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I just bought my first DSLR. Can you recommend some resources to help get started? (self.photography)

submitted 4 months ago by insidethebox

I'm sure I could use the search function, but this is more entertaining. I just bought an entry level DSLR, the Nikon D3000, with an 18-55mm lens and a 55-200 lens. Here Can anyone recommend some books or web resources to help me get my feet wet? I'm pretty artistic and have a good eye for photos. It's finally time to get serious, please, the good people of Reddit Photography, help this flower to grow.... Thanks in advance!

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Question-Everything 8 points9 points 4 months ago[-]

Scott Kelby is the guy to listen if you are just getting started in photography, he explains everything in simple terms. His website http://www.scottkelby.com/

marquis_of_chaos 6 points7 points 4 months ago[-]

Some basic sites to look at:

A look at the experts

mobileF 7 points8 points 4 months ago* [-]

I'm not sure why no one uses http://www.digital-photography-school.com but i love it. I get an email every Thursday with tips/assignments and other stuff.

edit: http backslash, yo

Jeremy7508 3 points4 points 4 months ago[-]

I love this site and the emails as well.

gong 3 points4 points 4 months ago[-]

Don't know why but I feel very frustrated after visiting their site, because it's so slow on the render html part. Scroll down/up is boring in all the browsers I have.

ScannerBrightly 4 points5 points 4 months ago[-]

I really enjoy this site. Not only does it have pretty good info, it has many ideas to get you off your butt and pressing the shutter release button.

cabbit 1 point2 points 4 months ago[-]

Because the guy who runs it is kind of a douche. He made it as a moneymaking vehicle and has handed off most of the operation.

It has a lot of useful information, but it doesn't have any passion like Photocritic or Strobist or Epic Edits or any number of other sites.

just_some_bloke 4 points5 points 4 months ago[-]

http://stopshootingauto.com/ was recommended when I posted here asking for help on improving my technique.

lilzaphod 2 points3 points 4 months ago[-]

http://strobist.blogspot.com/

Doctor_Watson 3 points4 points 4 months ago[-]

Sure. Sell it then buy my D80 for half the price. :)

But seriously, "Understanding Exposure" and a Magic Lantern Guide will do you wonders.

funions123 1 point2 points 4 months ago[-]

You're selling your D80?

MDPhotog 1 point2 points 4 months ago[-]

D80/D200's are great deals right now if you don't need to shoot anything over 1600iso.

Doctor_Watson 1 point2 points 4 months ago[-]

Yes. Most definitely. I have the D80 body, a kit lens, the MB-D80, remote, cullman magic 2 tripod with ball head, charger, all boxes and original receipts and documentation, cables, yada yada yada, everything. It's completely a pro-sumer package.

[deleted] 5 points6 points 4 months ago[-]

The manual. No really. Then go take pictures.

iDrifter 1 point2 points 4 months ago[-]

dukthen is right. Read the manual, shoot then read it again.

ubr 0 points1 point 4 months ago[-]

rtfm.

YahoKa 4 points5 points 4 months ago[-]

Don't forget to read your manual. Know how to change each setting and what every option means.

Obvious, but often not done.

JimmyJamesMac 1 point2 points 4 months ago[-]

Love the downvotes you got there...this subreddit is so strange. Good advice often is downvoted, and hyperbole is rewarded. Most owners manuals are great lessons in general photography, often including rudimentary lessons complete with examples.

allseeingcuttlefish 2 points3 points 4 months ago[-]

Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson is a great place to start. The manual should be your first stop, though.

Jeremy7508 2 points3 points 4 months ago[-]

This is hands down the best book I've read that's helped my photography skills. Its not a "camera" book, it's more of a "theory" book. It shows you the different parts of pictures that make photographs interesting.

Michael Freeman - "The Photographer's Eye"

http://www.amazon.com/Photographers-Eye-Composition-Design-Digital/dp/0240809343/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268435456&sr=8-3

kickstand 2 points3 points 4 months ago[-]

Photography is a very expensive book but maybe you can get it in a library. It's a standard photo class textbook:

http://www.amazon.com/Photography-10th-Barbara-London/dp/0205711499/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268423249&sr=8-4

The Photo Idea Index has dozens of self-assignments which will give you experience and have fun.

http://www.amazon.com/Photo-Idea-Index-Jim-Krause/dp/158180766X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268423296&sr=8-1

sc_yang 2 points3 points 4 months ago[-]

fmreviews.com for lens reviews (http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/)

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/ for buttloads of information.. if you learn everything on this site, you will be like unto a god

potn forums are great (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/) but i'm a canon user so take it fwiw

dpreview.com for news on the industry

and flickr explore to get inspired

locriology 1 point2 points 4 months ago[-]

Another vote for Cambridge in Colour. Their information is extremely useful, and it helped me pick up the basics right away.

areus 2 points3 points 4 months ago[-]

Read this: http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-Photographs-Digital-Updated/dp/0817463003/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268421030&sr=1-1 This book will keep you from setting your camera in auto-mode :)

Also, ignore 90% of what ken rockwell writes.

