Beginners Course online, need help!!

[Nosferatus_lair]

hey everyone im new to the forum here, i just bought my first SLR camera last week, a Cannon EOS 500D, or Cannon EOS Rebel T1i as its known in america. it came with a EF-S 18-55mm IS lens kit.
i have owned a few compact digital camera's in the past but this is my first step into DSLR's. im having fun with it right now and experimenting and have learn a few things via a book i bought 'DSLR photography for dummies' but most of it has to do with editing and photoshop stuff.
im considering doing a photography course online as there really isn't anywhere around locally that does courses. i work Monday to Friday 9-6 so i think online is the way to go to learn the basics, but i need a little guidance,
if you take a look at the link i posted below and see what you think, maybe give me advice!!! or if you recommend any other websites that aren't too expensive!! thanks

ProudPhotography | Best Online Photography Courses | Photography School

 

[doziergraphic]

Actually, while it looks interesting, the price for that course is so low I'd have to wonder about the quality.

There are TONS of FREE tutorials, both video and text, for beginners on the net that you should exhaust those first.

http://www.photoradar.com

this should help you get started - a really slick site with video instruction and NO COST!

 

[Nosferatus_lair]

thanks for the link, i appreciate it

 

[COBOB]

I think you should look for a book on the 500D by David Busch. His books have a lot of detail on the camera, as well as photographic theory. If you take a course you get to do it once. Mr Busch's book will be there for you as many times as you need to refer to it. He writes great books. The Best I have seen in the camera business.
I don't know if you can get it in Ireland or if you have to order it. They have them at Barnes and Noble here in Colorado, and it is readily available at Amazon.com.
I do have the 500D and I have referred back to that book many times, as I find the supplied Canon manual lacking.

 

[Vinny]

Read the manual while you have the camera in your hand to learn how to use the camera; read about something and experiment about what you've read.

Get a general photography book to learn about light, color and the various things you need to know about photography, I've read Tom Ang's "Fundamentals of Photography"; people here have recommended a book called "Understanding Exposure".

Go out and take photos with the knowledge that you've gained by reading the manual and a few books and see how the photos came out. Since you have digital the photos are free and you have immediate feedback, back in the film days it was expensive to learn and you had to wait to get the film back.

Once you feel a little confident that you are starting to understand the relationship between aperture, ISO (film speed) and shutter speed try to figure out why a photo came out bad. Come to this forum with questions about the bad photos to gain some more knowledge. Read other people's questions to learn from their mistakes.

The cost of a few books will be $100 tops, as was mentioned you'll have the books to refer back to and the books were written by people who hopefully really understand photography.

 

[Nosferatus_lair]

thank you all for the help and tips, the website seems quite good and has alot of written stuff with pictures as examples. i appreciate the help. i am reading the book and manual and learning bits, but i guess a few more books wont hurt to have.
i do tend to stick my camera into AV (aperture) mode alot and just let the shutter speed automatically set itself, but i would like a better understanding of Shutter speed/ISO/Aperature and to be able to use manual mode,