Photography

[discotex]

Step one - Learn the difference between shutter priority and aperture priority.

Step two - Learn about depth of field. Play with the extremes.

Step three - Think about getting a lens that goes to F2.8 or lower. You should understand why after 1 and 2.

Step three a - Go get the 50/1.8. It's like $140 (I'm guessing). Having a fixed focal length will make you focus on composition. Will make a great portrait lens too.

Step four - Focus on composition and what the light is doing (take photos early in the morning or at night or in the rain)

And all of this assumes you understand the basic operation of the camera e.g. where it meters the light from (should be set to spot or partial mode) and how to focus it properly.

Try to avoid massive cropping and colour correction in photoshop unless it's for a specific effect. For example sometimes I take a photo knowing I'll crop it into a square later. In other words don't use the computer as a crutch or you'll get lazy. The shit in, shit out rule always applies. You can polish a turd but it's still a turd. Etc.

[discotex]

Can anyone recommend good photography and photo-shop (to fix my photo's) online tutorials or books?

Or do the digital photography course at Artstation...

http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/what...sp#photography

[Niko14]

Awesome,
I'm do a bit of photography (Certainly no master though).
my 2 cents is just to reitterate what the others have said, digital is free, take your camera everywhere and photograph everything to get your eye in.

Everything Disco said is GOSPEL

Also, If you just wanna build some skills, try limiting your scope for a while eg "today I'm only gonna photograph things in my back yard". Then try it in different light. It's easy to take interesting pictures of really extraordinary stuff - showing the usual in unsual ways is the real test.

[sosman]

browse yr pics with photoshop bridge(built into photoshop) & it should tell ya what yr settings were when pic was taken

[Gremlin]

Just take shots, learn what makes them bad, what makes them good, practise practise practise. In time, you'll quickly "know" what you need, and how to do things.

The main thing I keep getting caught out on is not paying enough attention to all subject matter in the shot, so I'll have wires or a pole in the way.

I've got the same as you, kit lenses are fine for learning. Scenery is normally pretty easy to get right, track photography is some of the hardest, due to the speed, and having to track the bike.

[clmintie]

I've got the same camera as you and have been playing photographer for about a year. I generally just try to please myself and if others like it... cool... Have a look at my attachments on here, gives a history lessen of how I've progressed. Lately I've started shooting in RAW and using Adobe lightroom to process, but this takes a lot of time......

Enjoy your new hobby...........

[Headbanger]

Just starting out on this as a new hobby.

Any chance of an example?, I'd be keen to see what sort of photo these cameras take when used by someone new to the hobby.

Only asking as I have been toying with the idea of going down the same road.

And what did you pay for the camera?, I have been looking at the Sony A300.

[vifferman]

I thought about getting a Canon Eos 400D or 450D, as I have an Eos 1000FN (film camera) with a couple of lenses, and a Sony Cybershot, and needed something a bit better for our vacation photos. However, I opted in the end for a Canon S5i IS, as it was lighter and more compact, still had more features than I would use, no lenses to change, and the image stabilisation was perfect for shooting shots in a hurry from the bus, or pics of moving objects. It was brilliant, and the new model is even better, with 20X optical zoom.
However, having said that, one thing I really miss with the S5i is that it doesn't seem to be able to take accessory filters. For years, first with the Olympus I used to have, and then with the Eos, I used a polarising filter a lot of the time: it cuts out the glare, and makes for much sharper pix with better colour. The rest of the time, I used a neutral UV filter or a variety of effects filters for special occasions.

[Swoop]

The rest of the time, I used a neutral UV filter or a variety of effects filters for special occasions.

Likewise. Much cheaper to replace a scratched UV filter than an entire lens...

[Tank]

Any chance of an example?, I'd be keen to see what sort of photo these cameras take when used by someone new to the hobby.

Only asking as I have been toying with the idea of going down the same road.

And what did you pay for the camera?, I have been looking at the Sony A300.

I paid $700 with a couple of spare batteries and a spare 4gb memory card.

I will post a pic this evening - but be warned - I'm crap.

[NordieBoy]

Likewise. Much cheaper to replace a scratched UV filter than an entire lens...

I've got 3 nice scratches from gravel on my Sigma 70-200 f2.8 and havn't seen any indication they're degrading the pics yet.

[Maha]

Do ya do nude shots Tank?
I just this great idea for a xmas pezzie for Mom!!

[Tank]

Do ya do nude shots Tank?
I just this great idea for a xmas pezzie for Mom!!

Sure do - how do you want me posed?

Mom's gonna love this.

[nodrog:Me]

Sure do - how do you want me posed?.....

Dangerously, with it whipped out, no HIDing!

[discotex]

I've got 3 nice scratches from gravel on my Sigma 70-200 f2.8 and havn't seen any indication they're degrading the pics yet.

A UV filter will do wonders to remove glare and unwanted reflections but that $70 skylight filter won't do much.

In my opinion if you're not being careful enough with your lenses that you might scratch them them you're not taking enough care. If the lens is expensive enough to worry then why lower it's quality with a shit piece of glass in front?