MarshaC wrote:
Hello!! I'm new to photography and this forum. I'm retired and relocated from Wisconsin to Washington's beautiful Olympic Peninsula. I started out taking photos with my iphone, but missed so great wildlife shots because the zoom is limited, so decided to purchase a canon t6 bundle. Because it was my first digital, I didn't want to stick alot of money into it, not knowing for sure, if I would stick with photography. Dang I'm hooked! I don't leave the house without my camera. But I have an issue. I am so confused with all the manual settings, what apature, shutter and iso settings to use when, so most of the time I use auto settings. I have youtubed so much info about settings, but I had a stroke a few years back and it affected my memory so I was hoping there is a cheat sheet of some sort I can carry with me? I've browsed through this site and the forums and everyone is so nice and helpful to each other. This newbe will take all the help she can get please :-)
I do have some pics I'm pretty proud of (for me lol) If there are things I can do better please I would love your comments. The waterfall I have somewhat figured out. The elk and crashing waves were taken with a opetka 420-1600 telephoto lens that was given to me (beggers can't be choosy lol). I did used a tripod, but for the life of me can't get the settings right for a crisp photo, and frankly as I said, I don't understand the manual settings. Would love some advice. Have a great day!
Marsha
Hello!! I'm new to photography and this forum. I'm... (
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Welcome Marsha.
There is nothing wrong with using Auto settings. For most situations, Auto will give you a 'correct' exposure. Your next step should be to learn when to use the various 'Scene' modes on your camera to deal with more extreme conditions or to expand your photographic vocabulary. Put your efforts into learning about composition. Approach things like the exposure triangle, depth of field, etc as composition tools. They will make more sense to you and be easier to absorb if you have a meaningful use for them.
Don't be too hard on yourself. I think a 420 - 1600mm lens would be a humungous challenge for even the most experienced here and a couple of thousand dollars worth of tripod. Get yourself a good quality lens like a 24-70mm and concentrate on simple subjects and trying to how to find ways to make them more interesting.