New Here
May 6, 2020 14:39:53 #
[quote=Voyance]Hello, I am new here. I'm no photographer at all. At least, not one that I would artistically a photographer. I recently acquired a camera and lens from my mom as a "hand me down" as she got newer stuff. All she told me was to take care of it, not lose it, don't sell it, and use it. She used to use it as hobby which she took very seriously. I asked her advice on how to start out but she told me "figure out the questions [I] would like to ask."
Right now, I'm still figuring out the functions of my camera and still waiting for my memory cards to come in. I know that the camera holds 2 SDXC cards. I hope 2 x 128GB is enough.
Anyway, I'm going to do just that and it's nice too meet you all.[/quote]
I have a little different opinion about getting started. Rather than start out trying to learn everything about the camera and all the settings, I like to recommend that a person new to photography take a simplistic approach and put the mode dial in either "auto" or "P" mode to begin shooting. That will allow you to get some good pictures about 85 to 95% of the time as long as you observe a few simple ideas. Do most of your outdoor shooting in the first couple of hours after daybreak and before dark which is otherwise stated as "don't take serious pictures in the midday sun." When feasible, avoid shooting between around 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. if possible and if you do shoot during those hours, you'll get better results if you shoot when the sun is mostly behind you. It's nice to get some decent pictures while you are also experimenting and learning better control of the camera.
Brian Peterson has a book entitled "Understanding Exposure," possibly new or used from Amazon, and concentrate on a book or some youtube videos about composition. A good understanding of the rules of composition is the foundation of good photography, subject placement, etc. Initially, it's more important than all the settings on the camera. It's difficult to know what all settings your mom set in the camera so I would recommend that you read in your manual how to do a factory reset to the camera. The manufacturer set the camera up so you can use it in auto and get that fairly high percentage of good images without having to know about all the different settings. Then, as you learn more, you can choose the settings that most suit how you want the camera to function to suit you.
If you wait until you know the camera before you begin to enjoy using it and getting some good shots, you'll likely get discouraged and there'll be times when you won't even want to use it. What you're about to begin here is a never ending learning process and if you don't get some instant gratification from it, you may get discouraged and not want to pursue it on into the future. Above all, don't be too hard on yourself and remember, it's supposed to be enjoyable.
Right now, I'm still figuring out the functions of my camera and still waiting for my memory cards to come in. I know that the camera holds 2 SDXC cards. I hope 2 x 128GB is enough.
Anyway, I'm going to do just that and it's nice too meet you all.[/quote]
I have a little different opinion about getting started. Rather than start out trying to learn everything about the camera and all the settings, I like to recommend that a person new to photography take a simplistic approach and put the mode dial in either "auto" or "P" mode to begin shooting. That will allow you to get some good pictures about 85 to 95% of the time as long as you observe a few simple ideas. Do most of your outdoor shooting in the first couple of hours after daybreak and before dark which is otherwise stated as "don't take serious pictures in the midday sun." When feasible, avoid shooting between around 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. if possible and if you do shoot during those hours, you'll get better results if you shoot when the sun is mostly behind you. It's nice to get some decent pictures while you are also experimenting and learning better control of the camera.
Brian Peterson has a book entitled "Understanding Exposure," possibly new or used from Amazon, and concentrate on a book or some youtube videos about composition. A good understanding of the rules of composition is the foundation of good photography, subject placement, etc. Initially, it's more important than all the settings on the camera. It's difficult to know what all settings your mom set in the camera so I would recommend that you read in your manual how to do a factory reset to the camera. The manufacturer set the camera up so you can use it in auto and get that fairly high percentage of good images without having to know about all the different settings. Then, as you learn more, you can choose the settings that most suit how you want the camera to function to suit you.
If you wait until you know the camera before you begin to enjoy using it and getting some good shots, you'll likely get discouraged and there'll be times when you won't even want to use it. What you're about to begin here is a never ending learning process and if you don't get some instant gratification from it, you may get discouraged and not want to pursue it on into the future. Above all, don't be too hard on yourself and remember, it's supposed to be enjoyable.
