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Reddit mentions of Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera
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Reddit mentions: 102
We found 102 Reddit mentions of Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera. Here are the top ones.
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Height | 11.08 Inches |
Length | 8.53 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | August 2010 |
Weight | 1.60055602212 Pounds |
Width | 0.43 Inches |
I recommend the same book to every single beginner. "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0817439390
Thanks to all the great photographers that recommended it to me when I was a beginner.
A thread I can help with! Nighttime urban shots are my thing. First and foremost watch this video if you want to shoot low light handheld. By far it has helped me up my game more than any other advice I have receeived. Also, this has some great advice as well.
On your submitted photo
Good news:
Areas for improvement:
You have a good eye keep shooting! It gets easier every time you do it. I love this kind of work and I am happy to help with whatever advice I can. Feel free to message me with any questions.
Advice for the total newbie to lowlight shooting:
Time for some hard truths.
If you still want to shoot handheld.
Obligatory link to my work so you can get a sense of the style that I go for.
Full disclosure:
None of the links are affiliate links, they are simply products that I use every night I am out. I have bought all my own gear, this is strictly my own experience so your mileage may vary.
If people want to learn the same kind of basics regarding photography, but with picture illustrations and diagrams of the concepts discussed, I can highly recommend the book Understanding Exposure. It's very well written, and easy to understand.
Honestly if you don't know what they need from asking them, a gift card to Amazon. I'd much rather have that and spend it on what I need or whatever G.A.S. tells me I need than to receive a piece of kit that I didn't choose. I don't mean to sound rude, it's just that I rather prefer researching and choosing my own gear.
If you absolutely must, though, I recommend a book.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1907708952/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0817439390/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0961454733/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/159711247X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312420099/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Or a notebook for taking notes while out shooting, scouting, etc.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/8883701127/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
If you want a site, there's reddit photo class. If you want a physical book, there's Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson.
Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. Can't recommend it enough. http://amzn.com/0817439390
Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. I can't imagine a better book to start with.
Edit, link: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0817439390
I can heartily recommend Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. For the technics of your camera your manual is likely very useful.
Whilst I haven't read it myself, I've also heard very good things about The Photographer's Eye by Michael Freeman. There's another The Photographer's Eye by John Szarkowski that I gather is somewhat different, although this is the version I own myself and is a great book detailing style in photographs, but is probably not what you're looking for.
I use the Light Meter app on my phone in lieu of a dedicated light meter. It works really well for anything that is moderately well lit, but can struggle in the dark. For that I use the Ultimate Exposure Computer which works well on the caveat that you can guess the EV level accurately. One of these days I'm going to get a Zone IV Pentax spotmeter so I can become a true zoner (or is it zoneist?) Luckily there is about a stop of latitude with B&W film and it is possible to print stuff that is pretty far gone--it is just significantly more difficult.
If you are shooting in the daylight, go with Sunny 16 all the way. It makes things easy and I've gotten really good results working only off of that.
As far as exposure goes, I've been concentrating on creatively working with the depth of field more than anything. Exposure is just a way for the subject to be properly captured. If you want a book, I found "Understanding Exposure' by Bryan Peterson to be very helpful even though I already had a good handle on the basics.
One of the biggest elements to learning exposure from my personal experience is figuring how to see light. Next time you go outside look at where direct sunlight and the shadows fall and imagine how that will be translated to film. It takes a while to get used to, but eventually you will be able to make small adjustments to aperture or shutter speed based on the lighting conditions being faced. Hopefully this helped a bit--it's a bit late and there is a chance this didn't make a lick of sense.
The single best way to get better at anything: practice! In your case, take your camera and walk out the door. Go to a park, the mall, walk through your neighborhood.... and just shoot. Take pictures of anything and everything. And don't wait for something to shoot... go out and find something to shoot. You'll take a lot of crappy pictures at first but eventually you'll start finding diamonds in the rough.
As far as educating yourself, make sure you read your manual at least once from front to back. Knowing how to use your gear properly is essential. Secondly, pick up a copy of Bryan Peterson's book Understanding Exposure It's a great read for the beginner and helps you understand the basic mechanics of photography. Here are a few other links for you to check out: Kelby Training | Digital Photography School | photo.net
Well first is there enough light, you would need it to be quite bright to get a good exposure with those manual settings. Even though there is plenty of light in the hotel room I am in to see without a light my camera takes a black shot with those settings.
 
At ISO 100 and 1/250 I had to widen my aperture to f1.2 to get an ok shot
or
At ISO 100 and F8 I had to go to 1/15
or
at F8 and 1/250 I had to boost ISO to 2500
 
But ... I would also guess that you have skipped some of the book and gone straight to the practical exercises, you are not understanding what effect the settings have
Also - understanding shutter speeds is too specific in my view, this was my favourite book to get started
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Edition-Photographs/dp/0817439390
 
Aperture mode (Aperture priority) means that you can change the aperture and the camera decides the shutter speed. Very simplistically this is so you can have control over the depth of field
 
Shutter mode (Shutter priority) means you control the shutter speed and the camera decides the aperture. Very simplistically this is so you can have control over how quick the shot is taken. Fast (1/250 and faster) for fast moving subjects like animals, sports or children, slower (1/80) if you can get away with it for static objects or very slow for long exposures for effect (1/4, etc)
 
In both of these your camera might be able to have 'Auto ISO' to be sure to get a good exposure - but you are letting the camera make decisions (Which is good for you at this point!)
