burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Force yourself to Read The *Fine* Manual while holding the camera and trying each feature. Then, re-read it, after using the camera.

Photography is an endless opportunity for learning, so don’t be impatient. I picked it up at age five. It quickly became a life-long hobby and career, and at 62, I’m still learning!

YouTube, blogs like this one, vendor web sites... books... college courses... lots of resources are available.

TSHDGTL

A lot of times in photography you'll have to make the best compromise to get good results. Do you blow out highlights in a high contrast scene to get proper exposure on the subject or under-expose the subject to protect highlights and push shadows in post. Does your lens have a large enough aperture to get enough light for a decent exposure in dimly lit venues and if it does will the depth of field be so shallow that your subject is partly blurry. For these reasons I think you should learn how digital cameras work so you can deal with these problems. This site will help you get your feet wet with easy to understand terminology. https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/learn-photography-concepts.htm And this one will helps understanding how lenses work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3A3SnPFPk0

agillot

even after a few years , i probably use 10 % of what the camera can do . you can always set it in auto or program mode and enjoy .there are a bunch of books out there that are helpful , also use google and ask questions .

drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio

Read the manual,
re-read the manual,
hold the camera while re-reading the manual.
Experiment.[/quote]

riderxlx Loc: DFW area Texas

Welcome to the forum, I too am new, I joined back in November or so.
This is a great watering hole for information and knowledge.
I cannot contribute anything because others have already fed you some great opinions.
But, I will say:
I live in the DFW area and so we have numerous Half Price book stores. I am kinda of a book junkie and so while on a visit this year selling back books, I checked out the Photography section and picked up a few books on basic and digital photography.
These really helped me.
Of course online, there is SOOOOOOO SOOOOO SOOOOO much information out there it is amazing.
There are also books and manuals which expand the features and make the camera easier to understand.
Just use Mr. Google and dive in.
Again, Welcome to the forum and just start having fun with the new toy.

PhotosBySteve

Read the manual.
Practice.
Read the manual.
Practice.
Join a camera club. Listen, ask questions, practice.
Read the manual.
Practice.
Practice.
Practice.

wapiti Loc: round rock, texas

Baby steps. Rome wasn't built in a day.

out4life2016 Loc: Bellingham, Washington

The camera that you have is a crop sensor camera and a good one to learn with. I started about 6 months ago and like you felt overwhelmed by the different terminology and settings. YouTube is a great place to start if your like me and don't have the schedule or the money to invest in classes at the local college. If you hear a term that you don't know then google has tons of great articles explaining just that and what they actually do. On my days off I will watch a couple of videos with camera in hand and practice the settings that they discuss then I will go out and shoot using those settings for the day. Practice, practice, practice is what its going to take. In very little time you will start seeing improvments in your pictures. Everyone with a photo editing program shoots in raw format however because i use a basic editing program that came with the computer I shoot in standard jpeg andits easier for me to load them to different computer apps life facebook. This site is a world of information but be aware that sometimes critisim can be a little hard at times but it helps. Here is examples of when I started 6 months ago and ones I took yesterday.

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Photocraig

Some Colleges and some Camera Stores (if you're lucky enough to ahve one), or Local Art Museums have coursed that cover all you need to know about your Digital Camera. While the classes, usually a day or two, cover a lot, you will not learn the ALL! But you already know that.

The key is getting started. And with Digital, the rear screen provides instant feedback. YouTube is an excellent repository for tutorials and full blown classes for free and pay. Do the free ones, shoot and see if you're satisfied. Pony up SOme money for Linda. com, Steele, Tony Northrup or maybe Udemy. They're not too expensive and you will learn more.

Both B&H and Adorama (the big NY Camera sellers with tremendous on-line and telephone sales) have extensive video learning without too much gear selling. They both (Adorama Learning Center and B&H Event Space) have live programs and really extensive and accessible archives.

Just like the Elephant eats lunch, one bite at a time, you can master that computer in a box with the lens attached, too. There's lots of help. And when confusion creeps in, the HOGS are here to help. Photography has many uses or genres. I suggest you pick one and learn it "2 inches deep" before you move on to the next. For example, kids and family,Portraits, Youth Sports, etc.
Welcome,
C

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Youtube can be helpful learning some specific, specialized techniques and certain functions of your camera... but relatively short videos can only do so much.

I suggest you also look for a guide book for your particular camera. In addition to the user manual that came with it (or might be downloaded from the manufacturer's website). That may seem daunting and overwhelming at first, but working through it a little at a time you can learn the camera's capabilities and how to use them effectively.

I also HIGHLY recommend the book "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. It's an excellent overview of how modern cameras work.

