Best way to learn

NothingMan

Hi guys,

I'm sure this has been asked and answered a bajillion times but I looked over the threads and didn't see anything.

Just got myself a Canon 450d and am looking to take some shots half as good as some I see here. I was looking to maybe get into a beginners course in Dublin, preferably Tallaght, and if anyone has any recomendations, hopefully starting sooner than later.

Or would you learn as much/more/different things from just getting into a club or going on some boards expeditions?

I can see how important PP is, and i've started learning the basics of photoshop, luckily there are a lot of tutorials available for this and i'm learning some stuff.

Any help in getting by the overwhelming amount of info and start taking some good shots is much appreciated.

Thanks.

dan759

All I can say is be patient. For me it was mostly trial and error. You'll make mistakes, you'll learn from them. Just keep trying and trying!

PP isn't the be all end all. In my opinion you should try your first year with a DSLR without touching photoshop so you can learn how to get what you want with your camera without the need of PP if possible. I try to stay away from it as much as i can. I find it leads to a more photo-club style and standard. (No offence intended to all you photo-clubbers, its just my opinion:p).

As for courses, i don't live in the Dublin area, but, from what i hear there are plenty of evening courses or PLC portfolio courses in Dublin so i doubt you'll have a problem finding one

Best of luck with your 450D, I've had mine for 2 years now and it still works great

Kintarō Hattori

Practice practice practice. Mess around with the settigs of your camera and see what happens.

When you've had enough of that have a look through various sites such as Pix, Flickr, photography magazines and see what style of photos you want to try. Pick a few and give them a go.

For me personally I think I started taking reasonably decent photos when I got my hands on a 50mm. I was able to get some interesting results and it inspired me to take more shots and see what could be done.

When you're happy with the shots you've taken take them into the likes of photoshop/lightroom and experiment.

You don't necessarily have to join a club to learn. You'll pick things up as you go along. It might not seem like it at first, simply because there's so much that can be done with a good camera/lens/a little thought and some PP but you'll be fine if you stick with it.

Slidinginfinity

As far as the best way,...well that depends on how you learn.
If you are someone who does well with a class then the Institute of Photography have several classes and weekend work shops.
If you are someone who learns best by trials and error then read your manuals, find a decent, fairly thin book on the basics of photography (Understanding Exposure is frequently recommended around here) read it a couple of times while still getting out and taking photos.
Boards meet ups are fine for learning some basics if you ask questions, we all are generally pretty nice about answering.
Some people do well in a club setting, I find it is not for me.

Most importantly, go take photos.:)
Remember a bad shot is just an art shot that you didn't mean to take.:p
Failure is a learning experience.:eek:

Fenster

All technique is is knowing what you want to photograph, knowing how to photograph what you want to photograph and knowing how to present what you know you want to photograph and know how to photograph.

To get an eye for all of the above you need to go out and take photographs of what you want to take photographs of. Post your images, accept the critique. Learn from your successes and mistakes.

Nforce

Don't be afraid to experiment in Manual mode...Aperture (tv on canon?) and Shutter modes are great too....just steer clear of the programmed modes and full auto setting imo.

hbr

The best way to learn about it is to use it. The more mistakes you make, the more you will learn. The great joy about digital photography is that you are free to experiment. The cost of failure is low. There is no wasted film, no long delays waiting for developing/printing and almost no extra expense.

Start by using extreme settings. Use apertures (f) that are extremely large or small, use shutter times that are much too long or short. The resulting pictures will give you a better insight into what is happening.

Take note of the shutter, aperture and ISO setting that are used by the automatic modes and use these values as a starting point for your experiments. Any time you see a particularly nice photo on the web, have a look at the exif data (if available) to see what settings were used. Most photo sharing sites like pix.ie and flickr.com provide an easy way of viewing this information.

Read the little book that came with the Canon. Read some of the on-line guides and tutorials and buy a few books about digital photography. Don't be overwhelmed by the amount of information available. Learn a little at at time. Visit your local camera club. If they have a web forum or mailing list, have a look at the archives to see what they do and how they do it.