I would suggest you set the camera to each of the above modes, setting the aperture and priority to the settings from the book respectively in each mode and take note of what it sets the rest to for a good exposure - so you can start to understand the relationship
 
But... if you are only just starting photography, just go out and shoot in Auto or in Shutter mode at 1/100 with Auto ISO (1/100 is a good shutter speed to use for hand held photography, it's difficult to hand hold slower than 1/80 - 1/100 without good stabilisation)
 
Why? Photography is about composition, just go and take some photos of things, in your back garden or around your town - go and photograph, the technical bits can come later
I am a rank amateur photographer, but the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson gave me a good enough grounding on the ins and outs of exposure to allow me to shoot in manual when I want to. It is certainly too basic for any of the professionals here, but for anyone who is making the leap to shooting in manual mode, I recommend it.
Understanding Exposure is usually the book that gets tossed around. And it's a good book. Heck, I should go re-read my copy.
Understanding Exposure is a great book that is often recommended here.
As a photographer, there are really only 3 settings you care about to metering properly (ISO, shutter, aperture), which is why Understanding Exposure is such a highly recommended book for beginners. The rest of the features such as white balance, color, etc can all be adjusted if you shoot in RAW. Granted, that's not possible in most cameraphones today, but to me those are secondary features anyway, and in general most P&S cameras are pretty close in terms of getting those other features down. And most of the time it's not white balance that people are complaining about for cameraphone pics.
With that said, when the exposure is set properly, your photograph is going to turn out properly. That isn't to say that auto mode should be completely inferior. It should give you decent photos. When shooting in auto mode, my photos won't be artistic the way I like them, but they won't be horrid either. They will be just cookie cutter standard. So on a cameraphone, you expect that in auto mode you should get good photos. You shouldn't get noisy photos in a standard indoor photo unless you're at a dim restaurant. Autofocus should be reliable and accurate. Your camera shouldn't go below 1/15 shutter speed unless in very dim situations or you force it to use slow shutter. Those are general rules that software makers should be aware of and place restrictions on the software for light metering. You shouldn't need to mess with all these settings to get a decent shot. It should be setup so you can achieve that as long as you point, click, and hold your hand steady.
Part of what I see with cameraphones is that they frequently:
I can give you a few of the most important pieces of advice, and answer the most common questions right away.
The time to throw out the kit-lens and replace it with a better standard lens, is when you understand for yourself why you need to throw out your kit lens and replace it with something better. You will eventually get to a point where it's your equipment and not your skill that's holding back the quality of your pictures. That time wont come around this year. Quite probably not next year either.
My first real camera was a Pentax K1000. That brings back a lot of fond memories. I suggest you pick up a copy of Brian Peterson's Understanding Exposure to brush up on the technical bits, and Michael Freeman's The Photographer's Eye to learn a bit about composition.
Just keep in mind that the principles of photography ie exposure and all that are universal. You'll be tempted to seek out info specific to/learn about the camera, and I'm not saying that you shouldn't - but it's kind of like if you got a new Ferrari with a six speed gated shifter (yeah I know they don't make 'em any more), you wouldn't be looking for a book on how to drive a Ferrari, you'd want to learn how to, I guess, "drive" at a new level. Same here.
Yeah there are all kinds of obscure settings buried deep in the menus but understanding how aperture, ISO etc all work together is what you want to learn about. Don't worry too much about the camera's specific quirks while you're busy mastering that stuff. One of the fun things with the Fujis is that they have physical controls so you can just look at them and see what you're at, vs checking a screen.
If you're into books, check out "Understanding Exposure". Best thing out there.
Understanding Exposure
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Photographs-Camera/dp/0817439390/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417372569&sr=1-1&keywords=understanding+exposure
I always recommend the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson for anyone looking to take better photos. It's basically the best book possible for learning to take great photos.
The other issue that I noticed to the blown out highlights in the cloud and the overall look of the sky as you've processed it. Sunny landscapes are tough.
Some of these are underexposed. Notice the lack of detail in the shaded part of the rocks. Here's a book worth its weight in gold
Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure
Does it have to be an actual class? There are plenty of resources out there for self-learning. Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson is a classic for beginners to get you familiar with principles of exposure. Lynda.com also has a bunch of classes and it's free if you have a Houston library card.
I bought this book back and lend it to all of my friends who want to learn photography. Understanding Exposure
If you can, find a way to meet up with other "professional" photographers and see how they work. Studying poses is one thing, but actually posing a person is another.
