Noob needs some C&C.

[Biff]

Gear used is a Canon 30D with a 18-55 IS and a 55-200 non IS. PP was done with Microsoft Digital Image Suite Anniversary Edition mostly only for resizing and auto corrections only. Subjects were of no concern to me. I just needed some practice and these shots were taken within walking distance of home. Actually poor subjects, but WTH?

Dial was set in the "P" mode and AWB. ISO was set at 100. Color saturation and everything else set in the middle. Pretty much a point and shoot day.

Now for what I see, or at least think I see that I dont like.

The light areas being blown out. Is it something I am doing wrong, or should I be using a UV filter or some sort of diffuser?

Thanks.

[Biff]

Argg. That bad huh?

[ThePhilosopher]

Learn to shoot in M or spot meter off of a highlight to get your exposure then recompose. You're smarter than the transistors in your camera - you just don't know it yet.

[Angelo]

Set the camera -1 f-stop. Or bracket in thirds -1f, -2/3f(camera setting) and -1/3f
Also I would shoot RAW in order to get greater latitude for making adjustments.
I PP with Aperture which has a function to show and adjust blown outs colors.

[epoh]

Ditto Angelo.

Also, if I'm shooting outside I usually set the exposure down half a stop. I've noticed my 20D leans towards over-exposing, and I'm afraid I do not have a light meter. Forcing the camera to think it's underexposing a bit usually works perfectly.

Also, when you are shooting, make sure you've got the histogram turned on (mine shows the picture in one part of the LCD and the histogram up in the corner.) You can glance at the histogram once in a while to see if you are overexposing (or underexposing.) Then you can make adjustments accordingly.

[CaptainTom]

I'd recommend you buy this book from the TPF bookstore ( a link is on the masthead of each TPF page.

Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition)
Author: Bryan Peterson

List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $16.00
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Buy New from $16.00

Avg. Customer Rating: (476 reviews)
Sales Rank: 221
Category: Book
ASIN: 0817463003
Publication Date: August 1, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

[Biff]

Thanks guys. I've only had the camera for a few weeks and havent figured all the settings out yet. So I should press the shutter down halfway to see what the camera thinks while focused on the most exposed part of the subject and then step down a half, or whole stop? Then if I have too, bring the exposure back up in PP?

Shooting in raw wont do me anygood with my PP software. New software will have to wait for awhile.

One more question to quicken the learning curve, or NOT too! Should I shoot in one of the other modes Tv or Av to learn what the setting the camera picks and make my own adjustments from there, or just go straight to manual and see what I like? Or could I pick up bad habits that way? Being a noob, what I might see or like, could be totally wrong in the world of photography.

[epoh]

Manual is the best way to learn. If you want to go a bit easier, Av or Tv are good options. Just keep watching the histogram to see what your settings are actually doing.

[ThePhilosopher]

The quickest way I learned was shooting a Pentax K1000 and a Minolta XE-7 full manual 35mm cameras when I was in HS. Learning to transition from shooting film to digital was difficult and easy to forget fundamentals from using a P&S for so long and not really taking many pictures for ~5 years. When I picked up my DSLR last year - I wasn't concerned with any of the other modes except M because I knew I'd pick it up fairly well (like riding a bike.)

Here are two shots - the first taken last year and then one from my most recent shoot. I can tell a huge difference from learning greatly over the past year (granted it's different lighting and situations, but I think today given that opportunity I'd get a much better shot.) Just my nickel's worth - sorry if I spent too much.

[Angelo]

David, great example.

Gary, when I am ready to photograph something I first look and assess the lighting (actually, it's so instinctive that I don't think about it) - overcast light, heavy sun (where is it coming from?), am I in the shade? , color of light (daytime, sunrise or sunset), is there a mixture of light (outdoor, tungsten, fluorescent, flash, etc).

Why don't you shoot the flowers again, making adjustments. As David recommended, try manual and stick with it a full day. Then go to Tv for another and then AV.

I also learned with the Pentax K1000. Great camera...

Can't wait to see your results.

[epoh]

Learning with digital is so much easier than with film. It was so annoying to carry around a notepad to write down all my settings after each shot. But(!!) it did force me to really pay attention to my settings every single time I pressed the shutter.

[Biff]

Update. I have been following yalls advice and have been shooting in Manual mode only and am starting to use manual focus about half the time. A month ago I didnt know what Bokeh was and when I should be opening up for it. I have a long ways to go but feel I am making progress fairly quick. Unlike Abel when he raced RC cars. J/K bro!

But its all starting to come together and I appreciate yalls help. Now I just need more stick time.

[CaptainTom]

Gary
You are turning into a true photographer and no longer just a snap shooter.
There are always things we can do to improve each image, but these are very nice. Congratulations.

[L Stegall]

Nice improvement! I think Tom's suggestion of Bryan Peterson's book was good. That is the book I recommend most often and one that is a good reference, even if you aren't just starting out. From the first ones you took, just the time of day you were out was a major factor. You were dealing with harsh, flat light. A different time of day and/or using some type of screen to shade your subject would have made a big difference. Judging from the second batch, looks like you are picking this stuff up quickly.

[tomhooper]

I wonder how many of us learned to shoot with a K-1000? Keep on clicking that shutter/chip/ or whatever makes these digital things work.