eMarkable

I occasionally take a pretty good picture. Consistency is my problem. I have a Canon Rebel EOS T3i that has totally beat me with its settings. I cannot find a full automatic mode that works as well as my old Fuji FinePix S9100. That old camera gave me some great shots with little or no settings to set. I am tempted to go back to it.

Most of my shots today are from my 16 megapixel Samsung (no flamng battery issues) Galaxy S6 edge+. I have found for some reason it shoots better close and midrange shots when I "pinch in" and re-focus. This can kick in a macro like setting that you cannot get in 1X mode. It does pretty well in low light so I almost never use flash. The invitation to join this forum mentions a thread that addresses tricking a camera flash to not look like a blown out over-lit flash shot. I will be looking for that thread.

I have pretty thick skin and am willing to learn so instructive criticism is welcome here. I hope to learn and share.

(Download)

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Welcome to the forum.
The T3i is a pretty easy to use DSLR. If you really want to know how to use it, there are lots of tutorial videos on YouTube and there are a few good books and as it's now an older model, no longer manufactured, the books should be fairly inexpensive.
May I suggest you set it on aperture priority AV and let the camera choose shutter speed. You want to choose the right aperture setting for the subject you are photographing. To blur the background (bokeh) and get a shallow depth of field, use a lower aperture setting, depending on the lens, like f/2.0 or f/1.8 or f/2.8. The lower that number the larger the aperture opening the more light the lens let's in. If you want a wider depth of field and light is not an issue, start at f/8.0 and increase the numbers from there. The higher the number, the smaller the aperture opening, the wider the depth of field, more of the image will be in focus. Set the ISO on auto to start out then set it manually as you get more use to the camera.

eMarkable

Thank you. I'll try this. Very helpful. When I first got it I overloaded on YouTube videos then got lost.

machia Loc: NJ

Rebels are easy to use . Overload is easy w/ dslr's however , there's so much to them . So the best way I've found is to take it out everyday and play with the settings etc . It's like a musical instrument . Practice everyday , you'll get it . Start with Aperature priority and have a little fun . By summer you'll know your camera a lot better .

machia Loc: NJ

Excellent advice !👍

JoeB Loc: Mohawk Valley, NY

Hello, welcome to UHH.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Welcome to our forum!

If you use a single center point for focusing, you could get the subject left eye sharp.

photophly Loc: Old Bridge NJ

Welcome to the Hog.

trc Loc: Logan, OH

Welcome,

I would have to agree with Jerry's comment about getting the eye(s) sharp. When taking a picture of any person, one very important aspect of the shot is to get the eyes as sharp as possible. If trying to get both equally sharp, just make sure they are in the same focal plane so your DOF (depth of field - basically your aperture setting) is appropriate for the eyes being in focus . . . I mean spot on so to speak. That is what is normally desired when taking a picture of any live subject . . . a person, or a dog, cat, bug, etc. That gives the viewer a sense of being there and actually being able to see the person (subject) and feeling like the subject is right there looking back right at you!

Practice, practice, and more practice is the best way to learn as well as reading up on ISO, Aperture, and the shutter speed setting you use to take your shot. Learn all aspects of lighting and you will then be well ahead of the game, for Photography is understanding and utilizing light before you snap that shutter button! Have fun and good luck . . . and once again, practice, practice, practice!

By the way, the lighting looks pretty good on the man, but I don't like the extraneous material off to camera left above mouth level up to about top of camera left eye level and whatever is vertically along the camera left side of the frame. It is cropped quite tightly (or framed in camera very tightly) and may need a little more space around his head and shoulders, perhaps, and maintaining separation from the background. I don't really know if you were going for a tight head shot or what your objective really was?

Best Regards,
Tom

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

Welcome to UHH, glad you joined us. Check out the "search" feature at the top of the page. A wealth of information there.
Have fun, learn and enjoy the forum.

Don

Dziadzi Loc: Wilkes-Barre, PA

Welcome to the forum

DickC Loc: NE Washington state

Welcome to the forum!!!

Meives Loc: FORT LAUDERDALE

Welcome to the HOG. Even though cell phones can take OK pictures. I enjoy the discussions of your Rebel. Learn to see your camera settings on your computer. This way you can compare good, bad and ugly with data. Posting and clicking on "store original" and asking for advise will get you on the right track and you will not regret a bit of learning. David

eMarkable

Thank you. I feel welcome here. This is a nice place.

eMarkable

'preciate it..