I think that his/her point was that you need to wait for the light. Shooting during the golden hour--sunrise & sunset, you get better lighting. However, I don't think that this is the core of the problem, here. To reduce contrast or make other similar edits, I would recommend trying out some good image editing software, like Photoshop Elements. I'm not familiar with iPhoto, and can't comment on that.
Bu yes, absolutely you can make great images with a cheap camera--even a pinhole camera. Your photos aren't terrible, they just aren't very refined.
Issues I see with your images are:
In the first photo, which I'll call "LAKE," the treeline is quite dark, and the sky is very bright. Also, you have two wide-open expanses, the sky and the water, with objects in the middle. Typically, you'd want to put your objects (trees, far hills,) in one third (or so,) and leave either the top or bottom relatively empty. I tried an edit on this, and it was tough to crop--I wasn't able to really balance the image, but I tried.
Check out Understanding Exposure, by Bryan Peterson.
While I don't suggest trying to fix everything in post, here are some quick edits I played with. The SHORE image, I cropped more extremely. I don't feel like I nailed it with either edit, but I gave it a go. I used Photoshop, and did a number of things. (Too many, now that I look at my edits again...)
Might want to get the newest edition though.
Pick up a copy of Understanding Exposure. The book is generally light reading. It will help you understand what each of the 3 key settings are that control exposure, and why you may want to change each of them from different situations. Any time someone expresses interest in "moving beyond the A setting" I hand them this book.
Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson is a great place to start. Very easy read.
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Photographs-Camera/dp/0817439390
I picked up a m43 camera earlier this year after using point and shoots and crappy cell phone cameras for years. It's been a learning process, but it's also been a lot of fun. Here are the things that helped me most:
Really, just use it and enjoy it. I hope Santa is good to you this year!
I'd say get the Canon t2i kit with the 18-135mm and a nifty fifty.
That's $970 so far, but he'll probably want a bag that can hold the camera and extra lens. Tamrac makes great bags.
So you've got a great kit with a lot of range and a sharp prime that rocks at low light.
Additional recommended purchases would be the book Understanding Exposure and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4.
Edit: To be fair, maybe have him check out a Nikon DSLR (D5100 would be a comparable choice) along with a Canon to determine which one feels better. Both companies make great cameras of similar quality and performance—it really does come down to personal preference. And as a side note, I personally shoot a Nikon.
LY5, eh? Well I will try. Here is what I do:
If for some reason you want to go full hardcore and don't want to use your camera's built in light meter, you can learn the Sunny 16 Rule and estimate the correct exposure settings based on the available light.
I highly recommend that you actually learn this stuff inside and out. You will soon find that you don't need a reference chart. Also, why are you shooting full manual anyway if you don't know what you are doing? Just shoot in aperture priority mode and you should be fine. 98% of my photos are taken in aperture priority mode, so I don't have to manually mess around with shutter speeds.
EDIT: I recommend Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson.
Quasi-newbie myself with a similar rig (d5100):
Dude thanks for the proverb but I asked for book titles. I understand that I need to take more pictures, that wasn't even remotely in question. As an athlete I don't think reading a book on rugby tackling is going to make me the perfect tackler but it'll sure as hell help with the basics and knowing what to look for.
Similarly, if I know little to nothing about exposure, composition, and the basics of photography, continuing to take bad pictures will not help me as much as if I had actually read into these concepts and covered the fundamentals as to what I should be doing/prioritizing when taking a picture.
You don't go and just solve mathematical problems. You learn HOW to solve them (or at least build up a toolbox) then you go and practice solving them and using your tools until you've mastered that process.
And yes, your photography will improve through taking pictures, but to say that it will ONLY get better through photography? That's just incorrect. Reading a manual? I'll learn how to use my gear better. Better knowledge of gear? Better pictures. Knowing how exposure works? I'll know to crank up my shutter speed and change my aperture before I just resort to setting my ISO at 6400 and taking bright enough yet terribly grainy pictures. Knowing how to frame a picture or where to place the subject? That will make my photography more pleasing to the eye.
Going and taking a bunch of pictures will not inevitably make my picture quality as great as if I actually studied photography.
You don't tell someone who makes finger paintings to just keep painting. You show them what great art looks like, and maybe even teach them the basics. You don't say "eh, maybe if you do a couple thousand paintings you'll learn how to paint a beautiful landscape."
Just leave the cookie cutter answers that everyone gives when they don't want to be helpful in your head, and actually answer a question. If you have no answer, keep it to yourself.
The pretentious, non-helpful answers in this sub need to stop. Everybody knows that they need to take more pictures to get better. Help people when they ask questions.
OP- if you're looking for books I decided to look some up:
Understanding Exposure
The Photographer's Eye
These are both seen as great introduction books for beginners. From what I've read, the first will basically help you figure out what type of lighting and exposure settings you would want to get your desired look for a given scenario, whereas the second book will help you develop your creative abilities and understanding what makes a good picture.
