martykovacs

I have a canon EOS Rebel T7i with a pretty good assortment of lenses. I’m a realtor & most of my photography is real estate related but spent years fooling around with other forms of photography. Being new to Hedgehog, one of the things that has really impressed me is the sincerity of the members in trying to help others without ridicule or judgement. The vast amount of information, reading the Forum, is totally Greek to me & I’ve come to the realization that I would like to be a better general, overall, photographer and leave the realm of “automatic” photography. What would be your suggestions on how, without spending tons of money and time, to accomplish this, if it’s even possible?

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

To do so without spending lots of money. To do so without investing lots of time is impossible. Understanding the principles is key, but applying that knowledge takes time, experience, and dedication.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Join your local photography club.

Get all the photography courses from The Great Courses.

Read Peterson’s Understanding Exposure.

WDCash Loc: Milford, Delaware, USA

Yup check out Peterson's books. He has one on Exposure and one on Composition,ore to I bet, that are great.

I need to check but I yhink Canon had some online helpful guides as well.

Do a google searxh for thinks like.
Understand photo exposure
Photo in manual
Beginning photography

Switching from Auto to manual, and resisting the urge to switch back, is going to bring a lot of clearity for you.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Welcome to the UHH forum.

I think what you are asking is almost an impossibility for us to answer accurately without knowing what you already know. We can all suggest methods and photography, "rules", such as the rule of thirds and the Sunny 16 rule. But how do we suggest anything for you based on general knowledge. I suggest submitting some of your photos you think are not very well done and ask how to improve those photos or similar photos. Be sure to click on Download when submitting the photos. The other method is to ask specific questions that you think might help you in your photography journey.

Do you shoot in one particular mode such as Shutter preferred, Aperture preferred, Auto? Do you use a fixed ISO and what is it? Personally most of my photos are shot in Aperture preferred mode as I like to control the depth of field. I shoot with a set ISO generally 200. But when the need arises then I am capable of going into Shutter priority if shooting moving objects or Manual if I need/want to. I also will raise the ISO higher if I am inside a building or need to raise the ISO for a more efficient shutter speed or aperture. These are all things that any other photographer on UHH may do differently than I do but still with excellent results.

Dennis

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Hey Marty, it's very possible. A few ideas I've suggested to similar questions:

1) Practice by shooting more.

2) Pick one of your lenses and shoot exclusively with that lens for an extended period, say every day for a week or at least the next 4 times out.

3) If you're unsure of the meaning and application of aperture, shutterspeed and ISO, you can do some online research or just practice yourself, particularly with a tripod where you can set the camera focused on a subject and 'walk' the various settings capturing images you can analyze on your computer and see the impact of each setting. Example: set the camera in Aperture priority w/ AUTO-ISO and focus on a subject. Capture 1 image at every 1/3 or 1-stop difference from the widest aperture to the smallest the lens supports. Repeat for Shutter Priority and say 1/10 sec to the fastest your camera supports, possibly 1/8000 sec.

4) Use your computer to view your images, either with your preferred edit software and / or Canon's DPP. Look at the images both full-screen to see the composition and at 100% zoom to see the pixel-level details looking at noise (grain) and the sharp (or not sharp) focus.

5) Begin to practice specific activities, like shooting all images at 1 aperture setting for one entire day. Review the results and consider what you would do different, if at all, for specific images.

6) Practice more specific 'training' activities: shooting in Program Mode and adjusting the aperture, using individual AF points rather than letting the camera automatically select, using Exposure Compensation along with the highlight warnings on the LCD.

7) Use your computer to view your images, either with your preferred edit software and / or Canon's DPP.

8) Continue and repeat the process of practice, review, research, and practice more with new ideas on doing better or completely new areas to investigate, such as a different lens at the items above.

The ideas above are action-oriented on future events. You might also post and store some example JPEG images and ask for comments / areas to improve or consider. Take any of the actionable feedback and incorporate those ideas into your practice work. You have a very capable EOS DSLR, even in auto, but the camera still needs your help on composition and focus / zoom so that you're filling the frame with something interesting to see in the resulting image.

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

Take a lot of pictures and analyze them. Use different settings for the same scene, then compare the results. Learning to be critical helps you understand composition and lighting, which are the key elements.

Earnest Botello Loc: Hockley, Texas

Welcome to the Forum, Marty, enjoy.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Experiment with your camera, lenses and flash. Analyze the results to discover what works and doesn't work. Practice visualizing what you want before you shoot.

repleo Loc: Boston

Start with learning as much as you can about composition. Composition is the back bone of the photo and helps you to 'see' ways of making a subject interesting. You can learn and practice composition on any device including a phone camera and using Auto settings. My favorite resource is Michael Freeman's "The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos"

As you develop an understanding of composition, you will be drawn into the 'exposure triangle' to enhance your composition including how to control depth of field, freeze movement etc. Bryan Peterson's 'Understanding Exposure' is the classic for this

As your understanding of exposure improves, you will yearn for better equipment - faster lenses for control of depth of field, better ISO performance for use in less light etc.

Don't just dive in and buy expensive gear or delve into the finer points of exposure until you understand the purpose. All newer photo devices can take 'correct' exposures in Auto, but I don't know of any camera with an auto composition setting or a meter for finding interesting subjects. Better cameras don't make bad pictures good, but they can make good pictures better.

TylerDurdensReel Loc: Fresno Ca.

Learn how and when to use your cameras auto settings too. Even the best photographers in the world use auto as well as manual settings.

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

The books "Understanding Exposure" and "Exposure Solutions", both by Bryan Peterson. are a good starting point.

Steve DeMott Loc: St. Louis, Missouri (Oakville area)

Join your local library, if you haven't already. Then join Linda.com through them. They should give you a log-in & passcode. The beauty of it is it's FREE. This site has hundreds of tutorials on Photography, Lightroom, Photoshop and just about every aspect of photography.

Another source is abebooks.com. I recently ordered all 5 volumes of Ansel Adams Basic Photography. The Camera, The Negative, The Print, Natural Light and Artificial Light. Total cost was under $25.00 & free shipping.

The folks here are exceptional. Try different sections within the UHH.

Most of all have fun, keep shooting and post your photo's and ask for specific help

Hope this helps and Welcome to UHH.

--Steve

martykovacs

Thank you EVERYBODY. I have virtually no understanding of any photography (except a limited understanding of thirds). I keep my camera on auto & take a picture. After reading about a month's worth of Hedgehog Forum, I can see that my photography could be so much more AND I'm excited about the prospect of learning and applying it.

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

Look online for tutorials, there are lots. Try the ones that interest you. You will learn different camera settings and get a hang for when to use them in a controlled manner. Plus you will explore different aspects of photography that you might not have 'fancied'.. Set time aside to read 'about' photography, as well as time to go out and 'look' for examples of what you have read about. You need to see the context and adapt your shooting to suit what you discover. Don't rush in.....think and plan your time.

Look at composition and then look at other people's images - can you see why the shot was taken 'from that point of view'. Can you replicate the kind of shots that you like to see.

Good photography is about thinking and planning - the right place at the right time of day and season....

Don't get too reliant upon Post Processing, a light touch is much better than a total rebuild....go shoot it again,and again, and again....learn to think your shot through. The mindset makes the image.

Keep it fun....this isn't work. People have different tastes....your fantastic may be their 'ok'. Your own satisfaction is what keeps you going. Explore the things that you enjoy.

have fun