So I just picked up a Canon Rebel T3I with an 18-55mm IS Lens Kit and EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Lens. I really have no idea where to start, I've read most of the manual, and am still kinda confused. What do I need to learn and where can I find that information? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
New to this
- Thread starter EvilGobi
- Start date
Google! there are forums for everything from pin hole to large format film photography and digital cameras from point and shoot to 8"X10" digital field cameras. I've never looked myself, yet I can't imagine that there is not some kind of how to for cameras.
I hope this helps.
I hope this helps.
It sounds like this is your first "real" camera. You've jumped into the deep end of the pool.
Try your local community college. If they have a digital photography course, you'll be off to a good start.
.. Charles
Try your local community college. If they have a digital photography course, you'll be off to a good start.
.. Charles
- Thread starter
- #4
Yeah, this is totally my first real camera. I was looking to get in to filmmaking. When doing my research it seemed like with there was no point in buying a camcorder anymore, that I should get a DSLR. I already take a couple night courses so unfortunately I don't have time to take a photography course (I'd love to though). I'm more or less just trying to find out where to start.
A Google search of "using your canon rebel t3i" returned About 2,360,000 results, the first one is an online tutorial.
I've been trying like heck to learn to take "real" pictures.
Of the 50 I shot over last weekend, 1 looks good.
I'm currently reading "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson.
It's an excellent book.
Of the 50 I shot over last weekend, 1 looks good.
I'm currently reading "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson.
It's an excellent book.
- Thread starter
- #7
Thanks guys, that was literally the one thing I hadn't googled. The only things I could find were reviews and paid tutorials.
Youtube videos. I learned alot about my 40D that way.
I'm a total amateur. Really. If you want to get there there's one way (not the only one); look at the pictures that you like, I mean really look at them. That's the easy and fun part, another is; take your camera anywhere where you go and take photos. As much as you can. That one is not so easy but is VERY fun.
I' m currently taking a noncredit evening course at the local college, and couldn''t recommend that more. I've a Pentax K200D for 10 years that has been little more than a fancy P&S because the manual just seemed overwhelming.
I think people getting into Photography today are at such a disadvantage. Not only do they have to learn the basics of photography (equivalent exposure, composition etc), they also have to learn their extremely unintuitive camera.
If I were to give any advice, it would be to go on ebay or KEH and get an inexpensive simple older SLR or rangefinder film setup. You can get something like a Canon A1 for under $100 with a lens. I picked up a Voigtlander rangefinder for $30. Dedicate a few rolls to learning specific techniques.
1-selective focus (large apertures for shallow DOF)
2-pan action (slower shutter speeds on fast moving subjects. Pan with the subject to blur the background)
3-stop motion (fast shutter speeds that literally "stop" the motion. Flashes also tend to "stop" motion even at slower shutter speeds).
4- landscape (small apertures for large DOF- and composition techniques)
Obviously, there can be a lot more, but thats the idea. Get the film developed, look at the pictures. What worked, what didn't work? It also helps to write down your shutter speed and aperture so you can look back and see "why" it did or didn't work.
Once you learn all that stuff (really not that hard), its just a matter of finding how to work the settings on your camera. You will already generally know how to get the shot you want.
Most people probably don't want to bother with this way, but its worth a thought.
If I were to give any advice, it would be to go on ebay or KEH and get an inexpensive simple older SLR or rangefinder film setup. You can get something like a Canon A1 for under $100 with a lens. I picked up a Voigtlander rangefinder for $30. Dedicate a few rolls to learning specific techniques.
1-selective focus (large apertures for shallow DOF)
2-pan action (slower shutter speeds on fast moving subjects. Pan with the subject to blur the background)
3-stop motion (fast shutter speeds that literally "stop" the motion. Flashes also tend to "stop" motion even at slower shutter speeds).
4- landscape (small apertures for large DOF- and composition techniques)
Obviously, there can be a lot more, but thats the idea. Get the film developed, look at the pictures. What worked, what didn't work? It also helps to write down your shutter speed and aperture so you can look back and see "why" it did or didn't work.
Once you learn all that stuff (really not that hard), its just a matter of finding how to work the settings on your camera. You will already generally know how to get the shot you want.
Most people probably don't want to bother with this way, but its worth a thought.