Those might help out your photography a teeny bit, and you won't have to take a picture!
Probably the two books that helped me out the most:
Understanding Exposure
and
The Photographer's Eye
Pick up a copy of Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure. That will teach you the basics of what your camera is doing.
After that, I don't know how much creativity can be taught.
This is more for people starting out, but it's an outstanding technical resource -
[Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson] (http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Photographs-Camera/dp/0817439390/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344476953&sr=1-1&keywords=understanding+exposure)
From all you have written I am pretty sure that your camera is alright and you personally as a photographers have to learn to see light and how your camera thinks. This is absolutely normal for any beginner mind you!
Go to /r/photoclass2013 and go through all the lessons and assignments. This will give you a solid starting point and a lot of experimentation for you to see what everything is about. Additionally invest a little bit of money in this book here - Understanding Exposure.
If you've got your camera in full auto mode, then it'll automatically pick an aperture size, shutter speed, and ISO setting for you in order to properly expose a scene. If you're already at the widest possible aperture for your lens and the highest allowed ISO setting for your camera, then the only way to compensate is to use a slow shutter speed.
Generally speaking, anything slower than 1/60 or 1/30 of a second is going to require either really steady hands or external stabilization (e.g., a tripod). So the camera tries to help you out by popping up the flash to throw some additional light on the scene; that extra light will allow you to use a faster, more hand-holdable shutter speed and avoid camera shake.
Unfortunately, the camera only uses the detected light level to make this determination, and has no idea that those buildings are so far away that the flash isn't going to help at all. So now you've got a flash going off that does nothing, and a shutter speed that's too fast to properly expose the scene. Lose-lose situation.
So what should you do instead? Now you know you don't want the flash in this scenario, and you're probably already at the widest aperture and highest ISO. Your only option, then, is to find some way to stabilize the camera so it's not moving around while capturing the scene. If you don't have a tripod with you, then you can look for a bench or something to rest the camera on. In a pinch, you can try to rest the camera on the ground (and hopefully find something to prop it up towards the buildings) so it can stay open long enough to collect enough light to show off the buildings properly.
If you're just starting out, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Understanding Exposure. As for application of the popup flash and alternatives to it, there are literally entire books written about photographic lighting, but suffice it to say that you should almost never be using the popup. Picking up a basic hotshoe flash (and learning how to use it) can make for some astonishing pictures. I definitely surprised myself with what a simple flash bounced off the ceiling could do. :)
First off, let me paste this... I keep this in a text file on my desktop for this question, when it pops up:
You're on the right track, starting with the /r/photoclass subreddit. Now for your other questions...
As far as what is and isn't relevant, given most of your work would be shown on the web, don't get all hard over megapixels. Get what you can afford, but don't let yourself be swayed into getting a camera with a huge MP count. The higher numbers of megapixels come into play when you're doing close cropping, or printing large prints.
For example, take a look at this picture. I shot this several weeks ago with my Canon 40D, which has 10 megapixels. Are there cameras with higher megapixel counts? Sure. For the type of photography I do, though, this camera suits me perfectly.
As far as why you should get a DSLR versus a point-and-shoot, the biggest reason is lens interchangeability. A DSLR will let you change your lens based on the kind of shots you're taking, which gives you much MUCH more freedom in the kind of pictures you take. Also, DSLR's generally can offer you more freedom as you grow in your photography due to more advanced features (full manual mode, the ability to shoot Raw, etc), which ultimately give you far greater control over the finished product.
So to blanket answer your question, it's not the camera that produces great photos, but the photographer. Hand Ansel Adams a point-and-shoot camera and I guarantee he'll outshoot me with my 40D. You want to get a camera that you feel comfortable with, you can afford and gives you the greatest freedom to grow as your interest grows.
Does that help? :)
This is the best $20 you'll ever spend on photography.
Honestly I don't think that the post processing is the thing to worry about. Get out in front of people, get pictures of them not of them in a group from way in the back. There are a few where you're up in folks grills, but (and I may be projecting here) don't be afraid to just go up and make a portrait of the people. Taking pictures of people is terrifying for me, so up until the last year or so my shots looked a lot like yours, groups of people from the back, obvious that the camera wasn't in their field of view or consciousness. Then I sacked up a bit and got up in their faces and started asking if I could take their picture.
You'll be amazed how easy it is to just do once you decide to do it. The camera is a great ice breaker and for a shy guy like me, having it between me and gulp humans helps a lot.
Also go and buy the book Exposure, read it, then read it some more. Then take pictures, and read it again.
And regarding free software LR and PS both have 30 day free trials to check out.
(For those in NA, Canon D1100 = Canon T3)
Learn the basics first. It'll give you a good grounding to build on and then you can try different techniques.
Take a class if you can find one near you. Buy this book. Take lots of photos. Most importantly, enjoy yourself.
My only critique is to shoot as often as possible.
I also recommend buying this book.