Crunchy777 2 points3 points 4 months ago[-]

+1 to Understanding Exposure

This is the book I recommend to everyone that is converting to a DSLR and want to use it for more than the auto-mode.

sc_yang 2 points3 points 4 months ago[-]

you don't have to go that far.. just take his opinion for what it is--an opinion. that's why i like fmreviews. you have a ton of opinions, rather than just one guy's.

drivingmeupthewall 2 points3 points 4 months ago[-]

http://www.kenrockwell.com/index.htm - This guys got some great info.

mechtonia 1 point2 points 4 months ago[-]

Came here to say this. Got my (wife's) first DSLR at Christmas and kenrockwell.com probably has more to do with me getting good pics than the all the equipment that I have bought.

I think Ken has a user guide for the D3000. You should read it. If not read the one for the D5000.

FWIW> I highly recommend adding the 35mm f/1.8 lens if you do any indoor shooting. This lens/camera combinations will really make your pics stand out from anything that a P&S could do.

arrgh406 1 point2 points 4 months ago[-]

Many people dont like Ken Rockwell, but I think that he is pretty helpful early on.

mechtonia 2 points3 points 4 months ago[-]

He's opinionated and paints things in simple absolute terms. Perfect for a beginner, abrasive to an expert.

FuckingJerk 4 points5 points 4 months ago[-]

LOL you just jerked off nearly everyone in this subreddit by implying that anyone who finds Rockwell abrasive is an expert.

vwllss 0 points1 point 4 months ago[-]

One of those people being me. He paints some decent ideas but also says a lot of things that are outright incorrect. While I'm not going to say that there's nothing at all useful on his site, I will say that I would avoid it in order to escape being messed up by any false info.

midava 1 point2 points 4 months ago[-]

Check out Thom Hogan

He writes comprehensive guides to most Nikon cameras including the Complete Guide to the D300

zmcintyre 1 point2 points 4 months ago[-]

Go out side and use it, look at lot's of photography

thebrian 1 point2 points 4 months ago[-]

If you're a hands-on type, set it to manual mode and experiment. Don't be afraid to experiment. You'll learn a lot by fidgeting with the aperture and shutter speed.

caractacuspotts 1 point2 points 4 months ago[-]

Go out and shoot. Learn your camera. Read some basic articles about shutter / aperture / iso. Shoot some more. Shoot some more. Shoot some more.

DarkColdFusion 1 point2 points 4 months ago[-]

That guide your camera came with? Learn it. I know there are tons of sites about taking photos, but when you get a new tool learn everything it can do so that way you understand what your limits are, and can look for specifics on how to utilize specific aspects of your camera. I know it's boring but all those buttons and menu's do stuff :P

kanakana 1 point2 points 4 months ago[-]

Ben's Newbie Guide to Digital SLR Photography

[deleted] 4 months ago[-]

[deleted]

Bleach-Free 2 points3 points 4 months ago[-]

I prefer B&H to Adorama.

HelenOster 1 point2 points 4 months ago[-]

We are always keen to learn from our customers; is there anything we can do to improve your experience of purchasing from Adorama?

Helen Oster Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador http://helenoster.blogspot.com

helen.oster@adoramacamera.com www.adorama.com

ubr 0 points1 point 4 months ago[-]

i comparison shop b&h versus adorama quite a bit and for the stuff i've bought adorama comes out cheaper. as far as service goes i have no complaints whatsoever and often recommend it to my friends for their gear and prints.

the adorama website does have some issues though. once you understand how the site is organized it is very powerful, but there are often too many choices and subdirectories which make it hard to find the products you want. especially in the lighting department.

Bleach-Free 0 points1 point 4 months ago[-]

99% of the time, I find that their prices are better. I prefer the layout of their website too. I find it much more user friendly.

duxup 1 point2 points 4 months ago[-]

IMO the best bet is to start shooting and then start wondering what you did wrong ;) or could have done better, or what went right.

Photo.net has a number of articles on the technical aspects and types of photography, although some of the folks on the forums are pretty snotty. Also on photo.net they have a critique system that I find just going thru provides some nice ideas and new points of view to consider.

luminous-landscape.com has some interesting articles on equipment and technique.

xsidekick409 2 points3 points 4 months ago[-]

Words and textbooks will teach you nothing useful about photography. Learn through experience, since you have a DSLR you don't need to worry about the cost of film, so go shoot. Know the basics of ISO, shutterspeed, and aperture and you're ready to go. Look up some popular photography class assignments and complete them on your own, or design your own projects. Best theme to pick for a starting photographer is light, since its easy to take pictures of yet extremely difficult to master.

kickstand 5 points6 points 4 months ago[-]

Words and textbooks plus experience add up to a lot, though.

uberdisco 0 points1 point 4 months ago[-]

photography.alltop.com

Your_Left_Hand 0 points1 point 4 months ago[-]

You could always go browse your local library as well. They tend to have quite an assortment of photography books at them.

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