after taking my first digi SLR shots... im confused

[skimmilk68]

my first day with my first digital SLR (300d) ... i've read the manual and read a couple of books on photography but im left confused with some stuff...

*added*: -when im on shutter priority and increase my shutter speed to (even 1/2 of a second), the maximum aperture value blinks and wont let me take the picture. i tried to increase the ISO but still blinking... what can i do?

-when i set it on shutter priority and increase the shutter speed, the aperture value blinks and wont let me take the picture. What am i supposed to do?

-when should i adjust the exposure level?

-well to make the background blurry i increase the aperture value, to capture fast action i increase shutter speed.... in what situations should i lower the aperture value (besides making background sharper) and when should i lower shutter speed (besides to make a moving/streaking effect)

-i know these are all very noob-ish questions that i should have covered when reading my photography books ( i must have skilled some pages) so is there a good beginner website that would answer most of these simple questions?

thanks guys

*added* i decided to show you guys some of my first shots
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/skimmilk68/fork.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/skimmilk68/soysauce.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/skimmilk68/cindy.jpg
my attempt at shooting close-up... i didnt think i had to hold as steady with a high aperture value ... all of em got a lil too blurry... got any tips besides "hold it steady/use a tripod" ?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/skimmilk68/wee.jpg
uh.. i tried to be creative but i couldn't shoot it with a high shutter speed and flash wouldnt pop out in shutter priority mode... i guess i gotta learn more about the camera.... how would i have made this picture better? (shot with portrait/automatic mode)

[theflyingkiwi]

-when i set it on shutter priority and increase the shutter speed, the aperture value blinks and wont let me take the picture. What am i supposed to do?


This happens because the photo will either be over exposed (2 bright) or under exposed (2 dark) If you are unsure of the shutter speed to use, set the camera to P mode and see what it selects. The camera will pick out the best settings to get the right exposoure


-when should i adjust the exposure level?

that is a good question, if you take a photograph and it looks to dark you have a number of options, change the aperture value or the shutter value. This should change the exposure level. Or if you wont you can just change the exposure setting on the camera. I guess the best thing that I can recommend it getting a simple subject and playing. After all it's all digital :)


-well to make the background blurry i increase the aperture value, to capture fast action i increase shutter speed.... in what situations should i lower the aperture value (besides making background sharper) and when should i lower shutter speed (besides to make a moving/streaking effect)
THis comes down to the effect that you wish to have. if you are shooting something that is moving fast then that is when you might try using the camera on Shutter-Priority (TV - Time Value) if you are doing a portrait then you should choose Aperture-Priority (AV Aperture Value) this is because you can control the DOF.


-i know these are all very noob-ish questions that i should have covered when reading my photography books ( i must have skilled some pages) so is there a good beginner website that would answer most of these simple questions?

remember that there is no such thing as a noob-ish question. even the best had to start without the knowledge.

If you are lost please ask even more questions. As I have found out there is alot more. The more I use the 10d the more I understand.

[skimmilk68]

*added*: -when im on shutter priority and increase my shutter speed to (even 1/2 of a second), the maximum aperture value blinks and wont let me take the picture. i tried to increase the ISO but still blinking... what can i do?

oh and whats the difference between a regular telephoto lens and a telephoto zoom lens?

[PacAce]

*added*: -when im on shutter priority and increase my shutter speed to (even 1/2 of a second), the maximum aperture value blinks and wont let me take the picture. i tried to increase the ISO but still blinking... what can i do?

oh and whats the difference between a regular telephoto lens and a telephoto zoom lens?

The blinking aperture, as was stated by someone else earlier, means that the aperture cannot be increased (or decreased, as the case may be) any more to get the proper exposure for the shutter speed you are using. However, you should still be able to release the shutter and take a picture even in this condition. The only time you won't be able to take a picture is if you were not able to focus on a subject. If that is the case, you will see a green led in the viewfinder (on the right, I think, for your camera) that will be blinking to let you know that focus was not achieved).

If increasing the ISO does not help much, then what you need to do when you can't get the necessary aperture is either switch to Av mode and let the camera pick the shutter speed (you may need a tripod if it's less than 1/60 sec) or use a flash.

By regular telephoto lens, I presume you are talking about the prime lens. This is a lens that is of a fixed focal length such as 200mm, 300mm, etc. A zoom telephoto lens has a range of the focal lengths you can set on the lens, for example, the 70-200mm telephoto zoom, the 100-400mm, etc.