NEED ADVICE

[STINKY PICTURES]

I need knowledge, I need to learn. Can anyone recommend a super book on DIGITAL CAMERA PHOTOGRAPHY or INTERNET LINK? I need a book/link for dummies.

I took photography course with my old SLR about 15 years ago. Forgot most of it by now, going on 60 and don`t remember much about the classes. I did a lot of shooting then. But then I went digital about 6+ years ago. I do know, I DON`T like the automatic setting on my camera for indoor shots, and I need more control over the picture.

I take only indoor pictures (I sell on ebay, its my living) I make dolls and I need to capture accurate skin-tones. My major problem is setting the camera settings and getting the light right. I need to know the how and whys of the settings. My manual tells me how to set something, but not knowing why I set it just doesn`t help. I guess I`m looking for a BIBLE, that would more or less say, for this instance try setting your camera settings to this or that. I realize noting can be grained in stone. But if I knew why I set something to a certain number then I could understand more fully that setting in relationship to the OTHER settings. Or something with a TROUBLE SHOOTING section would be what I`m after. Like if your pictures are THIS... then try changing this setting. Do you know what I mean?

I experiment constantly. I set up for my shot, with a tripod. Take the pic, look at it, adjust the setting, take another picture. I usually end up with about 150 pictures and I`m constantly blindly changing the camera settings. This takes me about an hour and a half until I finally get what I`m after. My major problems are my settings for light, and my white balance. My white balance usually turn out TOO ORANGE or TOO GREEN. (my manual says to set the white balance with white paper, that turns my subject way too orange. i use the gray card, its too blue) I experiment constantly. Then of course they are too dark or too light or too fuzzy. I keep my ISO on 100. I`m trying to learn but I need to get more knowledge. So should I just keep going to Google and searching, or buy a book?

See, also since I don`t know a lot, like you guys, I also don`t know what to look for on google. Except DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY help. I know I don`t know enough, but I don`t know, what I don`t know. So I don`t know what to look up. I guess in other words you can call me clueless.


My camera is a Fuji Finepix S 6000fd (face detection)
by accident I have gotten the settings right and the pictures are beautiful. but i struggle getting my settings right, faster.
I shoot from 7 AM to 10 AM, in front of a large garden window on the shady side of my house. I love the natural light look of the pictures.. When the sun gets stronger, like after 10 my camera settings no longer pertain.. and the pictures go orange with the current settings. for the life of me I can`t get the pictures to stop being too orange so i have to stop shooting. Many times i`m under a deadline and I need to get that doll listed on ebay right away, not a day later.

I have the option of setting up in an attic, with my photography lamps. I`m wondering if that would help to solve my problems.

Well if your read all of this thanks for sticking with me. I`m very serious and really need help. This line of photography for my work is my only source of income and the better the pictures look the better my things sell on ebay. My husband is disabled so its up to me to be the bread winner. Thanks so much for your time.

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Got this link with a Google on - "product photography" how to - Tabletop Studio