Beginner Complete Beginner

lukeyboy2606

lukeyboy2606

Messages
74
Name
Luke
Edit My Images
Yes
Hey Everyone,
I'm Luke! I am new here, I joined some time ago to have a look at the amazing pictures that can be found and I thought I would finally try and learn how to take a half decent photograph.

I'm lucky enough to have picked up a very well priced Cannon 60D for my first camera.

I wondered if anyone could point me in the right direction for the best "dummy guide" for taking pictures on manual mode. I've looked around on youtube and google etc but just wondered if there was anything specific that someone could point me too. Or even a beginners class at a reasonable price.

Thanks a lot! Happy easter Monday!
 
Hi, Luke, and welcome aboard. Firstly, I would not be in a hurry to get into manual mode. Why not start in full auto to get some photographs. Not sure what kind of photographs you are after, sport, landscape, portraits? Then use one of the semi automatic modes.

There are a few free courses in here some will say read you manual, but I find them mindnumbingly boring :)

Cheers.
 
lukeyboy2606 said:
I wondered if anyone could point me in the right direction for the best "dummy guide" for taking pictures on manual mode.
Click to expand...
Welcome Luke, and as Andy says, there is no rush to attack full manual mode as yet, try some of the other options, full auto, TV, ( shutter priority, for moving objects) AV (for landscapes and sitting children etc). That should get you started.
There is also a dedicated 60D thread, its quite long but have a browse through.

https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/canon-60d-owners-thread.443997/
 
Welcome to TP.

As above, get out with the camera, take pictures.

Start with P mode and auto ISO, but make sure you're controlling what the camera focuses on (by selecting the focus point.

Making pictures is about saying something about your subject, we do this with light, composition and focus.

Learning manual mode won't make better pictures, learn how to make good pictures and you'll learn when and if you might need manual mode.
 
Hi Luke and welcome to TP, enjoy yourself here :)

Pretty much as has been said, pop your camera in auto (green square or P) and take some shots...

When you know what you're shooting, try the semi auto modes - portrait, landscape etc and see what settings the camera uses, you can use these as a guide to what settings to use, and don't forget, in the semi auto modes, you can alter the settings to play around, alter the shot etc...
 
lukeyboy2606 said:
Hey Everyone,
I'm Luke! I am new here, I joined some time ago to have a look at the amazing pictures that can be found and I thought I would finally try and learn how to take a half decent photograph.

I'm lucky enough to have picked up a very well priced Cannon 60D for my first camera.

I wondered if anyone could point me in the right direction for the best "dummy guide" for taking pictures on manual mode. I've looked around on youtube and google etc but just wondered if there was anything specific that someone could point me too. Or even a beginners class at a reasonable price.

Thanks a lot! Happy easter Monday!
Click to expand...

The magic and mystique of Manual. Reading these replies, you're probably even more intrigued than ever but the reason you've being steered away from it is because it's nothing but a different way at arriving at the same settings - except that it takes longer and you're more likely to make mistakes. You may be surprised to learn that most enthusiasts and professionals tend to use one of the auto modes more often than not, usually aperture-priority (Av on Canons). Manual can be very useful in certain situations, but the only people that use it religiously tend to be beginners ;)

Try this: take a picture in one of the auto modes. The meter needle in the viewfinder will be in the middle. It looks okay? Then note the settings (shutter speed, lens aperture and ISO), switch to manual and input those same settings. Take exactly the same photo again, and note that the viewfinder needle is still in the middle. See the difference? No? Well that's because, unless something has changed between taking the two photos, like the sun's just come out, there isn't any.

What's important is to understand what the different settings mean, what they do, and when to change them - regardless of mode. The three key settings are shutter speed, lens aperture and ISO - known as the Exposure Triangle. This is a good tutorial on the basics, by our Pookeyhead https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/t...ure-theory-but-were-afraid-to-ask-101.440126/

Welcome to TP :)
 
Loads of really useful tips - thanks a lot guys:) once I am set up and take my first trip out I will post some pictures to see where they can be made much better.

