I asked in another thread if anyone would like some photography tips and several indicated that they would like that. so, here we go....
Feel free to ask questions and post pictures....anything that you don't quite understand, please say so. I'll try and rephrase the information in a different way to help make it clearer. There are no dumb questions. Photography isn't rocket science, but you do have to learn some basic skills to master your camera. The great thing about digital is that you can see your success or your mistake right then. It's instant gratification...plus, there's no cost to have bad pictures developed...just have the good ones printed.
I know that there's as many different cameras here as there are people, so we won't focus on individual cameras....I won't have the owner's manuals to access the settings, but you will be able to use your manual to do whatever we are working on here.
We can do this like a class and I can post assignments...those who want can post their 'homework' here and we can all discuss each image...or I can just post info and you can work with it as you please....it's up to you.
First of all, we need to learn a little about how a camera works....digital or film makes no difference at this point.
The lens of the camera is the same as your eye...whatever it 'sees' is recorded by the body of the camera...which is the brain.
The shutter inside the lens is like your eyelid..it 'blinks' when it records an image. Do this exercise right now...look at any object and blink....then stare at the same object several seconds before blinking. Which method records the most detail? The same thing happens inside a camera. The longer you can let it 'look' at an object, the more detail you can record and the more depth your images will have.
By manipulating the light and the shutter speed, you can achieve different effects in your pictures. You can choose a fast 'blink' to stop action and blur the background, or a long stare to record detail at different distances within an image.
Most cameras have settings that can be adjusted to change these things somewhat...a few cameras have a full range of settings just like a professional film camera. You'll have to move out of your comfort zone and take your camera off 'automatic'...but it's just like watching tv....whatever channel you change to...the same program is still playing on the channel you just left...you won't mess up your cameras if you go manual....the auto setting is waiting right where you left it....all you have to do is reset to auto and you are right back where you were.
This is very basic information, and I'll take it very slow so that you can get your cameras out and hopefully, your manuals...I promise, they will help you....I'll show you what to look for in them and explain the terms...so get them handy if you still have them and we'll get started.
