Radioman Loc: Ontario Canada

******

My apologies - the lynda.com course is NOT free. Only a few sample lessons are. ( getting out the sackcloth and ashes )

Joey Goode Loc: Simla,Colorado

I just found canon simulators on the net. I love them
http://www.canonoutsideofauto.ca/ most are free

pinkycat Loc: The Garden State

Try lynda.com. They have a lot of photography courses for $25 a month. Excellent courses, excellent instructors!

Joey Goode Loc: Simla,Colorado

I just found canon simulators on the net. I love them
http://www.canonoutsideofauto.ca/ most are free

sportyman140 Loc: Juliette, GA

HI Lym, Welcome to UHH, I to shoot with a canon, I am using a T3i/600D. If you go on the disk that came with your camera you can print out the manual in PDF format which it comes allot bigger than the little manual from the box. Easier to read. Also look into a beginners book on Shooting with DSLR (Canon). That will help too.

fotogk Loc: Tuftonboro, NH

Lym, not sure if it available to you, but you might check out local community college & high schools to see if the offer continuing education class in photography. I offer these type of classes for adults all the time

billybaseball Loc: Bel Air MD

Well, the first mistake you made was buying a canon and not a Nikon. JK. That always stirs things up on this board.

This is a good website and has taught me a lot. Just read all the posts on this website.

Understanding the exposure triangle, what the three legs of the triangle do and how they affect each other will get you out of auto mode and unlock a lot of the potential your dslr has.

Secondly, learn how your camera focuses and the different ways it focuses has got to be the most important thing you learn. Many people do not get the sharp images they should be getting just bc they are not focusing correctly.

Once you get those two things down then you are on your way. You can start thinking about composing your shots, rule of thirds, rule of fifths, converging verticals, crooked horizons and other such things.

Then you can start to learn about white balance, which the camera usually will get right or close but if you know how to adjust this and why that is helpful.

Then you can learn about metering, spot, center, etc. and that will help you get the shots you are looking for when you have a lot of contrast in a scene.

This is not an overnight read. It will take time to really grasp everything your camera can do and a lot of experimenting.

Have fun.

chrissy88 Loc: Australia

Hi Lym, I am also learning all the do and donts of DSLR photography and the best websites I have found are these ones:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_748140&feature=iv&src_vid=P9-fifSFxQw&v=3833CgvK7MU

The best thing about the You Tube video is that he also has links to progression videos and he explains everything in a very easy to understand manner.

Good Luck and enjoy your new camera.

Knockatoone Loc: Vero Beach, Fl / Waynesville NC

Would like to 2nd the comment on Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure". When I drift away from my camera for a while I use it to get me back to understanding things. Camera Manuals tell you how to mechanically do things but do not tell you why you would want to do them or what you can expect to get or even what to do if you know what you want. My Nikon manual's index shows 6 locations for the subject of "bracketing" but no where says "why bracket". There are also some great video's available from people like "Pearson/Peachpit" that you can stream and so are not so expensive but easy to go back to. If you really want to get good at this- you will never stop researching and learning.. sounds like life Eh!

wingclui44 Loc: CT USA

Welcome to the digital world! I myself just like you switched to DSLR 6 years ago after thirty something years shooting with film SLR, I had some confusion at that time. Digital is a whole different world! So, I went to buy some books of digital photography to read and same time I got into a photo club meeting with all those pioneers and learned from them.
Now I have myself a set of DSLR; a mirror-less ILC; a super-zoom bridge camera and a point & shoot, and shooting happily!! Of course, I won't forget all my film cameras!

Good Luck!!

ole sarg Loc: south florida

The Magic Lantern Guides decipher the manual and are very good. That book will teach you the mechanics. Go to camerasim.com to learn about depth of field which really concerns depth of field. Learn the relationship between speed, f stop, and ISO. There are lots of UTube videos on your camera.

Good luck.

Bill Emmett Loc: Bow, New Hampshire

Hi Lyn, Welcome to the "HOG". I was in your shoes a long time ago. I had a film camera, actually a Kodak Brownie, Starflash. Where it is today, is anybody's guess. Since, I moved along, now I'm retired, and have renewed my interest in photography. I live just outside of New Orleans, Louisiana, know for Mardi Gras, festivals of all sorts, and great food. New Orleans is probably one of the most photographed cities in the U.S. Now for my suggestions for beginning your photography quest.

1. Give up the manual that came with your camera, and get a copy of "The Canon EOS 60D, Digital Field Guide" This book is a better, and better written guide on your specific camera. As you progress through the guide, you will find easier to understand instructions on how your camera operates, and exactly how to perform all the tasks your camera is programmed to perform.
2. Take a look at the dial on your camera. You will see the basic program positions, with a little picture of what that program is used for. Choose one, and point the camera at a subject, and press the shutter button half way down, look through the viewfinder, and see the data displayed. You will see how the camera will take the picture, but you still have some control through the dial near your shutter button. This will now change your opening for the light to get to the sensor. This is the aperture in the lens. As you turn the dial, you can see the numbers change. If the number go away, just press the shutter button half way again. I suggest you dial to the highest number, or to the smallest aperture opening, and fully press the shutter button. You should read in your view finder from left to right at least 60 or higher, (shutter speed) a number about 22 or higher, a sliding scale that should be in the center, (white balance) and a number 100 to about 1000, this is your ISO value, this represents the sensitivity of your sensor. Remain in the same spot, and reduce the value of the aperture setting, by about 5, and take the very same shot. Do this again and again until you have reduced the aperture value to value of the lens. You can do this type of learning, until you feel comfortable with the adjustments, and know what to expect as you change them. After each learning session, download your photos to the computer, and see how they look. Once you have saved them to the computer, you can delete them from the camera. Then try again, either the same photo subject or use another, just keep things simple while your are learning. Remember, as you change the cameras setting, it will be like cause and effect. Things you can change, and things you cannot. Light will change as the day wears on, you can change the amount of light, by setting the aperture open or closed, or change the shutter speed, allowing light in.

firegod44 Loc: Michigan

Hi Lym
I'm new here myself but thought I would offer you a suggestion that I found very helpful. I was having a terrible time understanding the whole exposure issue when I purchased my DSLR. After browsing through countless books I finally found a marvelous, easy to understand book to help me. Digital Photography Exposure for Dummies. (Easy to understand but not not written for a complete beginner, it even gives you things to do to help understand the concepts.) Most of all-practice, practice, practice. :-)

butterflygirl77nc Loc: North Carolina

I thought that was really helpful when I first started out. It helped me know if my pictures were properly exposed, just don't pile everything up the wall otherwise you'll be underexposed and pics will be dark and grainy. Brian Peterson will help a lot too. I like David Buschs books on the cameras, but not sure he makes one on your camera Ray. You might check. Easier than the manual for learning your camera.

GaryS1964 Loc: Northern California

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=canon+60d&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Acanon+60d

The good ones go beyond the manual and explain what's going on when you change settings and explain things the manual doesn't talk about.

Personally I like this series.
http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Lantern-Guides-Canon-EOS/dp/145470134X/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365356294&sr=1-6&keywords=canon+60d

This is a good book also and there are others if you like want to read a lot about photography.
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Photographs-Camera/dp/0817439390/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365356496&sr=1-1&keywords=understanding+exposure

If you search in the Kindle ebook section you can find a few free books and some inexpensive books. I don't have a Kindle so I read them on my PC. Since the basics are the same regardless of camera there is a ton of free stuff about how to use a DSLR if you want to search the web. But you should also buy at least one good book specific to your camera.