So... It has come to this... [insert instant dramatic tension]
I have bit the bullet and am *attempting* to learn how to use a real camera. Hoo boy...
For years I've been using a dinky, albeit cute, Kodak point-and-shoot that, while no great wonder in itself, gets the job done. I wanted pictures, and it was a method of getting them.
Either that, or I would wheel, deal, beg, and badger my younger photography nut of a sister to get some shots for me with her fancy big black Canon. It got old really fast for both of us.
But using any camera other than a point-and-shoot was daunting to me. I would say it's right up there with using a gun. It's too many moving parts for me... ISO? What in the world is that? White balance? What on earth for?? Aperture? I don't even know how to spell that!!
So the little pink Kodak camera stuck around...
But I'm also a spoiled blogger who happens to really like good pictures. I'm a snob, in short. My own pictures weren't good enough for me and I hated that fact... When I visit blogs, the first thing I look for is really good pictures. Picture quality is what makes me go back again and again. I swoon at shots from a Canon 5D Mark II. That camera is awesome.
So, I bit the bullet and am now learning how to handle our ancient Canon 10D. It's heavy. It's awkward. It's got a lot of buttons. Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore!
So these ridiculously huge pictures are from today's first lesson. Yeah, they've got mistakes, but I'm a little pleased that I was even able to take them. I knew how to change my ISO when I went from inside the barn to outside in the pasture, and I even managed to understand when and why to change an aperture (well, somewhat...).
I'll get better eventually.. Bear with me here. I'm still struggling with finding the button that actually takes the picture! ;) I don't see any Canon 5D's in my near future, but I guess for now I'll start at the bottom with this little 10D and work my way up... Who knows, maybe someday I'll have a 5D with a fish eye lens to boot!
2 comments:
Dave, my hubby is a pretty good camera guy, here's what he said:
ISO- The shutter speed
Aperture- How much the lense opens. Small aperture would be good for a close up of a bird w/blurry background, vs. large ap. for the grand canyon, everything clear.
White Balance- is compensation for colors in the general lighting of the photos (natural light vs. artifical light for instance).
He suggests using "auto" on the white balance. I use "auto" settings most of the time for my general photos, and they come out pretty well. I use the free Picasa for editting.
There's lots of great digital phtography books out there too! He suggests Reader's Digest Perfect Digital Photos in a Snap, older but good! Good luck. And peaches looks awesome! Give her a hug for me :)
Hehe, I'll be sure to dole out hugs to Peaches tonight! ;)
Thanks for the tips on the cameras! My younger sister has been teaching me a lot, so methinks I will have no lack of information between her and the books at the library!
Post a Comment