Depending upon what image organizing and editing software you use, you may also want one or more books specific to that, to help you get up to speed using it well.

I also found "The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers" very helpful in the broader concepts of organizing my photos and setting up an efficient workflow to post-process them. I understand there is a new edition or update of that now available or coming soon... the original I used was very specific about software and hardware, which I didn't follow precisely, but emulated with other, similar products that seemed more appropriate for my purposes and needs.

It also can be good to take a class locally, if available. Some people simply learn better in a class room. And it can be very helpful to be able to ask questions and interact with the instructor. Online classes are another possibility.

I also recommend joining a local photography group, to get out and shoot with other folks and "learn by doing". A previous response suggests checking on Meetup.com and that's a good idea. Most places there are photography groups, sometimes general in nature... other times with a specialization that might interest you (or not).

Great thing about digital photography is that you get nearly immediate feedback and often are able to re-shoot, if needed. (Pay particular attention to how to read and use the "histogram" of your digital camera.)

Canon cameras such as yours also have a "Creative Auto" mode (usually marked "CA" on the dial). This provides a wizard of sorts on the LCD screen, to help advice you about making camera settings. It's a teaching tool, essentially. Makes shooting a bit slower while using it, so eventually you'll probably want to stop and just "do your own thing". But it can be helpful while first learning about the various settings and how to use them.

There's a TON of automation on a camera like the Canon T6. Don't be afraid to use it, but also don't get overly dependent upon it and try to move past some of it eventually.

For example, you'll find an "A+" setting which is sort of "super auto" mode. It's basically a "point n shoot" or "camera phone" style mode, letting the camera make all the decisions about most functions.... you basically get to decide which direction to point the camera and when to press the shutter release... the camera decides everything else (sometimes correctly... but probably sometimes not so much). There also are "Picture Style" modes which are highly automated, represented by the little icons like the "Running Man" for sports, "Mountain" for scenic shots, a "Person" for portraits, etc. These also override many things and take them out of your control... including auto exposure but also dictating other things such as how the AF works, the type of image file that will be saved, etc. The settings the camera will use are a bit more biased than with the "A+" mode, tweaked slightly for the type of subject being photographed. For example, the sports mode will tend to use faster shutter speeds to better freeze movement (which may or may not be desirable in all instances). Another example, the scenic mode will probably cause the lens to stop down for greater depth of field (increased sharpness from near to far), just the opposite of the portrait mode which will more likely use a larger aperture to better blur down backgrounds and make subjects stand out.

You'll also see M, Av, Tv and P on that dial. These are what Canon calls the "Creative" modes. They actually are just the traditional exposure modes that cameras have offered for many years. Av (aperture priority auto exposure), Tv (shutter priority AE) and Program modes are all auto exposure, too... but they allow you to set other things on the camera such as autofocus, saving RAW files, etc.... and even allow you to "skew" exposure with Exposure Compensation. Only the M mode is "fully manual" exposure mode (camera might also have "B" or "bulb", which is same as M, except it's for extra long exposures, more than 30 seconds, that you time yourself rather than letting the camera do it). Many cameras today also have Auto ISO, which can be used in conjunction with M to give another form of auto exposure.

All this probably is just confusing right now... but you'll learn it eventually as you practice and experiment. Manuals, books, classes and practice out shooting with a group all can help you get comfortable a lot faster and easier. So take advantage of them as best you can.

Hope this helps! Don't be afraid to ask questions. We were all the same place as you at one time or another, so there are no "dumb questions" (though some of the above reading might answer them better than us).

Toment Loc: FL, IL

I strongly recommend Joel Sartore videos from the Great Courses website: http://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/fundamentals-of-photography.html?pfm=BestSellers&pos=1

Insp Gadget Loc: St Louis area

There are many how to books available. The "For Dummies" series is pretty good and you may be able to get one specifically for your camera. I found it helpful when I entered the DSLR world.

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

Some if not many training write-ups are shot through with acronyms. Wikipedia has an article on "list of abreviations in photography" which is not brand specific. Now this next must vary with brands, but some offer very skimpy paper manuals in the box - these are little more than a "table of contents" to the camera menu. One of your first tasks will be to become well acquainted with all the buttons on your camera.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Go to your local public library and see what books on photography are there. My library carries dozens of photography books, many of them specifically written for beginners. Certainly beats spending a good amount of money on some book that may or may not be helpful to you.

Harvey Loc: Pioneer, CA

This and choose a topic/style of photos you would like to master - the follow the instruction in the Manual - "IF" you have not bought a good book on using your particular camera do so as fast as you can as will be a Gold Mine of answers.I shoot 3 different Canon Rebels - XT, XTi and T3i and have books from Amazon for all 3 and refer to them often.
Harvey