Tips to develop my photography skills

Temi_D

Temi_D

Temi_D

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Hello all :D
First a little background. I want to get into photography and be able to take awesome pictures and develop my processing skills. As of right now, I have only ever used simple point and shoot cameras and my photo taking ability is completely rubbish. Also, I have never edited a single photo in my entire life (apart from cropping). Thats is just to let you know that I'm a complete noob (but want to learn!).

I currently own a Panasonic TZ10 and because it has manual modes, I want to use it to teach myself photography. If all goes well and my skills develop, I plan to get a D5100 in a years time and take things to the next level. I also downloaded some photoshop tutorials which I will be going through. So my question to you photography experts is do you have any tips you can dish out? Also since I am starting from scratch, I am after resources that will both teach me how to take pictures and how to process them. Thx for reading :)
 
easiest way to start imo, stick with the P, A, and S modes,

P mode: Probably the easiest to start with, Set your iso to 200,
thats it, the camera will adjust the aperture and shutter automaticly

A mode: Aperture priority, You set the aperture and the camera sort the rest out, the aperture is represented by the F number (or F stops), the lower the F number i.e f/1.8, the wide the apreture and the more light the lens lets in for a faster shutter and lower iso options (although I rarely pass iso 400, usually around 100-300 in bright daylight) although in A mode, the camera will correct your iso and shutter speed.

S mode: this is shutter priority mode, this is better for starting with motion shots, weather your trying to capture freeze frame shots or motion blur, you control the shutter speed and the camera sorts out the aperture and iso.

Some cameras have the option to use partial automatic iso which I use in constantly changing weather, mines limited to iso 400 though so its doesnt go up to high and create loads of horrible noise.

Once you have done some shoots using the above modes, you will probably find you have ability to use manual mode and set everything yourself. dont feel bad about using the other settings, even pros use them lol
 
Don't use 'P' mode, you might as well be shooting on Auto for all it's worth!

Aperture priority mode is where it's at :) - And Manual!
 
the shadow said:
http://www.wikihow.com/Develop-Your-Photography-Skills
http://www.chrismarquardt.com/articles/101_tips_to_improve_your_photography.html
Click to expand...

Thanks for those links, found them really useful

Phate said:
Don't use 'P' mode, you might as well be shooting on Auto for all it's worth!

Aperture priority mode is where it's at :) - And Manual!
Click to expand...

At first I only used the automatic mode, then I tried the others. I dont quite get the manual mode yet but I like the shutter priority mode. I used the appature priority mode but no matter what I tried, I couldn't get a really blurry background. Now I mostly use the Program mode with a top limit of 400 iso and sometimes the shutter priority mode.

Also, is there a way to reduce the 'shinyness' on people's faces when I use flash?
 
A few more links I recommend you read/watch:

DSLR Tips

Chris Weston Tips (Video and Tuition PDF docs)

Blurred backgrounds are from shallow depths of field. Achieved by setting the camera to aperture priority and having the highest aperture (lowest visible number on display, ie. f/1.8 is larger than f/8.

Some lens' are better than others as they have greater maximum apertures. You can improve the effect by using a large focal length ie. setting camera to maximum zoom.
 
Right or wrong, I haven't bothered learning about photography. I just went out and practiced. Pointed the thing at something else, and listened to feedback. Maybe it shows but I'm having fun right now.

I do have a half-day booked at a course soon though. We'll see how it goes.
 
Clown said:
Right or wrong, I haven't bothered learning about photography. I just went out and practiced. Pointed the thing at something else, and listened to feedback. Maybe it shows but I'm having fun right now.

I do have a half-day booked at a course soon though. We'll see how it goes.
Click to expand...

Practice is learning, I highly recommend it. Just get out there and shoot the stuff you like. It won't be long before you learn what is required to get the results you want :)
 
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