Beginners Support Group

kassie

Hi all, i'm a newbie where photography is concerned and am eager to learn the "tricks of the trade". This year i managed to get myself the Canon Powershot SX40 and have to say i'm thrilled with it and i'm not even using it to its full potential! While i've gotten to grips with all the automatic settings i now want to explore the manual settings. I searched around for courses and considered doing a Fetec Level 5 Digital Photography Course through my local Community College but after some not so good reviews on the course posted by members of boards.ie, i've opted to try and "self teach". On advice from fellow posters i have bought the book Understanding Exposure. I have tried to read up on ISO/Shutter Speed/Aperture(f.stops) prior to this and felt lost but only a few pages into this book i feel i understand the "triangle" a bit better now.

What i'm hoping to achieve from this post is to get fellow beginners to share their pics and post their queries/questions and concerns with the aim of getting helpful non technical replies without feeling dumb for asking what might seem a stupid question to someone more experienced. Like for example...

Last night i took my camera to a local canal lock to try and capture a water scene from the flowing lock after discovering how the shutter speed worked from the above book and taking a few shots of rain coming out the gutter of my house. But when i got to the lock, set my camera to manual and tried to set the shutter speed to 1 second, the pic came out mostly white, so i went back and fiddled with the f.stops and ISO until the exposure guide bar indicated it was a good mix of settings to take a "correct exposure" but the shutter speed wasn't slow enough to capture the effect of the water i was looking for (i hope i'm making sense here).

[IMG][/img] Coolnahay Lock by Mise Me Fein, on Flickr


Anyone else interested in being part of this thread/group?


(mods - i hope this is in the right section or that there isn't already a beginners thread somewhere??)

Mugatuu

Great idea starting a beginner thread! Got my dslr a few days ago and have loads of questions so this thread may come in really handy! Will share some photos soon! Thanks OP!

jonnybangbang

I'm a beginner as well, so i will probably be told I'm wrong. but you could try using a Neutral Density Filter on your lens. this will allow you to have longer shutter speeds to get the blur in the water i think your looking for and will help not to over expose. I had seen a video on youtube about it click here if you want to see it.

Kenny Logins

First thing to do is switch off the date stamp.

Stephen P

Go out early in the day or late in the evening to capture slow shutter speeds, at these times the sun is lower in the sky. During the day when the sun is higher there's lots of light around and all you'll get with a 1 second+ exposure is a white or very bright over exposed photo. You could also try it on an overcast day as the clouds diffuse the sun's light.

The Snipe

jonnybangbang wrote: »

I'm a beginner as well, so i will probably be told I'm wrong. but you could try using a Neutral Density Filter on your lens. this will allow you to have longer shutter speeds to get the blur in the water i think your looking for and will help not to over expose. I had seen a video on youtube about it click here if you want to see it.

You are indeed correct, and infact - a handy on is a variable ND Filter. I've got a 77mm Fader ND MK II From LightCraft Workshop and I find it very good! And a lot cheaper then buying a full set.

amdgilmore

I've only had a DSLR for 5 or 6 months. So I guess that makes me a beginner too.

I know a fair bit about photography from a technical perspective though, so can probably help out with those questions (it's putting knowledge into practice that's the problem!).

And yeah, you need an ND filter for the effect you're going for. And a tripod or something to place your camera on. At 1/30sec shutter speed or slower, you're going to start seeing serious problems with camera shake, so doing these shots hand-held is not smart (unless you're going for the arty, blurred long exposure thing).


If anybody's on Flickr, feel free to add me. Can never have too many contacts:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/amdgilmore/

kassie

wow!! wasn't expecting this sort of response, but so glad there are others out there like me

Kenny Loggins will do, it only appears on some pics for some reason, didn't realise the date would be big and ugly like this, but its all a learning process!

amdgilmore i have a tripod, its not a great one, its an old one off a video camera my mam had in the garage, thought i would dust it off and give it a run before i went to the expense of purchasing one... didn't use it on this pic, suppose i wanted to know for sure i had the correct settings on the camera before breaking out the tripod and going all "pro" LOL

stephenpthe pics were taken between 7/7.30 yesterday evening, it was quite sunny so that prob didn't help - thanks for the tip on early morning/late evening re shutter speed, something new learned today!!!

