SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

There are a lot of good resources out there, you just have to look for them. The advice given by David Pine, Gene51 and JcMarino are excellent. I will add my own thoughts.

FIRST read your camera manual all the way through at least twice. While not always easy to understand, it is the best place to start for understanding your camera. When trying different modes, you can also use the manual as a reference book.

SECOND be willing to experiment. When I bought my first DSLR, the learning curve was steep, and I am still learning. I had been using a "point-and-shoot" digital and while most of my photos were decent, it was frustrating because I had little control over how they came out. Perhaps my objectives had changed - I wanted to go from decent to better, maybe eventually even to good or great! The first thing I did was NOT to use "auto". I tried all the other modes at different times. First was "manual" (M) because while my images were often terrible, it MADE me learn more about my camera and how to get decent pictures. Heard that "aperture priority" (AP) was the way to go, and I used that for a long time. But I eventually went back to M, and use that almost all the time. Not for everyone, but you need to see what you are most comfortable with. Also, know WHY you want to shoot in .jpg or RAW. Some people shoot both, so they will have both share-ready images (.jpg) and more information for editing (RAW). I eventually went to shooting exclusively in RAW, because I enjoy the editing process - others don't want to be bothered.

THIRD get some help. Once you have made as much progress as you can on your own, start seeking out information and advice. But you need to do a lot yourself first so you can know what questions to ask! There are lots of resources out there. In addition to KelbyOne and Lynda, take a look at CreativeLive which has a lot of free tutorials on their "on air" schedule. They also sell lots of them if you want to do them on your own time. Then there are other forums to investigate, DP Review and Cambridge in Colour are two good ones, and CiC also has tutorials. I don't recommend YouTube because there are too many choices, and not all of them are good enough to be helpful. Once you have identified instructors you like, it will be easier. There are also photo workshops in which you could participate - look for ones in your area on the internet. Check out their websites. There are also websites that offer online help, some free, some not. Most offer a combination. I have a long list of decent ones, but I think this is enough for now!

Good luck, and have fun.

Jim Bob

Nice but ineffective attempt at misdirection-typically the recourse of a shallow mind. Trump would be proud.

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

Your user’s manual will tell you how to switch from "A" to "M".

insman1132 Loc: Southwest Florida

I guess my first question is, if you are getting jobs and having no complaints about your work, why change??

CAS1951 Loc: San Diego

This actually surprises me. Doreen, I am not being disrespectful, but why didn't you learn how to use your camera before you went "pro"? I am just curious (not criticizing you). I went from a p&s to a bridge and then to a dslr as I wanted more control. I've mastered my camera--just not my photography. :)

James R. Kyle Loc: Saint Louis, Missouri (A Suburb of Ferguson)

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Yes.. To all of this = What Gene has said make good sense - and you should practice with the Camera in hand along with the book, and or vids you are viewing. The "Zone System" becomes almost automatic After You understand the practice of the way it is approached.

http://photography.tutsplus.com/tutorials/understanding-using-ansel-adams-zone-system--photo-5607

http://www.normankoren.com/zonesystem.html

http://clickitupanotch.com/2013/01/zone-system-the-basics/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWeFSfQsNU0

Above are from a simple search on Goggle about the Zone System...

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I go the other way!

I spent decades shooting film, then was amazed when Nikon gave me auto exposure. Now, my cameras have "Program", "Auto" and "Intelligent Auto". At times it irritates me that those modes are so good. But, the truth is those modes get it right most of the time for most photos. Unless there is a need for an unusual special effect or a photographer wants deep background blur in every shot, it can result in better photos to use the engineering in the camera.

Where people are involved (like weddings) the best photos come from thought, composition, timing and communication. They don't come from the decision to use F/6.6 or F/8!

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

Welcome to the Hog! Now hang on to your knickers because the answers you are going to get will range from helpful to downright insulting!

Short answer to your question: Check your manual to see what the other settings, such as M, Av, Tv, and P are all about. Experiment under different conditions with different settings. That is a basic starting point. While you are experimenting start looking for books, articles, videos, etc that explain exposure and depth of field. Learning how to use your flash and lighting techniques are important. A book titled "Understanding Exposure" (I forget the author) is a good place to start. www.bhphotovideo.com has a learning section with free videos and articles. When the inevitable questions arise there are plenty of people on the Hog willing and able to help. There are also plenty who are willing but unable to help. Eventually you will figure out who is who.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

ItJust ain't all that complicated. Just set the camera to ap or sp and practice. Try pictures of bushes, familly members, anything untill you get comfortable. Just do it. Why have the camera make the choices. If you are a photographer, you should make the decisions

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Bryan Peterson's book "Understanding Exposure" will get you off Auto.
It is well written and proceeds in a logical progression. At the end of each chapter are exercises to put what is covered in the chapter to practical use.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

If you're looking for a simple but effective starting point, I'd recommend the following:-

Make sure you understand the exposure triangle (aperture, shutter speed and ISO).

