Hiya , newbie seeking guidance .

[buster321c]

Hello , ive been a member a while and have read many posts on this forum . Im pretty much a complete beginner with the camera and would love some advise from the masses . I have a Cannon 450d with 18 -55 and 70-300 ( you know the type , sold as a starter kit ) . I find the whole subject a bit daunting to be honest , and although i do love to be out `snapping away ` i could do with learning the basics , so i have some foundation to start from . Each book i pick up , i find quickly goes into a multitude of setting and functions and its almost like a maze

Im looking for some simple to follow steps , maybe a small `how to `that i can follow and see a result , and more importantly understand ! Things like , shutter speeds , ISO , etc etc .

I have snapped a few half decent pics here and there , but they seem few and far between and perhaps one in twenty turns out as ide expected them all to be . I do hope you all understand what im trying to say , and i dont sound a complete fool , i look forward to hopefully learning how to get the best out of my camera , thanks for your time ,Craig

 

[arclight]

Hi Craig and welcome to TP.

Your shots show that you are already getting reasonable results.
Have a look here:-
http://camerasim.com/camera-simulator.html

Also, think about composition. Puting your subject bang in the middle of the shot is often not the most appealing to the eye:-
http://photoinf.com/General/KODAK/guidelines_for_better_photographic_composition_rule_of_thirds.html

Rule of thirds - it's not written in tablets of stone so it can be broken, but it it is a good basic guide to start with.

Dougie

 

[buster321c]

Thanks mate , ill have a good look at those sites you recomended .

 

[PeteInDorset]

Hi Craig, am liking your pics & welcome to the forums

 

[buster321c]

Thanks Pete , their really more luck than judgement

 

[s8intly]

Hey Craig, your photos are looking good! Just remember you can't always take the the shot you want first time, all the time. You could always try a beginners course, they are relatively cheap but are well worth the money, you could try a company called Bangwallop in salcombe, south Devon, they have starter courses from £99

 

[buster321c]

Thanks for all the advise guys , greatly appreciated . If im totally honest i think im the architect of my own destruction. Time with my camers is the factor that seems to trip me up . I need to spend more with it , so the other things i get up to are definatley going to get the boot . I do have some knowledge and a basic understanding , but i think i need to start a fresh . Starting from the beginning , and trying to learn and get a complete understanding can only give me a better insight , which will lead to me using my camera to its full potential . Well thats the theory , cheers .