Newbie needing advice

Hello everyone This is my first post here. I have a Canon Rebel XT with the kit lens and also the 50mm 1.8. The 50 mm came in the mail yesterday so I haven't played with it much but from what I read I'll like it.

I'm finding that learning my camera is taking a bit longer than I expected and I'm wondering if you have any advice. I'm forcing myself to shoot in manual, and adjusting the shutter speed and aperture to get a correct exposure (according to the camera), but the problem is I am photographing my kids, ages 13, 4, and 2. They don't cooperate much, so I'm following them around and constantly adjusting things and getting frustrated as they move from shade to sun, indoors and out. They do sit for me sometimes and let me practice but I think I'm torturing them, lol, so I don't ask as much anymore.

Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone has any advice about standard settings I can use for indoors, outdoors, sun, shade, etc. For example, is there a standard aperture, shutter speed, and ISO combo that I should be starting with in each of these situations?

Another question I have is about my indoor shots. I'd love to get good shots of my kids playing in the playroom, which doesn't get great natural light. I don't like the way the pictures look when I use the on camera flash, and when I adjust the shutter speed to get a correct exposure, I end up with such a slow shutter speed that my pictures are blurry (remember I'm shooting kids here), so I get frustrated and go back to the flash and hate my pictures. Any advice?

In my opinion, you're on the right track using manual exposure mode for learning. Try practising on more static subjects rather than boring your kids to death.

For the quick shots of the kids while you are still trying to learn to control the camera yourself, you could probably get away with the "P" mode and use the camera as a sophisticated point-n-shoot in most common situations. With the "P" mode, you can select the most appropriate ISO setting for the lighting at the time.

When using my 320EX Speedlite on my 20D and shooting photos of people milling around in an indoor situation, etc., I will often use the "P" mode with fairly good success.

Thanks! I'll try that. Do I need an external flash if I'm ever going to get good indoor shots? I really don't want one. This is just a hobby and my hobbies tend to get out of control when I keep buying stuff.

Welcome to POTN! Kids in action are tough to shoot. That's why there's a "Delete" button?

There is no "standard". It depends on the effect that you want to get. If you're already shooting in "M", (My only mode - good for you!), first set the f-stop & shutter speed you need. Then adjust the ISO. Need an exposure crutch?

For those who ask "Why?", this shows how the subject can affect the exposure & why manual keeps me worry free: Post #47

You probably should read these, too:
Auto White Balance - works really well

ISO 200-6400 20D Tests

** IMPORTANT LINKS: EOS Flash **

Thanks!!! Off to church, will read more when I get back and try some more. Maybe I'll even post pics tonight for cc!

Feel free to keep adding any advice or tips you think I could use

springmama wrote in post #4080418
Do I need an external flash if I'm ever going to get good indoor shots? I really don't want one.

An external flash will help you get far better shots of people close in for a couple of reasons. By having the flash source further from the lens' axis, red-eye will be a lot less of a problem. Also, shadows behind people will fall lower on the background and be less problematic.

In addition, there are many lenses - especially when used with their lens hoods mounted (HIGHLY recommended all the time, by the way) - that will cast severe shadows on the subject area when using the built-in flash. Having an external flash will virtually eliminate this problem.

For general-purpose work, the Canon 430EX would be a good choice for an external flash.

I was having the same problem with you on what to use for my shutter and aperture. But once I learned about the meter, it saved me a whole lot of guess work.

I'm going to dissent here.

springmama wrote in post #4080371
I'm forcing myself to shoot in manual, and adjusting the shutter speed and aperture to get a correct exposure (according to the camera)

There really is no point in using Manual, if you're using it like this. All you're doing is dialling in the same settings that the camera would choose if you used Av or Tv mode. But doing it manually will be much slower and you'll miss some shots.

In addition, you should always remember that the camera doesn't know what a "correct" exposure is. How can it? It doesn't know what it's pointing at!

Here's a little thought experiment. Two kids standing next to one another. One's wearing a black shirt and the other's wearing a white shirt. You frame the first one, adjust the settings to give an exposure that the camera thinks is correct, and take the shot. Now you frame the other kid... but the camera's telling you that you're going to be two stops over-exposed. What's going on? What should you do?

