any tips?

anthrax16 · Jul 4, 2006

hi guys! i just got my new canon 30d today. i got the lens with the package and its 18-55mm. i dont have the flash yet, so for the meantime im using the built-in. i just want to ask if you can give me any good tips or advice to start up with this kind of stuff, its my first time to have dslr camera. by the way, for your info im not a pro photographer

i am only a normal person who loves photography very much :thumbup:

964 · Jul 4, 2006

Hi

I think the best thing you can do is to get out there and start shooting! You will soon find out where you come up against problems (we all do) and then you only have to ask...

Good luck and have fun!

anthrax16 · Jul 4, 2006

well im more into urban, experimental and portraits. i also attend fashion shows. im more interested in those areas. i just want to ask how can i "squeeze" most out of my current stuff :wink:

Digital Matt · Jul 4, 2006

anthrax16 said:
i just want to ask how can i "squeeze" most out of my current stuff

Shoot in RAW mode, and process the photos with good software like C1 LE ($99-highly recommended), Photoshop CS2($600+), or Raw Shooter Essentials(free).

Use a tripod, and bracket your exposures.

bigfatbadger · Jul 4, 2006

Systematically play with all the settings.

Read a lot of books.

Read a lot of this forum

Above all, have fun!

iluvphotography · Jul 4, 2006

Your best bet is this Forum... I am also new to all these, but I have learned more about photography here than all the books that I have read and the photography classes that I have taken. Just go out there and experiment and asks questions here.....

Good luck

Philip Weir · Jul 4, 2006

[QUOTEi am only a normal person who loves photography very much :thumbup:[/QUOTE]

Couldn't resist an answer to you quote. Some of us pros are also "normal" people, though my wife may not agree with me. :lol:

Digital Matt · Jul 4, 2006

Philip Weir said:
Couldn't resist an answer to you quote. Some of us pros are also "normal" people, though my wife may not agree with me.

Hahah

anthrax16 · Jul 4, 2006

Philip Weir said:
Couldn't resist an answer to you quote. Some of us pros are also "normal" people, though my wife may not agree with me.

hahaha!

well i've been reading some books right now and try to experiment. i just feel more confident hearing advices from the pros

pacereve · Jul 4, 2006

Nothing beats practice. Basicly just 'get out there' and have fun. Play with settings and get to know your camera.

LaFoto · Jul 5, 2006

My suggestion would also be: learn things by doing them. It is all digital, what goes wrong can be deleted and does not cost you a cent extra. That is the nice thing about digital: it allows for many mistakes and they don't matter and you can still learn a lot.

As someone who does not deal well with both (camera) manual (actually all kind of manuals) and books on the theory of things, and as someone who only likes to take photos, I must say that I learned MOST ever since I've been member of TPF here, just by the conversational tone of learning you get here, and the many different, short, friendly pieces of information you can find, and by trying (and erring).

I am still quite much on the erring side, I feel, but there is so much fun in all that trying!

Oh and welcome to ThePhotoForum!!!

markc · Jul 5, 2006

Yes, practice, practice, practice. If you want some exercise ideas, try this:

Set your camera to a wide open aperture and shoot a bunch of stuff at a narrow DOF. Don't worry about composition; just get used to seeing with that in mind. Then set it to f22 and shoot a bunch that way. Go back and duplicate some of the same shots you did at a wide aperture and compare them. Do the same with very fast and very slow shutter speeds of something moving, like water out of a faucet.

Do the same with wide angle vs. telephoto. If you use a zoom lens, only shoot at certain focal lengths. You should get your eye used to seeing at specific numbers. For the 18mm-55mm, I suggest 18mm & 22mm for landscapes, 35mm for general use and enviromental portraits, and 55mm for head & shoulder portraits. If the scene doesn't fit one of those focal lengths, walk until it does, don't zoom in and out to fit it. That's a bad habit many new photographers pick up.

Take shots putting the subject at one of the "thirds" intersections. Try to get as many elements in the image to line up with a thirds line. Shoot a bunch of stuff with the subject centered. Shoot some with the subject right at the edge. Find a mirrored surface and play with placement of the subject(s) using that.

Pick a subject outdoors and take the exact same shot of it every day for a month at the same time of day. Record what the weather was like in a notebook. Shoot the same subject over the course of a day, once every hour, from dark to dark. Do the same thing on another day when the weather is different. Do the same thing inside with no lights on and near a north facing window, then a south facing window, etc.

You may end up throwing them all away, but it gives your eye practice. And who knows, you might end up with a keeper in there.

Torus34 · Jul 5, 2006

Tip: 'Way to Go' in the third. Bet to show.

mysteryscribe · Jul 6, 2006

when you buy a camera of any kind you give up any right to call yourself a normal anything.... it't in the fine print on the warrentee card you sent in...

anthrax16 · Jul 10, 2006

Thanks for your inputs. I've been taking shots these past week. Once I finished my online gallery I'll show it you. I was with my friend, a pro photographer, and he give me tips and techniques in shooting. We were walking down the street and taking shots, I'm not used to this kind of shooting because I'm kind of shy when shooting people in street or in the malls. It's like everyone starts looking at you and start making different pose . . .