boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

There is no better waythan simply doing it. Don't be afraid of mistakes, we all make them. Just learn what the mistake is. Too slow or too fast. High F-stop or too low. ISO too high or too low. Take a look at a DOF calculator to get a feel for effects od different settings on DOF . Good luck and enjoy the journey.

wilsondl2 Loc: Lincoln, Nebraska

My goal in photography has been that my prints came out looking like what I have in my minds eye. To do this I get the image set in mind and then figure out how to get it with my camera. Sometimes in manual doing two or three things and sometimes just setting it on the green A. I do spend time just sitting on the front porch and playing with my equipment to see what I can get. Good luck and have fun. - Dav

repleo Loc: Boston

Keep in mind that photography is the art of 'taking away'. Unlike the musician who seeks to fill the silence with his art or the painter who starts with a blank canvas, or the actor who walks onto an empty stage, the photographer seeks to exclude anything that detracts from his message.

Vietnam Vet

Set your camera on M and leave it there for a few months. Check out some videos or books on composition and lighting. And then try to get one great photo you love every week.

Silverrails

Welcome to UHH,
I myself, as I consider myself, a "Advanced Beginner" in DSLR Photography.
First, I had to learn and Understand how my Used Nikon D3300 worked, with practice and asking others, I think I have almost achieved that goal, just needs some fine tuning, like a Piano. Presently I have bought 4 Lens, all used Nikon glass, A 35mm 1.8g prime, A 50mm 1.8g Prime, A 55-200mm telephoto, and my favorite, A 18-140mm 3.5-5.6 telephoto.
Now, I suggest,
1.) learn and Understand your Camera.
2.) learn and Understand the Expose Triangle.(ISO, APERTURE, SHUTTER-SPEED)
3.) learn and Understand Metering & Focusing.
4.) Stay away from "Auto-Mode".
5.) Strive to work with Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual mode & Program Modes. (A Learning priority)
6.) ENJOY

flyboy61 Loc: The Great American Desert

Yes...I couldn't have said it better. If offered in your location, take a basic photo class. You will meet some nice people, and learn a lot of the basics. Don't let it get too complicated. We seem to make this Magical pastime more difficult than it really is! We talk about Bokeh...(blurry background) Diffraction, Circles of Confusion and other arcane topics like they matter a hill of beans.

Bryan Peterson's books are a very good place to start. In fact, I think his "Understanding Exposure" will give all you will ever need to know about exposure.
Believe me, there is no special virtue is shooting only Manual. We pay good money for cameras that make us Dinosaurs dance and sing! Enjoy them!
If you really get into it, St Ansel and Fred Picker's books are good, if ponderous. I think, in their day and this, they take a lot of fun and excitement out of the process.

You have excellent equipment; USE it! Mostly IGNORE your camera manual...buy a "Dummies" book or similar for your camera...much easier to understand. Mine's pages are coming loose, I have used it so much, and it does refer to the manual, in cases of dire need!

Look at good photographs...evaluate what you like, and try to emulate them. Most important of all...go out and use your camera...SHOOT LOTS! Evaluate, adjust as necessary..repeat. The more we shoot, the better we get! (Sniper 3:22) Write down what works or you... better faded ink than faded memory...you will forget...guaranteed.

Good luck in your journey and... have fun!

Adamborz

You mention real estate photography. Do you use a tripod? I meter in a dark corner then bracket my exposure with 5 shots and combine to get a final photo of a room shows the shadows without blowing out the highlights. You need a tripod for this.

There are a lot of little important details in real estate photography you need to address, like making sure you camera is level when taking pictures, make sure you geometric lines are straight (make sure you verticals and horizontals are just that).

I use the 16-35mm lens and you have to watch out for barrel distortion/ pincushioning with wide angles.

I attached a pic of a decent book to read if you wish... good luck.

Oh, if you shoot aerials of your properties you’ll need your FAA 107 certificate. But that is a whole other topic lol.

(Download)

Tomfl101 Loc: Mount Airy, MD

We all mean well when we give advise in writing but I suspect most advice longer than 3-4 sentences never gets read (or understood) by beginner photographers. Not to pre-judge Marty but I suspect she’s a bit overwhelmed already. As others have suggested, I think a camera club or local community college course is her best bet. Then she can continue her education on this excellent forum.

Larz

You have received a lot of great suggestions but to me, CHG Canon's #3 was the best. A tripod will eliminate the camera shake variable. From there, given the same scene and lighting conditions, a methodical exploration of the results of different settings and combinations will give you a feel for the mechanics of your gear. Once you are comfortable with that, other things will come more easily.

Ollieboy

Use all the suggestions given by the members, but I think joining a local camera club is invaluable. The knowledge you will get from experienced photographers who will be more than helpful on a personal level.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

If you are stuck with the technical aspects of photography, one of the cheapest ways (and maybe the best, given your learning style) just might be to take your camera out and experiment with your camera settings. Decide what your goals are and set up a "learning itinerary" so to speak - like - today I will learn how aperture affects my images. For this exercise, I will pick a subject to shoot, and just take a whole bunch of pictures, without moving anywhere, varying the aperture. You don't have to take notes because the image file will have all of your shooting data. Another day you might want to pick shutter speed and focal length and how it affects image blur from camera motion. And so on.

And as IDguy suggested, there is much to be learned from joining a photography club. And you can usually get honest critique on your images, as well as join others on photography-based outings. You may also be lucky enough to join a club that offers one-on-one mentoring - all for the price of annual membership.

The key is to use your camera every day, and explore it's menus and features until using it and changing settings becomes completely reflexive - like walking. The more you use your camera the faster you will learn what works best for you.

As far as your images are concerned, this can be a little harder - personal point of view nearly always enters critique, and often you get stuff like "well, I wouldn't have done it this way" or "this is how I would have handled the subject" - completely ignoring your creative intent.

What I usually do, when the creative intent is unclear - is to simply ask the photographer what the intent of the image was, along with why the took the picture from that point of view, choosing that lens, shutter speed and aperture, shooting at that particular time, etc - and the most important question - if you had the chance to do it over again would you make the exact same choices - and if not, what would you change and why?

Not all images are about a story or a message. Sometimes you come across something that just catches your eye - like reflections of trees in full fall color on gently rippling water - an abstract - and then it becomes about color, form, contrast and texture. And so on. . . .

Carnpo Loc: North Carolina

You Tube

Country Boy Loc: Beckley, WV

You have received great advise, I would only add that as you take your normal work photos, take a series using your camera manually and as you do, compare the auto and manual shots and you can monitor your progress.

martykovacs

Again... thanks to everyone for the great advice. I did read everything and intend to look into what's available in my area & looking into the many books that have been suggested. I'm working on my FAA certificate & have a Halo drone, which is an amazing device. I just recently understood the importance of "knowing my camera" and I'm working on that.

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

Good luck. Have fun.