Find out about depth of field (DOF). Find out about how aperture (the f-stop setting) affects depth of field. For direct control over aperture, put the camera in aperture priority (A mode). Aperture priority mode is fine as long as what you're trying to capture doesn't move quickly.

You say you do events, which presumably involves subject movement (some of it quite fast?). When subject movement is a factor you need to understand the need for a fast shutter speed (how fast depends on how fast the subject movement is). Shutter speed is also a factor when the camera is hand-held, because camera movement (or camera shake) then becomes a factor. The slower the shutter speed the more likely it is that camera shake will introduce unwanted blur in your shots. Zoom also becomes a factor - the more zoom you're using the more likely it is that camera shake will introduce blur. A small amount of blur will just cause softness, but extreme blur will spoil a shot completely. Shutter priority (S mode) gives you the required direct control over shutter speed.

All that's left from the exposure triangle is ISO. What's most important to understand about ISO is that high ISO settings introduce noise (graininess and random small spots of colour). Very high ISOs increase the likelihood of getting blown highlights and loss of detail in the shadows (due to reduced dynamic range). Very high ISOs also cause softness. So basically you want to keep ISO low unless it's necessary to increase it to get the shutter speed and aperture that you want. The lower the light, the more likely it is that you'll need a high ISO.

Once you're comfortable with the above (not as hard as it sounds) you can consider going to full manual control (M mode). In M mode you are in full control and not depending on the camera to make any decisions for you. But don't be in too much of a rush to get there. I'd recommend working your way up the above learning curve at your own speed.

tsilva Loc: Arizona

keep feeding the troll guys, just pretend you are sitting out on a bench feeding pigeons, and you will be content

Rongnongno Loc: FL

'Pro' means nothing today other than selling captures to anyone wanting to purchase anything.

This is a sign of the times. Long gone is the era when one had to lug cameras around and learn how to learn the damned stuff. (See my arms are tired, what strap should I use thread)

Today the push is auto everything even in pro cameras when before the 'pro cameras' were manual, some w/o a meter even.

The cost of making errors was incredible from loss of clientele to the monetary loss. With the 'burst mode', auto 'everything' and nearly endless capacities of the new cards what pushed us to really learn is simply gone so... A camera is now a simple slow video from which you pick 'the best' out of a zillion garbage shots.

So is the op a pro? According to today's definition, he/she sells so, yes. According to yesterday? He/she is nobody. Simple as that.

Good or bad? Well, it is even simpler: If someone is willingly paying for something it appears to be 'good'. If one wants results that are above a cell phone in quality it also may (not) be (so) good/bad.

Then you have the 'apparent professionalism' of a photographer and their photography has nothing to do. I have seen morons better dressed than the groom taking pictures in the 80's!!! I have also seen a 'photographer' who was more a 'scenarist/director' than a photographer. He had everyone under tight control and instructed OTHER photographers on where to be, when to take the picture while directing the poor saps (newly weds and guests) like props...

If you go the wedding section on this site you will find true professionals but also some folks who are... Well, really bad. Yet these folks sell so...

Who is a pro? Only 'information and expectation' can help someone select a photographer. Since that has gone the way of the dodos one can be hard-pressed to say one 'is not' a photographer. The client does not or is unable to see any difference other than price...

(Sorry no time to try to correct, need to go.... And not to the loo)

tdekany Loc: Oregon

For someone who is so preoccupied with comprehension, you sure miss the boat at times. Why don't you reread what Gene wrote. One paragraph dealt with "how" to get out of "auto" the following paragraph is additional info to improve her shots. Yes the op should shoot in raw if photographing weddings. Way easier to deal with WB.

You know, for someone who is still producing nothing but snapshots after what? 40 or 50 years? While you have every right to express your opinion, it doesn't mean that you should. Since you have nothing else to do anyway, why don't you look at Gene's photography? Do you really think "YOU" are qualified to correct Gene?

tdekany Loc: Oregon

Here is the other beauty! Do you like to feel important? You can't take a properly exposed shot after how many decades? How is it that you are so opinionated? You are terrible at photography and you know that! Learn to not blow highlights first and foremost! My goodness, are you not embarrassed to comment when a master photographer like Gene51 has already provided info? Who are you?