[Exclusivs]

Hey Whats up Guys,

Always have had an interest in photography. Have taken classes in school using real film, and black labs. Also have done some minor digital photography and editing classes. The general knowledge is there (I think?), but looking to up my photography game.

Currently own a Rebel T2i (not the greatest SLR I know) but not bad I guess? Find myself always shooting on Auto Mode and having the camera do the work. No upgrade lens, have always shot stock lenses.

Where do you guys suggest I start? Any well written books? or easy to follow tutorials? I feel like when I'm reading the manual to this thing its another language!

Here are some VERY amateur shots of mine - Feel free to judge!

[ddk632]

Lambo shot is nice, not bad at all for self described "amateur" shots. You've got the eye just - like all of us - practice is what it takes. Go out shooting.

The absolute must read in my opinion is Understanding Exposure by Brian Peterson. Read that book and you'll start to get off of auto mode.

Btw nothing at all wrong with a T2i, Rebels are great cameras!

[justanotherdude]

Hop into manual mode and just mess with it. Only way to go in my opinion is to just fail until you get it right haha

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by ddk632

Lambo shot is nice, not bad at all for self described "amateur" shots. You've got the eye just - like all of us - practice is what it takes. Go out shooting.

The absolute must read in my opinion is Understanding Exposure by Brian Peterson. Read that book and you'll start to get off of auto mode.

Btw nothing at all wrong with a T2i, Rebels are great cameras!

This. Get the Kindle version for less if you have a Kindle or iPad or other tablet.

There's a saying in the literature field that "First you read, then you write." It goes for photography, too. Check out POTN (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/) and browse through some of the forums like landscapes or transportation. The lens sample forums are also very good. After a while you'll learn who the really good photographers are (like David who responded above) and then you can check out their Flickr pages. Even here check out the Snapshot of the Day thread and look at DC's images or Itsed's or IRide's or Weebl's or the other folks who post here. You'll begin to understand how others compose their images and then you can try to emulate them. In no time you'll develop your own style without even realizing it.

[Exclusivs]

Awesome guys! Thanks for the replies!

I know with anything it takes effort put in, research, and hands on practice!

Going to pick up the suggested book, and start reading up. Forums are very helpful places as well so will check the one listed as well. In all honesty I really only enjoy shooting cars at the moment. Maybe that will change? Or maybe that's just a thing for every photographer, they find their things and go!

Any BASIC tips? What quality to shoot? AF vs MF? Etc...

[M_Six]

This guy, John Zhang, is one of the very best when it comes to shooting cars. His username here is 1013MM, but he hasn't posted in ages. Here's his blog, though. Look at his work and go through his tips and tricks section. He's super talented.

http://1013mm.com/blog/

[Exclusivs]

Johns stuff is unreal! Have loved his photos from day 1 ,hes got some serious talent!

Strange question but I need a carrying case for my Rebel. Whats best?

[inChargeOfIT]

Try shooting cars during cloudy or overcast days for the best results. I like white cars at night under street lights as it's hard to see the lines or any depth on white cars during the day). Use a tripod when you can for sharper images and try using a polarizing filter to help with reflections in glass.

For general photography, there are tons of sites with tips and tutorials. I would browse each site listed under the Photography Tutorials section on http://www.lightstalking.com/photography-websites. I highly advise http://www.cambridgeincolour.com and http://digital-photography-school.com/tips (especially the tips for beginners articles). But most of all, get out of auto mode and TAKE A CRAP LOAD OF PHOTOS. Start shooting in Aperture mode and play with depth-of-field.

[E92 M Sport]

Check out
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/forum.php

And
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com

[dcstep]

You've got some nice stuff there.

Forget about Manual mode, you'll miss too many shots. There are circumstances where Manual is required, but you don't know enough yet to fool with that. Lots of pros do most of their shooting in Aperture or Shutter Priority Modes. I use Aperture priority 99% of the time and it's not because I don't know how to shoot manual. (I was shooting film decades ago with a totally manual camera).

I like Digital Photography School for a wide variety of tips and lessons:

http://digital-photography-school.com/tips

You should post your photos where there are experienced photographers and ask for critique. Snapshot of The Day is a Forum here that's mainly for just sharing, but if you ask for critique we'll add it.

Dave

[Exclusivs]

Awesome guys great info

Appreciate your help!

Will post some new photos soon!

[M3Captain]

Originally Posted by Exclusivs

Awesome guys great info

Appreciate your help!

Will post some new photos soon!

www.kelbytraining.com

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by dcstep

You've got some nice stuff there.

Forget about Manual mode, you'll miss too many shots. There are circumstances where Manual is required, but you don't know enough yet to fool with that. Lots of pros do most of their shooting in Aperture or Shutter Priority Modes. I use Aperture priority 99% of the time and it's not because I don't know how to shoot manual. (I was shooting film decades ago with a totally manual camera).

I like Digital Photography School for a wide variety of tips and lessons:

http://digital-photography-school.com/tips

You should post your photos where there are experienced photographers and ask for critique. Snapshot of The Day is a Forum here that's mainly for just sharing, but if you ask for critique we'll add it.

Dave

i agree. The only time i use manual is for controlled lighting shoots or tripod night / low light shots. The almost all the other time i'm in the shutter priority.

[lmcq784]

I would recommend playing around in manual, to get a really good understanding on how shutter speed, aperture, and sensitivity (ISO) affect one another, and what affects they have on photographs.

I used to frequent Luminous-Landscape and byThom a lot (just add dot-com). Some of their technical articles helped me a bunch. Thin Hogan's site has grown and split off into different sites, so you may have to dig a little.

But like others say, go out and practice. Don't be afraid to experiment. It's much easier learning on digital (instant review, no additional cost, embedded picture info) than on film!

[dcstep]

I think that playing around with M, Av and Tv mode is important. With M, you can't set and forget, so it forces you to think before each shot.

I shoot 99% of the time in Av mode, but know that there are certain circumstances where I'll have to go to M mode (changing backgrounds mainly); however, a big advantage to Av and Tv, which I love and use on almost every shot, is the ability to dial in + or - EV by spinning the big wheel on the back with back with my thumb.

You can do something similar with M mode if you watch the EV at the bottom of the viewfinder (in Canon anyway) and observing if it's going plus or minus and then either changing aperture or SS to add or deduct EV.

For best results with all modes, you need to understand how your meter works and how to adjust to various situations.

Dave

[Exclusivs]

Originally Posted by dcstep

You've got some nice stuff there.

Forget about Manual mode, you'll miss too many shots. There are circumstances where Manual is required, but you don't know enough yet to fool with that. Lots of pros do most of their shooting in Aperture or Shutter Priority Modes. I use Aperture priority 99% of the time and it's not because I don't know how to shoot manual. (I was shooting film decades ago with a totally manual camera).

I like Digital Photography School for a wide variety of tips and lessons:

http://digital-photography-school.com/tips

You should post your photos where there are experienced photographers and ask for critique. Snapshot of The Day is a Forum here that's mainly for just sharing, but if you ask for critique we'll add it.

Dave

Sorry for the newbee question but what is Aperature/ and shutter modes?

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by Exclusivs

Sorry for the newbee question but what is Aperature/ and shutter modes?

Aperture and Shutter priority modes are automatic modes. With Aperture Priority Mode (Av on Canon) you chose the ISO and the Aperture and the camera adjusts the shutter speed to get the exposure correct. With Shutter Priority Mode (Tv on Canon) you chose the Shutter speed and ISO and the camera adjusts the exposure by changing the aperture automatically.

Dave