I will look into the ND lens, not very flush with cash (who is these days!!!) but maybe i can put it on my Xmas wish list!

I've a feeling this thread is going to become invaluable to me!!!

pete4130

If a tripod can hold your camera securely and safely its useable. I've used a AUS$19.90 tripod to hold €6000 worth of camera and lens easily (the strap was in my hand the whole time of course.....don't take risks).

There is always enough light, no matter how dark it is. Tripods and long exposures allow for this. Even if its 5, 10 or 20 minute exposures. The light is there. We just can't see it.

If you can't afford an ND filter, get a big pair of sunglasses cheap and use them if you can. Most things can he ghetto fixed to work. Some people use welding glass for shooting during the day.

If you can think of a botch and get it to work, then it will work to some effect.

vic20

Another beginner here. Have a Nikon D3100 for over a year but only started to realize it's full potential since buying "Understanding Exposure" recently.
Waiting on delivery of a remote trigger for it so that I can use it on it's (cheap Aldi) tripod easily.

kassie

just had a look at ebay for ND Filters, not as pricey as i thought, €15 + p&p... will defo look into getting one in the coming weeks!

Any of the newbies fancy setting ourselves a task/assignment, or maybe someone with more experience could set one for us, then we could post our pics and compare to see if we are doing it right or wrong?

jonnybangbang

Hi kassie. there is already something like that going on Boards.ie . The current months task is movie's it can be found here .


Although it doesn't give the C & C on photos but the winner is the person with the most likes on their photo.

kassie

thanks jonnybangbang, have been following that thread for a few months now ooogling the fab pics, but what i was hoping for is that someone more experienced would be kind enough to critique the beginners pics and even give advice on how to improve the shot, just friendly guidance from more experienced photographers, beginners and experienced folks enjoying a hobby in common!!

kassie

think i'm getting the hang of the shutter speed lol i took pics of my daughter on her swing last nite and some neighbouring sheep following the farmer in his tractor for their dinner, not the most exciting of subjects i know :rolleyes:

had shutter speed set to half a second i think

[IMG][/img] 22.08 (16) by Mise Me Fein, on Flickr

[IMG][/img] 22.08 (21) by Mise Me Fein, on Flickr

again, i had probs with the whiteness in the first few shots that i took given that i had a slow shutter speed, how i managed to get these i'm not quite sure, maybe as the evening went by and the natural light reduced (between 7.30/8.30) that had something to do with it? I'm definitely going to get myself a filter if it means i can play around with shutter speed a lot more in brighter conditions oh, and these pics were also taken on a tripod... if any of the neighbours saw me out in the garden taken pics of sheep from a tripod they prob think i'm loosing the plot!! :eek:

Kenny Logins

Give this a go.

http://camerasim.com/camera-simulator/

kassie

lol thats a great idea!!!! thanks

OldGoat

Post a Learning Curve Assignment thread in the Challanges forum. Each week or fortnight add a new assignment. All images posted in reply to the
assignment are open for C&C and for "How did you do that" questions.

Keep the assignments simple and straightforward. It should not a competation nor should it be about the interpertation of the theme, it's about how to take the photo.

kassie

Thanks oldgoat, might just do that, though i think us beginners would need a more experienced person to set assignments for us, doesn't have to be the same person for each assignment, just as long as there is an assignment every 2 weeks or so (or whatever time frames suits!)

alb

The best explanation that I found to help understand exposure and the relationship between iso, aperture and shutter speed was the water pipe analogy: It's breifly mentioned half way down this page: http://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/exposure-aperture-shutter-speed

Imagine you are using a hosepipe to fill a bucket to the brim. When the bucket is full that corresponds to a perfectly exposed photo.