I wouldn't sign up for a course just yet. That is something you might want to consider later once you get over the initial excitement of playing with your new toy.

Most importantly, have fun and enjoy your new camera.

sikahunter

just spend more time behind the lens then the computer

magicbastarder

dan759 wrote: »

PP isn't the be all end all. In my opinion you should try your first year with a DSLR without touching photoshop so you can learn how to get what you want with your camera without the need of PP if possible.

couldn't agree more. do you want to learn photography or processing? they're seperate, but related, disciplines.

my usual advice is to make life hard on yourself. you don't learn (as mentioned above) from everything being set to auto. plus, you'll find it more rewarding to get a good shot with everything on manual (if you're anything like me).

baby and crumble

Yeah, definitely steer away from too much pp. Learn your camera before learning your programming. My Dad hasn't a clue of photoshop, but he continually turns out the best photos I see. All from his experience.

I find the best way to learn is to give stuff a go. Learn the basic stuff like iso, aperture, etc and then just go out taking as many photos as you can, messing with the settings.

I've personally found this site to be invaluable, in terms of generally finding out info i can't grasp somewhere else, getting feedback on my shots, getting inspiration from other people, and also getting encouraged to go out and take photos on the likes of the photowalks and stuff. The first one is a bit scary, but everyone's nice!

NothingMan

Cheers for all the advice. Obviously I do want to learn to take a good photo, but I also like the idea of PP. Kind of like 2 forms of creativity to make one final piece.

I took my camera into work today and went out during lunch. Had the camera in full manual and was messing around with aperture and shutter speeds. I took some god awful shots that were quickly erased and generally just figured out what changing the aperture does and what shutter speed works best for the light available.

Unfortunately it's a very gray day and looking back over the photos they look a little bland but there's one or two nice ones out of the 30 or so I took. I reckon a tripod is next on my list for some nice long exposures. Tried to replicate some effects here to little or no result but as you all say, "practice, preactice practice"

Also got stopped 3 times by people asking to take pics of them and once by 2 old american ladies asking why their photo's were coming out so dark (I reckon it was mainly their screen brightness and told them they should see more detail on a PC or print) I hope I was right. I guess walking around with an SLR makes me look like I might know something .

I will probably put up some of my attempts for C+C and see where I was going wrong. I took some nice shots in Croatia last year on a point & shoot on the lowest res (had no memory card) and I got some great shots that I know could have been a lot better with an SLR and some knowledge.

Look forward to talking with you all some more.

Again much obliged for the advice.

Kintarō Hattori

Just touching on something you've said there. Today is a grey day and pretty much no matter what the subject it'd be hard to get good shots. Light is absolutely king when it comes to taking great photos. Personally for me morning and evening are the best times when the sun is lower in the sky and the light is a little 'softer'.

When it's grey like today or excessively sunny it can be hard to get something you like. Light is king.

NothingMan

So here are some of the pics i've taken. Mainly today but some from 2 nights ago. I'd love some C+C.

Would have loved it to be looking up, but I was trying to get the setting right between aperture and shutter speed to get the background nice and soft.



Purposely not too straight. It looked too sterile straight. Don't know if I like the shadow on the neck.



Very hard to choose a point to line up with.


Last one i'll put up. Quite a grey day so no nice colours to play with, but I do like this building.



Let me know if i'm posting them to big or is there a particular etiquette when posting pics here.

Much appreciated.

