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OK! The D7000 has arrived. Now what?!

bmilcs

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So, I've picked up David Busch's Nikon D7000 Guide to Digital SLR Photography, a Nikon D7000 and a Nikkor 35mm/1.8g lens. After about the second chapter, the book lost me.

I'm new to DSLR photography and photography in general. I've done a little research via google about ISO, aperature, shutter speed, etc. and have a very minimal understanding of it all.

As of right now, I could use help with my lightbox and getting the best possible settings with my D7000. I understand that ISO should be as low as possible for the least amount of noise. I'm sure I could use a tripod, but I like to get in there and take pictures at odd angles. I like to set my products apart with unique photos (ebay) and a tripod limits what I can do.

How should I go about this? I take pictures of vintage metal razors primarily.

Does anyone have any good reading material / complete idiots guide to DSLR photography that I can read online somewhere? Maybe tutorials on different camera settings that produce cool effects?
 
Youtube. How to Create an Inexpensive Photography Lightbox: 15 Steps

Also, to learn settings, go and shoot manual for a month. Play with different settings of ISO, Aperture, and Shutter speed. That's the BEST way to learn and understand how the three are connected, but you'll find it frustrating. Books and tutorials will help, but hands on experience is the best way to learn.

Best,
Jake
 
The technical details of operating a DSLR? I'm a big fan of Play | Canon Explains Exposure

Razors: I'd be looking at angles, light reflections, and macro-photography I think. I have no particular suggestion in that regard.
 
Yes light reflecting off the razor looks great. Angles are important as well. Specifically how do you achieve better contrast between lights and darks?
 
Yes light reflecting off the razor looks great. Angles are important as well. Specifically how do you achieve better contrast between lights and darks?

You can do that in post easily.
 
Read these. ALL of them. Buy the bible. Don't forget your camera's manual. Nikon actually produces VERY good manuals. As well, there's a HUGE number of tutorials on YouTube. Search "DSLR tutorial" and similar terms.
 
Yes light reflecting off the razor looks great. Angles are important as well. Specifically how do you achieve better contrast between lights and darks?

You can do that in post easily.
Maybe... but, it's a LOT easier to get it right in the camera. A solid understanding light and how it acts, and how to control it is absolutely critical to product photography. Check out the second link in my post above.
 
I'm a fan of NOT going all manual because you're trying to learn like five inter-connected things at once, and that's going to be REALLY hard. It's akin to learning sky diving, by being thrown out of a plane with a sewing machine and a bolt of fabric.

Go to program mode and shoot some pictures. Wait until something doesn't work for you, and then go figure out why. THEN choose the mode that best fits the variables in that situation and use it. Return to Program when you're not in that situation. Over time you will evolve away from using program mode and will use mostly aperture or shutter priority, and occasionally manual. Again, depending on your needs.
 
^^ listen to above

I do have to add, when I bought my d7000 and started reading the manual it made no sense.

I basically did ONE THING at a time to learn on the camera.
If you take photos and then check the settings for each photo, then vary what you take photos of - in various light, etc. Then compare each of the cameras setting for each photo - the ISO and Shutter, Aperture. But for what you are doing you may want to stick to one Aperture, such as say 5.6.

Then learn your exposure triangle better .. many website out there about it such as
Learning about Exposure - The Exposure Triangle - Digital Photography School

and also set up your d7000 for all data on the camera
Playback Menu
Display Mode
then turn on all the settings - all the checkboxes

- this will provide you all that information on your LCD when you preview a photo. You have to scrolls through the different displays (other than magnifying +/- via the buttons on the left). you use left right on the round pad on the back that you use your thumb with.

but start learning your exposure triangle
then play around with whitebalance
then things will start making more sense and the manual will start being informative !!

but with the manual, try to learn what each button does for now. You'l learn how to use them properly later. It took me a long time to get used to placement and what each button does (or what it accesses) but it helps everything down the road.
 
Wow! Fantastic advice here!

Thank you all for your input. I was a little discouraged - overwhelmed by all the terminology and striking the right balance of all settings said above. I am eager to be able to do it - at least for my stills.

What I was doing is changing every setting randomly, bumping it by one and seeing how it affected the image. But I really wasn't gaining anything because I wasn't keeping any variables constant. I'll do as you said and learn as I go.