May 6, 2020 14:53:16 #
May 6, 2020 17:22:05 #
May 6, 2020 18:30:26 #
Welcome to UHH Voyance, glad you joined us. If you told us what brand and model camera you have we might be better able to assist you.
Have fun, learn and enjoy the forum.
Don
Have fun, learn and enjoy the forum.
Don
May 6, 2020 23:34:51 #
SWFeral
Loc: SWNM
Are you interested in photography? Moms and their suggestions can have a weird effect on us. Could you say more about yourself? The functions of your camera and the size of your memory card mean little if you don't even know if you want to take pictures. If you do, then those things come later. Tend to your vision first.
May 7, 2020 15:37:53 #
Thanks for the greetings!
I've bought the book. I'm waiting for my work to die down a bit before reading it (I'm a teacher and final exam season is coming soon).
Anyway, Having all of that said, I'm more or less used to accessing pretty much anything in my camera's menu. I still am not sure what some of these things do yet but that will come with reading the manual. As for the actual act of photographing things, I think I know what iso, aperture, and shutter speed do...more or less? However, it takes so much precision in these settings these things up on my own to acquire legible photos. I am currently relying on auto mode...I don't want to rely on it all the time. At this point, I can see how useful the programmable buttons are and appreciate the simple design of the camera.
As for my camera, I asked my mom about it. She told me it is a Leica SL and the lens is a 50mm f1.4 and told me it's very capable. She wanted to get me a 24-90 zoom lens at first but someone bought it off her. Apparently, she sold it and got a smaller one mostly because she no longer likes lugging around the SL.
For my first question, how do I view .dng files on my computer? Is there a free software that do that for me? I can search some online but I really do not know which ones are user friendly and safe to use.
Thanks!
I've bought the book. I'm waiting for my work to die down a bit before reading it (I'm a teacher and final exam season is coming soon).
Anyway, Having all of that said, I'm more or less used to accessing pretty much anything in my camera's menu. I still am not sure what some of these things do yet but that will come with reading the manual. As for the actual act of photographing things, I think I know what iso, aperture, and shutter speed do...more or less? However, it takes so much precision in these settings these things up on my own to acquire legible photos. I am currently relying on auto mode...I don't want to rely on it all the time. At this point, I can see how useful the programmable buttons are and appreciate the simple design of the camera.
As for my camera, I asked my mom about it. She told me it is a Leica SL and the lens is a 50mm f1.4 and told me it's very capable. She wanted to get me a 24-90 zoom lens at first but someone bought it off her. Apparently, she sold it and got a smaller one mostly because she no longer likes lugging around the SL.
For my first question, how do I view .dng files on my computer? Is there a free software that do that for me? I can search some online but I really do not know which ones are user friendly and safe to use.
Thanks!
May 7, 2020 16:17:21 #
congratulations.You are the owner of The Premier Camera. Other manufactures only wish they had the reputation, quality and spectacular cameras and lenses that a Leica is. In case you didn't know it, your camera and lens is worth about the same as a decent used car. Go on line to Leica and down load the owners manual and associated software to view your photos. If you use Apple Computers there is an excellent onboard program called "Photos" it will do 95% of all your post processing needs. Windows 10 also has a "photos" program too. Both are free and already in your computer. The Apple Photos is much more powerful than the windows program. There is no shame in using the "Auto" functions on your camera. As a fellow teacher, congradulations again on owning the finest camera and lenses made.
May 10, 2020 06:18:09 #
May 17, 2020 19:04:59 #
May 17, 2020 20:10:16 #
I am having so much fun! My goal is still to capture the beauty in cars but I cant help but take photos of mundane things and make them better. Something like a decorative tea set that no one ever looks at in my house is suddenly something "cool". Do not let me get started with photographing flowers and fruits/fruit trees! This isn't really about me photographing at this point. It is more about appreciating things I have always gone on ignoring.
Of course, there are still numerous techniques and perspectives that I would love to learn. I'll post a photo or two up soon.
Thanks everyone.
Of course, there are still numerous techniques and perspectives that I would love to learn. I'll post a photo or two up soon.
Thanks everyone.
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