Erp1938

Thanks will experiment.

Xpatch Loc: New York, Antigua, GT.

Peterson has a number of book, the one mentioned here is good but if you sesrch Amazon you will find that title plus maybe 10 other related to photography,and oddly , one book on bondage where took the images.

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

I am very partial to the "... for dummies" books - clearly written and well illustrated.

Sltolivar

Find someone that will be willing to show you the ropes. It makes it easier that way.

Steve

anotherview Loc: California

Start somewhere that you can understand without a big struggle. I suggest you study composition and framing. These two aspects of a photograph can make or break it. One thing should lead to another. For example, perspective goes hand in hand with composition and framing.

But please bear in mind that nobody ever said photography is easy. In fact, Minor White said it takes 10 years to learn photography. Keep at it. Learn from your mistakes and successes. Good luck.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

You have received a wide variety of reasonably good suggestions. I would like to suggest one more...one that is much different. I'd like to suggest that you put all the books away, charge your camera battery, and take the camera out and take some pictures. Plan to take lots of them. When your battery runs down, charge it, then go out and take some more.

But not randomly. Pick a sensitivity level. You might pick ISO 200. Choose shutter priority...the manual will show you how. Set a shutter speed of about 1/250 second. Set your white balance to Daylight...again...the manual will show you how if you still have questions.

Take your camera outside and make sure you know how to read the meter. Start composing images, focusing, exposing, and reviewing your images. Intend to see what works and what does not, then work to see how to make it right (or at least better).

You've done enough reading and studying for now. It's time to do some doing and seeing and learning that way.

Photography teachers are famous for making it harder than it is (or was ever intended to be ). It is supposed to be fun, not drudgery or punishment.

If you can find someone to go with you, that's even better, as long as you don't let them make it drudgery and punishment.

Best wishes as you do and practice and learn. The exposures are free, and you don't have to wait days to see how you did.

Have fun.

anotherview Loc: California

anotherview Loc: California

Your practical approach has value here because photography functions as a craft. So, it requires doing to learn it.

smussler Loc: Land O Lakes, FL - Formerly Miller Place, NY

Fine if you're in manual mode. Not true for many modes. Aperture mode - you open the aperture, the camera adjusts one of the other settings - usually giving the exact same exposure and picture. Understanding the exposure triangle is important, but more important is to know what your camera is doing when you make changes. Aperture mode - to lighten or darken an image, changes really need to be made using exposure compensation - +/- button of top of the D5600, which I also use. And then there's Auto-ISO to understand. The suggestion that the OP shoot in one mode, I think is the best. For me, Steve Perry's books on Nikon Cameras cleared up a lot about all the settings/modes. https://backcountrygallery.com/

I understand his frustration. I go a bit nuts with the D5600, trying to figure out how to change the settings while using the camera. Problem for me - I'm using the camera only a day or two a month - got a lot of other things going on. Not wanting to miss a shot, I just put the camera in AUTO. That works just fine (giving a good exposure) probably 95% of the time. I generally use Aperture mode and watch what the camera is doing with ISO and Shutter speed. Bracketing helps getting a proper exposure when AUTO isn't doing it. D5600 only brackets 3 frames and works best with camera set to a 3 frame burst rate. ["size" of bracket needs to be set] First time I used bracketing, I thought press the shutter once, and the camera would take 3 shots automatically - not the case. I'm sitting here now, D5600 in hand, trying to find where burst rate adjustment is made - without going into menu. Took a minute or two - frustrating.

D5600 - complicated camera to use if you're using it infrequently . . . I understand most of the settings myself, but finding them is the problem for me. I switched from P&S to DSLR about 2 years ago. P&S died. I had used Minolta film SLRs decades back, and said to myself - time to treat myself to a "real" digital camera. Challenge for me is knowing what to do when Auto or Aperture Mode doesn't make a proper exposure. When to switch metering modes. Moving to Florida permanently in two months - then I should have lots of time to figure this camera out.

My 2¢

Erp1938

Thank you! For the positive response.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

A lot of good responses here but what no one has actually said is that photographing wildlife may be one of the most difficult types of photography. If someone has not photographed wildlife they may not be familiar with this concept. I just got back from a week in Yellowstone photographing wildlife and have photographed wildlife many times over the last several years. This is not a subject to start with when starting photography. Start with stationary subjects, portraits of zoo or tame animals perhaps. It does take some time, maybe many years for some, to learn how to control the camera and make it do what you want. It also takes a lot of practice. Learn the camera, then start learning how to photograph wildlife.

BebuLamar

I did twice in this thread! I was saying the OP should start with my "Dog in A Cup" shot rather than "BIF".

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

Thanks, I quickly read through as much of it was repeated. Good to know that someone else has the same opinion. Wildlife photography can be very difficult and I don't think people understand this at first. There are so many variables in photography anyway and it is more complicated when shooting wildlife as the variables increase greatly.

A. T.

There's no substitution for time behind the lens. You can purchase every book and watch every video on the market but if you don't get out there and take some photos, you will be just as lost as ever before. I'm sharing this because I was where you are just a few years ago and I'm telling you my friend......get out there and fail and you will learn more than from any classroom or book. Books and videos are great foundational tools but shoot my friend, shoot.

mundy-F2 Loc: Chicago suburban area

Larryepage...one addition, write down the exposure information for each shot. Try different exposures for same picture and compare the differences in the resulting picture.
Hang in there and enjoy your hobby...it will reward you going forward.
Mundy