Feeling very overwhelmed

D

doodledblue

Suspended / Banned
Messages
12
Edit My Images
No
Hi all.
Have had my canon 1100d for a few months but havent had too much of a chance to play until recently being a busy mum to two young boys etc.

I bought a dslr as I wanted to get a bit more into photography but gosh there seems so much to learn. I'm in no rush and I'm only taking photos for myself to enjoy and look back on so there's no pressure other than what I put on myself! I'm not looking to learn everything straight away obviously, I'm only really interested in making the photos I take better. I'm not really into artsy photography or becoming a professional, I'm happy with shots to jog the memory of the kids growing up and lovely views etc. I just want them to be a little better than the very average ones I was taking before!

Anyone else brand new to this and feeling overwhelmed?
 
It is a steep learning curve, but the more you use and experiment with the camera the easier it becomes. Welcome to the forum. Do not hesitate to ask questions. Have a read through some of the tutorials, they will surely help.
 
doodledblue said:
Anyone else brand new to this and feeling overwhelmed?
Click to expand...

I'm sure nearly everybody on here passed through this phase in one form or another.

You have a few things stacked in your favour. Firstly, you have found Talk Photography, which is stuffed full of people at every level of ability and nearly all of them are willing to offer help, for free! There is also stacks of stuff on here in the guides area, and all of it free. You'll find loads of useful stuff throughout the internet and youtube is stuffed full of great tuition videos from beginner level stuff right through to high end pro type work.

Ant the other thing in your favour is that learning from your mistakes in the digital camera era is basically free, so take as many shots as you can and play around till your heart's content as you have absolutely nothing to lose.

For what it's worth, if you're more of a book person, I found Bryan Peterson's 'Understanding Exposure' a great resource for absorbing the fundamentals but generally speaking I would say that learning what is referred to as the 'exposure triangle' should be number 1 on your priority list.
 
Agreed, we've all been a bit daunted when we feel swamped in a lack of knowledge. Sometimes the more you learn, the more you realise how much there is to learn
As Graham said, you've come to the right place for advice and info, my only suggestion if you're determined to work on learning from your mistakes, would be shoot raw and get a good editing software ( photoshop or lightroom) or even the free picassa or gimp(which seems a bit complicated)
 
I too am completely new to this and was a but taken back by how much I don't know. But I am finding it fun and fascinating learning as I go. Best thing to do is just to take it a step at a time x
 
Thanks all. Excellent replies, I really appreciate them.

I love the idea of going back and trying to improve on existing photos. There's a few places we love to take the kids so that sounds fun.

I look forward to getting stuck in some more here.
 
Yes, it's very overwhelming! I've had my 550D for about 6 weeks now and still haven't fully got to grips with it. I'll get there in the end, as you will.

And when in doubt, post up questions - there's some really knowledgable folk on here and they're happy to help.
 
Firstly, welcome to Talk Photography. This is a friendly place (mostly!) and the natives are harmless (mostly!). If all else fails bribe with Jaffa cakes :D If this is meaningless, search on Jaffa cakes!

Learning is a never ending process. But, the early times always seem harder. As others have said, get out and play. Then you can post what you like and ask others to suggest ways of improving.

But, the word 'improving' is subjective. There is never a 'right' way of doing anything. What I would say is learn basic exposure and the classic 'rule of thirds'. These will get you well on your way to producing nice images.

After that, it's up to you where you go. But, the most important thing is to enjoy it. :thumbs:
 
Thanks v8. Have found a great explanation of the exposure triangle to have a read through and got myself a photography book too.

Oh and I am quite an expert on jaffa cakes :-p
 
Welcome!

Jaffa cakes will stand you in good stead!!
 
:welcome: I've been a camera operator for 12 years now (documentary and corporate films) and i only started photography last year, the principals are the same so I already had the ability to see shots and frame them properly but there's also a lot i've had to learn aswell so don't feel bad about being overwhelmed.

A couple of simple rules that help make good photos are 1: the rule of thirds which means keeping your horizons in either the top or bottom third of the frame and 2: if you're shooting people be mindfull of the way they are facing...if they are facing left you frame them to the right and vice versa
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top