RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

I'm sure you meant to say that shooting wide open will give you a SHALLOW depth of field. :)

Murray Loc: New Westminster

Sounds sensible to me. I have an entire "library", but I find that hands on with a mentor to be most helpful.

BBurns Loc: South Bay, California

25 years ago, I assisted in an adult photo class. This was in the film days as digital was just starting. We always taught the beginning fundamentals of exposure & composition first.

For your first few months, forget all the wiz-bang features on your camera. Put it in Full Manual.
Learn the basics first. Go out and take as many photos as you can, daily if possible, until you can look at a shot and say to yourself, “I know what I did wrong here & I know what to change to make it right.”

Books are great. There are certainly many good ones out there to choose from and I’m sure you will benefit from them downstream. But, many folks need hands on instruction. If you have a local photo store that offers basic classes, go for it. Remember, most of those that go to those classes are also overwhelmed by all of the buttons and features. They are there for the same reason you are. I always saw students start to talk and help each other before the class was over. You can possibly make some good friends as well. Sometimes you can also find classes offered by the city’s Parks & Recreation group.

You won’t regret taking the classes. Soon you will understand that all of those features on the camera are just tools to make it easier or for effect. You will then see why it is so important to have a solid grasp of the basics.

Think of it as when you first learned to drive. You are scared to death that you might forget to do something. All these things to remember, Clutch, brake, turn signals, the mirrors, the blind spot and all of the different signs.

Now, you just get in the car and go to the store. You never even consciously think about driving because it has become second nature to you.

In a year, it will be the same for you with the camera. You’ll see a shot and take it without really spending much time because you know how to drive now.

Hope this helps,

Bob

Joecosentino Loc: Whitesboro, New York

Well at 2.8 if you are doing focus and recompose you are most likely moving the camera to much, the DOF at 2.8 can be very shallow and when you had eyes in focus after you recompose the focus is now in front or behind the eyes.

What ISO are you using , go to 800 or 1000'tonget a faster shutter speed this cuts down on camera shake. Work on your camera holding technique, we all get lazy and sloppy from time to time and your arms are away from your body.

Try back button focus so if you finger comes up on the shutter it doesn't refocus on the wrong thing.

I saw someone else say slow down. That is very true. Take a breath take your time. One or two excellent shots of an event is far better then 20! Blurry shots. You will be remembered for thier 2 great photos.

Got a new lens practice, practice the balance will be different.

So in closing learn to take your time

Ralloh Loc: Ohio

Take a lot of photos recreationally so you are not under any kind of stress, like at a baptism. Pay attention to each shot, what settings you used, and what affect they had. Don't rush it. If you work on depth of field one day, just work on depth of field until you fully understand it. Don't bounce around with the exception of always paying attention to your composition no matter what you are trying.

It's like cleaning up an overly messy house. If you think about the whole house, you might get overwhelmed and not get much done. If you just think one room at a time, it ends up being no big deal.

Be critical of yourself. Try to figure out what would have worked better for each photo. Much of it will soon become second nature.

thephotoman Loc: Rochester, NY

Good places for finding a mentor are, a local camera club or local Meetup groups. Also, if you search online you can find many helpful articles,lesson and video tutorials to help you.

bv Loc: MN

My experience as an enthusiast (not professional)

My previous entry level DSLR Canon rebel Xsi never failed me in Auto mode, Gave me perfect pictures wherever I went. On Himalayan expedition in 2009. I was clicking merrily and most of them turned okay. It was fast and I had to pay attention to the path, trekking etc. and not camera settings.

Next trip to same place in 2014, I had an upgraded Canon 60D and I used Auto mode. and more than 50% photos turned bad. Luckily I had Panny 3D point to shoot which turned in excellent photos and saved me from embarrassment

On other occasion recently , I used 60D at a birthday party with add on flash and the photos are mind blowing and liked by all.

Lessons learnt:

a) Use the camera 60D exclusively when I will have hands on time to play around

b) Keep a back up camera (Rebel or SL1 or mirror less or P&S ) when you have to click on without much time in hand.