new to manual photography need some tips

khaosphotography · May 25, 2014

I have been a fan of photography my whole life since I was a very lil boy and I've only really had point and shoots till recently When i picked up a sony hx400v bridge camera it has the capabilities of full manual but ive really only messed with program auto and intelligent auto Ive done some tinkering around but im trying to watch what my camera does in the auto mode to kinda have a idea of the range to be in for iso i just learned how to adjust shutter speed yesterday and F stop the day before so i dont have full control of my camera yet but any help would be great id greatly appreciate it ill post a couple sample pics

khaosphotography · May 25, 2014

Here's a link to the specs of my camera and if u scroll to the bottom u will find other subsections its a big review of the camera

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V Review - Specifications | PhotographyBLOG

IzzieK · May 25, 2014

Those shots are not too shabby for a beginner...you've got your compositions right...the bokeh on #1 is excellent and the way you did #3 is really good. I suppose you use matrix metering in #3? I never use that. I either use spot or center depending on my need of the moment. #2 is a little bit confusing at first but it need to be looked at full frame to see the distinction and realize what it really is. I was thinking it will an eggplant one day? Lighten it a little bit in post processing...just my opinion...let us hear what others have to say...

480sparky · May 25, 2014

The first one is over-exposed and the highlights are burned out. The other two are under-exposed and dark. If your camera is capable of displaying a histogram, use that to better judge the exposure instead of looking at the image itself.

Raj_55555 · May 25, 2014

Here's the best advice any beginner can have, Google and Youtube are your friends, use it wisely and you'll never be short of resources. As you've just got your hands on the camera, give it some time and I'm sure you'll grow into it. I agree with everything Izziek said, the bokeh is wonderful in #1 but you need to know how you got it, to replicate it in future shots. Also I suggest you read the camera manual very very thoroughly, and then re-read it. You'll learn more than you expect to. Happy shooting

khaosphotography · May 25, 2014

IzzieK said:
Those shots are not too shabby for a beginner...you've got your compositions right...the bokeh on #1 is excellent and the way you did #3 is really good. I suppose you use matrix metering in #3? I never use that. I either use spot or center depending on my need of the moment. #2 is a little bit confusing at first but it need to be looked at full frame to see the distinction and realize what it really is. I was thinking it will an eggplant one day? Lighten it a little bit in post processing...just my opinion...let us hear what others have to say...

Thank you these photos were all shot in program auto mode with only mild adjustments the #2 was shadded from the plant so the light wasn't right made the color look deeper I thought

khaosphotography · May 25, 2014

480sparky said:
The first one is over-exposed and the highlights are burned out. The other two are under-exposed and dark. If your camera is capable of displaying a histogram, use that to better judge the exposure instead of looking at the image itself.

thank u I will work to make that better and I'm not 100% sure what all my camera can do yet