Help I'm new!

Lisa82 · Dec 26, 2015

Hi everyone, I was looking for advise please. I have bought a cannon 600d eos, it has a lens 18-55mm.
I am brand new to using this camera, my friend has inspired me to take up photography (I've always had an interest in it). So I bought this camera and didn't realise there's quite so much to it....
Where did you all start???
I was wanting to do all the fancy stuff but my friend says I need to learn the basics first. She did try to tell me the other day but my kid was hyper for Xmas and baby was moaning as she was tired so I couldn't concentrate!!
How do people know exactly what setting to use indoors and out??
I have ordered photograpy for dummies book to try and help understand it all.
What books are a must to read???
Thank you very much

TCampbell · Dec 26, 2015

Pick up a copy of either Bryan Peterson's book "Understanding Exposure" or Scott Kelby's "Digital Photography" series. Both of which are intended for people who are new to owning a DSLR camera and need to learn the basics.

There are many recommendations that others can offer.

Also, the following video may be helpful:

john.margetts · Dec 26, 2015

Lisa82 said:
What books are a must to read???
Thank you very much

None! You can only learn by taking photographs. Digital photography is essentially free, so take very many photographs.

Sent from my A1-840 using Tapatalk

Lisa82 · Dec 26, 2015

Thank you

Lisa82 · Dec 26, 2015

TCampbell said:
Pick up a copy of either Bryan Peterson's book "Understanding Exposure" or Scott Kelby's "Digital Photography" series. Both of which are intended for people who are new to owning a DSLR camera and need to learn the basics.

There are many recommendations that others can offer.

Also, the following video may be helpful:

cherylynne1 · Dec 26, 2015

I think the most commonly recommended book is "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. I was able to check it out from my library, but it's worth buying. He used film cameras when he wrote it, but the basics of exposure are still the same.

I also read a few of Me Ra Koh's books when I was starting out. It sounds like you have kids and are probably wanting to take photos of them, and she does a great job explaining how to capture photos that tell a story rather than snapshots that just say "cheese!"

I haven't read the Photography for Dummies book, but most of their books are pretty well written, so I'm sure it will be helpful. It might be worth looking into whether someone has written a book specifically for your camera.

And of course, read the manual and practice, practice, practice.

Lisa82 · Dec 26, 2015

Thank you. Yes defo want good pictures of the kids. I also like outdoor pictures. I can't wait for it to "click" lol

Gary A. · Dec 26, 2015

You will make mistakes. Some will be obivous ... As in black images, out of focus images, et cetera ... But other mistakes will only be obvious as you climb the photographic learning curve.

Remember, the mistakes you make with digital, while not expensive money-wise, they can be priceless as many events cannot be recreated.

My suggestion for you is:

1) Shoot;
2) Shoot again; and
3) When you think you're done shooting for the day ... Shoot some more.

For most people, the difference between between being a photographer and being a person with a camera, is time behind the viewfinder. Amongst other things, photography is a craft. The experienced gained from practicing your craft will make you better.

Good Luck and Good Shooting

soufiej · Dec 26, 2015

Lisa82 said:
Hi everyone, I was looking for advise please. I have bought a cannon 600d eos, it has a lens 18-55mm.
I am brand new to using this camera, my friend has inspired me to take up photography (I've always had an interest in it). So I bought this camera and didn't realise there's quite so much to it....
Where did you all start???
I was wanting to do all the fancy stuff but my friend says I need to learn the basics first. She did try to tell me the other day but my kid was hyper for Xmas and baby was moaning as she was tired so I couldn't concentrate!!
How do people know exactly what setting to use indoors and out??
I have ordered photograpy for dummies book to try and help understand it all.
What books are a must to read???
Thank you very much

Read this section of the forum. Similar questions have been answered numerous times.

Then, using the software included with your camera, connect it to your computer and check for software updates. You want the most up to date camera possible. After that, ...

IMO you begin your photographic education by reading your camera's owner's manual. The 600D was marketed as an "entry level" product so it's not all that complicated and the jargon being used in the manual is fairly basic. If you don't understand a term, look here; Camera Terms and Acronyms for Dummies | Photography Forum

Set aside an evening or afternoon where you can just sit and read while having your camera in your hands. Operate the controls as you go through each section of the manual - if you've not interested in, say, video at this time, then skip that section. Pay attention to how the camera changes as you operate the controls. The more you read, the more you will understand your camera.

Take sample photos as you go along to more fully understand how the camera operates. With a digital camera you can delete all your shots later so don't worry about how many you take. The more you take and the more you compare, the more you'll know about your camera.

Photography falls somewhere between driving a car and baking bread from scratch. You don't need to understand how an internal combustion or a hybrid engine operates to drive. And you don't truly need to comprehend the chemical reactions of yeast, flour and salt to bake. You at first only need to be able to follow basic instructions. However, both activities benefit from having more than a basic grasp of how and why you do something rather than just setting the speedometer to 65 or the oven to 350.

Taking good photographs is, IMO, a function of knowing how to control your camera rather than having the camera control you. You can take fairly good photos by allowing the camera to use its fully automatic modes but you'll be able to take much better photos if you don't have to rely on the camera for everything.

You will need to get a bit of a grasp on exposure. While there are books written which go into great detail regarding exposure, there are also tutorials in this forum (look at the top of this section of the forum). You can also go on line with a search engine title such as "Canon 600D tips and tutorials".

Your camera has a very good light metering system included so your manual really begins on about pg 73 with the "semi-auto" modes where you actually begin to control the camera.

Most photographers tend to either "get" the technical issues of a camera or the creative issues of taking an interesting image. If you're not highly technical at this time, don't worry over the settings. Use your camera on "A" (auto) mode until you begin to get a feel for exposure and such. Work on your eye and your composition skills.

If you get the settings but don't understand how to take an interesting photo, start slow and discuss your results with your friend. If you admire her results, ask how she gets them.

More than anything right now, have fun. Don't stress over this and don't become frustrated. Your camera can do a lot of the heavy lifting for you. You just need to understand how to tell it what you want. Read the manual. Take lots of photos. Read the manual again to understand why your photos turned out the way they did and how you might change them the next time.

You will also need some software to process the photos on your computer. That's another thread.