I am learning photography

The 10D is great. Lots of fun and I love the action and feel.

I read several great photo books and it gave me a lot of information, but
then it happened. My daughter had a birthday party with twenty screaming
kids running around indoors. I cranked off about 300 pictures using many
different settings and studied histograms along the way and re-snapped.
Reading about the stuff is a great intro but there is nothing like doing it
a lot to really find out what works and why.

Now I plan to set up the stills and take hundreds of pictures under slightly
varying criteria.

Any input to help the learning appreciated.

Trolls need not reply.

Jimmy

Jimmy Smith wrote:

The 10D is great. Lots of fun and I love the action and feel.

I read several great photo books and it gave me a lot of information, but
then it happened. My daughter had a birthday party with twenty screaming
kids running around indoors. I cranked off about 300 pictures using many
different settings and studied histograms along the way and re-snapped.
Reading about the stuff is a great intro but there is nothing like doing it
a lot to really find out what works and why.

Now I plan to set up the stills and take hundreds of pictures under slightly
varying criteria.

Any input to help the learning appreciated.

Trolls need not reply.

Jimmy


Your post sounds remarkably like one to start with. You need to be more
specific about what you plan to do and what you mean be 'slightly
varying criteria'. For example, what colour mode to use for shots of
kids by flash, how to set exposure balance between flash and ambient,
etc. There are users out there who will tell you. But if you ask such a
vague question, what on earth is anyone supposed to write to help you?

David

"Jimmy Smith" wrote in message ...
The 10D is great. Lots of fun and I love the action and feel.

I read several great photo books and it gave me a lot of information, but
then it happened. My daughter had a birthday party with twenty screaming
kids running around indoors. I cranked off about 300 pictures using many
different settings and studied histograms along the way and re-snapped.
Reading about the stuff is a great intro but there is nothing like doing it
a lot to really find out what works and why.

Now I plan to set up the stills and take hundreds of pictures under slightly
varying criteria.

Any input to help the learning appreciated.

Trolls need not reply.

Jimmy

I am a professional photography instructor at a major University. I am
no stranger to the learning process. The 10D may please you now, but
once you start to grow as a photographer you will be itching for a
more complete system with less problems. See my post about the
advantages of Sigma over other camera manufacturers. It should prove
to be very informative.

"Giorgio Preddio" wrote in message
om...
"Jimmy Smith" wrote in message
...
The 10D is great. Lots of fun and I love the action and feel.

I read several great photo books and it gave me a lot of information,
but
then it happened. My daughter had a birthday party with twenty
screaming
kids running around indoors. I cranked off about 300 pictures using
many
different settings and studied histograms along the way and re-snapped.
Reading about the stuff is a great intro but there is nothing like doing
it
a lot to really find out what works and why.

Now I plan to set up the stills and take hundreds of pictures under
slightly
varying criteria.

Any input to help the learning appreciated.

Trolls need not reply.

Jimmy

I am a professional photography instructor at a major University. I am
no stranger to the learning process. The 10D may please you now, but
once you start to grow as a photographer you will be itching for a
more complete system with less problems. See my post about the
advantages of Sigma over other camera manufacturers. It should prove
to be very informative.

Jimmy,

What a complete load of nonsense the above paragraph is! The University
employing the imbecile above should employ someone with less concern over
the make of equipment used and who is more prepared to offer the help needed
to take better photographs.

The best way to learn about photography is to take many different
photographs under many different conditions and try to keep records of what
you have done for future reference.

Experiment with different light conditions, different apertures and shutter
speeds for the same subject at the same EV value will give you a good idea
of depth of field and movement arrest/blur.

Different exposure values of the same subject will give you a feel for under
and over exposure and how it can effect the final image, exposing for the
highlights or shadows will give differing images, and you may well prefer
one to the other.

Experimenting with different focal lengths from the same camera position
will give you an idea of foreshortning, depth of field for a given length
and aerial perspective.

Composition is very important, but one mans meat is anothers poison,
therefore try taking different compositions of and around the subject you
are interested in.
Read/Look though books by other photographers, explore all types of images,
photojournalism, fashion, landscape, portraiture and advertising will all
have impressive images. Books on technique will largely have similar
information but in different formats.

Take pictures from the same location at different times of day and different
weather conditions, and also at different times throughout the year, this
will give you a feel for different light and how the quality of light
changes.

One tip I have not seen published anywhere, but if you are looking
subjectively at a print, close your eyes, turn the image upside down, open
your eyes and notice where your eye is drawn to on the image, this will
usually be the brightest spot and will be where your eye is drawn to when
viewed correctly, you can then decide to alter the cropping of the image if
required.

Digital cameras have a massive advantage over film cameras for learners, in
that you can experiment without having to have your images processed to see
the final results, and that you do not have the expense of buying film
everytime you wish to experiment.

Take many pictures, the bad ones will tell you as much about your techniques
as the good ones.

You will notice that I have not mentioned types of equipment, a digital
camera with the option of using manual apertures and shutterspeeds will give
you a good start, not necessary to have an SLR, digital or otherwise, and
the same applies to a film camera, but the learning process may cost you a
bit more.

Many, infact most fine images have not been taken on Digital media, and Many
of those have been taken on purely manual cameras with fixed focal length
lenses. Modern multifunction cameras make photography easier for the masses,
but if you really want to learn about Photography (painting with light) use
manual for a while and take lots of images.

Hope this is of some help, and I hope that you enjoy your photography.

