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[Mutter22]

Well I've only had my first ever DSLR for 59 hours and already I've taken a wopping 445 photos!!! OK they aren't all good ones but I'm new to this and on a VERY steep learning curve. Many of them are test shots as I have been playing with different settings and many of them are almost identical pictures of my kids as it is really hard to get a 2 1/2 year old and a 7 months old to smile at the SAME time. Not that they all have to be smiley photos... Anyway, I just wanted to say that I'm loving using my DSLR and am hoping I manage to keep up my enthusiasm and therefore carry on taking as many photos. To be honest I'm sure I will slow down a little once hubby has gone back to work but right now I'm making the most of it Anyone else out there use there camera this much or more? I'm sure I can't be the only one addicted to photography

[RLucas]

I did at first. I'm going through a slump at the moment and have not shot much in the past few months, but 2/3's of my time is still spent reading about photography.
Welcome to DPS! You are sure to learn a lot! If you get the chance, post some photos in the critique section of the site. You may or may not hear what you want, but it's a great way to learn.

[Mutter22]

Yer I was thinking about that but still feel a complete amateur. I think I need to build my confience a bit first but am really looking forward to posting shots and getting constructive feedback. I also thought about having a go at the challenges but as yet I'm only getting to grips with the Fully automatic setting on the camera. I feel that I may be able to produce better shots with the more manual settings but I need to learn how to use them better first. I'm currently wading through the manual but I'm only on page 400 of about 300 so still some way to go lol.

[faeriegodess612]

Congrats on the new camera and welcome to DPS. A few tips to start you off with:

Do:
* Read up on the beginner tutorials at the first screen of the website, but get used to the camera itself first, unless your a leap before looking kinda person.
* Post photos for critique and participate in the Challenges and Assignments sections.
* Download a free version of editing software. Then ones that are generally recommended are Picasa ( From Google ) and Gimp. Gimp you wont need to worry about until you get more comfortable with the camera. It's kinda like Photoshop, but a bit more complicated to learn. You can find both with a Google search.
* Seek out books on the subject. There are tons that are recommended for beginners. You can find most at your local chain book store, or used book stores as well. It is generally better to buy them in paper than download them. Although Kindle for PC would probably work just as well.
* Look up what calibrating your monitor is. Windows has a thing that can do a rudimentary job of this. If you have Win7, just search "monitor calibration" and select "calibrate display color"
* Take up a 365 or 52 project when you feel ready/comfortable enough to do one. You can learn a lot doing so.

Don't:
* Let friends and family members comments on your photos go to your head. Then run out and try to start a photography business without really knowing what your doing. Us that know better or actually are professionals call these people "Faux-tographers" There is a website thats even dedicated to this.
* Get into this and think that you need more gear to get better. There are limitations to some, but that isnt generally the problem. Especially entry level DSLR's. I've hit some snaffu's with mine that I know can be overcome with a better model. (ie: Mine wont shoot in mirror lock up, meaning that sometimes my Macro shots are blurry, because of movement inside the camera. And its harder sometimes to frame because of the 95% viewfinder instead of a 100%. A D7000 would solve these, but that isnt in the cards right now. ) Having some things will get you what your looking for, but that all needs to come in time. Faster lenses, external flash, and studio set ups all come in handy, but only if you know how to use them effectively. ( You'll learn a lot of terminology here too, if I've confused you with anything, just ask and I'll explain. )

[Ambrosia76]

Originally Posted by faeriegodess612

Congrats on the new camera and welcome to DPS. A few tips to start you off with:

Do:
* Read up on the beginner tutorials at the first screen of the website, but get used to the camera itself first, unless your a leap before looking kinda person.
* Post photos for critique and participate in the Challenges and Assignments sections.
* Download a free version of editing software. Then ones that are generally recommended are Picasa ( From Google ) and Gimp. Gimp you wont need to worry about until you get more comfortable with the camera. It's kinda like Photoshop, but a bit more complicated to learn. You can find both with a Google search.
* Seek out books on the subject. There are tons that are recommended for beginners. You can find most at your local chain book store, or used book stores as well. It is generally better to buy them in paper than download them. Although Kindle for PC would probably work just as well.
* Look up what calibrating your monitor is. Windows has a thing that can do a rudimentary job of this. If you have Win7, just search "monitor calibration" and select "calibrate display color"
* Take up a 365 or 52 project when you feel ready/comfortable enough to do one. You can learn a lot doing so.

