Why do you feel that this is so important? I rarely use a tripod for anything other then self portraits or very long exposures. I would think that learning to use the camera would be most important. Just curious why you say tripod.
Experiment. Try different f-stops, shutter speeds, and ISO's and get to know the effects of them. Learing in the film days, we used to spend a lot of time (and money on prints) taking notes on what settings we made for a shot and review them later with the prints. Nowadays with digital, all that info is recorded for you on every photo in the exif data so it's very easy to shoot and review the info later. Shoot first, ask questions later (in a sense).
Learn all about exposure.
Never shoot in auto mode.
Take a lot of pictures.
Look at a lot of pictures and ask yourself what you dod and don't like abou them.
Take a lot more pictures.
Freeman Patterson - check out one of his books (there are several) and try some of his exercises. It's fun AND you learn at the same time. One of the titles that comes to mind is something like "Photographing The World Around You", or something like that. ;^)
Why do you feel that this is so important? I rarely use a tripod for anything other then self portraits or very long exposures. I would think that learning to use the camera would be most important. Just curious why you say tripod.
MattO
Tripods force you to slow down and think about what you are taking a picture of. You can't just lift the camera and rip a few shots off. The extra thought into exposure, composition and so forth will result in a better picture.
Shoot in manual mode and KNOW WHY your meter is located along the line. Look through your viewfinder and move the camera around and watch the meter move around. It's not always correct in the middle. Do a lot of bracketing to see/learn what works. Take a lot of pictures and take notes on your pics. Be a student of your own photography. If you have the camera or software, learn about the histogram and what it's telling you. And I agree about the tripod. It has made me slow down and think about a picture. In addition, use the self-timer or get a remote switch - you'll have sharper pictures.
Capture what's in your heart...what speaks to you, what compels you to shoot. Don't worry so much about the technicals because they come with time. You can become overwhelmed with histograms, meters, f/stops, etc. Don't get caught up in the pressure to buy bigger, better, faster, and lose sight of what's really important. If something moves you to photograph it, then do so. If you can explain why it is meaningful to you, and maybe one other person on the planet is moved by your image, then you have done what many here cannot.
...Take a lot of pictures and take notes on your pics...
For those that do take notes, we all jot down different things. What type of information do you write down?
One of the most helpful things you can write down is why you took the image. Notes like: I liked the light...The subject caught my attention...The colors/shapes/mood screamed to be captured...I felt happy/sad/appalled when I saw this.... These type of notes will help you evaluate later whether you achieved what you set out to do. Remember, the image begins in the mind first.
I'm going to risk a lot of boo's and hiss's here. Keep in mind that I'm still learning and be gentle please.
Read the manual, made my head hurt so recently bought a "for Dummies" and now waiting for time to read it.
This is where I'm risking ridicule...
What good is the f stop? I'm starting out with the P setting on the camera. When I set the f to say f9 and then zoom to where I want to be and press the shutter, it automtically resets the f to it's own idea of where it should be. When I feel I'm comfortable with the P setting I'll work on the rest, does this change from P - S - A - M? Just curious if it's worth spending a lot of time on if I really don't have a lot of say in the matter?
Okay, boo .... hiss away :-)
Originally posted by KaDi:
1. How to use your camera.
(Read the manual. Experiment with settings. Understand your equipment.)
I'm going to risk a lot of boo's and hiss's here. Keep in mind that I'm still learning and be gentle please.
Read the manual, made my head hurt so recently bought a "for Dummies" and now waiting for time to read it.
This is where I'm risking ridicule...
What good is the f stop? I'm starting out with the P setting on the camera. When I set the f to say f9 and then zoom to where I want to be and press the shutter, it automtically resets the f to it's own idea of where it should be. When I feel I'm comfortable with the P setting I'll work on the rest, does this change from P - S - A - M? Just curious if it's worth spending a lot of time on if I really don't have a lot of say in the matter?
Okay, boo .... hiss away :-)
Originally posted by KaDi:
1. How to use your camera.
(Read the manual. Experiment with settings. Understand your equipment.)
No boo/hisses, but a brief explanation of the differences between P - S - A - M
P = program which is an auto mode but has something called program shift. What the camera does initially is set an aperature/shutter speed combo for what it deems the correct exposure. By turning one of the wheels (I don't know what it is on the Nikon) you can shift to a different aperature/shutter speed combo that still results in the deemed correct exposure. --- good place to start ---
S = shutter priority - here's where you set the shutter speed you want to use and the camera chooses the aperature to match.
Av = aperature priority - here's where you set the aperature you want and the camera chooses the shutter speed to match
M = manual - here's where you have complete control. You choose both aperature and shutter speed.
BTW - aperature can be equated to f stop
edit: to add a difference between P and full Auto
P mode has the program shift and allows adjustments for other things and possibly allows you to shoot in RAW.
Auto does everything for you, doesn't have program shift and probably doesn't allow you to shoot in RAW.
...Take a lot of pictures and take notes on your pics...
For those that do take notes, we all jot down different things. What type of information do you write down?
A lot of my self-teaching these first few months has been about exposure and metering. I'll write what works in the scene and what doesn't - mostly because of the light, where the light is, what time of day, what the conditions are. I'll also note in the scene where the best points to meter from are.
At this point in my learning curve, I'm still thinking. I want to be able to react to a scene and the only thing the camera does is take the shot I want it take. You could say I'm starting to memorize different combinations so that I have a starting point that I'm comfortable with
