hey : ) need help

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hey only since last year ive been getting into photography with dslr cameras. ive always likd taking photos but i wanted to try something better. i got a canon 6d which i am loving and love the quality of the photos even though unfortunately i can only really take photos with the auto mode. i have been looking at things on the net to read about using the manual mdoes and have been trying them out (like aV mode) but honestly i have no idea. tutorials on the net explain very little except what the general terms mean (like aperture, iso, dof) but rarely anything except vague information about when to use what, how to use them in the right conditions, etc. are there any really good tutorials i can take or books i can read to give a better idea of how to learn how to use the manual/non fully auto settings? like if its a sunny day what do i use, etc.

my second question is i have noticed with my full frame dslr that if there is a great range of lighting conditions in the photo i am trying to take (such as dark shadows and a bright blue sky at the same time) that my skies will be overblown/overexposed if i focus on the darker/shadowy parts and if i focus on the sky the darker parts will just go completely black. i have a vague idea of wyh this happens. i use the auto mode (i want to use the manual modes though -go light on me :p) but i would like to know how i can stop this from happening so i can photograph the whole scene and capture the full range of light without the underexposed darkness or overexposed sky. i use a canon EOS 6D by the way. i would love to have some help but google searching has not found me much so far unfortunately. thank you.

i have many more things i would like to ask and hope i get a reply.
 
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hey only since last year ive been getting into photography with dslr cameras. ive always likd taking photos but i wanted to try something better. i got a canon 6d which i am loving and love the quality of the photos even though unfortunately i can only really take photos with the auto mode. i have been looking at things on the net to read about using the manual mdoes and have been trying them out (like aV mode) but honestly i have no idea. tutorials on the net explain very little except what the general terms mean (like aperture, iso, dof) but rarely anything except vague information about when to use what, how to use them in the right conditions, etc. are there any really good tutorials i can take or books i can read to give a better idea of how to learn how to use the manual/non fully auto settings? like if its a sunny day what do i use, etc.
As for tutorials, "Lynda.com - Foundations of Photography: Exposure" can answer your questions about when to use what. Really great videos. Can't really answer your second question as I'm not competent enough yet :lol:
 
hey only since last year ive been getting into photography with dslr cameras. ive always likd taking photos but i wanted to try something better. i got a canon 6d which i am loving and love the quality of the photos even though unfortunately i can only really take photos with the auto mode. i have been looking at things on the net to read about using the manual mdoes and have been trying them out (like aV mode) but honestly i have no idea. tutorials on the net explain very little except what the general terms mean (like aperture, iso, dof) but rarely anything except vague information about when to use what, how to use them in the right conditions, etc. are there any really good tutorials i can take or books i can read to give a better idea of how to learn how to use the manual/non fully auto settings? like if its a sunny day what do i use, etc.

my second question is i have noticed with my full frame dslr that if there is a great range of lighting conditions in the photo i am trying to take (such as dark shadows and a bright blue sky at the same time) that my skies will be overblown/overexposed if i focus on the darker/shadowy parts and if i focus on the sky the darker parts will just go completely black. i have a vague idea of wyh this happens. i use the auto mode (i want to use the manual modes though -go light on me :p) but i would like to know how i can stop this from happening so i can photograph the whole scene and capture the full range of light without the underexposed darkness or overexposed sky. i use a canon EOS 6D by the way. i would love to have some help but google searching has not found me much so far unfortunately. thank you.

i have many more things i would like to ask and hope i get a reply.

#1... Youtube, lynda.com, Adorama and GOOGLE!

#2... Google "Dynamic Range" and "HDR" (I could write pages and pages explaining this... but why recreate the wheel, it is already out there!)