This is hands down the best book on how to expose images properly that I've ever seen.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0817439390/ref=redir_mdp_mobile
If you're going to get tits deep into photoshop, check out this book.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0321356780/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1368307335&sr=8-1&pi=SL75
Go get Lightroom 5. It is in beta and it is free.
http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom5/
I really learned a lot from Bryan Peterson's books. I think Understanding Exposure is an excellent introduction to photography. He spends a lot of time explaining the relationships between shutter speed, aperture, and ISO in different situations. As well as going into the creative aspects of exposure. The second edition has been around a while. The third edition is coming out in a few weeks.
You really don't have to master a point and shoot to graduate to an SLR. I wasn't massively into photography before I got an SLR.
Make sure you research your camera, look at Nikon as well. You might also want to go for the T3 as someone else suggested, save the $200 and put it to a new lens when you get a hang of the camera.
Be sure you don't overburden yourself with extra equipment until you get the hang of your camera itself. I'd get a tripod, bag, and the Understanding Exposure to learn how to shoot manually.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0817439390/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0817463003&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1ZE81AM9ZZSD31P2YNFK
The book "[Understanding Exposure](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0817439390/"Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera ")" is an excellent resource. It will help you better understand the discrepancy between what the camera meter sees and what your exposure settings should be. One example is how you should dial back the exposure compensation when shooting in a green forested setting.
well, in general, I recommend Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson
Also this for portraiture
This book is awesome for beginners. It's a fairly quick read, so you might be ok just reading parts in a bookstore, but it's really worth getting.
Understanding Exposure
It's the best one I've come across. Adorama has some good video tutorials on their YouTube channel, though. I especially like the Keep You Shooting series by Bryan Peterson.
BTW, if you ever want to read a good book on learning photography, I highly recommend Bryan Peterson's book Understanding Exposure. He presents the information in a no nonsense way that really makes sense to me. I learned a lot from it.
YES. Photography is fun and really easy to get the hang of once you do a bit of studying. I'm a wedding photographer, and use Canon gear. Canon and Nikon both make top-notch cameras and lenses.
Honestly, the lens is the more important part. Nothing wrong with getting good used equipment to save some cash. You can get a 4-5 year old camera body (like a Canon 50D or 5D) for $500 or less. A couple of beginner lenses with good optical quality will set you back another $400-500 depending on what you want.
I always recommend "Understanding Exposure" for photog newbies:
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Edition-Photographs/dp/0817439390
It's a great book that puts things in simple terms and makes photography very accessible.
I would also highly recommend checking out POTN forums:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/
I've been on POTN for about 8 years and it has proved to be a great resource. I've bought and sold thousands of bucks worth of gear and gotten great advice from other users. Lots of pros and amateurs alike. It is Canon-centric but the photo sharing section obviously is open to anything.
Feel free to PM me with any questions as well!
There are a few things you can get without much info; but it'd help if you know what sort of things he likes to shoot (and where - indoor, outdoor), as well as how long he's been shooting for! (If he has an online portfolio (especially flickr) that may say what camera/lens he uses etc in the metadata, or just show what subjects he likes if you don't want to ask!)
Your best option however might be a book; understanding exposure and the photographers eye are ones often mentioned here that are pretty universal to any model camera or photography subject. (I don't own exposure, but I believe it's pretty useful for most beginner to intermediate shooters, Eye is probably a little more intermediate+ (it's understandable to all levels, but you have to want to put the effort in to use it if you see what I mean!))
I agree with reading the manual, but I would recommend reading it in conjunction with something like Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. Maybe manuals have gotten better (I have an older DSLR), but my manual explained the technical side of my camera's features without delving too much into the "why" aspect. This book (and there are others like it) will explain why you should be changing settings to get the most out of your camera.
Dgital Photography School is great, Lightstalking.com is another good one. I'd suggest studying on composition first, then work on mastering exposure. Bryan Peterson has written arguably the best book ever on exposure (all of his stuff is worth looking at) and this series by Scott Kelby can really accelerate the learning process, there is a lot of good information in there not directly related to operating your camera that you otherwise would only learn after years of experience.
Camera type is irrelevant. Those pics can be done with most any SLR (film) or DSLR. If you really want to know, then I recommend reading a book such as Bryan Peterson's, Understanding Exposure.
wrt cars specifically: flat metal surface & glass = polarized light so play with a circular polarizer (see reflection, see no reflection). Which, other than bokeh, I suspect you're picking up on but not articulating.
I doubt you'll see benefit from buying lenses before you understand the principles (aperture, focal length and iso) and Understanding Exposure is a very good resource. Also, old school still wins. ie., take a notepad, experiment and write plenty of notes.
The "Light", "Lens", "Film", "Exposure" and "Camera Film/Digital" articles linked here:
http://photo.net/making-photographs/ ....are an excellent primer - a good understanding of these concepts is critical, though mastering them is certainly not easy. The digital article is a bit dated, modern dSLRS are a lot better than they were even only 5 years ago - but still worth reading. And yes, the film article is also worth it even if you never use film in your life, if nothing else to recognize and understand its role in selecting exposure.