When learning the camera the first best thing you can do is learn to appreciate the medium you are wanting to produce. Go to sites like photo.net and plow through the critique photographs and figure out what styles draw your eye. Learn to read a photograph. When you find one that you like study it. Look at every square inch of the image and really pay attention to all the details. Read the image like you we're reading a page in a book.
A camera is a tool. The object to the game is learning how to use that tool to create the images you want. Knowing how to read a photograph and what styles of photography you like gives one a path to follow.
I'm a bit of a traditionalist, learning to use your camera I would recommend putting it in apature mode and leaving it there. The apature controls the depth of focus, low apature numbers (wide open) mean narrow fields of focus, high apature numbers (stepped down) mean a wide field of focus.
Let the composition of the scene decide the apature and let the light meter decide the shutter speed. If the shutter speed is below 1/30th of a second then the camera should be braced or on a tripod. Use the ISO to keep the shutter speed in the range you want.
Photography has two parts, the capture and the print. Shoot RAW and learn how to process the file. It's not very difficult and it gives you more control over the image. If you are producing images sooner or later you have to learn photo processing software like photoshop. Go on and learn using RAW files, it won't add much to the learning curve and it gives you one more layer of control.
A camera is a tool. The object to the game is learning how to use that tool to create the images you want. Knowing how to read a photograph and what styles of photography you like gives one a path to follow.
I'm a bit of a traditionalist, learning to use your camera I would recommend putting it in apature mode and leaving it there. The apature controls the depth of focus, low apature numbers (wide open) mean narrow fields of focus, high apature numbers (stepped down) mean a wide field of focus.
Let the composition of the scene decide the apature and let the light meter decide the shutter speed. If the shutter speed is below 1/30th of a second then the camera should be braced or on a tripod. Use the ISO to keep the shutter speed in the range you want.
Photography has two parts, the capture and the print. Shoot RAW and learn how to process the file. It's not very difficult and it gives you more control over the image. If you are producing images sooner or later you have to learn photo processing software like photoshop. Go on and learn using RAW files, it won't add much to the learning curve and it gives you one more layer of control.
Try this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Rebel-Digital-Field-Guides/dp/0470648619
I bought the one in this series for my Nikon a few years ago and it was great. It explains more about the camera than the manual did and it also gives lots of tips on taking photos. The nice thing about it is that it is a book - a hard copy resource you can pick up and take with you. There are lots of websites you could use too, but there is something so handy about a book.
Other advice I would offer is to not worry about all the bells and whistles at first. Just set the camera to automatic and start taking pictures. The most important thing about pictures is the composition. The Canon will have enough of a brain to get the settings right 99% of the time. This allows you to develop your eye for taking pictures without worrying about the specifics too much. Also, if you get too technical at first, it can be a bit frustrating. Eventually you can learn all the technical stuff, but I'd make sure you start easy and avoid any frustration. Taking pictures should give you pleasure first and foremost.
Take lots of pictures too. This is the only way to learn. You will end up deleting most of them, but that is the reality of photography. You can't go out and take three pictures in an afternoon and expect to have one good one. You have to take a hundred to get a keeper.
I recommend trying Google's Picassa software. It is free and they are always adding more features to it. It allows you to edit photos very easily. It will be much easier than learning Photoshop or Gimp.
I hope you enjoy your camera. Be sure to post some photos!
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Rebel-Digital-Field-Guides/dp/0470648619
I bought the one in this series for my Nikon a few years ago and it was great. It explains more about the camera than the manual did and it also gives lots of tips on taking photos. The nice thing about it is that it is a book - a hard copy resource you can pick up and take with you. There are lots of websites you could use too, but there is something so handy about a book.
Other advice I would offer is to not worry about all the bells and whistles at first. Just set the camera to automatic and start taking pictures. The most important thing about pictures is the composition. The Canon will have enough of a brain to get the settings right 99% of the time. This allows you to develop your eye for taking pictures without worrying about the specifics too much. Also, if you get too technical at first, it can be a bit frustrating. Eventually you can learn all the technical stuff, but I'd make sure you start easy and avoid any frustration. Taking pictures should give you pleasure first and foremost.
Take lots of pictures too. This is the only way to learn. You will end up deleting most of them, but that is the reality of photography. You can't go out and take three pictures in an afternoon and expect to have one good one. You have to take a hundred to get a keeper.
I recommend trying Google's Picassa software. It is free and they are always adding more features to it. It allows you to edit photos very easily. It will be much easier than learning Photoshop or Gimp.
I hope you enjoy your camera. Be sure to post some photos!
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