Buckz

First off if the day is dull, the pictures probably will be dull too, with some exceptions. its still goood to practice, but don't be overly hard on yourself for dull (if technically excellent) results.
RTFM RTFM RTFM just read it. I did an advanced photography course where more than a quarter of the time was wasted showing people how to work their cameras. read a bit, try it out read more. My first SLR was fully manual, (back before the internet was invented.) I learnt exposure, ISO, compensation, depth of field etc through the manual, trial and error and a few magazines.
Magazines are great, there is always at least one doing beginner stuff, explaining the mechanics of photography.
Finally the Je ne sais quoi of what is a great photo and what is a record of the scene is impossible to define. the "rules" of composition (and when they don't apply) haven't changed since the renaissance, only the medium has changed. Through magazines, the net, here, look at pictures and figure out Why you like them, then look at your pictures and critically assess what they lack. Perfectionists are generally better photographers than slobs, albeit more depressed.
Treat picture taking & post process as separate issues. in particular aim to take great pictures, not average ones that can be "saved" by photoshop.post here and enjoy

Buckz

C&C
you have no difficulty with Manual exposure ;)Robert Capa said if your pictures aren't good enough get closer. the daffodil is nice- dull day suited it- but there is a lot of space around it. facing down isn't an issue- they do! (try getting below it!) Guitar- Nice idea. what about putting it on a white (or any colour) sheet, to give it a clean background. shoot this at lots of apertures and focal lengths, you will figure out all about depth of field and perspective, another class skipped.Building shot- similar to the daffodil- look at the edges- what do you wannt to include and exclude? when you take aphoto you are drawn to the subject so you will often miss what is happening at the edges...keep going.
(there were a few posts while I typed my first reply- soryy for doubling up other comments)

Mike Litoris

Yeah, its a horrible place to be when you want it all to happen at the start. It will eventually come to you if your hearts in it. Patience is all you need.

Taking a course is the obvious first step. Some books can be overwhelming but youtube is another good place. Understanding the why where when of using aperture/shutter/manual/iso early on frees you to start thinking creative instead of worrying if you've set the camera right.

For outdoors, try keeping it in the evening or at dawn. Shooting during the day especially when cloudy will result in flat looking pics when you are a novice.

Try shooting in B/W if the cam allows it and increase the contrast. Also using a fast lense like the 50mm 1.8 wide open can give you quick creative looking results.

Also if there's a picture or scene you feel really passionate about go out and try to shoot something similar.

ThOnda

I really like going through magazines and when I like a picture, processing or technique, I'll read it and try it. And record it on paper for possibility of repeating such process.
Reading books/magazines also helps to get more visual inspiration and to find what I don't like, like swans and overdone HDR pictures

sprinkles

It's already been said but the key (for me anyway) is to make sure the camera is set to manual mode. Mess around with the aperture, shutter speeds and iso settings and take note of how that changes the end result. You may only get 1 picture out of 10 the way you wanted it but you'll learn from your mistakes.

Compliment this with reading - I got Understanding Exposure, recommended on these forums and it got great reviews elsewhere on the interwebby. Also read the manual for the camera and if possible carry it with you until you know how everything works (mine found a permanent home in my camera bag).

Finally don't be afraid to post your pictures up here and ask for comments. There are some really talented people on here that have offered expert advise to a hell of a lot of people and it costs nothing. Read any thread you see with C&C - comments on others photographs can be applied to your own. If you ever need inspiration for things to shoot check out the Random Photo thread.

Enjoy!

FoxT

My process has been :
Read the camera manual.
Take 10,000 photos.
Read the camera manual again.
Take another 5,000 photos
Read the camera manual.
Delete 14,750 photos because they will all be crap. Of the remaining 250, maybe 5 will be very good. None will be excellent, though. The other 245 you are only keeping for sentimental reasons.


---This is as far s I have got.

---

My plan is -
Now you have 5 good photos. Well done! Read the camera manual. Look at blogs, photo sites, and your own stuff. What do you like? Why are you doing photography anyway? Where do you want to take it?
Set a project for yourself.
Read the camera manual again ( you still haven,t read it properly, you know)

Dont be disheartened by photos which are far, far better than any you have shot. This is about enjoyment, it isnt a competition. Read the one chapter of the camera manual you still havent figured out.

Go out again & shoot another 15000 .

Go back to step 1.

-FoxT