Where to go from here and how to Start?

[oakley_runner]

Hi all,

I have recently decided to move away from point and click and start learning and understanding how to take good pictures. I have read loads from the net (there is probable too much information) and I feel a little overloaded at the mo.

Does anyone have any advise on how I can start to practice, have a play etc with what I have been reading and to start developing my skills.

I understand that to get good at taking photos you need to take photos and then probably best to learn from others and pros etc what has made the photos good or bad. But, I am kind of struggling to actually get started, not for want (not sitting on my arse), just confused on what to do, where to go, and how to do it so to speak.

Cheers
Matt

*ahem*

Digital Photography School - Photography Forums - Search Forums

Everything you ever wanted to know about photography! On DPS!

[oakley_runner]

Originally Posted by maxharvard

*ahem*

Digital Photography School - Photography Forums - Search Forums

Everything you ever wanted to know about photography! On DPS!

Hi,

I am not sure what you mean by this response. I have just looked at the 2 links and I think you have proven my point about there being lots of information, in fact too much sometime.

I am looking for some specific pointers from others who have got started, moving with photography from a pretty much standing start.

Cheers.
Matt

[castman]

Welcome to DPS Matt! What camera do you have? Do you want to shot in auto modes or

manual? I would start with a flower and try driffent modes. There is a lot of great stuff in the the beginner 101 that can get you started.

Digital Photography Tips and Tutorials

Go out and start taking photo's and post them here and we can tell you how to make them better.

I hope that get's you started.

Rob






















/

Originally Posted by oakley_runner

Hi,

I am not sure what you mean by this response. I have just looked at the 2 links and I think you have proven my point about there being lots of information, in fact too much sometime.

I am looking for some specific pointers from others who have got started, moving with photography from a pretty much standing start.

Cheers.
Matt

Actually you just proved my point.

You ask for pointers... pointers on what? It's like asking me what kind of car you should buy.

What are you going to use the car for? What color do you want? Do you want a fast one? Do you want a race car? Do you want an SUV?

Your question is entirely too broad and you need to narrow it down before you start getting snippy with me because you haven't defined a valid question.

In fact, all you have given us is a statement. No actual valid question.

Btw, what kind of car do you have? What engine, transmission, brakes, make, model, year, color, interior, manual/auto, size tires, size rims, 2wd or 4wd?

~Eric

[windrider86]

You have made a good start all ready. By searching out information and reading!
None of this is something you can learn or become an expert in over night. It takes time. A lot of time, a lot of hard work and a heck of a lot of practice.
Keep doing what you're doing.
Take tons of photos and get familiar with whatever camera you have. Get familiar with what ever lenses you may have. Take photos of the same scene but using different modes, keep a journal of what you did. One day you'll look back and go "yea, i dont need that anymore"

[navcom]

Eric is right, your question is pretty broad. But I think I understand where you are coming from.

Before you can master anything with a DSLR, you need to understand one basic thing...exposure. That is, how to properly expose an image.

The best thing you can do to learn exposure from a stand-still is get Bryan Peterson's book "Understanding Exposure". Read it, learn it, live it.

The next step is applying this knowledge to your camera. Learn how to operate your camera...how to change shutter speed, ISO, and aperture. These three things are your settings which give you proper exposure. Learn where they are and how to change them on your camera. Your owner's manual will help you here. You should also learn about white balance as well...where it is and how to change it.

Without a good understanding of proper exposure, everything else is just water under the bridge.

Once you understand proper exposure, you can move on to image composition, different lenses, depth of field, etc., etc.

[sk66]

IMO, your best method of learning is to pick a subject (a rock, doesn't much matter) and then do a series of images varying one setting at a time and then evaluate the results (i.e. aperture; let the camera fix the rest) Use a book or the web to get an idea of what you are looking for. When you understand each setting (aperture/shutter speed/iso) then do some work in full manual to learn/understand how they affect each other.... (for shutter speed, a moving subject might be better, i.e. cars)

[Free]

Read everything in the beginners section of the blog...

Digital Photography Tips and Tutorials

Then read the "Composition Tips", then the "How to..."

Then come back and quiz people here on what you're unsure of

[eNZee]

i'll be perfectly honest with you. your question is broad but dont let that discourage you considering some comments from some users *ahem* maxh....i mean no one. never mind. j/k!!!

no but seriously. to give you some insight. back in february of this yr i was in your exact shoes. actually probably even less knowldgeable then you right now. i knew i liked photography for a bit but never actually did anything until one winter afternoon. i bothered by husband to death until he cracked and bought me my first baby the nikon D90.

so where to start....i started with doing minor research on the types of dslrs out there. i was going to get a canon 40d but then when my husband went to buy it, he did a little bit further research and decided to go with the nikon instead. i didnt care. all i wantd was my dslr. in the beginning i didnt read anything but the manual to figure out what this camera was all about. slowly i put things together. i would suggest to take it one step at a time. learn each function separately then you'll find you start combining them. play with the settings... like what happens when you change the white balance, so try it out and see what happens to the photos. what happens when my shutter speed is slow and theres camera shake...see what results you get. eventually when you "fiddle" with the camera and settings so to speak, you realize what you like and what you dont like. once you start familiarizing yourself with the photography linguo and settings, and terms you can actually go on the internet and start researching specifically for certain things. up until now i didnt touch the flash on the camera...now after i realize i dont always get the lighting i want i can control it better with my flash. i was scared to use it before so i would manually try to fiddle with my avaible light. other people who read this would probably think im stupid but i dont care - thats how i learn. play with auto, m, p, a, s settings. you'll notice that you have ALOT more creative control with m, a, s settings. auto is easy. anyone can focus then click the button.

alot of it for me was self taught. then i go research to fine tune things ive found on my own. its extreemly difficult and challening because not only do you have to learn the camera but you need a good post processing software and learn that too. you wont be able to get every effect with just a snap of a pic. and most of all - its a constant learning curve and a steep one too.

as much as people say do lots of reading online - but that doesnt work for everyone. not everyone has patience to sit infront of the screen and read read read. i just ever used it to fine tune things.

anyways those are my thougts for whatever its worth. good luck
dont forget - people on dps are amazing and extreemly helpful. if you ever have questions, research the forums and if you cant understand something post a thread. we are all here to help eachother.