Need help noob

[Jared185]

Hi everyone,
So I don't know really we're to start, but will start by saying I'm completely new to photography. I have never done it before but would love to learn. I love nature and wildlife I practically live in the woods hunting hiking or whatever else I find myself into. And while in the woods last week I was sitting and a squirrel come within 5 ft of me just studying me and I remember thinking these would make for some awesome photos. So anyway my focus is always going to be on wildlife.

But it seems the more I look into wildlife photography the more monumental this really seems. First off 3 or 4 years ago I bought my wife a Nikon d3000 kit that come with 2 lens a dx 18-55 and 55-200. The camera and a bag. I know it's entry level but I would like to learn on this seeing as a newer higher end camera can run into the thousands of dollars range.

So now that you all have a little background and my camera setup I have to ask where do I start from here. The camera itself and all the functions are completely foreign to me. Not counting all the technical stuff like lighting and computer editing software

So where would you all start it seems very intimidating from where I'm at.

 

[tirediron]

Step one: RTFM. Seriously, read it. Cover to cover, and then read it again. Nikon manuals are quite well written, and they explain a lot about photography in general as well as the operation of the camera. Aside from that,there are virtually limitless resources on-line. For general concepts I really like the tutorials at Cambridge in Colour. YouTube is a great resource, and Creative Live often has 'beginner' lessons on.

 

[snowbear]

Welcome to the site.

I think you have the right idea of learning the basics with the D3000, and upgrade it when it no longer fits your needs. As far as what you can do in the mean time, look at getting a decent tripod and a longer telephoto lens.

As Tirediron said, there are a number of free courses and videos on the web that can teach you the basics. For a book, "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson is a good start.

 

[alexis.alvarez]

As tirediron wrote, read the manual, from cover to cover, but don't try to put it all into practice at once. For general photography, you can also check out The Photographer's Handbook by John Hedgecoe -- it's an excellent guide. And as both tirediron and snowbear wrote, there are plenty of online resources out there to learn editing software. Or if you're like me, who learns more easily in class, take a class; check out your local colleges. You can sign up for a Cont Ed class or as an auditor. Or you can go online -- there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube.

 

[SquarePeg]

+1 for Peterson's "Understanding Exposure", a great introduction. The book also comes with some free tutorials.

 

[astroNikon]

Other than learning proper exposure,
I've found the Manual that comes with the camera to be daunting and a great resource, if you understood everything first.

I've found this writer Derrel Young and his "Mastering" books to be extremely helpful in understanding each and every feature on the camera.
Buy this used ==> https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Ni...0&keywords=darrel+young+mastering+nikon+d3000

I've yet to find any one place on the web to be anywhere near as helpful as that book.

When I had my d7000 I bought the d7000 version and it taught me every little nuance about the camera. The website http://www.everythingd7000.co.uk/ which was everything about the Nikon d7000 was very helpful but paled in comparison to that book.
After reading that book then everything in the manual made perfect sense.

 

[Designer]

But it seems the more I look into wildlife photography the more monumental this really seems.

Yes, no doubt about that. Wildlife will not hold still for you. You can't always find them. You can't do much about lighting. You might need a long lens.

If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.

Good luck!

 

[Jared185]

Thanks for all the input and advice guys I really appreciate it. My wife lost the manual when I got the camera but I did manage to download it also I will get the books mentioned above and begin reading. I want to get a 55-300mm lenses but honestly I want to hold off on that until I get a bit more experience not only that but they are expensive to buy and we just bought a house and both in college so you know how that goes lol. My question is will my camera setup as is with the lenses I have be adequate to start in wildlife/landscape photography I notice that anything I will photograph will need to be rather close with my setup now. Also what kind of websites/info would be good to read through until my books come in. I'm an avid bow hunter as well so getting close up with wildlife is fairly easy for me. That's why I'm looking into wildlife photography bc I want to replace the bow with the camera.

