ngrea Loc: Sandy Spring, Maryland

as a former educator, I always assume people don't remember the answer until they ask the question. So I recommend start taking photos and when you realize you want an answer go looking for it. So keep you manual handy, and when you wonder what "that setting" does, look it up, or if you are a more physical learner, try fiddling with it until you understand what it does. I now help elderly folks learning to use computers and the hardest thing to teach is "click on it and see what happens" They are so afraid they will do something wrong. Same with cameras. I've never broken a computer or a camera by pushing a button or clicking on a menu choice. Don't wait until you are trying to get the perfect shot. Shoot the wall across the room, the tree out the window, etc. see what happens and ask the manual or a friend for help. Questions are good! there is no silly question.

Tomfl101 Loc: Mount Airy, MD

Bravo burkphoto!!!!!!!

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

Kuzano

Learn the best hours for daylight. There are programs that you can put on your computer or cell phone that will tell you the exact times of day for sunrise and sundown at your latitude. Also weather programs.

Photography is nothing if you don't pay attention to the light... Manual or Automated.

Here is one that is on a web site, and you only enter your location by town, etc.

https://sunrise-sunset.org/search?location=Portland+oregon

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

One major thing folks need when starting any new and especially a technical pursuit is patience. roll before you crawl, crawl before you walk, walk before you run, and on and on. My learning phase (and I'm still in it) started with film, truly manual cameras, way back in the day. As Burkphoto and others are saying, it really helps to learn the basics, exposure triangle, understand light, and learn your equipment, etc. etc. I usually suggest (to true newbies) to read, read, read.... then start playing with what you have read and learned. Don't be afraid to set the camera on "auto" and then look at what the camera picks for settings, then go from there, one shot at a time, changing the settings and seeing the result of each change. In the digital arena, you can learn so much, so quickly from trial and error, and its all self-contained...you do it, and you see the results immediately. Once you have really started to get a grip on the camera and your understanding of functions, and how to make a great photo, things will start to move more quickly, then comes the processing, another learning experience, but so worth it! Manuals are sometimes hard to learn from, so a good book that covers all the basics and advanced processes (and relates to your camera) are well worth the investment.

Jaackil Loc: Massachusetts

Brian Peterson’s book on exposure. Everything you need to know. Easy to read and understand.

swartfort Loc: Evansville, IN

I have an entry level camera (NIKON D3400) I have all the modes available without going into the menu. AND, after reading the manual I found the proper way to use the thumb dial to manipulate the shutter speed AND the aperture (if I am shooting in manual) WITHOUT taking the camera from my eye to access the menus. I guess it comes down to "before you can learn the different ways the different modes work on your camera, you need to LEARN YOUR CAMERA!"

Jim Bianco

I had a d5200 Nikon with all manual 1980 lenses all manual and got on u tube and learned, no problem now.I had to learn manual.Jim Bianco

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

I would suggest that when any anyone starts by saying "The best way..." run, do not walk, as far and fast as you can.

wetreed

I’ve never seen a entry level DSLR that did not have a manual setting right on the dial on top of the camera.

BebuLamar

Yup! only the high end cameras don't. Like the Nikon D5 there is no manual setting on a dial on top of it.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

By using programmed modes, you can focus on composition without worrying about settings. Later, when you are ready, you can look at EXIF data of YOUR shots that YOU are happy with and figure out what settings seem to work for YOU. Starting out in manual would make that difficult.

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

If you do not understand the basics of manual, how are you going to translate the EXIF data?
Full manual is very simple, I set my ISO and the vary the shutter speed or the f stop to match the in camera meter the take a peek at the lcd to check the image then adjust the shutter or the fstop. Now I know my cameras and have developed my "style" so there is very little peeking now days (mainly to check focus in macro). I do shoot in camera RAW and adjust in PS Bridge and finish in CS6. However I did start shooting around 1955/56 when auto was not a option . When I switched to digital I had trouble using auto modes other than Auto focus, so I reverted to manual.

BebuLamar

So I think most schools that teach photography do it in the wrong way as I think most of them would teach the students how to use the camera in the manual mode first. So they are wrong?

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

Concur.