You can then start looking here:
http://photo.net/learn/photography-technique/ -which has plenty of more specific artlcles that get in to the different types of photography.
The more you read, the more you're going to want to rush out and start trying out the stuff you just learned. Do that! A lot! Because, well, you're going to make a lot of mistakes starting off, but you will learn and the more you shoot the more you'll learn.
Finally, if you're going to get only one photography book, make it this one:
http://www.amazon.ca/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Edition-Photographs/dp/0817439390
You've got the basic idea of what the controls do, keep shooting and try to picture the shot before you take the exposure and see if you can produce the image you want. Get a copy of Understanding Exposure and read it. Then read it again. The best thing you can do is shoot as much as possible and don't be afraid of shitty pictures. For a given shoot I might take 200 pictures and only keep 3-4. You will rarely, if ever, get the shot you want in one go.
The Olympus 25mm (if that's what you have) is really, really great. I spent a year shooting almost exclusively with that for a 365 project, and came to love it (just wish they made a 17mm of the same quality).
There are two books I always recommend to anyone just starting out, as they really helped me: Understanding Exposure and The Photographer's Eye. Might be worth a look!
You can learn how to use the camera by just spending time with your manual.
On the other hand, if you want to learn photo basics here are some great resources -
Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson -
http://www.amazon.in/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Edition-Photographs/dp/0817439390/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381293576&sr=8-1&keywords=understanding+exposure
Cambridge in color - one of the best online photography learning resources -
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/
Try "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. Simple to follow and a lot of great information.
[edit: link for the book on Amazon]
The best way to choose which DSLR you want to buy is to find out what brand of camera your friend who is the most in to photography uses. Then buy a camera of the same brand in your price range. Now you can borrow all their lenses.....
The second thing you need to do is realize that the best camera in the world can't fix crap composition or use of lighting. This book right here is an excellent tutor for understanding what all the settings on your camera do and why you might use them.
I personally have a Canon Rebel T2i (because my friend who has thousands of dollars invested in equipment, also shoots with a Canon). I shoot primarily with a 50mm lens (they refer to it as the Nifty-Fifty because it's $100 and offers huge bang for the buck).
Read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposure_(photography)
That's a bit of a complicated explanation, but it's probably the most comprehensive online.
There's an excellent book called Understanding Exposure that would teach you everything you need to know about photographic exposure.
Either this book to improve on my picture taking skills, or a gift card to go towards the purchase of a gopro camera (for corgi point of view shots, wedding, and honeymoon stuff)
I want an early present!
Happy early birthday and thanks for the contest! :D
Renting a good camera doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to get good pictures; how good you are with a camera and how much you are willing to learn are the most important factors. If you're looking into a DSLR then you need to take time to learn the camera and what settings to use when before you depart. Additionally, you'll probably need to get a better lens for it as well (whether renting or buying).
I guess what im trying to say is if you want a DSLR you need atleast a few weeks learning it + $1000 entry cost if purchasing, if you go for the low end model (Rebel XS body and, lets say, Tamron 18-270mm 3.5-6.2 VC Lens with rebate) and Understanding Exposure (http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Photographs-Camera/dp/0817439390/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310284264&sr=8-1 ) is a highly recommended book for learning how to get started.
I don't know renting costs near you.
If you're looking for something less sophisticated but still want some power behind your punch look into something like the SX30IS (http://www.amazon.com/Canon-SX30IS-Digital-Optical-Stabilized/dp/B0041RSPR8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310284110&sr=8-1) or http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-SX130IS-Stabilized-3-0-Inch/dp/B003ZSHNG8/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1310284168&sr=8-10
Nice photo and cute dog!
One thing to bear in mind is that it's very easy to overexpose photos when using fast primes, sometimes I even set my exposure as far down as -1 especially in broad daylight. When your photo looks burned out as the one you've taken does, try stopping it down to -1 and you'll see all the wonderful colour flooding back into the photo.
Obligatory. :)
Understand exposure is often mentioned here as a must read.
> I find as a techie person I just love to understand my gadgets entirely.
There's a lot involved (physics and image sensor technology, for one), but the set of Wikipedia articles on this stuff is pretty spectacular. From a sheer scientific perspective, they're a must-read.
As for actually taking the picture? You'll want to start with a copy of "Understanding Exposure".
Yes.
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Photographs-Camera/dp/0817439390/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310443030&sr=8-1
That is an amazing book to start learning with.
And there is no real reason to buy a big expensive camera as your first camera. If you can't operate it, you are wasting it. I bought a Nikon D80 with an 18~135mm lens (both refurbs) for around $800... You can get a D90 for alittle bit more.
But, before you buy a camera... I'd google around a lot, or go to
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/index.php
They are good people there, and since it is a dedicated photography forum, you will be able to find a lot more answers more quickly than here (simply because the mass quantities of posts here tend to swallow up 90% of them).
