Learning Photography
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- nb0
MIT Open Courseware
- pango0
a popular book on Lighting
http://www.amazon.com/Light-Scie…
- SimonFFM0
Don't read too many books. I have done that when I was starting out and had to realize that the books where all written from a technical perspective. All very theoretical. It won't help you.
Learn some basics, like the AV and TV mode of your camera, how to change ISO settings, how to use manual focus points.
Then focus on the actual photography. This is not done by the camera. It's done by you. You need to have a good idea and a feeling of what you want to show. This includes interesting perspectives, foreground/middleground/backgrou... composition, play with shadows, things like that.
Learning is a process. Always. You can't be good from the start. When I look at my old images, I feel ashamed and laugh.
Maybe one more advice: Don't buy too much gear. You don't need it. Keep things simple.
- pango0
^ yes
get your self familiar with how to work your camera and the physics of it. Make it a second nature.
Then learn to see.
How to see light, shadow, space and relationship between objects.
and then forget everything everyone said here and just go take photo.
- sem0
More here:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?…
- formed0
1. Join KelbyTraining.com (surprised it hasn't been mentioned). By far the best bang for the buck and a year's worth of quality videos. YouTube is great, but you have to sift through crap to get to something good.
2. Go to as many Meetup.com events as you can. Ask a billion questions, hang with those that know what they are doing (look for the guys that have bags that are too big and more gadgets than anyone needs...not always true, but a good place to start).
Scott Kelby's books are a great value, too. I think you might find a promotional deal and get one or two free when joining. Best books I've bought and I have a few stacks (and several expensive DVDs, etc, nothing better than KelbyTraining).
FStoppers.com has been a great resource, too. Photo.net isn't bad either.
Most importantly, look, and study photos, create a personal library of ones you like, understand what is considered "good", understand why and how.
Too many just go out there and think it'll just come to them. I see many that started a decade before me but just never take time to really study images and understand the composition and lighting, etc., and their work just stays the same.
As mentioned above, you will never stop learning. I have thousands of images I have saved and organized that I keep looking, keep adding to. Inspiration is everything, but don't just stop at 'wow, that's cool' go deeper and 'see', understand what makes it special, why you like like.
Have fun!
- pinkfloyd0
Wow, you guys have been very helpful!
- pinkfloyd0
HijoDMaite
"what other gear and lenses do you have besides 5Dmk2?"I'm working with a 28-70mm 2.8 macro canon and a 50mm 1.8mm canon lens.
I realized I didn't put my settings to sharp photos on my 5dmii. I have a lot to learn.
- pinkfloyd0
For super sharp photos w/o a tripod, what's the minimum shutter speed for shaky hands?
- if the subject is not moving and i'm high or drunk. i've got shutter speed as low as 1/80 or 1/120pango
- but just to be save. 1/320pango
- cool, thankspinkfloyd
- Actually it depends on the focal length, too. http://www.back2basi…nb
- oh ya the higher the focal point number (mm) the shakier it get. I was probably referring to less than 50mmpango
- sea_sea0
other than what's already been mentioned i would suggest you go out and start shooting. everything. then go back on your computer and look at what you like and what you don't. learn from your own mistakes and go back out and continue shooting.
do this times infinity.
- pinkfloyd0
- i wouldn't worry about "sharpness" of the photo. i worry about if the photo is in focus. if you take a look at classical master photographer's photo. hardly any of them are super sharp compare to the resolution we have today.pango
- master photographer's photo. hardly any of them are super sharp compare to the resolution we have today.pango
- practise on using "selective point focus mode" instead of "auto select" might have better result.pango
- and the rest is just trial and error cuz every camera and lens works slightly better at certain focal point if you want to be that picky.pango
- picky.pango
- I have that same bottle on my desk right nowKnuckleberry
- i love manual focusing, but sometimes i feel like i'm going crossed eyed from focusing so much. lol selective focusing FTW! ;)sea_sea
- <ftw ;)sea_sea
- vaxorcist0
OK, you've got some good advice so far, and you've got a 5D mark II and a 24-70mm 2.8 and a 50mm 1.8, is that right?
