huntography

[bnsafe]

you got any tips on taking great pics. ive got a good sony camera that got all the adjustment knobs and stuff but i dont know much about it. was thinkin about buying a nikon 3200 but thought i should learn how to use the one i got first as it has a ton of knobs that i dont understand.

[idahoghost]

Cameras are just like Elk and Computers. The more about the basics you know the better off you are. A good beginners book covering shutter speeds, F-stops, depth of field, etc. will be a great help.

[LckyTylr]

I would say . . . just my opinion . . . sign up for a hands-on class. As huntography stated, it's the basics that will yield amazing results . . . but you wouldn't decide one day that you wanted to learn how to ride motorcycles . . . and then jump on a 800 lbs cruiser with a suicide shift and just hope for the best would you? Maybe you would, I'd personally prefer a 250 lbs dirtbike that was meant for crashing and a trusted and capable coach to show me the ropes.

With a simple camera setup (although very intimidating with all of the settings knobs), a 2-3 hour hands on class will get you started down the road of some really cool photos that you will cherish for a lifetime. F-stops, shutter speeds, photo bursts, low light conditions with telephoto lenses . . . all of these things require some practice and tutorship to yield decent shots, but they are worth it.

Just my opinion. Enjoy it, a really cool hobby that doesn't cost much after the initial purchase.

[Huntography]

Thanks for the question. I'm no "expert" I but do have some experience

I'm a Canon guy and shoot manual with DSLR's but your camera should have similar manual functionality that helps you control aperture, shutter speed and ISO.

Since we live in the same neck of the woods, it might be easier to meet up and do some hands on shooting together.

In the meantime, try a quick test with some daytime shooting in auto mode.

We have a nice sunny day this morning. Go outside and snap a pic at anything. Just make sure the sun is at your back. You don't want to shoot into the sun.

Take a look at what settings auto mode used for that pic. I bet the ISO was 100 since its sunny outside. The aperture, or F-stop might be around 16 or so with the shutter speed at 1/50.

This gives you a benchmark for that type of lighting situation.

Now try manual mode. Put you camera on the same settings auto selected for ISO, aperture (f-stop) and shutter speed.

Keep your ISO at 100. But based on your lighting adjust your aperture up or down while leaving the shutter the same.

Then do the reverse with shutter speed and aperture.

All this will do is show you how you can manipulate the lighting in a scene and make the choice you like best for particular shot.

Hope this helps get you started.

Rudy

[bnsafe]

holy cow that just gave me a headache reading it. i will give it a shot later, i really wanna get a good basic knowledge of how to take some good photos. if your ever around and not doing anything huntography shoot me a pm. i think we talked about bear hunting in wy anyway, might explore that some more for next year.

[bnsafe]

so what would be a good EASY SHORT read for me to get some basics. sams club had one that was broken down into 4 volumes but vol 1 was a basic intro. i might get that. and one more quest hunt, is there a diff between say the canon t3i and nikon d3200. i think im wanting something with at least 18 megapixels if i buy one. what about lense cost down the road. is one cheaper than the other

[Huntography]

Knowing how you like to shop for bargains, if I were you, I would buy a Canon T3I body from Canon's refurbished store and a Rokinon lens in either 85mm or 35mm prime lens.

http://shop.usa.canon.com/webapp/wcs/st ... _-1_29252#

http://m.bhphotovideo.com/mobile/detail ... +for+Canon

The above are great deals and the quality of your photos will be better than using a cheap quality kit lens.

Rudy

[bnsafe]

sweet, so i shouldnt buy one with the 2 lenses in it. another good tip. i will look into those and try an decide what to do. i think i should learn the one i got first. the lense is built in but its a 300 dollar camera with tons of options on taking pics. it might do all i want as i can change settings all day long. i just dont know what all the settings are and dont have a book to teach me.

[Huntography]

Practice with the one you have for now.

When you're ready, I'll be more than happy to help.

Rudy

[bnsafe]

thanks, i appreciate that. i bought a basic book so once i read that im sure i will have some questions.

[pointysticks]

i think learn the rule of thirds.

that is most of the battle. great composition. i have a degree in photography. all my friends that i take pics of look GREAT! pics of me..i'm centered, too far, etc. crushing. hahaha.

[bnsafe]

ok, whats the rule of thirds

[pointysticks]

in a nutshell.

the human eye really doesnt want to center things. if you look at a framed picture done by a pro..and use a ruler, the image is a tad higher than centered. you put it dead center, it will look low.

in picture taking, mentally cut the image into nice sections..here, like this; put the subject of the image in the thirds..

bonsai_ruleofthirds.jpg (63.64 KiB) Viewed 6671 times

[bnsafe]

ok, i will work on that, and gonna start the book next week. got homework to do.