Still learning

[afiyy]

On D5000 18-55mm

I've been using P all the way after since I owned a DSLR. I wanna try learning M but I can't get it right .

My pictures seems to be sucky at times .

What can you advice on me ?

Secondly

What is a lens hood for ? Is it a must for me who just step into photography ?

 

[CamInit]

Understand and try A and S modes first before going to M. Usually I only use M when other modes are insufficient.

And maybe you can post your suckiest pic so folks here can see what's wrong.

Lens hood, you can find the answer by doing a search.

 

[wdEvA]

Have you read and understand exposure,shutter speeds, apertures ,iso, depth of field, camera metering?
if no, google them up and understand them.

if yes, like what CamInit had mentioned, work on A and S modes first and slowly learn more as you shoot
btw, when you mean sucky, in what ways? composition? colors? exposure?

as for a lens hood, a quick google will give you an answer.
It's normally used to prevent flares, and can be used to protect your front elements if you don't use a filter

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

On D5000 18-55mm

I've been using P all the way after since I owned a DSLR. I wanna try learning M but I can't get it right .

My pictures seems to be sucky at times .

What can you advice on me ?

Secondly

What is a lens hood for ? Is it a must for me who just step into photography ?

Do share more about WHY you think you can't get it right... that's such a vague term. How to help you like this?
Do you know how to set the different metering modes (spot, center-weighted, matrix), and how to read the light meter?

 

[Zuran]

Yeah... A And S is a good start to Go to M .. read the values from A and S then try it out on M mode.. as for me the hood serves as a glare reduction and also protection for my lens when out on crowded place..

 

[flashbug]

Do read up on aperture and shutter and use A and Tv mode because the camera does the metering for you. The two mode allows you to set the depth of field to isolate your subject from the background(A mode) and the dragging the shutter or making it faster allows for very creative execution of photo, such as trails of fireworks, freezing water droplets, jump shots and even car trails left by lights. (tv mode)

some tricks i learnt is to set a min. aperture or min. shutter to avoid handshake and out of focus problems. i.e. 1/50 minimum to avoid handshake when shooting at 50mm, or f4/5.6 when taking a large group close up so their faces will be in focus. If your images are still underexposed, you can increase ISO but bear in mind the noise in the photos you introduce.

The advantage as mentioned is that when you set the priority for aperture, the camera calculates the complementing shutter speed to get a "proper" exposure. It is difficult to jump to manual because you choose the exposure settings all by yourself.

After you are comfortable with shooting in these modes, you will realize that even the camera is not smart enough to determine the best exposure for you, and that is when metering modes come in.

Once you are comfortable with the following, you may proceed on to manual mode which allows you better control

If the terms sound foreign to you, please google and read up more on the basic terms

 

[Dream Merchant]

Voila!

Great Photography Basics Notes for newbies:
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=309544

Something that Covers ALL
http://www.dcviews.com/tutors.htm

Understanding Exposure
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understandexposure.shtml

Composition
http://www.colorpilot.com/comp_rules.html
http://knol.google.com/k/photography-composition-an-introduction#
http://www.amateursnapper.com/photog...position-rules
http://digital-photography-school.co...mposition-tips

The Relation between ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture
http://www.digital-photography-tips.net/understanding-exposure.html
http://photodoto.com/understanding-exposure-shutter-speed-aperture-and-iso/

Understanding Exposure Compensation
http://www.photoxels.com/tutorial-exposure-compensation.html
http://www.photoblazr.com/photoblazr/index.php/2010/02/understanding-exposure-compensation/

Great Comparison between Different Shutter Speeds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8NEa-ghHbo&feature=PlayList&p=31225B07B7BFBE4E&index=0

Composition
http://www.colorpilot.com/comp_rules.html
http://knol.google.com/k/photography-composition-an-introduction#
http://www.amateursnapper.com/photog...position-rules
http://digital-photography-school.co...mposition-tips

More topics covered here:
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials.htm

Printing Sizes and Compression Rated – a Quick Intro
http://photo.net/equipment/digital/basics/

 

[Ferderico]

Hi.

Personally there is nothing wrong usin the p mode especially when the situation is fast moving and lighting conditions varies. E.g wedding day, sports, etc

however, I suggest that u start with A mode. To really learn A mode, u got to get a prime lens or a fast lens. Using the kit lens u can't fully understand how aperature relates to shuttle speed. Not that u can't but u can't see too much of a difference.

Another way to try out manual mode is to do landscape with tripod. While ur camera is stationary, u can try tweaking aperature and shuttle speed to see the difference. Try out different variables.

Lastly join one of clubsnaps photowalks. The guys are quite friendly and willing to share what they know.

Cheers mate.

 

[Ferderico]

Wow mod!
U are the best la. Better than google.

u made my advice meaningless. Hahaha

 

[Octarine]

Wow mod!
U are the best la. Better than google.

Still you can google the difference between shutter speed for photography and shuttle speed during space flights

 

[Dream Merchant]

Still you can google the difference between shutter speed for photography and shuttle speed during space flights

Din you mean shuttle speed for camera speeds and shutter speeds for space flights and the different between shutterler speeds in between MRT?

 

[dingaroo]

Din you mean shuttle speed for camera speeds and shutter speeds for space flights and the different between shutterler speeds in between MRT?

Now the TS is definitely seeing stars, and he starts on long exposure but the image turns out all black!

 

[Octarine]

Now the TS is definitely seeing stars, and he starts on long exposure but the image turns out all black!

*hint* lens cap

 

[Octarine]

Din you mean shuttle speed for camera speeds and shutter speeds for space flights and the different between shutterler speeds in between MRT?

Cool stuffs, let's smoke a pipe together

 

[daredevil123]

Voila!

DM very the power... your list is much longer than mine..

 

[daredevil123]

Hi.

Personally there is nothing wrong usin the p mode especially when the situation is fast moving and lighting conditions varies. E.g wedding day, sports, etc

however, I suggest that u start with A mode. To really learn A mode, u got to get a prime lens or a fast lens. Using the kit lens u can't fully understand how aperature relates to shuttle speed. Not that u can't but u can't see too much of a difference.

Another way to try out manual mode is to do landscape with tripod. While ur camera is stationary, u can try tweaking aperature and shuttle speed to see the difference. Try out different variables.

Lastly join one of clubsnaps photowalks. The guys are quite friendly and willing to share what they know.

Cheers mate.

Can la. You can learn A mode on a kit lens. Just make sure you do it on a bright sunny day.