Thanks again!
 
I agree with the other sentiments. Learn to use the camera, its functions and controls. Learn about exposure so you understand how aperture, shutter speed, ISO, (and flash) all work. This is all akin to learning how the controls work on a car. Taking photographs and practising is like driving once you've got an idea of how the controls work.

The important bit is the end product - the final photograph. How you got there (whether in full automatic, in aperture- or shutter-priority, or full manual mode) doesn't matter. The exposure is only one element of a good photograph. If your composition is rubbish, or the subject was poorly chosen, then it doesn't matter if the exposure was in manual mode. It'll still be a rubbish photo.

I can take a photo in fully manual mode. The photos are still rubbish because I'm still trying to figure out composition and how to shoot an interesting subject. This is much harder to learn IMO than learning manual exposure. I don't practice enough due to work and family commitments. Practice, practice, practice. Take photos and look at them. Analyse them. Are they good? Are they bad? Look at photos from other photographers. What makes them so good? If you had to shoot the same subject, how would you do it? What would make it interesting?

The three most useful resources I found were:
- the David Busch guide for my camera. It gave details and sample photos of each function and what it does.
- Tony Northrup channel on youtube. I bought his book too. Again, useful information on the exposure. He does go a bit into composition too.
- Mike Browne channel on youtube. Talks about photography in an easy-to-understand manner.
 
Manual mode is the way to go..... if you bought your camera in the 70/80's.
Your ISO was whatever film you put in it.
A meter in the viewfinder, so adjust your shutter speed and aperture to fit, focus your lens and press the button. now wait for your film to be developed and hope.
It was easy to adjust settings everything was to hand.

Today's cameras can be a pain in manual mode with buttons, seemingly placed in random locations, controlling what function you're adjusting.
 
Last edited:
Sometimes there is a need for manual mode, but most of the time one of the semi auto modes is the way to go. Learn manual mode by all means, just don't think you must use it to be a good photographer.
 
I bought my first dslr last March and focused on one thing at a time until I fully understood it, I started on aperture and learnt how it affected the photo then shutter speed etc, I also worked my way through my actual camera, things like bracketing and flash exposure one at a time.

It's not a popular theory on here but I spent a lot of time in fully manual mode because it forced me to have to think about how to achieve the look I wanted and why altering various things would work, I found it the most productive way to learn, yes I deleted hundreds of photos and it's no good for when you need to quickly capture something but it suited my personal way of learning, I like to know 'why' things work and the logic behind things otherwise they don't stick in my brain.

I've also done a beginner and intermediate evening courses at my local college and start the advanced course next week, they've cost me £90 for each 8 week course which are 2.5 hours long, we also do a lot of photoshop which I've found really interesting.

Have a look at your local camera club too, I don't enter the competitions but I've learnt loads about composition and what makes a pleasing photo from sitting and listening to the judges critique all the entries.
 
Esther said:
I bought my first dslr last March and focused on one thing at a time until I fully understood it, I started on aperture and learnt how it affected the photo then shutter speed etc, I also worked my way through my actual camera, things like bracketing and flash exposure one at a time.

It's not a popular theory on here but I spent a lot of time in fully manual mode because it forced me to have to think about how to achieve the look I wanted and why altering various things would work, I found it the most productive way to learn, yes I deleted hundreds of photos and it's no good for when you need to quickly capture something but it suited my personal way of learning, I like to know 'why' things work and the logic behind things otherwise they don't stick in my brain.

I've also done a beginner and intermediate evening courses at my local college and start the advanced course next week, they've cost me £90 for each 8 week course which are 2.5 hours long, we also do a lot of photoshop which I've found really interesting.

Have a look at your local camera club too, I don't enter the competitions but I've learnt loads about composition and what makes a pleasing photo from sitting and listening to the judges critique all the entries.
Click to expand...