 

[SquarePeg]

Other than learning proper exposure,
I've found the Manual that comes with the camera to be daunting and a great resource, if you understood everything first.

I've found this writer Derrel Young and his "Mastering" books to be extremely helpful in understanding each and every feature on the camera.
Buy this used ==> https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Ni...0&keywords=darrel+young+mastering+nikon+d3000

I've yet to find any one place on the web to be anywhere near as helpful as that book.

When I had my d7000 I bought the d7000 version and it taught me every little nuance about the camera. The website Everything D7200/D7100/D7000 which was everything about the Nikon d7000 was very helpful but paled in comparison to that book.
After reading that book then everything in the manual made perfect sense.

Got this book for my 7100 on your recommendation and I agree very helpful and easy to understand.

 

[table1349]

An excellent resource to learn the basics. Cambridge in Colour - Photography Tutorials & Learning Community

 

[astroNikon]

Thanks for all the input and advice guys I really appreciate it. My wife lost the manual when I got the camera but I did manage to download it also I will get the books mentioned above and begin reading. I want to get a 55-300mm lenses but honestly I want to hold off on that until I get a bit more experience not only that but they are expensive to buy and we just bought a house and both in college so you know how that goes lol. My question is will my camera setup as is with the lenses I have be adequate to start in wildlife/landscape photography I notice that anything I will photograph will need to be rather close with my setup now. Also what kind of websites/info would be good to read through until my books come in. I'm an avid bow hunter as well so getting close up with wildlife is fairly easy for me. That's why I'm looking into wildlife photography bc I want to replace the bow with the camera.

Landscape photography is fairly easy to start as you can select the time of day, etc. And the view isn't going to run away from you. With landscape a wide angle is often used, such as 18mm which you currently have.

With wildlife it starts getting tricky. It also depends what type of wildlife and their habitat. If you can already get up close to them then you might not have many issues. The major issue then is how much light is available to capture a good image for the shutter speed needed (to stop motion) and the Aperture needed (for proper depth of field) and a good ISO (to not introduce noise). The d3000m being a couple generations old may have issues in lower light situations.

Many wildlife photogs use particular lenses such as a Tamron 150-600. This happens to be a fairly large and heavy lens. But it allows some pretty hefty zooming capability.

 

[dxqcanada]

Umm, you stated you bought your wife a Nikon D3000 ... so are you saying you have taken it from her, or are you looking to purchase your own camera ?

 

[Jared185]

Bought it for my wife however she rarely used it lol. So I took to use. Until I picked it up a couple weeks ago all it done was collect dust.

 

[zombiesniper]

Since most of the education questions seem to be taken care of. I'll answer this one.

My question is will my camera setup as is with the lenses I have be adequate to start in wildlife/landscape photography

Yes. Yes you can if you understand that you're not going to be getting many full frame shots of bald eagles. Set your sights reasonable at first as your learning.
You'd be surprised how many beautiful birds can be in a back yard, plus you have already come across at least one little guy that let you get close.
Set up a feeder near a branch that the birds can land on. Don't try and photograph them at the feeder. They will first land on the branch to make sure the feeder is safe. That's where you photo them from is the branch.
Another great location is a park where people feed ducks. If you kneel by the water the duck will be interested and come closer. Usually close enough for a very nice photo.
It will be hit and miss at first, but as you learn your camera and the habits of the birds your hit rate will improve.

 

[Nevermore1]

For the wildlife I would start out in places that they are used to people until you get some practice and eventually a longer lens. Keep in mind that while you may be able to get relatively close to most wildlife in the woods the sound of the camera shutter will most likely startle them if you are too close and they'll take off. If you're at a park where the animals are used to the extra noises it probably won't bother them as much and hopefully that will keep your frustration level to a minimum (I don't know how easily you get frustrated but I know I do easily, nothing worse than having a great shot then something scares it away, in my case it's usually my husband askinge what I'm doing).

Sent from my SM-N915T using Tapatalk