Right, got a camera, now what?

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Eddy87

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Eddy
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Hi guys, complete newbie here, I have always wanted to get into photography but never did. I have this morning managed to pick up a Nikon D50 and have done a fair bit of reading on here and want to get started really.

Obviously I have started take pictures of everything and anything around me but want to start the real learning now. Its pretty damn cold outside right now so what can I photograph around the house, what things should I be playing with and trying to do etc? I don't have any fancy lenses or anything just yet, just the camera and its standard lens.

I really want to be playing with settings and taking the same photo's with different settings and seeing what does what etc, any advice on subjects or anything that's good to start with would be appreciated.

Eddy :)
 
Flowers are a classic thing to test out settings etc on. Try putting it in A or Aperture Priority mode and seeing what effect different aperture settings have.

There's a good post in the tutorials section on here that explains about exposure and the relationship between aperture, shutter speed and ISO - that's the main thing to get your head around really.
 
Take photo of EVERYTHING you can find :D

The kit lens is very well suited to situations with better light, like landscapes etc, if you're taking photos indoors you'll probably need the pop-up flash, which can make or break a photo depending on how it's used. If you have a tripod, put it on that, otherwise, a tabletop will do I'm sure.

Stick it in aperture priority mode (A or Av usually) and gradually change the aperture up or down, and see what it does to the depth of field, and the required exposure time. You'll be amazed how much you pick up, it's a steep learning curve, but stick at it!

Chris
 
Thanks both of you, (can't believe there isn't a thanks button on here) I will have a play and see what happens.

Is apeture the "easiest" of the adjustments to get you head around? I mean I have read and understand the basics, its just a case of seeing what I find I guess. Its when it gets to white balance/ISO and lighting that I start to get a bit scared.
 
I have found the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson very informative. Definitely worth a read in between shooting. :thumbs:
 
Eddy87 said:
Thanks both of you, (can't believe there isn't a thanks button on here) I will have a play and see what happens.

Is apeture the "easiest" of the adjustments to get you head around? I mean I have read and understand the basics, its just a case of seeing what I find I guess. Its when it gets to white balance/ISO and lighting that I start to get a bit scared.
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No worries, the alternative is revision (:gag:) anyway :D

Don't worry about white balance for the time being, that's getting a bit too much to take in all at once. The 3 key things that sort of define an exposure are:

Aperture
Shutter Speed
ISO

Personally I'd lock the ISO at a specific value, somewhere in the middle of it's range, say 200 or 400. Then all that you're doing is changing the aperture to see what effect that has on the shutter speed required to get the right exposure. Then do the same with the shutter speed, but if you're indoors you'll find that the aperture setting the camera has chosen will blink or something, to say that it still can't let enough light in. So you have to either use a longer shutter speed, or increase the ISO.

Sounds complicated, but it'll make more sense when you actually do it!
 
Lasagne said:
Steady, Eddy
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Sorry, I was meaning normally on v-bulletin sites there is a thanks tab for useful posts etc.

chris321 said:
No worries, the alternative is revision (:gag:) anyway :D

Don't worry about white balance for the time being, that's getting a bit too much to take in all at once. The 3 key things that sort of define an exposure are:

Aperture
Shutter Speed
ISO

Personally I'd lock the ISO at a specific value, somewhere in the middle of it's range, say 200 or 400. Then all that you're doing is changing the aperture to see what effect that has on the shutter speed required to get the right exposure. Then do the same with the shutter speed, but if you're indoors you'll find that the aperture setting the camera has chosen will blink or something, to say that it still can't let enough light in. So you have to either use a longer shutter speed, or increase the ISO.

Sounds complicated, but it'll make more sense when you actually do it!
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, yeah I have left the ISO alone so far, lowest on the camera is 200 so its just sitting at that and I have no plans to change it anytime soon :)

Its aperture that I want to play with for now, flowers seem a good isea so I'll have a go with them and a few bits around the house :thumbs:
 
Eddy, You're getting some good advice I think.

Now from what I remember the D50 is a rather nice camera, for one thing it has an in-body focus motor which means you can use an affordable 50mm f1.8 (nifty fifty) for those indoor shots when the wind is belting through the Fens, and not least, some D50s shipped with a rather nice 18-70mm lens which is far nicer than the 18-55s bundled today, hopefully you have one.

Happy shooting

John
 
I know this probably sounds really obvious but... go out and take some photos.
 
phototuition said:
Eddy, You're getting some good advice I think.

Now from what I remember the D50 is a rather nice camera, for one thing it has an in-body focus motor which means you can use an affordable 50mm f1.8 (nifty fifty) for those indoor shots when the wind is belting through the Fens, and not least, some D50s shipped with a rather nice 18-70mm lens which is far nicer than the 18-55s bundled today, hopefully you have one.

Happy shooting

John
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Unfortunately not. Nifty fifty you say?

I shall do some research.
 
when I bought my d40 - the User Guide is rubbish with a big R

goto Amazon and get the D50 Field Guide ..."link"

probably the only comment I have is dont do to many varied subjects to start

concentrate on - say landscapes - learn about lighting, aperture and DOF Depth of Field with different focal lengths

put up your first shots for comments - sometimes critical but never harsh - a way to learn ----good luck
 
So this nifty 50 doesn't allow any zoom or anything right? so its just good for bigger apertures and lighting settings etc?
 
Eddy87 said:
So this nifty 50 doesn't allow any zoom or anything right? so its just good for bigger apertures and lighting settings etc?
Click to expand...

if you Google Canon 50mm review you get lots like "this"

worth a read
 
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