A new beginner's introduction

[colinjm]

Hello All,

Regular worktime lurker here. I'm trying to get into Photography as a hobby, We've just upgraded from a Canon Ixus II to a Panasonic DMC-FZ30. The Panasonic is an excellent camera, but at present I can only use it on automatic, all the functions are a bit greek to me.

I've done a search on here, and have seen this thread www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=199165&f=109&h=0&hw=beginner+books from tonyhetherington and i've had a read. I'd love a copy of SimpoTwo's guide, so i'll drop him a PM.

I'm about to order a copy of Basic Photography by Michael Langford, so hopefully I can learn the basics from this.

One of the problems I think is that I tend to just point and shoot still...This means sometimes I get lucky, but there's no real skill in this. I also seem to have some sub-concious phobia of deleting photo's from the PC, so I end up with gig's and gigs of pics that are worthless, but hey at least i back them up

I think i'd describe myself as half creative, I seem to try to compose an image, then get sidetracked, rush it, and move on to something else to shoot. Am I destined to get over this, can 'Anyone' become a competent photographer. I'm hoping that by learning how to set-up the camera myself, I will become more focused on the image. I dont think using 'auto' mode helps.

Anyway, sorry about the rather pointless post, but thanks for the excellent advice i've already gained from this forum, and the pics shown by some inspire me to pull my finger out and stop being such a lazy 'point and shooter'.

[Gemm]

Let's see those worthless shots and give us a laugh!

Joking aside, don't worry about shooting in 'auto'; you'll get out of it once you know the basics. There are still many high-end DSLR users who only use Auto.

Edited by Gemm on Friday 4th August 11:17

[TheStoat]

I've got a 20D and still take crap photos! I'm learning just like you at the moment so don't panic. I'm slowly weaning myself off of Auto although I was so distressed by the flash constantly going off that I immediately disabled it and bought a tripod

I'll make a deal with you - you post up a crap photo and then I'll post one up too. That way we can get an "Absolute Beginner's" thread going with tips on our composition etc rather than whether we should have "stopped down for more DOF" etc

Right then, as I've now got a good feel for my camera and lenses I'm off to buy Langford's Home Porn for Dummies too!

Cheers,

Andy

[colinjm]

Hehe, i'll gladly post some photo's but i'm at work and dont have access to them. Forgot my laptop today too.

I'll try and get some posted tonight, i like the idea of getting constructive criticism on here.

Thanks all.

[TheStoat]

Well, (assuming I manage to post successfully) here's a starter:




I took this picture on an early morning Tunnel Run and as such it is only meant to be posted there. The context of the Tunnel Run thread meant that this "emergency survival guide" I spotted in someone's TVR made sense to the people viewing it. I loved the simplicity of the picture - I was nosing around a TVR and just spotted the ready-made image. The contrast of the colour on the items and the cream leather interior meant that the survival kit naturally stood out. I could have cropped/zoomed in more but I felt then it wouldn't be obvious even to the Tunnel Runners that I was shooting the inside of someone's car. I think the depth of field allows the head rest in the bottom right to be blurred enough not to distract but still recognisable. Am I talking rubbish or does any of this make sense?

BTW, I have just ordered Langford's Basic and Advanced books but only because together they qualify for free shipping Might be a while before I'm using the Advanced book...

Andy

P.S. Sorry about the shockingly small photo but I don't know how to upload directly and I've only got a freebie photobox account

Edited to say that is sooooo not how you spell "they"!

Edited by TheStoat on Friday 4th August 13:23

[imperialism2024]

TheStoat said:

Well, (assuming I manage to post successfully) here's a starter:




I took this picture on an early morning Tunnel Run and as such it is only meant to be posted there. The context of the Tunnel Run thread meant that this "emergency survival guide" I spotted in someone's TVR made sense to the people viewing it. I loved the simplicity of the picture - I was nosing around a TVR and just spotted the ready-made image. The contrast of the colour on the items and the cream leather interior meant that the survival kit naturally stood out. I could have cropped/zoomed in more but I felt then it wouldn't be obvious even to the Tunnel Runners that I was shooting the inside of someone's car. I think the depth of field allows the head rest in the bottom right to be blurred enough not to distract but still recognisable. Am I talking rubbish or does any of this make sense?

