Photography questions

[Ranger187]

God, I can't believe I'm asking this because I hate reading, but it's the only way I'll better my skills and knowledge and since I don't do the "point and shoot" anymore it brings me to these questions:

1. Where can I find a book explaining aperature, shutter speeds, isos etc. Basically a good beginner book or books that go into detail but don't side track and explain 4,000 other features. Meaning focusing at one topic at a time.

2. Also since most of you are way more experienced and have probably surfed more photography sites, are there any that come to mind for online learning, or references?

Thanks in advance!

[Jon]

John Hedgecoe's books spring to mind; for instance John Hedgecoe's Complete Guide to Photography.

On the web, there's the Canon Digital Learning Center (http://www.photoworkshop.com/canon/index.html) for starters.

[OneManArmy]

Those principles don't change; I just went out and bought some old photog books at a used book store for cheap.

[Steven M. Anthony]

Another book you will find useful is "Photographic Composition," by Grill & Scanlon. It will tell you how to use all those settings (and more) to help you capture the "feeling" of what you are shooting--so when people look at your photos, they get at least some of the feeling you had when you took it.

[preacher]

I am a beginner also and have had the same questions your asking, it wasn't until I was recommended to get National Geographic Field Guide Photography--Secrets to making great pictures by Peter K Burian and Robert Caputo this is the the best book I have found to date.
It is soooooo practical.

[Belmondo]

Another book you will find useful is "Photographic Composition," by Grill & Scanlon. It will tell you how to use all those settings (and more) to help you capture the "feeling" of what you are shooting--so when people look at your photos, they get at least some of the feeling you had when you took it.
This is excellent advice. The relationship between ISO, shutter speed, aperture, depth-of-field, etc., are the same in film photography as they are in digital. Any decent general photography book should have what you need, so if you can find a 'deal' on one, so much the better.

[IndyJeff]

Why does everyone who buys a DSLR and has no knowledge of APT and shutter speed want to buy a book to explain it? Look, there is probably a setting on your camera called PROGRAM. The camera will meter the available light and set the camera automatically for the best exposure. Use that PROGRAM setting and learn from it.

Get yourself to a place where you can shoot some shots, take a shot on P and observe what the camera had for the best exposure. Now switch to AV and shoot with different settings, taking notes on each exposure. Switch to TV and do the same thing. Now go home, fire up the ol' PC insert the card into the card reader and look at what you did. Read the notes you took and see how the image changed from shot to shot. See what happened when you opened the APT up and the shutter speed went up? See what happened when you decreased the APT and the shutter slowed down?
Now go to the library and get a book about photography and read about exposures. You will have a better understanding of what your reading and be able to apply that the next time out in the field.

Don't be afriad of using the P mode to get a better understanding of how your camera works. When you started driving you didn't start doing power slides thur a 90 degree turn the first week did you? No, you learned how the car handled first then experimented as you would slide around that turn, right? Increasing your speed as your ability to handle the car increased with experience each time out seemed logical and the safe way to get that slide done.

[Steven M. Anthony]

Why does everyone who buys a DSLR and has no knowledge of APT and shutter speed want to buy a book to explain it? Look, there is probably a setting on your camera called PROGRAM. The camera will meter the available light and set the camera automatically for the best exposure. Use that PROGRAM setting and learn from it.

Get yourself to a place where you can shoot some shots, take a shot on P and observe what the camera had for the best exposure. Now switch to AV and shoot with different settings, taking notes on each exposure. Switch to TV and do the same thing. Now go home, fire up the ol' PC insert the card into the card reader and look at what you did. Read the notes you took and see how the image changed from shot to shot. See what happened when you opened the APT up and the shutter speed went up? See what happened when you decreased the APT and the shutter slowed down?
Now go to the library and get a book about photography and read about exposures. You will have a better understanding of what your reading and be able to apply that the next time out in the field.

Don't be afriad of using the P mode to get a better understanding of how your camera works. When you started driving you didn't start doing power slides thur a 90 degree turn the first week did you? No, you learned how the car handled first then experimented as you would slide around that turn, right? Increasing your speed as your ability to handle the car increased with experience each time out seemed logical and the safe way to get that slide done.

Indy:

That's certainly one way to learn. Another way is to get a book about it. One flaw I see with the "jump into 'P-mode' " is that if the person doesn't understand the basics of exposure control, they aren't going to understand what is going on in 'p-mode.' To continue your racing analogy...

In racing school, if you are learning to drive a car without a syncromesh transmission, they teach you how to up-shift and down-shift BEFORE you learn the racing line for the track. It would do one little good to drive around the track in an automatic transmission car learning the racing line without getting a sense of where the shift points are if you then had to learn how to shift the car.

I did some local club racing a few years back. After going to an orientation session for the club, I read a couple of books on driving technique and how to determine the best racing line on a track. I took top spot in my first event and went on to win 3 club championships. The guy I beat those 3 years had been club champ the previous 3 years running, and never read a racing book in his life. It just goes to show that different people learn in different ways. My guess is that people who ask about books learn well from books.

I can't imagine that building an initial, conceptual understanding of exposure via book learning would get in the way of what is to be learned by doing.

[Ranger187]

When you started driving you didn't start doing power slides thur a 90 degree turn the first week did you? No, you learned how the car handled first then experimented as you would slide around that turn, right? Increasing your speed as your ability to handle the car increased with experience each time out seemed logical and the safe way to get that slide done.

You don't know me well. ;) Yes, I was "drifting" or sliding the car out around turns by the 2nd week. Then again I'm psychotic...

As for the other things you mentioned thanks, great advice. I already do that. I haven't touched the other settings that much. I am not going to either until it warms up a bit. 13 degrees with a 20mph wind and I'm not going out to take notes. I'll seiously take a fuking stool and notebook to the highway when it's warm though and sit off to the side noting each picture. Helps in the long run. but for now, the criticism helps a lot.

Thanks all that replied. I hate reading so I'll order those and then go from there.

[PhotosGuy]

Virtual Camera simulator - change the settings & see the effect on the photo.
http://www.camerasinteractive.com/index.php#

SUNNY 16 'Rule' - Exposure Value, FILM SPEED, SHUTTER SPEED & f/stops -- What Are They?
http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm

Excellent Camera lessons: Resolution, White Balance, Depth of Field (Focus), Product, & more.
http://www.webphotoschool.com/

Get the most out of your Canon EOS SLR
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=48095

[Ranger187]

Thanks! That helped some. I only looked at the first briefly. I'll be looking more into them today.