help me with information pls.. new to photography

M

Marshall Mathers

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Sarath
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hi people .. couple of months ago I bought NIKON D5100 with Lens
AF-s NIKKOR 18-200 MM 1:3.5 - 5.6 G2 ED .

I have read through the manual more than half and found that it explains different options available but not photography.. as of now I am using only AUTO mode for all pics..

Can some one please guide me where to start with ?? and how to use my camera for good photography... guide me guys/gals... please put in as many views you have, eventhough someone replies please dont no hesitate to tell your thoughts.. Thanks in advance
 
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For now, stay in auto, see what you like to shoot then try out the auto-creative modes (ie portrait/macro/sports) to progress a little further and then when you have more idea about what you like to shoot and you want to be more creative with your images you can progress further with P, A, S & M - all the while reading & asking :) Enjoy
 
Iris said:
For now, stay in auto, see what you like to shoot then try out the auto-creative modes (ie portrait/macro/sports) to progress a little further and then when you have more idea about what you like to shoot and you want to be more creative with your images you can progress further with P, A, S & M - all the while reading & asking :) Enjoy
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k thanks.. can u suggest photo editor like photoshop.. photoshop is too confusing for me :cuckoo:
 
To get off auto I can reccomend Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson, and to take a better photograp to read The Photographer's Eye by Michael Freeman. Between them, these two books will teach you about the technicalities of exposure and the basics of composition. Good composition makes a far bigger difference to how pleasing an image is to look at - and whilst the camera can get the exposure correct on Auto, it can't help you take a more interesting image.

I wouldn't get too hung-up on editting software just yet, you can always come back to your shots later. But I would recommend Photoshop Express or Lightroom. They are very different types of editor, you can download free trials of them to try out. There are other, simpler editor such as Picassa which you may find easier to use when starting out.
 
There are also the Scott Kelby books which are an easier and more laid back read.
 
Definite vote for The Photographer's Eye by Michael Freeman from me as well - great on the nuts and bolts of how to compose images, and how to train yourself to "See a Shot" - I actually bought it in a bundle with The Photographer's Mind - another of Michael Freemans books, which goes into the why a composition works - the psychology behind the shot if you will. At the end of th day, a good knowledge of composition will help your photography with ANY camera, and will always stay with you, so it's worth spending a little time and money on.

Neither of the 2 books above are aimed at a beginner though - there's no getting to grips with your cameras and how to set this or that about them - but as it's a long time since I read any introductory works, I'll leave recommendations of that nature to someone with a bit more current knowledge.
 
There's a Tom Ang book (I'll track it down & find the name) which basically takes you through taking photographs and which settings to use on your camera (including auto-creative). He covers aspects of why to use that setting, what it will achieve and composition for the shot over many different scenarios. It's full of images as to what does & doesn't work.

As for software, I have Photoshop elements but would love to be able to afford full PS, other than that I use Aperture
 
If you want to have a go at photo editing then download a few of the free ones.

Just Google for Free photo editors.

Dave
 
thanks for the book recommendation Jen - I have added it my (alarmingly full of photo stuff) wish-lish.
 
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