new at this photography thing

[sekaisdad]

good afternoon, everyone!

i am really, really new at taking photography seriously. (it has only been 1 yr THOUGH I HAVE ALWAYS TAKEN GREAT SHOTS). my pix come out incredibly professional, but i could never tell anyone how i got them.

additionally, about half of my pix have been shot in autofocus, and i almost feel like i am cheating.

what is a less-than-confusing way to understand fstops and aperture. i am considering a book called photO. for dummies, but much of what i have read doesn't incline me to GET fstops and aperture.

please help! N E 1!!!!:oops:

[CyberPet]

Any basic photo book should help you explain the basics of shutterspeed, aperture, etc.

General rule:
Low f-number = larger opening of the aperture (more light into the camera) and shorter depth of field.
High f-number = smaller opening of the aperture (less light into the camera) and longer depth of field

The smaller the apture is, the more light needs to come into the camera for a good exposure, so that effects the shutter speed. But you can also affect the shutter speed with increasing the ISO. So there's lots of settings you can play with to get the result you want.

[Jon]

You might find some of the references here (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=53846) useful. In particular, John Hedgecoe's books (while not strictly digital) are very good.

[Jemmind]

Post some of you work! We'd like to see them!
Julie

[PhotosGuy]

Take a look at these free resources:
The Canon Art of Photography Archive
http://www.camera.canon.com.my/archive/photography.htm

Canon EOS Beginners’ FAQ
http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/

A SHORT COURSE IN CHOOSING A DIGITAL CAMERA - "THE digital photography resource for over 4,000,000 visitors a year."
It takes you around and through the digital camera so you know how it works and what its features are used for.
http://www.shortcourses.com/choosing/contents.htm
Short Course for the Digital Rebel-300D.
http://www.shortcourses.com/bookstore/canon/book_canonrebel.htm

Beginners Guide to Photography: Short, easy articles for the absolute beginner.Just the basics to get you up and shooting.
http://www.photonhead.com/beginners

Imaging Resource Photo Lessons: free lessons that show you how to get professional-grade results.
http://www.irphotoschool.com/

Virtual Interactive Camera: The Flash-based Virtual Camera gives users hands-on experience operating an Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera.
Four tutorials explain focusing, aperture, shutter speed and exposure.
http://www.camerasinteractive.com/index.php

Jodies Coston's Free Online Photography Course
http://www.morguefile.com/archive/classroom.php
Lesson 1: Composition And Impact - It's A Beautiful Photograph, But Do You Know WHY It's Beautiful?
Lesson 2: Aperture And Shutter Speed - How They Work Together.
Lesson 3: The lens - choosing camera optics.
Lesson 4: ISO, Grain, Transparency vs. Negative, Specialty Films
Lesson 5: Fun Effects - Camera Filters, Soft Focus, Zooming And Panning
Lesson 6: Landscape, Nature and Travel Photography
Lesson 7: Portraits And Studio Lighting
Lesson 8: Studio Lighting - Still Life and Product Photography
Lesson 9: Tying It All Together
Lesson 10: Special Requests

Digital Photography - The Textbook
http://209.196.177.41/

Lotsa links - Your Personal Guide to Digital Photography
http://www.basic-digital-photography.com/

Adobe Whitepaper - Digital photography workflow
http://www.adobe.com/digitalimag/ps_pro.html

Adobe digital photography white papers and primers
http://www.adobe.com/digitalimag/ps_pro_primers.html

"Introduction to Color Spaces" w/image
http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/color_spaces.htm

Macro Photography
http://www.photo.net/learn/macro/

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/expose-right.shtml
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understanding-histograms.shtml

[CyberPet]

Wow, that's a lot of useful links PhotosGuy! I think I'll brush up on some of my knowledge too... sure needs some brushing up *coughing from the dust* :D

Those links should be sticky somewhere!

[PhotosGuy]

:D:D:D:D:D They, & lots of others, are at the top of "Talk About Photography (forumdisplay.php?f=13)". Thing is that "lisa (nudity) 3 images" gets more hits in 2 days than "Photography Basics - Books & Links" got in 4 months! :D:D:D:D:D

[cfcRebel]

LMAO!:D I did read the Photography Basics first before checking out charlesu's great work.

[LadyHawk]

:D:D:D:D:D They, & lots of others, are at the top of "Talk About Photography (http://forumdisplay.php/?f=13)". Thing is that "lisa (nudity) 3 images" gets more hits in 2 days than "Photography Basics - Books & Links" got in 4 months! :D:D:D:D:D

So change the name to "Nude :o Photography Basics - Books & Links." That will get them interested! :D :D :D