Where did you learn how to use your camera?

[sublime]

I'm on my second day with my first digital camera, and from flipping through photography magazines with their pictures of cool effects, or browsing through these forums where technical mumbo-jumbo is the official language, I've come to realize that I don't have a clue what I'm doing with this camera. Someone mentioned in another thread that the LCD doesn't do the exposure justice, which blew me away, because now I don't know what my pictures will look like.

...but instead of complaining, I'd like to know how you learned advance techniques for digital photography. Unfortunately I'm not hooked up to the matrix (or am I....?) and I can't download all this information into my head. Did you take a course, or read a specific book, browse every website, or just used up thousands of batteries in your trial and error? What should I do? I want to take amazing pictures by next week, so the most expedient method will be the most appreciated.

[Suhit Gupta]

So I used to learn just by taking a lot of pictures and remembering what I did wrong or correctly in any given shot. But now I also go and sit, once every month or two, in the Barnes & Noble photgraphy section, and just preuse through books. Also, when I visit my friends at Oxford (England), I always visit Blackwell's (a bookstore) which has a special store dedicated to photography :).

Suhit

[Bob12]

Tough question, especially with your stated time element :) I learned a lot of basic photography from a good friend in high school who went on to become a professional photographer. You can get "how to" books and take classes, but the biggest key is "developing" your eye. This means learning to "see" a picture before you take it. As an example, you're on a wooded lakefront and decide to take a picture of the lake and an island in it. Remember that when you look at something, you generally have selective vision and ignore what you don't want to see. A camera sees exactly what's there. So, if you think the island will make a good picture, remember that, unless you zoom in on it, the camera will see it and everything around it. But, instead of standing at the shoreline, consider backing up and framing the island between trees and overhanging branches on yuour side of the lake. The result will be an emphasis on the island with added foreground for perspective.

One of the beauties of a digital camera is that they make it very easy to learn by trial and error. When you find out how to control something, you can take several shots with varying setting on the camera. Eventually, you'll develop the ability to see those pictures and know exactly what to do to get what you want.

[Raven]

Someone mentioned in another thread that the LCD doesn't do the exposure justice, which blew me away, because now I don't know what my pictures will look like.

Check if your camera has a histogram view in playback mode. Some of the newer ones will even give you a live histogram on the LCD while composing your pictures. I believe even experienced photographers use the Histogram tool in Photoshop to check for correct exposure.

Don't have histogram? Then just do some trial and error picture taking to "calibrate" how much brighter your LCD display is.

BTW, I learnt how to use my dad's old Canon T70 by reading the manual over and over again. Back in those days the manual actually contained tips on how to make the most of your camera. :P

[Jonathan Schmidt]

I would agree with the other posts. I learned the most about the camera by taking a lot of pictures. A few things I focussed at the beginning:

-First tried the automatic mode with basic settings to try to get the hang of the simple controls first.

-Found that the LCD really wasn't good to judge the actual quality of the photo, but it is good for making sure that the framing is good, people didn't blink, etc.

-Played around with the connection to the PC. Downloading your pictures is really the best way to judge the work you've done. I tried connecting the camera directly with supplied USB connector. I found for my purposes, it was faster and easier to use a CompactFlash reader instead.

-Take a lot of pictures... even if they are just around the house. It will give you a lot of chance to practice. The best part is that because they are digital, it doesn' cost you anything to make a mistake when you practice. Take my advice on this. By practicing, you will become much more comfortable with the camera and its features. That way, you won't have to think about it as much when you are taking those important shots. You don't want to miss a shot when it counts.

Hope this helps!

[Raven]

people didn't blink, etc.
:lol: Thats probably the single most compelling reason to switch to digital.

sublime, provided your camera supports this, you might want to connect your camera through the USB port and use Remote Capture software to play around with settings. Try focusing on some object with specular highlights (maybe a round brass doorknob) and change exposure, white balance, flash etc.

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Hmm.. mine was in spurts. But most of my basic knowledge was picked up as a kid using dad's camera, some of his advice, and a few of his books. Heh, I burnt quite a bit of film back then. =P

[JTWise]

So Sublime, are you wanting to learn more about exposure, filters, and other "traditional" camera techniques that apply to both digital and film cameras, or are you comfortable with the basics of film photography and just trying to make the leap to digital?

If you want to learn more about the principles of photography, there are some great books out there. My personal favorites are the National Geographic Photography Field Guide and any of John Shaw's books.

As for the digital thing, I will echo what everyone else says - just play around and don't be afraid to experiment. I started learning about photo editing by trial and error, then by reading the Photoshop for Dummies type stuff. I am slowly but surely picking up more as time goes on. Be patient and keep at it.

Oh, and I would recommend buying some rechargeable batteries for that camera or buying the manufacturer lithium-ion battery if it is available. It will save you a lot of grief and $$. These things are battery hogs. The best thing I ever did was move from my old HP 1M camera to my Cannon G2. The rechargeable L-I battery lasts forever !!

Keep shooting and keep playing around. The best part of digital is the ability to erase your mistakes, enhance marginal shots, and to keep your original picture intact while you experiment in post-production. Best of luck ![/b]