Hi! I have no clue what I'm doing..

debakarma · 12-30-2015, 01:28 AM

Welcome to the forum and a Happy New Year! Clues appear when you are seriously trying and patient. Now that you have joined the club - I can see the road to progress. All the best.

tim60 · 12-30-2015, 02:15 AM

A fun place to start is in the auto mode it was set in. Take pictures experimenting with composition. You will find some kinds of subject excite you more than others.

Then look in the manual for ways to overcome limitations you find in the results using auto. These could be extreme bright or dull lighting, which affect shutter speed (motion blur) and aperture (depth of field) which matters more for close or intermediate distance subjects. With DSLR you also get to manipulate ISO, which gives more freedom of the other two.

Take pictures and be willing to criticise your own work and learn the issues affecting what you did not like. Come back here with more specific questions. Someone will help. Questions about any detail from camera to photo aesthetics.

**Kerrowdown** · 12-31-2015, 01:25 AM

Originally posted by Danica90

Hi! I have no clue what I'm doing..

Welcome to the forum, lots of good advice given already.

I'd just like to add... remember to enjoy your photography, the learning bit is supposed to be fun too.

ppohja · 12-31-2015, 02:28 AM

Originally posted by Digitalis

For what it's worth, none of us really did when we started walking this long road.

And only those who think still being in that stage are the ones who can actually learn anything new. Keep your minds open

.

pathdoc · 12-31-2015, 05:21 AM

Originally posted by tim60

A fun place to start is in the auto mode it was set in. Take pictures experimenting with composition. You will find some kinds of subject excite you more than others.

Then look in the manual for ways to overcome limitations you find in the results using auto.

That's an interesting way of looking at it. Thank God digital notes down the ISO, apertures and shutter speeds for us, so we can look at the picture later and think at leisure about how changing one or another might have made for a better shot.

tim60 · 12-31-2015, 06:53 AM

I guess it is easier than when I began with MX and smelly chemicals in a darkroom. At least I had some science and technology background that help me understand the manuals.

pathdoc · 12-31-2015, 06:58 AM

Originally posted by tim60

I guess it is easier than when I began with MX and smelly chemicals in a darkroom.

A condition toward which I am actually travelling right now (except that for various reasons I picked a Spotmatic to take the first, probably sacrificial, DIY roll). I wish I'd done it a long time ago. *sigh*

normhead · 12-31-2015, 07:16 AM

Or...
you can just start shooting, and ask us what you're doing wrong.

I've owned an SLR since 67, shot at least 5 different formats, and read lots of manuals. And I have to say, manuals suck. They seem to be written by engineers who have no regard for the English (or any other language) speaking world.

I have many times wasted hours with the manual, before coming onto the forum and having my answer in a number of minutes. So, look through the manual, but much of it is camera speak, we can interpret for you.

pathdoc · 12-31-2015, 07:30 AM

Originally posted by normhead

They seem to be written by engineers who have no regard for the English (or any other language) speaking world.

It's more that they can't speak conversational {insert language here} that would make the average person more able to understand what was happening enough to get shooting and work out the rest for themselves.

normhead · 12-31-2015, 07:36 AM

Originally posted by pathdoc

It's more that they can't speak conversational {insert language here} that would make the average person more able to understand what was happening enough to get shooting and work out the rest for themselves.

The main thing to take from this, is, if you don't understand something in the manual, you aren't stupid, and it's not just you.

We've all been through it.

tim60 · 12-31-2015, 08:30 AM

And I find modern manuals very poor. They are usually written as reference manuals, list all the controls and what they do. But there is no logical page 1, start here and read till you have read enough to do everything you want to do. And organized around tasks you might want to do.

Interestingly the old manuals were instruction to do particular kinds of task - implementing the Use Case approach which the sw developers for modern products do as an intermediate engineering artefact. It would be easy for a tech writer to translate the use case models into a truly useful manual.