(y)
 
There are times when full manual is the way to go but it is not the holy grail of photography. To get the best out of your camera have a look at the links above and google for the "exposure triangle". Learning about aperture, shutter speed and ISO, how they relate to each other and the effect they have on the image will help enormously.

In the meantime, as mentioned above, put your camera into one of the auto or semi-auto settings and take loads of shots. If they don't come out how you wanted and you can't work out why, post them up here and someone will help.

Dave

BTW welcome to TP
 
One thing nobody here has said explicitly, though @HoppyUK has alluded to, is the correct use of Manual exposure mode.

If you use Manual, and you decide your exposure by moving the settings until the camera's meter says it's "correct", then there's no point using Manual. As @HoppyUK said, you'd get exactly the same result - and much more quickly and easily - by using one of the automatic modes such as Aperture Priority. Hence it follows that the time to use Manual is when you want to have an exposure that the meter thinks is not "correct". But presumably you want a "correct" exposure as you see it. So what we're really talking about here is learning when you can rely on the meter to make the same decisions that you would, and when you can't.

Here's one situation where the meter won't necessarily get it right. You're shooting motorsports and all the cars have different colours. One car is black; the camera sees not much light being reflected from it, concludes that the sun must have gone in, and increases the exposure. The next car is white; the camera sees lots of light being reflected from it, concludes that the sun must have come out again, and decreases the exposure. In reality the light hasn't changed and you want both shots to have the same exposure. So you decide what exposure you want, perhaps by using the camera's meter to get the exposure for a patch of grass (grass is good for this), and then lock that exposure in using Manual mode.

I'm sure there are other situations - for example a bride in a white dress and a groom in a dark suit is another obvious one - but hopefully this is enough to get you started on thinking about it.
 
I rarely shoot in anything other than manual.... BUT... When I first started out, I started with auto, then A priority... I only moved to manual when I couldn't get the results I wanted, and when I started using off camera flash / studio heads.
 
StewartR said:
One thing nobody here has said explicitly, though @HoppyUK has alluded to, is the correct use of Manual exposure mode.

If you use Manual, and you decide your exposure by moving the settings until the camera's meter says it's "correct", then there's no point using Manual. As @HoppyUK said, you'd get exactly the same result - and much more quickly and easily - by using one of the automatic modes such as Aperture Priority. Hence it follows that the time to use Manual is when you want to have an exposure that the meter thinks is not "correct". But presumably you want a "correct" exposure as you see it. So what we're really talking about here is learning when you can rely on the meter to make the same decisions that you would, and when you can't.

Here's one situation where the meter won't necessarily get it right. You're shooting motorsports and all the cars have different colours. One car is black; the camera sees not much light being reflected from it, concludes that the sun must have gone in, and increases the exposure. The next car is white; the camera sees lots of light being reflected from it, concludes that the sun must have come out again, and decreases the exposure. In reality the light hasn't changed and you want both shots to have the same exposure. So you decide what exposure you want, perhaps by using the camera's meter to get the exposure for a patch of grass (grass is good for this), and then lock that exposure in using Manual mode.

I'm sure there are other situations - for example a bride in a white dress and a groom in a dark suit is another obvious one - but hopefully this is enough to get you started on thinking about it.
Click to expand...

It makes sense what you have said for sure.
Of course applying it will take a lot of time to learn.
Thanks for the advice!
 
Tringa said:
There are times when full manual is the way to go but it is not the holy grail of photography. To get the best out of your camera have a look at the links above and google for the "exposure triangle". Learning about aperture, shutter speed and ISO, how they relate to each other and the effect they have on the image will help enormously.

In the meantime, as mentioned above, put your camera into one of the auto or semi-auto settings and take loads of shots. If they don't come out how you wanted and you can't work out why, post them up here and someone will help.

Dave

BTW welcome to TP
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot!
Stupid question - where is the best place to post a picture that I know isn't very good but just want help with understanding what went wrong?
 
Look for the Forum heading called "Photo Genres - Sharing and Critique" and then post it in the most appropriate sub-section. If you can say why you aren't happy with the photo and add the setting (aperture, shutter speed and ISO) you used it will be helpful.