Understanding Exposure is a fantastic book for a beginner.
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Photographs-Camera/dp/0817439390/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322109400&sr=8-1
Excellent instructional / concepts : Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson
A book that really helped my learn about that is Understanding Exposure. It goes into how aperture settings (the f1.4 part of a lens), ISO and shutter speed let light into a photo -- and the basics of how to tweak those 3 settings to get the kinds of photos you're looking for. Great intro read that could help answer the question. The lower the number of the lens f-stop, the more light that lens can let in, and the better it'll be at taking photos in low light -- but the other two settings (ISO and shutter speed) might be enough as well.
Understanding Exposure
I should work on getting my camera fixed first. I have Understanding Exposure, but its been years since I cracked that book open.
I would recommend this book if you're just starting out, http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Edition-Photographs/dp/0817439390
try this book
I got the dummy book for my camera, and love it. So definitely give this a shot to get out of trial and error shooting.
This looks promising as well.
This may be another one to help get past the trial and error and help you understand more what you are doing.
This is one on my list because exposure can make or break a good photo.
This may help with your environmental/landscape photography.
And finally, this may help you challenge yourself to shoot things you wouldn't think of shooting normally, which will help you get better.
So hopefully some of those help you find what you are looking to do! :)
Check these out:
http://www.christianphoto.biz/
http://www.dmcameraclub.com/
And I reccommend the book Understanding Exposure http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Edition-Photographs/dp/0817439390
There are a lot of good reading around, on the internet and books as well, like http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Edition-Photographs/dp/0817439390
Also, this guy has pretty informative videos about basic stuff http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3A3SnPFPk0 you can SEE what happens when focal length, aperture, distance change..
I must add that shooting a lot, experimenting, asking questions, thinking is something you should do too :)
I thought about picking this book and browsed around on Amazon for it and noticed that a new edition is coming out on the 10th of August so you might want to check it out since it will probably be much more up to date with the digital stuff at least (the other edition was from 2004)
Understanding Exposure New Release
Usually photographers use the terms "wide" and "long" to talk about angle of view. In the beginning it would make the most since to say zoom in or zoom out because that is how everyone learns. But there are lens called primes that have a fixed length and don't zoom in our out. The most correct way to talk about the length is probably in mm. Lens lengths are measured in mm because the further away the lens is from the sensor the narrower the angle of view is and the bigger far away objects are. This is why telephoto or long lenses are also in fact big and long. Lenses get shorter up to a point where they can't physically get closer to the sensor because of the mirror or whatever and then some trickery is used (which I don't understand) and they get bigger again. If you have a zoom that comes with your camera try zooming all the way out then zooming all the way back in. There is a good chance it will be getting shorter and then pop back out suddenly at the end.
The longer your lens the more exaggerated any movement becomes either from you shaking the camera on accident or from the subject itself. There is actually a quick and dirty rule photographers use to eliminate camera shake - if you aren't using a tripod try and keep your shutter speed above the mm length you are using. So if your lens is set at 80 mm try to have a shutter speed above 1/80th of a second. It isn't absolute but it will help you know when you need to start worrying about camera shake.
As far as learning the basics Understanding Exposure is one of the best books I've ever read. There is a reason it is a best seller. At the time I read it I already knew exposure pretty well but I still learned a lot. This is because the book has a ton of example pictures with explanations on how the photo was taken and what thought process was used to get them.
For the cleaning kit, all she really needs is a rocket blower and some lens pens.
You can also get some disposable wipes.
These Sandisk SD cards should be plenty fast. They're not the absolute fastest that Sandisk makes anymore, which is why they're so cheap. (95mb/s vs 80mb/s. Not that big of a deal.)
Understanding Exposure has got to be the number 1 recommended book for the basics. It's an excellent book, but if she's already getting gigs, maybe she doesn't need it?
For posing, Picture Perfect Posing is the book to get.
This is all the cheap stuff. Lenses, bags, straps, lighting, and the other gear starts to get expensive. What kind of budget are you looking at? I know you said budget isn't an issue... but what does that mean? $500 for everything? $1000? $10,000?
Maybe you could pick up a camera and start taking an interest in it with her? That way its something you could do together and you learing something.
A book that thought me an awful lot was,
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Edition-Photographs/dp/0817439390/ref=pd_sim_b_1
From what I remember of it, I think it was pretty straight to the point, shouldnt be too much for an 11 year old, but you could fly through it yourself pretty quick and just explain it to her yourself.
As a few others have said too, the reddit photo class is fantastic.
Keep us updated on her (and yours?) progress.
if you're just starting out, I'd recommend Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson
Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure is a very good book. That said, before you leave, you should go over the materials contained at the top of this post to get a grasp on aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
I read this book. Just downloaded an 'ahem' pdf on my phone and read it during my spare time at work. It was extremely well written and entertaining and really puts photography into understanding. You start to think about light differently after reading this.
