Newbie

Hello Everyone!

I'm new on this forum and also new with photography!
I got my Canon Eos 450D when it just launched back in may 2009 and since then very happy with it.
But it seems harder and harder for me to make perfect pictures at command,
at first i was overwhelmed by the perfect pictures it makes compare to my crappy camera i had before..
But i think i'm ready for more knowledge on how to set my camera the right way in some situations, because now i make a lot of pictures and a few are right, some are too bright too dark out of focus etc and there will be always 1 right but sometimes there is not even 1 right and its frustrates me.

I'm a total noob when it comes to photography terms and equipment and settings, i sure read the manual but its not giving me the right basic information, could someone recommend me any good website/tutorial etc.. for me to learn more about my Canon Eos 450d and how to make the right settings to make perfect pictures who are not too bright out of focus etc.

Thanks so much! and hope i will soon share photo's on the forum that i've taken as soon as i feel 1 with my camera ^^

xoxo
Lisa

P.S. I got no additional lenses but read alot of good stuff about the EF 50mm f/1.8 II ! Do you guys think i first need to learn how my Camera works before i buy this lens or do you think it makes it easier for me to make perfect pictures? ^^

Lisa, first welcome. Second, besides browsing these forums, I would pick up a few books. There are many good ones out there, but I would start with "Understanding Exposure" and perhaps "The Moment It Clicks." Both can be found fairly cheap. There are lots of good books, but out of all the books I have read over the years, those two I think still hold up.

There are also lots of good sites, so be sure to check out the sticky threads.

Greatest thread title ever! Read as much as you can. The above book suggestions are good, but practice, practice, practice.

Welcome. I too have the 450D. By practice, learn Chapters 3 and 4 of your camera manual (esp. metering mode, exposure compensation, manual mode). Before thinking of additional lenses, learn to use the one you have. Then decide if/how the one you have doesn't do all you want. Then think about your budget, immediate and long term. There's no hurry.

Stickeys right here on this forum for Newbies.

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=414088

Hi Lisa,

Welcome. I was a newbie 2 years ago and found this forum a great place to ask questions. Don't be shy, there's amazing expertise here and most are willing to share their knowledge.

It can be overwhelming and confusing at first, but if you commit yourself to learning, it's not that difficult. Just takes time and lots of practice.

I strongly recommend this book from Scott Kelby: http://www.amazon.com …oks&qid=1266122​940&sr=8-6

His books really helped.

hey all, thanks so much for your reply's and help! i will check out the books you recommended!

Meanderthal: i'll do that! i did read the manual when i first got the camera but forgot a lot of it..

puggle: i'll do that too ^^ it sure is overwhelming and confusing! i'm such a noob at this.. i really want to learn it, what's the point in having this camera and not using it properly ;")

thanks you all again ! ^^

Try doing a small exercise that I was told to do when starting out.

Take your camera and put it in AV. Take a shot (with a subject and background) at every setting and see what a difference the settings made. You should see a huge difference between wide f4-5.6 and f22+
Then do the same with a moving subject (a friend jumping up and down or running) but use TV and try every setting from 1/500 to 2 secs. See the differences?

Now you know what Aperture and shutter speed can do to a photo.

Since you suggested Av & the exposure wouldn't change much, this would work as well:
Virtual Camera
Notice the background changes when you use his "Shutter and Aperture" settings!

This is what happens when you use any "Auto" settings, including Tv & Av, & why "a few are right, some are too bright too dark"...
Post #47

CAMERA LESSONS by Canon: = Enjoy! Digital SLR camera =
Click the "post #47" at the top-right of that post if you'd like more info on the subject.

Also, when you just can't figure out what is going wrong with your pictures, posting an example on here and asking for advice should elicit some very good pointers on how to improve your success ratio.

Pppssssttt!!! It's almost always "Not enough light!"

Sorarse wrote in post #9613598
Also, when you just can't figure out what is going wrong with your pictures...