The more input the merrier. Again, I didn't realize people posted youtube tutorials on this but it's not a surprise. Does anyone have a specific channel recommendation for the basics of DSLR and/or D7000?
 
Static objects with controlled lighting with (presumably) a tripod?

I think I'd be ISO 100,
I think I'd use Aperture to set DoF to wherever worked,

Then I think I'd start playing with flash power-vs-shutter speed to get the lighting I wanted. I think that is where most of the manipulation of settings for effect would be.
 
I feel like it has taken me a solid year to really understand and know my camera to the point that I can make any changes I need without pulling back to look at the screen. Now, I don't shoot much, maybe once every couple weeks, and this was my first camera ever, so the average person can probably do it much quicker, but the point is it just takes time playing with the camera. Just get out and play.
 
Wow! Fantastic advice here!

Thank you all for your input. I was a little discouraged - overwhelmed by all the terminology and striking the right balance of all settings said above. I am eager to be able to do it - at least for my stills.

What I was doing is changing every setting randomly, bumping it by one and seeing how it affected the image. But I really wasn't gaining anything because I wasn't keeping any variables constant. I'll do as you said and learn as I go.

The more input the merrier. Again, I didn't realize people posted youtube tutorials on this but it's not a surprise. Does anyone have a specific channel recommendation for the basics of DSLR and/or D7000?

Part of the problem is that things are tied to each other. So, you change the aperture, and then either your ISO or your shutter may need to adjust to compensate. Hell... you change your FOCAL LENGTH and your aperture or shutter may need to change. Just moving one thing to see what it does winds up giving you all kinds of random crap, and since you don't know what ANY of it is, it just gets really frustrating.

There is NOTHING wrong with putting that sucker in Program and just taking some shots. Get comfortable with the camera. Learn it slowly.

The one caveat I tell people, is I avoid using AUTO. AUTO will also vary your ISO automatically, and will even pop up your flash. These are two things that can have a MAJOR impact to your image, and you're better off just seeing where the camera is unable to take the shot and adjusting those things yourself if you have to.
 
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Wow! Fantastic advice here!

Thank you all for your input. I was a little discouraged - overwhelmed by all the terminology and striking the right balance of all settings said above. I am eager to be able to do it - at least for my stills.

What I was doing is changing every setting randomly, bumping it by one and seeing how it affected the image. But I really wasn't gaining anything because I wasn't keeping any variables constant. I'll do as you said and learn as I go.

The more input the merrier. Again, I didn't realize people posted youtube tutorials on this but it's not a surprise. Does anyone have a specific channel recommendation for the basics of DSLR and/or D7000?

Part of the problem is that things are tied to each other. So, you change the aperture, and then either your ISO or your shutter may need to adjust to compensate. Hell... you change your FOCAL length and your aperture or shutter may need to change. Just moving one thing to see what it does winds up giving you all kinds of random crap, and since you don't know what ANY of it is, it just gets really frustrating.

There is NOTHING wrong with putting that sucker in Program and just taking some shots. Get comfortable with the camera. Learn it slowly.

The one caveat I tell people, is I avoid using AUTO. AUTO will also vary your ISO automatically, and will even pop up your flash. These are two things that can have a MAJOR impact to your image, and you're better off just seeing where the camera is unable to take the shot and adjusting those things yourself if you have to.

What exactly does program do? I'm at work otherwise I'd look myself.
 
bmilcs said:
What exactly does program do? I'm at work otherwise I'd look myself.

Program mode picks a good combination of f/stop and shutter speed for the light level and the focal length in use. It "sets" the shutter speed and the f/stop, automatically.

THe user can shoot a picture, then turn the main control wheel left or right, and EQUIVALENT shutter and f/stop combinations can be shifted to. This allows the user to easily "shift" to a slower speed and a smaller lens opening, so as to slow down the speed for a more creative slow-speed panning shot OR to achieve deep depth of field, OR the user is free to spin the main control wheel to shift to a faster shutter speed and a larger lens opening, to stop motion or to create shallower depth of field.

Program mode used to be referred to as Shiftable Programmed Automatic mode in user manuals. The beauty is that Program mode allows FAST, easy, convenient automatic adjustment of the shutter and lens f/stop, and then if the user wishes to make a choice for deeper depth of field/slower speed or shallower depth of field/faster shutter speed, it's as easy as a few clicks on the thumb-wheel controller.
 

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