Depends on your style, but I don't think you NEEd to pay for a course just yet. There's so much info out there already.
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Edition-Photographs/dp/0817439390
Read this book --> http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Edition-Photographs/dp/0817439390
The book Understanding Exposure is a great intro to what you need to know to master manual mode. The basics are the same whether you're shooting film or digital.
Google "Sunny 16 rule" for guidelines on setting exposure without a meter outdoors.
/r/photoclass2015 is starting up on Jan 5. I'm one of the mods, come join us to learn about exposure and more.
To address your exposure issue, completely black or grainy, read Understanding Exposure. It isn't too long and I found it so interesting and a great introduction to understanding the exposure triangle.
Basically you have a triangle to balance:
You need to balance the three to get a correctly exposed picture. You can than use one to get the creative effect you want, Shutter Speed allows you to smooth or freeze movement, Aperture allows you to control depth of field and ISO allows you to compensate for the other two at the cost of Noise in the image.
But if you change one, you need to change a different setting equally and oppositely to compensate. It is referred to as 'stops'. So if you go up one stop in one setting you need to go down one stop in another. A stop of Shutter Speed is doubling it (1/400 -> 1/200 -> 1/100 etc.); A stop of Aperture is decreasing it by sqrt(2) about 1.4 (5.6 -> 4 -> 2.8 -> 2 -> 1.4 etc); A stop of ISO is doubling it (100 -> 200 -> 400 etc.).
Well this is my bible, I bought it when I first got into photography as a hobby and it honestly is so enlightening.
Understanding Exposure
It pretty much breaks down the different conditions in which you can find yourself, from lighting to framing etc and talks practically about how to get your head around f stops. In truth there is no 'right' way of doing things, as long as you have a basic understanding and get the results that you desire.
If you do ever wish to invest more time and money into things I'd recommend getting a decent second hand variable lens that can give you wide angle for things like landscapes, and also a good zoom to help you with portraits and the like.
I hope you do find the time one day as it is such a rewarding passion.
One of the reviews on Amazon said that "...this book doesn't read easily, or fast. It forces the readers to engage both sides of their brain, since paying close attention to the images is as important here as carefully reading the words." Do you think this would be overwhelming for a beginner?
I'm also looking at another book posted in this thread, Understanding Exposure. Have you heard anything about that one? I feel like Understanding Exposure is more technical with some elements of design while The Photographer's Eye is more focused on purely design and composition (like the subtitle says :P). Maybe you could give me your opinion of which is more valuable for someone with not much "real" photography experience?
Since you already got answers I'll add some other stuff. Thats a great camera and hopefully you be able to get loads of good shots of your daughters in the future that you will treasure. Pick up this book: Understanding Exposure and you will learn lots about how to use the camera and skills you will need as a beginner photographer.
Good ol' Understanding Exposure.
Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson is another excellent book. Instead of focusing on your camera, it explains the absolute basics of photography and you'll be able to apply that to any camera.
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Edition-Photographs/dp/0817439390
Anytime. I love encouraging new/young artists. If you get a chance check out this excellent book on photography. Even after years of photography this guy still teaches me amazing things. It's great for beginners and experts alike. It's easy to follow and is an amazing resource. Lots of people get frustrated early on, especially with modern/complicated cameras. This book breaks it down and makes it fun. Of course a little toke goes a long way in keeping it fun instead of frustrating. I wish you the best man.
Have fun!
Read
https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Photographs-Camera/dp/0817439390
Short and easy. I have no affiliation.
Get this book: http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Edition-Photographs/dp/0817439390
It's a really great read. Explains the basics. And like several others here, I'd be happy to go over some photography basics with you.
It's been a while but the U of O had a group of people that met on campus and went on photography walks from time to time when I worked there. It might be worth investigating if they still do that.
Upvote for you! Thank you for wanting to learn about it! Not sure if it's the coffee or you wanting to learn, but I'm excited for you.
I Shoot Film is a huge film group on Flickr to learn and share.
Here is the manual for the camera. The batteries are going to be common "357" or LR44 type. Probably two of them, if my memory is correct (darn coffee!!!!!!).
This is a good book to get a handle on using a camera creatively. If you want to get more indepth, this is a good book about Understanding Exposure.
I also shoot Minolta manual focus cameras similar to this, so let me know if you have any questions.
Understanding Exposure
Agreed. When I first started a few years ago I read all these guides but was lost on the terminology and how to put it all in use. This book made a lot of things finally click for me. He explains everything in very easy to understand way. Good read for a someone getting into it.
Do not worry about gear. As a new photographer you may get caught up in the "I need more gear" phase. That phase is expensive and not correct. You can take great pictures using whatever camera you have now and great lighting. I would suggest reading Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. People take great pictures with little to no gear. Check out this video by Chase Jarvis He is one of the best Commercial photographers in the world and talks all about how you dont need as much gear as you think. Good Luck.