How to start?!

[Lastoadri]

Hay, this is my 1st contribution here, and wish won't be the last.
Hmm, 2 weeks ago I bought my 1st digital camera "Casio Exilim EX-Z120 (http://www.exilim.com/intl/ex_z110_z120/)"

However, I don't know how to start real photography?!
what sites should I visit or books to read... I nearly know nothing about the whole thingie..

Thanks all in advance..

[NaturesPixel]

Hi, welcome to the DPS forum :)

i suggest reading http://digital-photography-school.com/blog (http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/../blog) in particular reading the Tips for Beginners (http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/category/tips-for-beginners/).. and Other Tips (http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/category/other-tips/)

what short of photography interests you?? Portraits, Macro?? Landscapes.. or are you just after general info?? after you read the info i have shown you..if there is things you don't understand.. ask here in the forums some one will jump in with some answers :)

[Nicole]

2 weeks ago I bought my 1st digital camera "Casio Exilim EX-Z120 (http://www.exilim.com/intl/ex_z110_z120/)"

However, I don't know how to start real photography?!
what sites should I visit or books to read...


The first step, I think, is just trying different things out on the camera, then reading the manual, then trying the camera again. I was near a thousand shots on my camera before I started reading how to do different things, and it made it easier to understand in some ways because I was able to look back at the pictures I'd taken (all on automatic setting) and see what the camera had done and what it had produced.

Some other sites that I like for learning about photography are:
Adorama's Free Articles (http://www.adorama.com/catalog.tpl?op=academy): They cover all sorts of topics from beginners upwards and the articles are really quite easy to read and understand.
Flickr (http://flickr.com): Stating the obvious, Flickr has been great for me to learn how to do different things by joining groups that interest me in the subject I want to learn about.
Photodoto (http://photodoto.com/): One of the first places I found with some good info on some techniques. Not much going on there right now, but there are some good articles in the archives.

I could post dozens of sites that I've bookmarked for my own reading, but I'll start with these and agree with NaturesPixels that once you figure out more questions, post them on these forums and odds are someone will be able to answer them :)

Good luck with your new camera

[Darren Rowse]

I'd echo the suggestion to really get to know your camera.

When I get a new camera I'll grab the manual, grab the camera and walk through the manual page by page doing everything it says so that in an hour or two I will have used every feature it has at least once.

Then I take it out and try to practice using two or three of the features I'm not familiar with.

I'm not really familiar with your particular model camera but I'd probably work towards learning how to use Aperture and shutter priority modes (http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/aperture-and-shutter-priority-modes/) as they are very very handy to know how to use.

There are also some great books around - in fact, comment a few more times here and you could win some (http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/win-some-great-digital-photography-books-in-our-new-forums/) :-)

[Rommel]

Is it best to go through the manual and do everything at first? I'm new to photography as well (and have had my camera for less than 2 weeks). I have read a lot of online articles - including the Tips for Beginners and some of the other articles in the blog here. I've also skimmed through my camera manual serveral times - it's a little bit overwhelming though. However I've been going back and going over a section in depth as I start to need it. For instance when I was taking indoor photographs without a flash and the pictures were all coming out yellow, I read up on WB. Is this adequate or should I really be going through and trying to do everything at the start?

[Nicole]

Is it best to go through the manual and do everything at first? ... I've been going back and going over a section in depth as I start to need it. For instance when I was taking indoor photographs without a flash and the pictures were all coming out yellow, I read up on WB. Is this adequate or should I really be going through and trying to do everything at the start?

I think that this is a great place to start. I think that you absorb the information much better when you actually want to use it. Sure, I looked through the manual after I got my camera, but I didn't really understand what I was reading. So, more online articles (seeing pictures of how different settings change things was key for me), back to the manual to see how to change the things I'd read about, then on to trying things with my camera.

If you try to do everything at the start, you'll probably wind up overwhelmed with all the information and quite possibly wind up frustrated. I started by shooting totally on auto, eventually read up on Aperture Priority Mode and Shutter Priority Mode, now I don't mind using Manual because I learned things as I needed them, so the information stuck.

Sounds like you're off to a great start :)

[Lastoadri]

yay! I love this forum.
Thank you for your replies.. will start right away :)

[Lastoadri]

There are also some great books around - in fact, comment a few more times here and you could win some (http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/win-some-great-digital-photography-books-in-our-new-forums/) :-)

I try to follow up Darren, and wish to give some useful comments, yet as you see, I'm all new to the whole thing. Tell you before my 2 weeks, I haven't used a digital camera at all!
so, I almost know nothing...

however, I'll keep my hands crossed :)

[chris]

hi there

well i started out doing photography some time last year i want out and got my first camara .. i had never had a camra befour in my life and want out and got my self the nikon D40 with a sb-600 flash got home with my camra and all my photo's were out of foucs and then look at my camra and thourt i had just wased over £600 then i just

got lots of book out from the libery and joined this fourms and got lots of help and now i have people paying me to take photo for them

so what i am trying to say is just keep your eye on all the things that people are saying and try some of them your self

hope that was helpful a bit for you

[KodiakStar]

Why the reply to a year old thread? :p

[chris]

very sorry i was just having a look a round and did not see the date

[Nicole]

No worries :) You offered good advice regardless of when the first post was made and maybe it will even generate some new discussion since everyone has to start somewhere.

[Saralonde]

There are some great old threads buried done there that are pretty good. Maybe we should be digging some up and giving them a new life.