12-31-2015, 07:16 AM	#23
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	Or... you can just start shooting, and ask us what you're doing wrong. I've owned an SLR since 67, shot at least 5 different formats, and read lots of manuals. And I have to say, manuals suck. They seem to be written by engineers who have no regard for the English (or any other language) speaking world. I have many times wasted hours with the manual, before coming onto the forum and having my answer in a number of minutes. So, look through the manual, but much of it is camera speak, we can interpret for you. Last edited by normhead; 12-31-2015 at 07:33 AM.

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12-30-2015, 01:28 AM	#16
debakarma Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,294	Welcome to the forum and a Happy New Year! Clues appear when you are seriously trying and patient. Now that you have joined the club - I can see the road to progress. All the best.

12-30-2015, 02:15 AM	#17
tim60 Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2011 Photos: Albums Posts: 8,742	A fun place to start is in the auto mode it was set in. Take pictures experimenting with composition. You will find some kinds of subject excite you more than others. Then look in the manual for ways to overcome limitations you find in the results using auto. These could be extreme bright or dull lighting, which affect shutter speed (motion blur) and aperture (depth of field) which matters more for close or intermediate distance subjects. With DSLR you also get to manipulate ISO, which gives more freedom of the other two. Take pictures and be willing to criticise your own work and learn the issues affecting what you did not like. Come back here with more specific questions. Someone will help. Questions about any detail from camera to photo aesthetics.

12-31-2015, 01:25 AM	#18
Kerrowdown PEG Moderator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Highlands of Scotland... "Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand" - William Blake Photos: Gallery Posts: 57,816	Originally posted by Danica90 Hi! I have no clue what I'm doing.. Welcome to the forum, lots of good advice given already. I'd just like to add... remember to enjoy your photography, the learning bit is supposed to be fun too.

12-31-2015, 02:28 AM	#19
ppohja Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 194	Originally posted by Digitalis For what it's worth, none of us really did when we started walking this long road. And only those who think still being in that stage are the ones who can actually learn anything new. Keep your minds open .

12-31-2015, 05:21 AM	#20
pathdoc Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2015 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,381	Originally posted by tim60 A fun place to start is in the auto mode it was set in. Take pictures experimenting with composition. You will find some kinds of subject excite you more than others. Then look in the manual for ways to overcome limitations you find in the results using auto. That's an interesting way of looking at it. Thank God digital notes down the ISO, apertures and shutter speeds for us, so we can look at the picture later and think at leisure about how changing one or another might have made for a better shot.

12-31-2015, 06:53 AM	#21
tim60 Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2011 Photos: Albums Posts: 8,742	I guess it is easier than when I began with MX and smelly chemicals in a darkroom. At least I had some science and technology background that help me understand the manuals.

12-31-2015, 06:58 AM	#22
pathdoc Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2015 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,381	Originally posted by tim60 I guess it is easier than when I began with MX and smelly chemicals in a darkroom. A condition toward which I am actually travelling right now (except that for various reasons I picked a Spotmatic to take the first, probably sacrificial, DIY roll). I wish I'd done it a long time ago. sigh

12-31-2015, 07:30 AM	#24
pathdoc Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2015 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,381	Originally posted by normhead They seem to be written by engineers who have no regard for the English (or any other language) speaking world. It's more that they can't speak conversational {insert language here} that would make the average person more able to understand what was happening enough to get shooting and work out the rest for themselves.

12-31-2015, 07:36 AM	#25
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	Originally posted by pathdoc It's more that they can't speak conversational {insert language here} that would make the average person more able to understand what was happening enough to get shooting and work out the rest for themselves. The main thing to take from this, is, if you don't understand something in the manual, you aren't stupid, and it's not just you. We've all been through it.

12-31-2015, 08:30 AM	#26
tim60 Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2011 Photos: Albums Posts: 8,742	And I find modern manuals very poor. They are usually written as reference manuals, list all the controls and what they do. But there is no logical page 1, start here and read till you have read enough to do everything you want to do. And organized around tasks you might want to do. Interestingly the old manuals were instruction to do particular kinds of task - implementing the Use Case approach which the sw developers for modern products do as an intermediate engineering artefact. It would be easy for a tech writer to translate the use case models into a truly useful manual.