New to Photography

avic77

Fish out of water
Joined
Aug 14, 2007
Hello everyone. I am an extreme amateur photographer. I bought an Olympus Epl-3 Micro 4/3rds camera several years ago and I have maybe taken 500 pictures on it. I just have the kit lens which is a
M.Zuiko 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 II R Lens but today on a whim I bought a 25mm F1.8 lens.
Due to a car accident 2 weeks ago my up coming trip will focus on photography as i am not allowed to ride the rides with the lovely little "Neck and back pain" warning.
Can yall give me any advice? Mostly its going to be a learning experience but I would like to get nice pictures out of it.
 
There is no one paragraph advice that is going to tell you very much. My advice is very simple -- read a couple of good photography books (Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson is highly recommended). Do lots of "practice" shooting. And if you get a chance, take a photography class.
 
+1 on the practice shooting. You should make sure to learn the features and options of your camera so you aren't experimenting once you get there. For inspiration, I might also suggest a travel photography guide since that is what you are really looking for, I think. Just make sure you allocate enough time to do your shooting. Rushing to take shots while trying to experience the parks will get you less than optimal results.
 
Yes i guess there is so much to learn that a forum really isn't the place to seek that knowledge. I'll check out the books yall mentioned
 


Go out and shoot. A lot. Learn to shoot in manual (read books) - you'll take a ton of crappy shots but will slowly get better at it. Shoot different things and experiment. Have fun with it.
 
There is no one paragraph advice that is going to tell you very much. My advice is very simple -- read a couple of good photography books (Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson is highly recommended). Do lots of "practice" shooting. And if you get a chance, take a photography class.
Agree with this 1000%. If you read Understanding Exposure (it won't take long and has great examples), you'll get a crash course in exposure. I'd also recommend looking at some resources on composition - you can take perfectly exposed pictures that are perfectly boring if the composition isn't good. And I agree with all of the comments: practice, practice, practice. Have fun, experiment, don't be afraid to try different things (memory is cheap). Look at other people's photos (especially from Disney) for inspiration and ideas - there are numerous threads on this board where people post their pictures. Flickr is another good place to look. You won't find any shortage of great subject matter at the parks - enjoy the opportunity! (and by all means play around with some low light and night photography with that f/1.8 prime lens you just bought!!)
 


I'm going to be joining you in learning photography. Never had a desire before, but suddenly decided it would be worth a try. I'm big into music (played in bands for a long time, still pick up guitars and basses and everything else when I want something to do) which has always been my "art form" as I can't draw stick figures let alone paint. But, photography just all of a sudden made sense to me when I was using our really nice point and shoot. It clicked with me that it is an art that has a large base in science and math, and being a scientist, it spoke to me. Started using nothing but manual on that point and shoot and learned a ton. Decided to jump into DSLR. Low and behold, found my parents had an old Nikon FE2 with three lenses (which are supposed to be pretty good). Did some more research, and learned what bodies are compatible with those old lenses (didn't want to start on film as that can get pretty expensive fast). So I went out and found a nice D200 (old, but supposed to be really nice still). Watched a bunch of videos using iso/appeture/shutter speed, and started the manual. Goal is when is to get the lenses right before we leave for Disney, and just mess with it non-stop (while still having our point and shoot for actual photos unless I feel I'm taking decent enough ones). I'm pretty excited about the whole thing (much more than I expected I would be to be honest). Being a big software/modeling guy, I'm really looking forward to getting some decent shots that I can then edit and really work with.
 
I'm going to be joining you in learning photography. Never had a desire before, but suddenly decided it would be worth a try. I'm big into music (played in bands for a long time, still pick up guitars and basses and everything else when I want something to do) which has always been my "art form" as I can't draw stick figures let alone paint. But, photography just all of a sudden made sense to me when I was using our really nice point and shoot. It clicked with me that it is an art that has a large base in science and math, and being a scientist, it spoke to me. Started using nothing but manual on that point and shoot and learned a ton. Decided to jump into DSLR. Low and behold, found my parents had an old Nikon FE2 with three lenses (which are supposed to be pretty good). Did some more research, and learned what bodies are compatible with those old lenses (didn't want to start on film as that can get pretty expensive fast). So I went out and found a nice D200 (old, but supposed to be really nice still). Watched a bunch of videos using iso/appeture/shutter speed, and started the manual. Goal is when is to get the lenses right before we leave for Disney, and just mess with it non-stop (while still having our point and shoot for actual photos unless I feel I'm taking decent enough ones). I'm pretty excited about the whole thing (much more than I expected I would be to be honest). Being a big software/modeling guy, I'm really looking forward to getting some decent shots that I can then edit and really work with.
Welcome to the club - once it clicks (no pun intended) you never see photography in the same way. It sounds like you're well on your way and following the advice above to just take as many pictures as you can (and in manual, too!). There is a great deal of complex math and science behind it if that appeals to you. Years ago I had the chance to see some of Ansel Adams' notebooks at an exhibit of his work - it's incredible how much math went into getting those incredible photos of his. Today, a lot of that math is already in the camera or post-processing software - which makes it easier for those of us who aren't mathematically inclined to get great shots. But there's still a lot of trial and error and planning - internal settings only take you so far. If that's an area you'd like to pursue in a purer form as you get more comfortable with the camera, however, you could always venture into medium format (or even large format if you're adventurous). The ability to set up your own dark room - or even prepare your own plates - isn't as challenging as it might seem. For now though, have fun and enjoy!
 
Trial and error is best. Shoot, shoot, shoot. As time goes on you will get better. There is the rule of third. Watch shows on TV, not talk, and notice how subjects are composed.

Rule_of_thirds.jpg
 

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