Eddie. (Remove ??? from email address to reply)

Edward Bray wrote:

One tip I have not seen published anywhere, but if you are looking
subjectively at a print, close your eyes, turn the image upside down, open
your eyes and notice where your eye is drawn to on the image, this will
usually be the brightest spot and will be where your eye is drawn to when
viewed correctly, you can then decide to alter the cropping of the image if
required.

A very helpful suggestion.

You will notice that I have not mentioned types of equipment, a digital
camera with the option of using manual apertures and shutterspeeds will give
you a good start, not necessary to have an SLR, digital or otherwise, and
the same applies to a film camera, but the learning process may cost you a
bit more.

It does seem that the features offered in cameras today
have their advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage
is that the user is not *forced* to learn the basics. And
auto features too often miss the mark.

Luk

"Giorgio Preddio" wrote in message
om...
"Jimmy Smith" wrote in message
...
The 10D is great. Lots of fun and I love the action and feel.

I read several great photo books and it gave me a lot of information,
but
then it happened. My daughter had a birthday party with twenty
screaming
kids running around indoors. I cranked off about 300 pictures using
many
different settings and studied histograms along the way and re-snapped.
Reading about the stuff is a great intro but there is nothing like doing
it
a lot to really find out what works and why.

Now I plan to set up the stills and take hundreds of pictures under
slightly
varying criteria.

Any input to help the learning appreciated.

Trolls need not reply.

Jimmy

I am a professional photography instructor at a major University. I am
no stranger to the learning process. The 10D may please you now, but
once you start to grow as a photographer you will be itching for a
more complete system with less problems. See my post about the
advantages of Sigma over other camera manufacturers. It should prove
to be very informative.

Giorgio,

Sorry, you may be a professional, but, you come off like a self serving
troll or an aggressive Sigma employee. Maybe if you "soften" your technique
it would be better.

Jimmy

"Giorgio Preddio" wrote in message
om...
I am a professional photography instructor at a major University. I am
no stranger to the learning process. The 10D may please you now, but
once you start to grow as a photographer you will be itching for a
more complete system with less problems. See my post about the
advantages of Sigma over other camera manufacturers. It should prove
to be very informative.

So, if that's really true, why do the MAJORITY of the pros here not like
Sigma all that much?

If you can push a brand name, be prepared to tell us which university you
teach at as well. An anonymous endorsement is worth nothing.

More importantly, as an instructor, you should NEVER push a brand or
specific model, as you'd be out of a job should that model become
discontinued, with nothing left to fall back on. I think, if you really are
such an instructor (University faculty are called Professor, in case you
forgot that, somehow.), you should be following a textbook, and not trying
to press the issue of why your personal favorite manufacturer's bargain
products are more important than a skilled eye behind the lens, or a much
greater respected company's products.

Corporate whores get no respect, because they don't respect themselves.

In article ,
says...
I am a professional photography instructor at a major University.

Oh, it gets deeper!

David Kilpatrick wrote in message ...
Jimmy Smith wrote:

The 10D is great. Lots of fun and I love the action and feel.

I read several great photo books and it gave me a lot of information, but
then it happened. My daughter had a birthday party with twenty screaming
kids running around indoors. I cranked off about 300 pictures using many
different settings and studied histograms along the way and re-snapped.
Reading about the stuff is a great intro but there is nothing like doing it
a lot to really find out what works and why.

Now I plan to set up the stills and take hundreds of pictures under slightly
varying criteria.

Any input to help the learning appreciated.

Trolls need not reply.

Jimmy


Your post sounds remarkably like one to start with. You need to be more
specific about what you plan to do and what you mean be 'slightly
varying criteria'. For example, what colour mode to use for shots of
kids by flash, how to set exposure balance between flash and ambient,
etc. There are users out there who will tell you. But if you ask such a
vague question, what on earth is anyone supposed to write to help you?

Here is a good place to start when using the 10D...

- No hot spots in the scene whatsoever (they WILL blow in highlite)
- No action requiring servo AF focus (near 100% miss rate)
- Nothing that requires review mode for fine tuning (camera too slow)
- Nothing that requires MLU or bracking (set up/down too heinous)
- Nothing that requires crisp focus (incapable in areas of vivid color)

"Georgette Preddy" wrote in message
om...
David Kilpatrick wrote in message
...
Jimmy Smith wrote:

The 10D is great. Lots of fun and I love the action and feel.

I read several great photo books and it gave me a lot of information,
but
then it happened. My daughter had a birthday party with twenty
screaming
kids running around indoors. I cranked off about 300 pictures using
many
different settings and studied histograms along the way and
re-snapped.
Reading about the stuff is a great intro but there is nothing like
doing it
a lot to really find out what works and why.

Now I plan to set up the stills and take hundreds of pictures under
slightly
varying criteria.

Any input to help the learning appreciated.

Trolls need not reply.

Jimmy


Your post sounds remarkably like one to start with. You need to be more
specific about what you plan to do and what you mean be 'slightly
varying criteria'. For example, what colour mode to use for shots of
kids by flash, how to set exposure balance between flash and ambient,
etc. There are users out there who will tell you. But if you ask such a
vague question, what on earth is anyone supposed to write to help you?

Here is a good place to start when using the 10D...

- No hot spots in the scene whatsoever (they WILL blow in highlite)
- No action requiring servo AF focus (near 100% miss rate)
- Nothing that requires review mode for fine tuning (camera too slow)
- Nothing that requires MLU or bracking (set up/down too heinous)
- Nothing that requires crisp focus (incapable in areas of vivid color)

I thought he said "trolls need not apply".

Preddy - READ the post before replying.