One thing to keep in mind.. is that the average full frame sensor has a dynamic range of about 10 to 12 stops. The human eye can see around 20 to 22 stops of dynamic range. To be able to capture the entire dynamic range that you can see... you have to bracket exposures, that will cover the entire range. And then merge those exposures in a meaningful way with software (hopefully realistically, with minimal tonemapping! aka HDR / LDR)
 
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I really thought Bryan Peterson's book "Understanding Exposure" helped me. You can get a used copy pretty inexpensively on Amazon.
 
Go to your library and check out all of Scott Kelby's digital photography books. That is all.
 
Throwing search terms into Google isn't a good way to learn photography. You might find some good sources, but there'll be a lot of bad ones. Search instead for professional resources such as KelbyTraining. Mac on Campus has good free videos, as does CreativeLIVE. Bryan Peterson is OK. I like Joe Brady, Joe McNally, Dave Black. If you like a pro, see if he has training materials that you can buy. But don't spend too much. Take what works for you and practice it.

Your second question has to do with HDR and the problems that dynamic range poses to photographers. Kelby has some videos on exposure and HDR. Joe Brady covers HDR and landscape photography. Research it, but stick with professional resources. You should really understand exposure before you get into HDR because HDR is a technique specific to dynamic range problems. Understanding exposure helps you see why and when you need HDR and how to apply it. Most people don't understand exposure, HDR or how to apply it.
 
thank you for helping me : )

what does everybody think of my photos.. Flickr: aussiejinjo's Photostream

these were all taken using the auto mode. i know i have an issue sometimes with getting my pics perfectly level. i find this very hard to do even when i try to correct using software later. i have trouble ascertaining straightness/levelness.
 
You have a good camera and your photo are good enough, what I see is that you tilt your camera either up or down, it takes experience to feel if we hold the camera properly! It also takes experience to see what we put in our frame, sometimes we do not see the background. just keep shooting!

I think that you need to go step by step you will not be able to learn everything at once. Give yourself some time.
I would say that your number one priority is to read your camera book, take your camera and try the different settings, look at your results.
If you are reading on autofocus for example, go online, and watch tutorials on autofocus, having read the info and seeing images usually helps remembering and understanding faster.
you have been refered many sites already, but in general on you tube I find info on most of the basic topics.

But that said, the most important reason you bought your camera is to enjoy taking pictures, and auto mode sometimes does the job!
 
thanks.

still its so hard to take straight photos. no matter how i look at it in the viewfinder it looks 'straight' to me from where im looking at it, then i click the photo and it comes out wrong. i dont know how im meant to hold the camera to get it straight or be able to ascertain the straightness. i find it difficult to tell exactly even in post processing.
 
I was in your same shoes just a few months ago, In all honesty google, read books, search forums and watch youtube vids they have tons and tons and did i say tons?, of information. There is no "best book" but I've slowly built up a little stack on the subjects that either interest me or I really need help in. And last but not least shoot shoot shoot & shoot some more. I was stacking up on so much info for a few months that when I went out to the field I felt so overwhelmed that I had forgotten half of the stuff I had read or "learned". Of course this is my opinion based on my experience relating to yours, hope this helps.
 
thanks.

still its so hard to take straight photos. no matter how i look at it in the viewfinder it looks 'straight' to me from where im looking at it, then i click the photo and it comes out wrong. i dont know how im meant to hold the camera to get it straight or be able to ascertain the straightness. i find it difficult to tell exactly even in post processing.

Which program are you using for post? PS has guides that you can "pull down" from the ruler - that's what I use to even horizons.
 
Go to your library and check out all of Scott Kelby's digital photography books. That is all.

The book helped me, too. I got it at the library and found some other good books, too! Photography for Dummies was also a helpful book.
 
Try metering on the sky and set the same meter when you focus on your subject. I do that when I want the blue sky to show.
 
Try metering on the sky and set the same meter when you focus on your subject. I do that when I want the blue sky to show.

Really? That only works if you use fill (usually flash)... otherwise you get a subject silhouette! Still have to deal with dynamic range.. either by bringing various expsosures into the same range... or by using multiple exposures and merging...
 
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