Begginers what have you learnt so far

[Nikkie]

I have learnt the funniest thing actually! I've just returned to AP after a brief hiatus thinking I had mastered the exposure triangle (that's a work in progress). So I started reading the learning plan, starting with "how to hold your camera" which I'll admit I nearly didn't read. Read it, disregarded it as I cannot hold the camera with both hands. Well I kind of am to disguise the fact one of hands is busy covering my left eye It's true! I cannot wink So my left pointer finger, for as long as I can remember, holds my left eyelid closed while my other pointer finger gets busy with the shutter (I am laughing so much right now). Anyway, read on. I read the next chapter: Use both eyes! Woah nelly! I have been holding a camera of some sort since I was 12 years old so we're talking about banishing 20+ years of "technique" here I can't tell you how relieved I am to have read this and to be honest I can't believe I never thought of it myself! So here I am, eyes wide open, taking photos. That is what I have learnt....so far....thank you

Hello Coldplay and welcome back to AP. Hey what you learnt is great I can only wink with my left eye never been able to wink with the right eye so I use my right eye did not even pay any attetention to it until I read your post because its naturl to me I use my right eye in the view finder and close my left eye that is the only way I can do so thank you so much for sharing this information with us.

[Nikkie]

Well I learnt 3 things today and if somebody knows for sure please cheek that this information is right. And its sort of funny that I learnt one of the things I asked in Ricks post Beginners what do you want to learn something like that its called. anyway I asked there about shutter speed more of a rule to thump. So later after making that post and having some lunch I decided to watch the video I broaught on Ebay the compleate SLR Digital photography course (this is not a plug) anyway Just started to watch one of the things the man was talking about was rule of thirds I thought here we go again rule of thirds I have read in books photography mags so on about the rule of thirds or don't forget the rule of thirds but none have explained what it is Im like how can I forget if I don't know what it is and you wont tell me but upon saying all of that I must say I am the type of person that its the way something is explained to me that makes the penny drop. Or like watching a video and seeing a demo of it so in all fairness they may have been saying what it was any way penny dropped for those of you that don't know what the rule of thirds are ill try and explain it to you the best I can at the end of me gabbling on. Also I what I learnt from the same video was shutter speed and the man on the video was saying general rule to thumb you should use a shutter speed of the length of the lens so if your using a 50mm lens its best to shoot above 1/50 the man did say this is general rule to thumb. The next thing I learnt today was other way's was how to avoid camera shake lets face it we may not all have a tripod and or may not have it with you when a photo opportunity comes along he said you can use a tree you can lean against the tree and putting your camera also against a tree and it hold it security just another way I have seen people say you can use just about anything a rock or even car roof or bonnet or a fence post also he showed how to use a bean bag as well so there are a lot of ways you just have to think about it. Now Ill try and explain the rule of thirds for those that don't know. What you do is draw imaginary lines in your viewfinder sort of like naughts and crosses the rule of thirds is where you focus on I am not doing so good at this I have it in my head but having trouble explaining maybe somebody will come along and explain this well thats me that is what Ive learnt Thank you for reading my gabble

[pfunston]

I've learnt that it's not as difficult as I thought to play with the manual settings...so I'm only just starting to understand aperture, shutter speed and ISO. So I'm looking forward to having a really good understanding of these and then exploring the rest of my camera.

I also dont have a tripod yet and this will be my Xmas present this year, any suggestions are welcome...I have no idea what I need. I saw an example in a magazine where you slow down the shutter speed to capture the flowing water like fog. I didn't have a tripod so it was slightly blurred but I was so excited to see that I could do this...I'm also still new to camera terminology so hopefully what I've written makes sense.

It also makes me feel more relaxed to know that there are people on here who are also new to manual settings and camera terminology.

[Nikkie]

I've learnt that it's not as difficult as I thought to play with the manual settings...so I'm only just starting to understand aperture, shutter speed and ISO. So I'm looking forward to having a really good understanding of these and then exploring the rest of my camera.

I also dont have a tripod yet and this will be my Xmas present this year, any suggestions are welcome...I have no idea what I need. I saw an example in a magazine where you slow down the shutter speed to capture the flowing water like fog. I didn't have a tripod so it was slightly blurred but I was so excited to see that I could do this...I'm also still new to camera terminology so hopefully what I've written makes sense.

It also makes me feel more relaxed to know that there are people on here who are also new to manual settings and camera terminology.

One thing I did not know when I went to buy my tripod it really depends on what type of photography you want to do IE: if you want to take photos of low down subjects like flowers or insects then you will need one that can go right down low and be prepared to get down and dirty if you want to do landscapes you will need something that has good stability all though that is important any way don't skimp on the tripod what ever you do get one with a sprite level and one that also has a mono pod make sure you get one with a carry bag as well. When I went to my local shop to buy mine I did not have a clue and that could have meant giving the sales assistant a selling edge but I was lucky he asked questions like what type of photography will I be doing with it he showed me a few the first was did not have much height to it and was very flimsy even on his solid floor in the shop. Get one that can hold your gear take in your camera and your heaviest lens and think about how much weight it can hold do your research google is always a good place to start don't be sucked in by the sales person remember they are there to sell but a good sales person also is there to help you if they are not happy to let you try your camera on the tripod go someplace eles if you can. Also I am not sure if they all come with a mono pod mine does the only thing I don't like about mine is the head I think that is what its called no matter how tight I try to tighten it up the camera seems to want to move down so watch for this as well know your budget and stick to that and if you can save on that its good because having a little left will help go towards other gear later on

[Nikkie]

I have learnt by applying to much noise remover it can make your photos look soft that is what Ive been finding

[Doc Jones]

The mind is the most amazing image processor - so one must learn to see things as they really are, especially light!

[ozwapet]

Well so far, I have learnt a couple of things.
1. Always shoot in RAW
2. NEVER delete a shot till you have played with it, at a good, quiet time and place. You might be amazed how it turns out.
3. Learn how to process RAW ( tone curves, sharpness etc )

and 4. nobody, even the most adored and professional photographers, will ever know it "all" ..

[L3STAT]

So far i have learnt the new method of layering multiple exposures (startrails) which I hope to become better at and a few tips for Macro shots. Love the site, so many wonderful images and buckets of knowledge