I think you can learn principles by giving yourself temporary limitations, just like swimmers learn to certain strokes by only using one arm,for a length or two, then the other...
I'd use your 50mm lens only for a week or so:
Learn the Exposure Triangle and the Depth of Field effect through practice, rather than reading too much and watching theory and getting even more confused:
Day 1: Try to set your aperture at F1.8, manual exposure, try to guess the shutter speed, then shoot and see how accurate you are, rinse and repeat till you get a good idea Outside, set ISO 200, inside set ISO 800, otherwise, don't change ISO, see what you can get. in bright light, you may get over-exposure, in dim light, slow shutter, but experiment and see....
Day 2 Check photos from day 1, not just for exposure, color, but also depth of field, see how distances between foreground objects and background objects cause in-focus and out of focus.
Then work with this deliberately, practice moving around things...
i.e. if foreground subject is close, background is far, background will be out of focus. if "focused on" foreground subject is far, and background is also far, less out of focus background. Move things around and test and learn how to create "bokeh" this way.Day 3: Try shooting everything at F5.6, guess shutter speed....indoors ISO 1200, outdoors ISO 200. see how things may be crisper if shutter is fast....
Day 4 Try setting your shutter at 125th and your aperture at F5.6, then try guessing what ISO you may need... avoid full day sun or deep inside dark.... see what you get... if you need to do full day sun, try F11 and if you are in very dark, try F2.0, guess ISO, see what happens... also note depth of field and sharpness differences from working with F1.8....
Day 5: go out on a cloudy day and guess everything, put black tape over the back of your camera screen and don't check it except once every 10 minutes or so, see how good you can get at guessing.
Day 6. once you're pretty good at guessing exposure, try working with aperture and shutter on one scene, where you shoot the same scene with a stair step of shutter speed up, aperture more open, or vice versa, or shutter speed goes up, aperture more open, and ISO changes which direction, try this with camera on tripod or similar.... see how good you can get at this....
Day 7... learn about camera shake... and how much you can hold the camera still by systematically bracing it, by taking 3 shots in a row, etc... be willing to raise your ISO in order to get sharp-handheld shutter speed.
next.. learn about focus points, how you can, when using lens wide open at F1.8, focus and recompose, or focus on the side-points and move the focus point around. this is very important to getting really sharp images...
AND... learning how to use a manual flash, indoors, bounced on a wall behind or to the side, with a shutter speed of say 125th and how that can give you REALLY sharp images, in a way sharper than even tripod mounted work can.... it takes some practice, but its worth it...
good luck, hope this isn't too confusing...
- autoflavour0
i hate to say it so bluntly, but with a 5D and 24-70, they pretty much take the photo for you. composition is another thing completely, but the hardware you have should pretty much win by default
- That's actually a good thing for me as a beginnerpinkfloyd
- as a beginner, you have stepped pretty much to the top of the foodchainautoflavour
- its like learning to drive in a porscheautoflavour
- ha, it was expensive but glad I got itpinkfloyd
- yes... but the AF in the 5D mark II is less forgiving than the AF in the 5D mark IIIvaxorcist
- Yes. you can totally buy photography skill.pango
- Ramanisky20
I recently started using a Mark II 5D as well with a F4.0 24-105 lens.
Just went out and started taking shots. Experimenting indoors and outdoors. I don't have Lightroom yet but have been using Adobe Bridge which works almost as well.Very useful and informative comments from everyone so far ... thanks guys.
cheers
- pinkfloyd0
- use adobe bridge its very close to how lightroom is setupRamanisky2
- doesnotexist0
...get a camera and use it
- Ramanisky20
- Did the lens hood create the circular border shadow?pinkfloyd
- no.. that was in postRamanisky2
- they look beautifulpinkfloyd
- thanks buddyRamanisky2
- pinkfloyd0
Can I get some links or a list of the top photographers I should be aware of for:
Fashion
Landscape
General
Not your personal favorites, but well known photographers for reference.