Quote:
Originally Posted by Fuzz
The best possible photo is the one you see with your eyes before even turning on the camera. All the technical perfection of the latest DSLR means nothing without it.
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+1.
It's not the camera that makes the picture but the photographer who is able identify that moment in time and knows how to frame it for others to enjoy as well.
I'd suggest starting with the owner's manual. Understand what information is being presented to you in the viewfinder or on-screen. Get a solid sense of what each of the icons and numbers mean relative to what you are seeing in the viewfinder.
Next, learn how you focus your camera. In particular you want to understand how your camera focuses and where the focus points are that you "see" in your viewfinder or on the screen. The primary focus point is going to drive the focusing of the rest of the image for most cameras.
Tack sharp focus is what sets photos apart from one another. This is especially true if you are photographing birds, plants, or insects.
Finally, learn about and understand how to set shutter speed, aperture, white balance and the ISO on the camera. These four bits of information become the most critical when you are shooting in manual mode because they will soften or harden the image that you ultimately capture.
Once you have good sense of which dials need to be turned and where to look either in the viewfinder or on the camera body itself for information about what the camera "sees," then begin to experiment with "local" settings like your backyard, along streets, in local gardens, etc. to get the hang of these aspects of manual control. The beauty of digital is you can take many, many more pictures and work through them in post-processing to see you can become better.
Although I don't know your budget, I would suggest that you look at a quality photo-editing software package like Adobe Lightroom to work with the photos you take. Photoshop is okay, but it is geared more for photo manipulation and image design than just processing.
You have a monopod which works well for photographs you can take during walks through large gardens and nature preserves. It is also exceptionally good when taking pictures of sporting events. The tripods work well for long exposure times, especially for shots of the sky at night or when you need to control camera shake, for example, when shooting lightning. Use them often so you become comfortable with them, just as you do with the camera.
Ultimately, the more time you spend behind the camera, using it, the more you will learn how to use it to capture the image you see.
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