What's the best piece of advice you would give to a newbie?

[Nocturnatum]

I've been taking photos for over ten years now and have grown into an identity as a photographer in my local community. Recently people have been gaining more interest in photography and have been asking me various questions from 'What camera should I buy with X amount of cash?" to "So a bigger F-Number means smaller aperture?"
I'm now wondering what piece of advice would you tell to a newbie?

[ArmySoldier777]

Probably: Don't give up. You WILL get frustrated, You WILL mess up shots. Stick with it and in the end you'll learn a whole lot, and you'll see the world in an entirely new way.

[bigben6]

Not as experienced as you, but i think there is not 1 universal piece of advice you can give. There is one exercise i give all my friends when they get their DSLR (I seem to have started a trend)

Pick a subject, for joe it was his car, for others it may b a flower. This assumes a kit lens BTW

Shoot that subject @ 18mm, 25mm, 35mm, 45mm, and 55mm while keeping the framing of your shot as close as you can in each progressive shot. Then look at them on the computer and see how the zoom and position effects the proportions of the subect.

Now go and shoot your subject @18mm but this time shoot it at f/3.5, f/8, and f/16 and compare depth of field.

Now go and shoot your subject @55mm but this time shoot it at f/5.6, f/8, and f/16 and compare depth of field.

I normally tell them to shoot in Aperture priority and auto ISO.

[autofocus]

all of the above comments are good, but a little different than what I would tell a complete newbie. First I would say to shoot lots of pictures by starting in the full auto or program mode. Get really comfortable with how you hold the camera, and study the results you are getting. Learn what a histogram means and how to interpret it. I would suggest for the person to do this for quite some time, and when the person is starting get a little more comfortable with the camera to then learn some of the basics of exposure. Understand the exposure triangle and then consider moving on to the more creative priority settings. Start with one of the settings, maybe aperture priority, and learn how to adjust it based on how you are interpreting the internal meter and lighting conditions. Try the various aperture settings and see and study the results of those settings. Finally, move on to shutter priority, and ultimately full manual mode...each time studying and learning from the results. This could take months, so you must tell them to be patient. Once they have a pretty good grasp on this, you can tell them about some of the basics of composition...and practice, practice, practice.

[inkista]

How to Hold a Digital Camera

Swear. To. God. Whenever I go to the zoo, 8 out of 10 dSLR shooters are holding their cameras with the left hand on the top or at the side of the lens, and they're adjusting zoom with their pinkies up. Drives me NUTS.

Otherwise, the usual classic: f/8 and be there.

[TNH]

Well, I'm kind of a beginner myself. But this is what I would tell to a beginner:

1. Don't get too frustrated, or want to give up when someone tells you that you're not good enough. There will always be a critic, no matter what you are doing. And while they can be really helpful, don't believe every single negative thing that they say. Don't let other people change your view of yourself.

2. Don't expect to be a great photographer as soon as you pick up a camera... you have to practice, practice, practice! Like anything else does, it takes practice.

3. Don't get discouraged and give up your photography. I've felt like quitting many times before, because I feel like I'm just not good enough. But I haven't quit, and I know that all the practice will pay off in the end. So do not give up!

4. And all the professional photographers had to start somewhere... as a beginner. Just like you're a beginner. And they got to where they are by practicing, studying, and practicing.

Well, that list got away from me! Didn't mean for it to be that long.

[Niresangwa]

Originally Posted by inkista

they're adjusting zoom with their pinkies up. Drives me NUTS.

..they're just being polite.

Wasn't there a very long thread about this, not too long ago?

[ArmySoldier777]

Originally Posted by TNH

2. Don't expect to be a great photographer as soon as you pick up a camera... you have to practice, practice, practice! Like anything else does, it takes practice.

But..but... I just bought this really expensive fancy camera... Shouldn't it just take great pictures?

Because I know I sure love hearing "That's a great picture! You're camera takes really good shots!"

Kidding and thread-jack over

[metallion58]

Originally Posted by Nocturnatum

I'm now wondering what piece of advice would you tell to a newbie?

Make them practice and send them here for a gook reading...and learning.

[NgaiHill]

RTFM!!!


Yesterday I heard a man tell the group that so&so takes great photos because his camera (a 550D) has a fancy lens. (it was a Tamron, wide angle, don't remember the exact numbers)