Two things affect how much water we get in our bucket - the diameter of the hosepipe and how long we run the tap for. There are many combinations which will fill our bucket - from a narrow pipe left running for a long time to a wide pipe running for a short time, and everything in between.

A camera works in exactly the same way, with many combinations of aperture diameter ("hosepipe width") and shutter speed ("water running time") adding up to the same thing - a perfectly exposed photo ("full bucket").

I would add to this that the ISO setting is like changing how big your bucket is. At a very high ISO (6400) you only need a narrow hose (small aperture) or short time running (quick shutter speed) to fill a small bucket comapred to at a low ISO (e.g. 100) where you need to increase your aperture and or shutter speed.

I would also liken the time of day to how fast the water is coming through the hose. I.e. in bright sunshine the water is coming through the hose very quickly (lots of light!) so you need to keep your hose small or shutter speed small to make sure the bucket doesn't overflow, sometimes even your narrowest hose and shortest time running (shutter speed) won't be enough to stop the bucket overflowing (this is over exposure of the picture = blown out white parts.)

Conversely at night, when it's dark it's lke there's only a trickle of water coming through the hose, so even if you've the aperture wide open (large hose) you need a long shutter speed to allow enough water to trickle through. Maybe even the longest shutter speed the camera will allow won't be enough (e.g. one second) and you get an underexposed photo that is too dark (not enough water to fill the bucket).

Hope this helps?

squeakyduck

Another newb here! I got my first DSLR yesterday. A friend kindly helped me pick one out and got a good deal for me.

I got a Canon EOS 500D, I'm just about to go out and attempt to take some artsy fartsy pictures!

amdgilmore

Don't forget your beret

Tokyo

squeakyduck wrote: »

Another newb here! I got my first DSLR yesterday. A friend kindly helped me pick one out and got a good deal for me.

I got a Canon EOS 500D, I'm just about to go out and attempt to take some artsy fartsy pictures!

Good camera to start out with. If I may make a suggestion, ignore all of the presets on the mode dial, and concentrate on the standard three - Aperture priority, Shutter priority, and full manual (listed on Canon cameras as Av, Tv, and M respectively, if I'm not mistaken). Aperture priority (Av) is a good starting point - you select the size of the aperture opening, and the camera sets the appropriate shutter speed to match. Play around with different aperture sizes, and see how it affects how much light is let through, and more importantly, the depth of field (how much of the elements of the photo are in focus).

Read this for a good explanation of aperture size (f-stop)
http://www.uscoles.com/fstop.htm

...and this for an explanation of depth of field, and how it's affected by the aperture opening...
http://www.uscoles.com/depthoffield.html

superflyninja

chalk me down for the beginner stuff!!

OldGoat

Learning Curve assignments are being set in the Photo Challange forum.

Ben D Bus

Kenny Logins wrote: »

Give this a go.

http://camerasim.com/camera-simulator/

Desparately needs an "add a reflector" option

onewhogroks

Just got a Nikon D70s this morning. Count me in too!

zero19

You guys should participate in this http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056749028

A basic kit lens will do fine for it

megapixel

Me too

uck51js9zml2yt

great thread...but not so great for a few weeks with a broken collar bone and ribs:D
will keep reading though

Faing

Simeon Calm Fibula wrote: »

great thread...but not so great for a few weeks with a broken collar bone and ribs:D
will keep reading though

Don't let an injury inhibit you, theres tons of stuff to photograph in your own home. Learn a bit about macro whilst your busted scap and ribs mend. You don't need to be outside to get good shots, just look through some of the work on this forum, its inspiring. I just spent the last year recovering from similar injuries sustained via a motorbike wreck and know how ye are feeling, Get Well soon.

uck51js9zml2yt

Faing wrote: »

