tips for a beginner

[ereid]

so i picked up a d40 today and i am wondering if there are any tips that you guys could give to a beginner photograher looking to start out. I have been playing around with settings and stuff but am not sure where to start really. Basically i am asking for tips on where to start with settings, I know there are endless possibilities for setting up for pictures, are there some settings that might be better to start out with? i want to become very familiar with my camera obviously but am just feeling a bit overwhelmed. trying to learn everything all at once is very difficult as there are so many things to learn, so i think if i had a couple ideas of small things to play with and adjust it would benfit me greatly.

Thanks for any tips or help you can provide.

 

[ShaneAR]

I'm in the same boat as you.

I picked up a D40 last week and in the process of learning. So, what's working for me? A lot of reading

I'm not sure what other's my think, but when I first started searching for info on dSLR and photography, I came across this site:

http://www.digital-slr-guide.com/index.html

Now, the owner of that site (Chris Roberts) has put together a dSLR Course that I'm currently working through. Bascially, it's done in 5 lessons, easy to read, and great for beginners.

It is only $15.00, so I figured no great loss if it turned out to be worthless, but, so far, it has been a great aid.

Again, not sure what other's opinions may be of the above (or if they have any), but the course is very well done for someone like you and I.

 

[Iron Flatline]

Photography is an odd mix of creativity and technique. It's tempting for gearheads (like me) to think that the right button combo will end up in brilliantly-creative work.

Just start shooting in Program mode, not full Auto. The difference here is that as you change Aperture, the Shutter Speed adjusts, and vice versa. You'll learn a little there.

Most importantly, just shoot. Think about composition, and get the image lined up the way you want, and you can learn the technical details as you go along.

Buy a book called Understanding Exposure.

 

[nossie]

I have to 2nd the book. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one with such a high respect for it. I've just ordered another book from the same man, beyond portrature, I'll let you know how it goe s.

 

[Heck]

Books gave me a big head start in learning then the forums and online sites. Understanding Exposure and The digital photography book. were easy to understand so I would start there.