[Here's a little thought experiment. Two kids standing next to one another. One's wearing a black shirt and the other's wearing a white shirt. You frame the first one, adjust the settings to give an exposure that the camera thinks is correct, and take the shot. Now you frame the other kid... but the camera's telling you that you're going to be two stops over-exposed. What's going on? What should you do?[/QUOTE]

WADR, you've introduced a third issue. First learning the camera, second learning how to expose a shot, third when to fudge the exposure.

In Manual he's got a better chance to do the first 2 and can then noodle out the third. Those of us who learned on manual cameras first learned that one stop up on the shutter meant one down on the aperture ring to get the needle or light where it needed to be for the same exposure. And isn't manual where he needs to be to make that half or 11/2 stop fudge?

Having fidgety kids helped me learn to make the right decisions quicker.

Chicken and egg question to me. Next stage make one the preference and learn what the preferred setting produces and what changes different lighting conditions make neccessary in the other.

The instant feedback of digital should shorten all those learning curves.

Frustration isn't very helpful to the learning experience. I would suggest shooting in Av or Tv mode for now, and spend the next few weeks reading up on the technical side of photography. Then, when you have more knowledge at hand, back into manual stuff... if you &really* feel you need to. I only shoot manual when using my strobes. Exposure compensation settings are enough when shooting Av.

Everyone has their favorite learning methods so, FWIW, here are mine. I'm also a parent and challenged with taking photos of moving kids, sometimes on moving rides and generally trying to capture that spontaneous moment that'll be gone once I take an extra second fiddling with camera settings.

1. Shoot on P AND shift the Program. The camera will find it's own combo of aperture and shutter speed. I look at it like recommendations. If I think I need more DoF, I spin the wheel to increase the f-number and the camera will automatically adjust my shutter speed. If I feel I need a faster shutter speed, I spin the wheel in the other direction to increase the shutter speed and the camera will open up the aperture to compensate. If you think about it, it's like using both Av and Tv at once. It's automatic but customizable.
2. Change ISO on the fly. Now possible in the digital photography world, I think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Shooting indoors, I have my ISO set at 400, maybe 800 with modest ambient light. Same for outdoors on a cloudy day. Then ISO at 200 for regular sunny days, 100 for super bright days or at the beach.
3. Use Av an Tv for extra control. When I'm overly concerned about DoF, sharpness or stopping (or blurring) action, I go for Av and Tv. With a little practice, it won't take any more concentration than using P and shifting the program.
4. Use exposure compensation (EV+/-) to adjust camera's auto metering. Taking a photo of a kid against a mostly light or mostly dark background (or the white/black shirt example above) will fool the meter. I typically dial in +/- compensation to adjust. This is a bit more advance but easy and quick to do once you learn to identify the situation. Without it, you get underexposed shots when something is supposed to be light and overexposed shots for something that's supposed to be dark.

...and then there's flash photography. I got schooled on this myself on this forum just 2 weeks ago. The short of it is that Av and Tv modes with flash will act as if there's no flash attached. They also treat it as fill flash. Whodda thunk it?

For flash photography P (or green box) is your friend. P will always set a shutter speed that you can hand hold and will try to go up to 1/200 if it can. Shots will be properly exposed for the subject in focus.

Another option, which I'll be experimeting with tonight, is using M for flash photography. You set the aperture and shutter speed (provided it doesn't exceed the max flash sync for your camera) of your liking, pop up the flash and let it rip. While the camera exposure settings are manual the flash exposure is always automatic. Once you release the shutter, the flash will fire, the camera will meter the amount of light its receiving, quench the flash when it's had enough light and close the shutter. It's manual yet automatic.

Good luck,
Alex

This is a WAY longer & more complicated process than the first link (Need an exposure crutch?) I put in post #4, & you're still starting with the cams interpretation of what is the "correct" exposure. My method is not perfect for everything, but I think it's much better for a constant starting point.