Dave
 
lukeyboy2606 said:
Hey Everyone,
I'm Luke! I am new here, I joined some time ago to have a look at the amazing pictures that can be found and I thought I would finally try and learn how to take a half decent photograph.

I'm lucky enough to have picked up a very well priced Cannon 60D for my first camera.

I wondered if anyone could point me in the right direction for the best "dummy guide" for taking pictures on manual mode. I've looked around on youtube and google etc but just wondered if there was anything specific that someone could point me too. Or even a beginners class at a reasonable price.

Thanks a lot! Happy easter Monday!
Click to expand...

Hi Luke,

I have a tutorial series on the 60D that may help you get to know the camera. It does not go in to shooting manual but if it helps great.

Canon 60D Tutorials

Rick
 
sunnyside_up said:
I rarely shoot in anything other than manual....
Click to expand...

Then you rarely shoot in anythigng other than fixed lighting

Imagine your shooting a dog running about in the park catching sticks.. imagine its a sunny but cloudy day... imagine you are using your precious manual mode and you have set everything perfect for a sunny shot... just as the dog jumps in the air to catch a stick ....a cloud passes in front of the sun.... manual mode becomes utterly useless and you lose the shot....


I have an equally sane story for anyone who says they never shoot manual ..it also involves moving subjects.. dark area with bright lights in background :)

people who only shoot one or the other great.. people who tell other people to shoot one or the other are idiots..

.
 
StewartR said:
One thing nobody here has said explicitly, though @HoppyUK has alluded to, is the correct use of Manual exposure mode.

If you use Manual, and you decide your exposure by moving the settings until the camera's meter says it's "correct", then there's no point using Manual. As @HoppyUK said, you'd get exactly the same result - and much more quickly and easily - by using one of the automatic modes such as Aperture Priority. Hence it follows that the time to use Manual is when you want to have an exposure that the meter thinks is not "correct". But presumably you want a "correct" exposure as you see it. So what we're really talking about here is learning when you can rely on the meter to make the same decisions that you would, and when you can't.

Here's one situation where the meter won't necessarily get it right. You're shooting motorsports and all the cars have different colours. One car is black; the camera sees not much light being reflected from it, concludes that the sun must have gone in, and increases the exposure. The next car is white; the camera sees lots of light being reflected from it, concludes that the sun must have come out again, and decreases the exposure. In reality the light hasn't changed and you want both shots to have the same exposure. So you decide what exposure you want, perhaps by using the camera's meter to get the exposure for a patch of grass (grass is good for this), and then lock that exposure in using Manual mode.
Click to expand...

Unless of course your camera has an "exposure lock" button, or a button that can be configured to be that, right under a finger or thumb, which is an even quicker and easier way of locking an exposure than switching to manual. I'm quite happy using manual exposure, because I learnt my photography before auto exposure had been invented, but the only time I use manual exposure is when I'm using multiple flash guns. Generally speaking I find the auto features of modern cameras, auto exposure, auto focus, and auto white balance, are so good most of the time at getting it nearly right that I use them almost all the time, tweaking them a bit about half the time. But as others have been saying, using auto to get nearly there, and just a moment of tweaking if necessary, is easier and faster than using manual.
 
KIPAX said:
Then you rarely shoot in anythigng other than fixed lighting


people who tell other people to shoot one or the other are idiots..

.
Click to expand...
Talk about your selective quoting...so I'll do the same...
I am only speaking of my own personal experiences and situation. I switched to manual because it filled gaps for me, as I said. Its true, I rarely shoot in anything other than, but there are always exceptions, which I also utilise.
Sheesh...
 
KIPAX said:
people who tell other people to shoot one or the other are idiots..
Click to expand...
I didn't read it that she was telling the OP to shoot only manual. She's quite clearly talking about her own development and making it clear that she started by using auto, so I respectfully suggest your reaction is rude and OTT. So who is the idiot?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top