Don't let an injury inhibit you, theres tons of stuff to photograph in your own home. Learn a bit about macro whilst your busted scap and ribs mend. You don't need to be outside to get good shots, just look through some of the work on this forum, its inspiring. I just spent the last year recovering from similar injuries sustained via a motorbike wreck and know how ye are feeling, Get Well soon.

unless i can do it all with my left hand it just wont work sadly:D but do post your photos

pixbyjohn

Simeon Calm Fibula wrote: »

great thread...but not so great for a few weeks with a broken collar bone and ribs:D
will keep reading though

use a cheapie tripod for your camera and that should help you.

melekalikimaka

great thread, this forum taught me so much its unbelievable, we all need to get back to basics sometimes to remember why the hell we spent our savings on camera junk

uck51js9zml2yt

Can someone recommmend me a cheap way of getting macros.
Ive a Canon 1000D 58mm diameter lense.

TIA

megapixel

Anyone going to the nikon course today?

Gregor Samsa

Simeon Calm Fibula wrote: »

Can someone recommmend me a cheap way of getting macros.
Ive a Canon 1000D 58mm diameter lense.

TIA

Extension tubes. They fit between your camera and any lens (for the specific mount of your camera), mounting the lens further from the sensor and aiding magnification. You don't lose any optical quality, but you do lose some light. Some come in a set of 3, which can be used in any combination.

You can get ones that will allow autofocus on your lens to work (Kenko are a recommended brand), but to be honest, AF on 1:1 macro is pretty useless, so you'll most likely be using manual focus anyway. So you can happily save a few quid by getting a manual focus only set if you want.

Best technique is to set the focus on the lens to define your magnification (how much your subject fills the frame), then move yourself back and forward to get the subject in focus (we're talking movement of only a few cm here). It makes sense when you try it.

The good thing is that if you get into macro, and end up getting a dedicated true macro lens, you can still use the tubes with It for greater than 1:1 magnification.

Close up filters (diopters) are an other option, but you lose sharpness, and they'll only work with the lens diameter they're made for.

Reversing your current lens is the cheapest option of all, if you're willing to hand hold your lens backwards in front of your open camera. On my phone now, so I can't post a link about it, but I think dirtyghettokid posted about it recently. You'll need to stick the lens aperture manually somehow, and probably set your camera to "release without lens" (or similar setting), depending in model.

Only think about a dedicated macro lens if you get serious about it. Stick to something 90mm or above, to give yourself a decent working distance from your subject.

armitage1971

Yes count me in very much a beginner:)

pixbyjohn

Simeon Calm Fibula wrote: »

Can someone recommmend me a cheap way of getting macros.
Ive a Canon 1000D 58mm diameter lense.

TIA

Have a look at this link > http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Macro-Extension-Tube-Set-Canon-600D-550D-450D-500D-40D-50D-60D-5D-7D-Camera-/261016825785?pt=UK_Photography_CameraLenses_Lens_caps_hoods_adaptors_ET&hash=item3cc5d0afb9

kelly1

Just thought beginners would find this useful.

The first article explains what focal length is and the second explains
how focal length affects perspective and hence the composition. Very important concept to understand!

Explanation of focal length:
http://mansurovs.com/equivalent-focal-length-and-field-of-view

Effect of focal length on perspective:
http://www.photozone.de/focal-length-and-perspective

Basically, you decide what focal length you should use depending on the compostion you want. Do you want dramatic perspective? use a short focal length. Do you want a "compressed" perspective or uncluttered background? Use a long focal length.

Don't use the zoom when you should be using your feet!

Hope that's not too confusing!

CabanSail

Have a look at the Mentor thread in the Stickies.

strandsman

I also bought understanding exposure, excellent read, got some good tips from it.

vic20 wrote: »

Another beginner here. Have a Nikon D3100 for over a year but only started to realize it's full potential since buying "Understanding Exposure" recently.
Waiting on delivery of a remote trigger for it so that I can use it on it's (cheap Aldi) tripod easily.