Goodbye point and shoot...hello new DSLR! I've spent the last few days playing and learning; my head swimming with words like shutter speed, aperture, ISO...I have NO idea what any of it means, but I already have serious lens envy.
Here's what my playing has yielded so far...
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Of course my first picture was of my pup, Bo.
...and several more...
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seriously, mom...I'm over getting my picture taken... .JPG)
a close up of some lilacs I picked (notice the blurryness!).JPG)
flowers after the rain. .JPG)
dogwood flower. (good thing I got this when I did, the blooms are already gone.) .JPG)
Can you guess what we are doing this weekend? I'm hoping for good weather!
Any photography advice and suggestions are welcome.
14 comments:
I have been thinking the same thing!!! I just bought a book called DSLR photography for Dummies. I am trying to figure out which kind of camera to buy...and then how the heck to use it!!
What kind did you end up buying?
I bought a Canon T1i with the "kit lens". (Apparently this is what photography people call the lens that comes with the camera.) A lady at work who does wedding photography on the side helped me pick it out. I heart heart heart it. I've been taking pictures everyday!
Have you read http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/ ? She posts some really interesting tutorials on how to use a DSLR, and she does photoshop tutorials & "photo assignments". She is an amateur (a much better amateur than I am though) and I think thats what makes her site so interesting.
Also http://www.apogeephoto.com/ is a free online photography mag and they have tons of how-to articles and informative articles.
Congrats on the new "toy"--I am envious!!
Nice pics..I know nothing about photography but would love to learn.
All you have to know about that stuff (aperture, ISO, shutter speed) is that it has to do with the amount of light that reaches the CCDs. The beauty of the D in DSLR is that you can take photo after photo, and erase the crappy ones...and it's all free! You can read all about it, but I think the best way to learn is to get the basics (the relationship between ISO, aperture, and shutter speed - email me if you want an ultra basic primer in short sentences), and then experiment and develop your own style. Also, for every shot you want to capture, take a whole bunch at different settings. Have fun!
rachel -- thanks for the sites. what beautiful pictures. dream. dream. dream.
Camping!! What fun!!! I am totally with you on the wanting to learn photography. I have a freaking 500 dollar Cannon Rebel xTi that I have no clue how to use. LOL! It is quite commical. I think your pictures turned out awesome. :)
Oooo. New digital SLR. I have camera envy. I don't have a personal one, but I find all kinds of excuses to take the Nikon D300 home from work!
I had my dslr for nearly two years before I did a quick intro course to learn to use it in manual. If I was smarter I could have taught myself but I'm a classroom learner so it took the class for me to learn. I have since taken an advanced course (online, with Maggie Holmes) and am looking to learn more. I subscribe to loads of photographers' blogs. If you look on my blog you'll see a ton of links. Some of them have tutorials and tips. Moon Ko does a Wednesday photo tip series that is very useful for beginners. And of course Pioneer Woman's photography site is amazing. There is so much out there on the web to help you, but sometimes it can be overwhelming. And read the manual! I am actually re-reading my manual (for about the 4th time) now.
As you can probably tell, I've gotten slightly obsessed with photography now that I know how to use manual settings... .
It's a great purchase and I am sure you will get lots of love out of it!
Very cool! I'm using a 12-yr-old point&shoot. Sigh. Someday I will join you in creating truly beautiful photos!
Hope you enjoy your camping trip!
Zuzu
You definitely want this lens: http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Standard-Medium-Telephoto-Cameras/dp/B00009XVCZ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1272469869&sr=1-1
The smaller the f stop (this one goes down to 1.4) the smaller the focus field is (thus creating the type of pictures that go from sharply focused on the center object to blurry in the background). This one is a fixed focal length lens, so no zooming in and out, but the quality of pictures for not that high of a price (about $350) is worth it!
We have a Canon Rebel that I'm still trying to perfect pictures with 2 years later. Sometimes I get awesome pictures and I'm like, "How in the hell did I do that?!" I love taking pictures though and know that Bo is going to be so sick of pictures before it's all said and done. Bruce and Lucy will get so aggravated that they won't look in the lens when they're tired of it. Brats. Have fun with you new toy! ;)
Oh so envious. I've been wanting a "real" camera sooo bad...
Enjoy your new toy!
Love your photogenic model, too.
Such pretty flowers. Warm regards, Connie
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