Don't:
* Let friends and family members comments on your photos go to your head. Then run out and try to start a photography business without really knowing what your doing. Us that know better or actually are professionals call these people "Faux-tographers" There is a website thats even dedicated to this.
* Get into this and think that you need more gear to get better. There are limitations to some, but that isnt generally the problem. Especially entry level DSLR's. I've hit some snaffu's with mine that I know can be overcome with a better model. (ie: Mine wont shoot in mirror lock up, meaning that sometimes my Macro shots are blurry, because of movement inside the camera. And its harder sometimes to frame because of the 95% viewfinder instead of a 100%. A D7000 would solve these, but that isnt in the cards right now. ) Having some things will get you what your looking for, but that all needs to come in time. Faster lenses, external flash, and studio set ups all come in handy, but only if you know how to use them effectively. ( You'll learn a lot of terminology here too, if I've confused you with anything, just ask and I'll explain. )

Honestly think this is the best post I have seen in a while, Great suggestions!

[Mutter22]

Thank you soooo much for those do's and dont's fairiegoddess. They are really practical which does help tremendously.

I'm currently working my way through the tutorials and finding the really useful

I have editing software that came with my camera but not convinced that they are quite what I need. It came with digital photo professional but I'm more used to using paint shop pro 7. I think I'm going to do some research on different (free) packages and post on here somewhere to find out which is going to be most useful to me.

I already have one book on SLR photography but it is a bit dated and doesn't go into DSLRs much at all although I'm sure they work in a similar way but are now higher spec. I was thinking about getting one of the dummies guides to photography. I know they do one on the camera I have but I guess I'm looking for one that covers the basics of photography too. Actually I think I'm going to try and find some posts on here about good books for beginners.

I already have a blog but once I know what I'm doing I think I'll start a photography blog

I have absolutely NO intention of starting a photography business. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to get good enough to be able to do that but I am best at being creative when it is something I'm doing out of choice rather than necessity.

I do plan on getting more gear ... eventually ans once I've worked out the capabilities of my camera and what (if anything) I need. So far I only have lens wipes / cloths on my shiopping list... and books.

Thanks again for all your advice. It is VERY much appreciated. And in simple terms... which is what I need at the moment. I'm learning quickly though.

[graciousness]

The best free software (from what I've read) is GIMP. It has photoshop capabilities but apparently harder to muster. Lots of people use it though and they do learn it in time.

I don't use GIMP as I'm fortunate enough to have Photoshop and Aperture. Aperture and Lightroom do get cheaper. Aperture is less than $100 via app store and Lightroom I've seen as cheap as $149 and that's AUD pricing - will be cheaper US version.

There are so many internet sites that have beginners' photography tutorials including this one. You'll have plenty of reading to do if willing without having to buy books. The kind of photography books I do buy are more geared towards getting vision and creativity with your photography.

Congrats on your new toy

[Doug Pardee]

Originally Posted by Mutter22

Many of them are test shots as I have been playing with different settings

Do this. Keep doing this.

I've been taking photos for about 50 years. And still, about 1/3 of the photos that I take are nothing more than tests to see how some factor or other affects the images I capture.

Digital photography lets us do this virtually for free. And if we do it well, we can learn so much more than books or forum members can tell us.

On the other hand... it's easy to get wrapped up in the technical issues and forget the artistic side. Take plenty of other photos, too... again, digital photography makes it virtually free for us to take pictures that we aren't sure will be worthwhile, but that maybe — just maybe — might turn out to be interesting.

On the third hand... when you've got a good subject, it's worth spending some time to get the right angle, the right background, the right lighting, the right timing, before you release the shutter.

Everything has its place.

[mosgood]

Congrats on the new dSLR & welcome to DPS. Follow the advice written above from the other posters. All of these people have been doing digital photography long enough to teach skills/others are very advanced pros. It's a great mix of people at different skill levels. You'll learn a lot here! DPS has some of the best info available on the web, so you've come to the right place. Ask questions, the only dumb question is the one you don't ask. Use the search feature on DPS as well. Like I said there's a ton of great info here. Just an FYI, most books on photography have some basics which don't change, but the technology part changes even before the books hit shelves. Hit the library for some of the basics. That way, you can get a feel for what's useful for you, & what's not. Also read your camera manual. It has a wealth of info on your camera & that's the best way to get to know all the features available at your finger tips.

Enjoy your camera! Keep shooting, it's the best way to learn what works & what needs improvement. If you don't practice, you will not improve. Some days you may only take a photo or two, others you may take hundreds.

[Mutter22]

Just downloaded GIMP and am going to have a play about to see whether I prefer it to paint shop pro or not. I don't think it's good practice to buy a programme before trying it out so free downloads are great

You are right... it might be a good idea to make the most of internet resources before shelling out on books