Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Taking my camera off auto

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Do you own a DSLR but only use it on auto? That was me, until Sunday when I finally took a photography course to learn what all those different buttons and dials mean.
The course was described as beginners but I was really nervous that beginners actually meant "some degree of knowledge and here are a few tips and tricks" but luckily for me it actually meant beginners as in "don't know a damn thing".

 To be honest I went there wanting to learn how to do that cool blur the background thing (which I can do now and probably went a little over board with) but learnt so much more - want to talk shutter speed, aperture or depth of field? I am your girl. Ok I am not your girl, still so much to learn but I am excited now to try and build on that foundation knowledge.

 If you are like me and have tried to teach yourself but you are still working on auto I really recommend doing a class - I actually feel like I will be able to teach myself a lot more now that I know the basics. I did my course in Canberra with Bradley Cummings in case you are in the area and want to try something like this out.

 Do you have any good photography resources like books or websites? I would love to know about them.
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18 comments:

  1. Guilty as charged. Years ago, my husband tried to teach me about apertures and shutter speed. But these concepts are too abstract for m. I need someone to draw me cartoons and diagrams... something tangible for my head to grasp what all those numbers mean! :D

    Yes, one day, I will do a Dummy Beginner's photography class, for sure!

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  2. Such a good idea; i was tinkering with my camera this weekend thinking "I wish i knew how to work this thing!" while trying to get a perfect picture of my Christmas tree (impossible on auto.) I think i will look for one in my area.

    Tara

    http://tarabelle-adropofink.blogspot.com/

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  3. I need to do a photography course! Your photos are beautiful!

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  4. I have a DSLR too, and I just experimented for ages with what all the dials meant. My Dad used to do photography, so he helps sometimes. Flickr is a great way to showcase them, but I haven't found any useful sites just yet. Your photo's look great!

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  5. I studied photography at school (before everything went digital!) and loved playing with my SLR… and then along came DSLRs and I have to admit… I got a little lazy. I ended up trading in my DSLR for a smaller compact version (mostly because it was easy to carry around with me all the time) and I was happy with that… for a bit. Then along came my iPhone and I decided to upgrade my compact camera for a bigger fancier one. I have a Panasonic Lumic GF1 which is kind of like a compact DSLR and I love it.

    I love your photos. I'm a sucker for overdoing the whole 'blurry' thing too! :) Have fun with your camera and your new found photography skills!

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  6. i really should do a course. I've got nfi how to use mine

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  7. Love your photos! I just got a DSLR this week, and am off to practice taking photos today!

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  8. I am all about the blur background thing (best description) at the moment too lol, that's why I've finally being playing with my SLR - aperture and depth of field is my best friend. I've kind of bumbled my way through it though.

    It is the one thing that is tempting me with digital actually, these shots especially showcase what I could be doing... they are stunning.

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  9. You go girl! Looks like you learned a lot in your class because these photos are spectacular and I'm not just saying that. This is @tsswedish from twitter by the way!

    Chao
    Poppie
    http://thepoppie.com

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  10. I need to take a class when i finally get a camera. But i don't plan on getting a DSLR though cause i need something really light for my handbag. I am thinking of settling for the Olympus PEN camera. I wonder if i can still do the blur effect with that :)

    xo Stephanie

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  11. I'm really really pleased that you enjoyed the day and that you feel that you can now go out and build on your new knowledge and skill to make the pictures that you want to make -- it's really gratifying to me, too, to know that I've helped you just a tiny bit!
    It was a pleasure to have met you and I hope we'll get to see more of your pictures in the future.

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  12. love that first photo!! ive been trialling with mine too. well done. sometimes its all about getting outside your comfort zone!

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