Newbie looking for advice

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Chrissyronald

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Hi all.

Got myself a new Nikon D3100 and am just after any links or advice for a total newbie

thanks in advanced.


Chris :)
 
Apologies if this doesn't apply to you, I'm basing it on my own start with a D5000 a couple of years ago.

The D3100 is like any other DSLR in that it obeys all the same laws of physics that govern all other cameras so I would brush up on some basic theory first. Some would say to start with composition but I would advocate learning about exposure as first port of call. There are a number of good books, I particularly found 'Understanding Exposure' by Bryan Peterson useful or you could look on here in the tutorial section. Pookey amongst others have written some great notes on the subject.

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=440126

Once exposure theory sinks in, you're on your way and a lot of your camera's functionality will become self explanatory.
 
For me I found the best thing was just trial and error, im still learning now but im always eager to get out there and mess around. One of the first things I read about was exposure but especially aperture and ISO; shutter speed is quite self explanatory.
Just get out and have a crack or even sit in the house with your laptop taking photos and if theres anything you need to know or want find out more you can just look it up on Google. When I got my first DSLR I just sat in my room taking photos and when I came across something I didnt know I just Googled it straight away, that included techniques and features on the camera.
 
The best way I learnt was to actually take photos with my SLR! I'm not someone that looks at the manual and instructions, I often ditch them and try to learn myself. Learn your camera first, how it works, how to change the settings, how to switch to different modes. To supplement this, I would start with some of the links suggested above regarding exposure and the relationship between ISO, aperture and shutter speed.

Personally, I would stay away from the strobist 101 blog initially as this is to do with different kinds of lighting if you have at least one flashgun (which I am assuming you don't have at the moment). Stick to the basics of photography and once you've done that remember to keep practising!
 
Ok, I may have been a little premature offering up the Strobist blog. Donkey is right. Practice practice practice! Take shots of the same thing over and over, just changing settings and see the results for yourself. Even better, shoot tethered and you'll have instant feedback!
 
And don't forget you can post your pictures up here for advice. If you are struggling with something, post up your pics along with the settings you used and there's plenty of people willing to help. :)
 
Zarch said:
And don't forget you can post your pictures up here for advice. If you are struggling with something, post up your pics along with the settings you used and there's plenty of people willing to help. :)
Click to expand...

This is great advice. I think most beginners are probably reluctant to do this as they think their images will be torn apart but it's a brilliant learning tool to have people pour over your images and make suggestions, tips and even harsh criticism.
 
"Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson isn't a bad start if you're interested in reading.
 
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