Beginners - Where to start?

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phoebepants

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Michelle
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Hi

My other half and I are complete beginners to photography. My other half has an olympus e410 with the supplied lens and i am getting a canon ixus compact as no where near as technically minded as he is.

Where do you start? is there any books or magazines we should be looking at?

We have a little girl so my pics would mainly be of her but OH is wanting to get out and about with his camera.

Any idea's suggestions and help greatly appreciated.

Michelle
 
phoebepants said:
Hi

My other half and I are complete beginners to photography. My other half has an olympus e410 with the supplied lens and i am getting a canon ixus compact as no where near as technically minded as he is.

Where do you start? is there any books or magazines we should be looking at?

We have a little girl so my pics would mainly be of her but OH is wanting to get out and about with his camera.

Any idea's suggestions and help greatly appreciated.

Michelle
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You have already started ;) You have NO IDEA how quickly you will learn by using these here forums. They are awesome.

Gary.
 
Understand:
- Exposure, Aperture and DOF. Plenty of books about it. There are some top notch items in the tutorials section here on TP. These are the basics of photography. Start here.
- your camera. If you know what you are doing with it before hand then when you are out there it removes one problem from the equation

Try to remember to keep your batteries charged and an empty memory card in the camera. It's easy to forget.

Get out there and shoot. 'tis the only way. Doesnt matter what the subject is if you are trying to work out technique. No technique/knowledge and its hard to get good shots.
 
oldgit said:
Try to remember to keep your batteries charged and an empty memory card
Click to expand...

Yeah, I got given that advise too. I own 3 memory cards and 3 batteries and have NEVER had to change one 'out in the field' in my 6-8 months snapping.

Batteries seem to last forever in my camera
 
bbb said:
Read the manual, read the manual again then read the manual.

Then go out and take LOTS of photos. When you get to the point you're trying to do something it doesn't tell you how to do it in the manual come back on here and ask and you will get lots of specific advice :D
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I notice the OP mentioned a Canon IXUS. I just got my IXUS 960 IS today and trust me.... there is NO manual! There is a small online guide but it's not at all comprehensive. And knowing what the buttons do doesn't tell you what you need to know about light, composition, and the things that make photos really pop.

The second idea of taking LOTS of photos is helpful only if you understand what you're looking for and what makes one shot better than another. I agree more with the posters who say buy some books on composition and general digital photography, read the info on this website and others, and maybe join a photography club (although I hesitate to say this last one .... some clubs for beginners can be like sending someone in to swim with a tank of sharks!).
 
dont know where you live , but look at the nearest meet to you ,and go there .go walkabout with others ,and im sure most if not all will be more than happy to help you .( london next weekend if you are close )
 
Evening classes for basic photography skills are available in most cities. Check your local college for info. It really is worth considering..
 
68lbs said:
Yeah, I got given that advise too. I own 3 memory cards and 3 batteries and have NEVER had to change one 'out in the field' in my 6-8 months snapping.

Batteries seem to last forever in my camera
Click to expand...

thats good to hear as i only have one for now, only just got my 400D
 
just seen you are oop north Shell ,,,london may be too far , but keep an eye open for the oop north meets , well worth going to
 
Deano said:
Evening classes for basic photography skills are available in most cities. Check your local college for info. It really is worth considering..
Click to expand...


I did one, and although I felt it was a bit basic for my needs, it really would suit the OP down to the ground. It wasn`t for SLR`s only, there were plenty of people with compacts too.
 
For reading material, get yourself down to WH Smiths and thumb through the photography mags until you find one that you're comfortable with. The Tom Ang books might be worth checking out too.

Finding a local photography club is a great idea. It'll give you a chance to practice on a variety of different topics and get face-to-face advice.
 
Thanks for all your replies,

I will certainly be looking at the tutorials and gathering as much info as possible.

Yeah, i'm oop north - bit too far away from london :|

I'm thinking about paying for my OH to go on a Going Digital workshop at ripon for SLR's as his xmas pressie, there is also a compact one running at the same time so might just treat myself while i'm on.

CanaryJane: What do you think of the 960? there is a good offer on amazon at the min but it was a toss up between that and the 80is?

Thanks - i'm off to scour the tutorials!

Michelle
 
get out and take loadsa pics , get alot of memory cards and just shoot away, 80% may be rubbish but , the other 20% you can look at the data on the PC with a coffee and see where you went wrong with the 80% . Its always worth taking notes about weather ect and comparing it with the exif data.
 
The forums here are a brilliant place to learn so welcome to you both :)
The Open University do a course on Digital Photography which might be worth a look if you are Ok with distance learning.

Getting hands on with your cameras is invaluable and learn to use all the basic features first.

You say you are oop North, keep your eyes open for meets on here too. :)
 
Read, learn, make mistakes,learn from them and try again.

But the most important bit is to ENJOY what you are doing.....:thumbs:
 
My simple advice would be to enjoy what you take pictures of.
Some of your favorite picture you take will be, in other peoples eyes, completely wrong (E.g Lit, Composistion) but to you it will be a great capture.

Once you enjoy what you take picture of then you will enjoy learning on how you can improve.
 
phoebepants said:
CanaryJane: What do you think of the 960? there is a good offer on amazon at the min but it was a toss up between that and the 80is?

Thanks - i'm off to scour the tutorials!

Michelle
Click to expand...

My camera came yesterday but due my broken leg (now in a cast!), I'm a bit limited for mobility at the moment. We're going to a family dinner tomorrow so plan to take my first shots.

When I was looking for a camera, I really dug through dozens of reviews on the Internet and compared stats, too. All things considered, notably the incredible price at Amazon, I went with the 960 and am really happy I did. I'm basically a Canon person: 350D, Canon lens, Canon Powershot A360, Canon Powershot A580 (hubby's), and my old film camera: Canon EOS Elan 300. Also Canon printers (x2), Canon scanner, etc.

So far, all I can say is that I love the size and feel of the 960. It fits nicely in my handbag and it's also very smart looking. Tomorrow will be the real test.
 
try everything ..

you will take a while to find what suits your stle and passion..

i mainly shoot portraits but my real passion is nature....
portraits are great for learning to shoot my kids and maybe earn a couple of qiud but nature well that another game..

you may find your passion is with landscape or something else..

do what you enjoy most i would say and use the correct forum to help you learn there are alot of people on here that know alot and share it very offten.....



md:thumbs:


most of all whatever you do enjoy it :clap:
 
My advice would be to get to know your camera as well as you possibly can, I actually bought a DVD off ebay which goes through all the functions of the camera, which I still use as a reference today. Use the forums and get to know terms such as Aperture, ISO, Depth of Field, but most importantly, don't let it turn into like being back in school revising, get out there and use the cameras, ask for comments on your shots, enjoy your successful shots and learn from your not so successful ones
 
My advice Michelle is to be patient. I’m 50 next year and still have plenty to learn. Keep it fun as that will ensure your enjoyment and continued pleasure with photography.

And post your shots on here, great way to learn from a friendly bunch of people.
 
like others have said just go out and enjoy it!!!!!!!!!. have recently got a sony a200 and am still just taking shots with different settings just to experiment. just go out and enjoy what you take pictures off.
and if you put pics up online everyone here will always give you their opinion and no matter what it is it always helps
good luck and have fun
 
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