That's very nice, and it seems as though you have a good eye for composition, which is the most important aspect of photography in these PS-laden days. If your photo has good composition yet isn't technically good, you can also edit it in PS to bring it closer to being good. Take a look here: www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=294702&f=109&h=0

And it's better to post a picture that's too small than one 900+ pixels wide due to not reading this: www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=293419&f=109&h=0

Edited to add: I'd say that becoming a good photographer and acquiring skills will tend to occur in steps, with each successive step requiring the mastery of the previous step, IMHO:

1) Composition
2) Photoshop post-processing
3) Exposure and Lighting
4) Depth of Field
5) Sharpness
6) Color

Edited by imperialism2024 on Friday 4th August 16:08

[TheStoat]

Yep, I'd agree with the need for composition!

Just one item I would put on your list at position 0. is Camera Competency i.e. familiarity with your particular camera and equipment. Unless you have the ability to quickly change settings without staring at the camera to find the right button or ring then you're going to miss opportunities, even with landscapes

Whilst I haven't got around all the 20D's menus yet I am much better prepared to try out the remaining steps now that I can handle the camera efficiently. Currently still working on composition...

Andy

[V6GTO]

TheStoat said:

Currently still working on composition...

Andy

Judging by the shot above I'd say you're doing fine mate

Martin.

[TheStoat]

Thanks for the feedback guys, I think this shot sums up nicely where I've got to so far... either that or I was tired and hungry when the owner caught me staring at his Snickers bar and I needed a cover story/excuse

[colinjm]

Here's some of my pics, the favourites though, not the worthless ones. They have all been taken with the Panasonic Lumix FZ30, and none have had any processing done on them in PS. They are all stored on the camera as hi-res JPG's and not as RAW.

[url]http://s62.photobucket.com/albums/h10[/url]

Please let me know your opinions on these pics. We've not had the camera long, so there's not a massive selection of pics so far.

Thanks

Colin

Edited to add :- I love that pic from in the car of the emergency rations, it's so simple, yet makes such a great photograph.

Edited by colinjm on Friday 4th August 19:47

[imperialism2024]

colinjm said:

Here's some of my pics

Very nice overall, especially considering they are straight from the camera. They seem a tad overexposed, which I've noticed on my FZ-20 as well. Perhaps you could try dialing in -1 EV or so depending on the conditions and how the pictures are turning out.

[TheStoat]

Yeah I think the colours look a little washed out (on my uncalibrated monitor!) but do they show up like that on your camera's screen? How would you know to compensate for that? Would you check the white balance from the camera afterwards?

I just love the cheetah photo! He's looking *right* at you with an expression of quiet disdain - hilarious I also like the way the depth of field encompasses the whole platform as well as the cheetah, I must learn how to do that when my manuals turn up!

[imperialism2024]

TheStoat said:

Yeah I think the colours look a little washed out (on my uncalibrated monitor!) but do they show up like that on your camera's screen? How would you know to compensate for that? Would you check the white balance from the camera afterwards?

There should be an option in the camera where it blinks the blown highlights when you review pictures. You can see blown highlights on the screen, but it's harder to spot them without this feature. Just look at the shot you've taken, and if there are too many blown highlights, then go into the negatives for exposure compensation and take the shot again. Rinse and repeat. Soon you should be able to get a feel for where the camera needs what kind of adjustment. I know with my D70, before landscapes I need to dial in about -1EV in broad daylight, macro about +0.3EV, etc etc.

[colinjm]

Excellent, there is a blown highlights function, i'll have to find it.

btw, the cheetah pic was taken on 12x optical zoom with me holding the camera about 8 foot in the air while standing on a table to see over the fence. Total luck with that shot, the camera has a 'fold out and twist about' screen so you can hold it above your head and still see the screen to compose the picture.

Thanks for the advice so far.

[Imperialism2024]

colinjm said:

btw, the cheetah pic was taken on 12x optical zoom with me holding the camera about 8 foot in the air while standing on a table to see over the fence. Total luck with that shot, the camera has a 'fold out and twist about' screen so you can hold it above your head and still see the screen to compose the picture.

And a 1/1.8" sensor with an f/2.8 lens and image stabilization... and of course being held by someone with a caffeine deficiency

[GetCarter]

Re: Auto:

My camera gets put to bed in auto and stays that way until I want to change it. Often it's not needed. Auto will deal with most situations quicker and better than human brains can (well my brain, but it is an older model... almost redundant in fact).

When you know what the clever settings do, you'll need them to get the best pics (I mostly rely on apature priority), and they really do make perfect sense after a bit of practice.

Best VERY general beginners tip - In Speed or Apature mode:

Slow shutter speed = lots of depth of field for landscapes = good.
Fast shutter speed = narrow depth of field for portraits = good.

Good luck!