, your cat, your bike, your carpet, dominos, what have you.

The BEST way is to get experience... Shoot in aperture priority for a day, shoot in shutter priority the next day, change settings, make notes of what you changed if you have to (otherwise it's in the EXIF).

Once you learn and can visualize how shutter speed, aperture and ISO work together then you'll be well on your way. (A book called Understanding Exposure is a great beginner's resource.)

Composition, a good start is learning about the rule of thirds - it's not for every shot - but most shots can be improved with it.

Most importantly, enjoy and have fun - if you get stuck switch to Auto and see what that says you should do.

In addition to Noyze's comments, force yourself to get over the natural reluctance toward getting close to your subject. I am by no means a pro but here are my shots.

bigtwinky · Aug 10, 2009

Pick one or two things and go practice them. There is ALOT of information available out there and it can often clutter your brain (it does for me). Trying to concentrate and practice everything is hard at first. As you gain knowledge on the basics, then move on to different things.

I second the "Understanding Exposure" book recommendation. I bought and it was a good read.

Practice, practice and more practice.

choudhrysaab · Aug 10, 2009

as N0YZE put it ... practice makes perfect.

there are some helpful websites where you can read more information on things like shutter speed, lighting, etc.
Digital Photography Tips and Tutorials

Big Mike · Aug 10, 2009

Welcome.

There are many ways to go about learning more about photography...but which ways to you learn best? From books, from videos, from reading tutorials, from talking to people on a forum or just plain old 'hands on' learning?

As mentioned, practice is the key. Take note of the settings you are using. Both as you shoot and as you review the shots on your computer later. The goal is to recognize the effects of different settings and then being able to get the affect you want by controlling the camera settings.

Don't discount older books on photography. Sure, there is lots to learn about 'digital photography' but the basics of exposure are the same as they always have been, so a 30 year old book might have some relevant info.
That is the technical side of photography but there is also the artistic side. You can study things like color & composition, not just in photography but in art 'in general'.
Look at lots of photos, paintings etc. Find what you like and try to figure out why you like it, then try to apply that to your photography.

Unreal Tuner · Aug 10, 2009

I'm not an expert at all, but as everyone else is saying, Practice!!!!
It may seem tough at first but when you are out and about and actually know which settings you want to use for what reasons, its very satisfying!

Good luck!