Newbie to Photography

[Barney McGrew]

Having just treated myself to a Canon 450D complete with EFS 18-55mm, EFS 55-250mm lenses along with a Speedlite 430ex I am taking the plunge into photography.

Luckily I can screw all the above together and just point and shoot, but its all a bit expensive for a point and shoot so I want to learn the basics and devote my spare time to learning photography.

Can anyone recommend a site with a forum that would cater for the needs of a beginner and one that will teach me the tips etc.

Also open to suggestions of good books that may help.

Hopefully I will be posting some good photos in the months to come.

[Mr Anderson]

Can anyone recommend a site with a forum that would cater for the needs of a beginner and one that will teach me the tips etc.

This one, plus (among many others):
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php
http://community.dcmag.co.uk/forums/
http://photo.net/community/

And there are plenty of groups on Flickr with knowledgeable members.

Also open to suggestions of good books that may help.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Exposure-Photographs-Digital-Camera/dp/0817463003
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Photographers-Eye-Composition-Design-Digital/dp/1905814046/ref=pd_sim_b_4

[Barney McGrew]

Thanks for those. I shall have a good browse. Already noticed Peak Overload on there

[slaughteredlamb]

The best way to learn is to take photos and this is one of the biggest plus points of digital, taking photos doesn't cost you a penny! 

The best piece of advice I can offer is to slow down. Don't just rush about firing the shutter without knowing what settings you are using. You may have composed the shot beautifully but if you are using the wrong shutter speed, aperture or ISO it could all be for nothing.

Take your time, compose your shot carefully and then think about what aperture and shutter speed you would need. I would seriously recommend buying the Understanding Exposure book as this will teach you that there is no such thing as one correct exposure but rather a correct creative exposure. If your camera has a dof (Depth of Field) preview button then use it to see the effect that your aperture has over the depth of field (the area that is in focus front to back).

The best way to slow down is to use a tripod so if you can afford to get one it is worth it but tripods can be expensive. If you do buy a cheap one to begin with you will almost certainly end up buying a more expensive one later but whilst you are learning a cheap tripod might be best as they are usually very light and easy to use (which is also why you'll end up replacing it).

I would also suggest taking the same photo at different apertures and shutter speeds so that you can see for yourself the difference this makes to the final image.

There is a hell of a lot to learn but don't let that daunt you. For me one of the greatest things about photography is that you'll never know it all. In time you'll realise the effect that aperture, focal length, distant to subject, distance of subject from background all have over depth of field so that's four things that affect just one aspect of your photo and there are many other examples like this where multiple factors affect just one aspect but don't feel that you have to master all of them. Take them one at a time and the rest will just fall into place.

Apart from actually taking photos the single most import thing you need to do is ask questions. Ask questions of yourself but also ask questions to others too.

As well as the forums previously mentioned I would also highly recommend AVForums http://www.avforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=80

[Jeewhizz]

The Understanding Exposure book is very very good - highly recommended.

THere is a lot to learn, but, I"m finding it exceedingly enjoyable!

Get yourself on Flickr, and join the DDN group!

[samhs]

Sightly off topic from the question, but thought I'd throw this in:

The best advice I ever got from a photographer was to use a prime (fixed focal length) lens or, if you don't have one, to leave the zoom well alone. The essence of this is that you limit yourself to one focal length; instead of relying on a zoom to give you good composition, you have to move with your camera to get the best viewpoint on a scene or object. It teaches you to think "through the lens". This has served me well for going on 20 years of taking photos, and I highly recommend it as a place to start. You'll always feel tempted to use a zoom, but try to hold off! Once you're familiar with the angles that work, how to fill the frame with a nice composition, create natural "framing" within a composition, then by all means use your zoom.

Second useful quick titbit: It tends to be the case that when taking a photo, your brain edits out the peripheral stuff you're not focussed on. This can lead to odd elements appearing at the periphery of your shots as you were so hell-bent on getting the flower/church spire/person in focus, that your brain didn't see the rest of the composition - so you can end up with backgrounds cut off in an odd way. It can take some practice to teach yourself to look at the whole scene through the camera rather than the object of desire, but try to take a step back, look at all the elements that make up the composition, and try just moving the camera a little to the left or right to see if the composition is more pleasing as a result.

hth

[Mr Anderson]

Second useful quick titbit: It tends to be the case that when taking a photo, your brain edits out the peripheral stuff you're not focussed on. This can lead to odd elements appearing at the periphery of your shots as you were so hell-bent on getting the flower/church spire/person in focus, that your brain didn't see the rest of the composition -

And just to compound that, most dSLRs only show 95% of the frame in the viewfinder, so you don't get to see everything that might be in your photo unless you make a point of checking.

[MattC]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Exposure-Photographs-Digital-Camera/dp/0817463003

I just ordered that based on recommendations here.

[Jeewhizz]

You won't be disappointed!

[Barney McGrew]

I ordered it also, got to be worth the money if its recommended here. Thanks for all the hints and tips. Not only is this going to be an expensive hobby, but hopefully a fully enjoyable one with some good results.

[Mr Anderson]

I just ordered that based on recommendations here.

I ordered it also,

As Jee said, you won't be disappointed. It's a very good book that makes a complex subject easy to understand. And it's probably the most widely recommended book that I've ever seen too.

[keri]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Exposure-Photographs-Digital-Camera/dp/0817463003

I just ordered that based on recommendations here.

I' ordered it yesterday from recommendations on here and Jee on MSN 

[Britman]

ahhh good man. I'd agree with Sam on the prime lens and the best and cheapest would be the 50mm one from Canon, about £70. Go out with just this lens on.
As for my advice, don't be scared to ask questions, no matter how simple you think they are and don't be afraid to try something out.



As for sites.
www.ephotozine.com (they have regular members meetings all around the country)
www.eos-forums.com

[Barney McGrew]

You won't be disappointed!

I am actually very pleased. Having owned a 300D and now a nice new 450D I have never ever set the dial to M, only ever having it as a point and shoot on Auto. I am now using the Manual setting after reading only a few pages of the book, altering the aperture andshutter speed and already the photos are brighter and better looking. So far, I am pleased