Feeling frustrated trying to learn...

[bethard728]

So, back in March, on a whim I upgraded from a point and shoot to a Nikon d60. I had no idea what I was doing then and 9 months later, I don't know much more. lol. I've done a lot of reading on DPS and other websites, in addition to an online class in the basics of photography. I've read numerous articles on things as basic as white balance, aperature, etc. I'm still not getting it. My photos have gotten better in the last few months but still far from good. I am getting better at composition. I'm also getting better at recognizing when something is wrong with my picture and even at know what is wrong but not so good at knowing how to fix it. I don't understand light metering or how to correct white balance on my camera, etc. I've looked around and can't seem to find any local classes in photography. I live kind of in the middle of nowhere so a decent college is an hour away. Not to mention, the online class I took was fairly worthless and I'm afraid to shell out more money for a class that doesn't seem helpful. Now as I reread what I've written so far, I'm sure I've left some of you thinking, "Give it up honey. If you've done all that and are still clueless, it's hopeless!" lol. But I really think I can still learn this stuff. I'm just off to a slow start. I'm seriously considering buying Nikon d60 for Dummies or another book I saw on Amazon for the d60 by David Busch. Do you think this would be helpful or do you have other suggestions? I'm not looking to become a professional, I just want to take great pics! Thanks in advance for any suggestions or encouragement!

[Jim Bryant]

practice, practice, practice is the best lesson. Maybe that book will help, if it doesn't I know know what to tell ya then.

[sk66]

My recommendation is to pick a particular "topic" and focus on learning that. Use your manual and some web searching. A decent book might help, but there isn't much in any book that's not available on the web.
For instance white balance. Take your camera out of auto WB and shoot an outdoor scene on each of the available other settings. Then do the same indoors with incandescent lighting, and then again with fluorescent lighting. Make notes as to which image has which settings/lighting. This will show you what each setting does in different situations.

[FrankLamont]

Set out exactly what you don't get.

Search the questions in simplest forms. You'll be surprised - sometimes general topics are covered, but not deeply. If you want to go deeper into a subject, most likely you'll have to search specifically for it.

What exactly don't you get?

[elauderdale]

Don't get frustrated. It can seem overwhelming at times, but the best thing you can do is play with that camera in different situations especially the WB. I bought David Busch's book on the D90 and found that very very helpful. I refer to it all the time if I forget something. The web is another great place for info especially this site. The beauty of digital photography is that you can see your results instantly and make adjustments from there. Just keep on shooting!!

[kirbinster]

I took a quick look at your flickr page and I think you are selling yourself short - there are some good pictures there. I would suggest either the Thom Hogan guide or Magic Lantern Guide for your camera - they really explain a lot of details that the manual does not. Also check for videos on youtube - there are lots of them that will help you out -- all free.

[picman]

I'm also a beginner, and I'm certainly not one to be giving direction. But having said that, I have found that picking one thing such as Depth of field, and playing with nothing but that in several different settings until I feel I have learned something from that experience. I must also say I have worn out 2 manuals during the process. Give it a try, DON"T GIVE UP!!

[inkista]

Have you plundered the local public library? If you can hunt up an old copy of Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure or Learning to See Creatively, those could be useful. The only caveat about using a film-only version of UE is to know that shooting at f/22 introduces some fuzziness because of diffraction, and digital doesn't have reciprocity failure on long exposures, but otherwise, it's pretty straightforward for both digital and film.

And don't worry. It takes as long as it takes. A writer once said that becoming a good writer is easy. Everybody can be a good writer. It's just that everybody also has a million bad words in them. Once you get those million words down on paper, then you'll be left with nothing but the good ones. I believe Cartier-Bresson said something similar about your first 10,000 photos being your worst. Go get rid of 'em.

[blsweeney]

You are sooo not alone! I want to move up to a digital slr, but I'm afraid if I can't learn the point and shoot, how am I ever gona learn a bigger better camera. You will get it, all you need is someone to give you a few pointers. Try to join a camera club somewhere in your area or here at DPS and keep asking questions! Good luck, and I'm hoping you get it, so you can help me!

[FrankLamont]

I'd suggest Kelby, though some disgaree... Along with Peterson (suggested above by Inkista). For beginners/semi-advanced people, somewhat easy to 'interpret'...