Take my pictures....please!

January 9, 2009 10:32 AM

My snazzy new DSLR camera (Canon Rebel XS) just arrived, so now I need to know what to do with it. My Google skills have failed to find me a useful photography class south of Boston (Brockton/Tauntron/Attleboro-type range). Please help!

I'm looking for classes that will show me how to take pictures - composition, color, lenses, settings, etc. At this point, I've read a lot online, but am a hands-on noob. Something once or twice a week, maybe with some field trips built in, would be ideal.

I found courses at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, but that's farther than I'd like to go. I also checked some area community colleges, but the only one I found (at Bristol Community College) looks like a film class - darkroom techniques, etc... Maybe I'll get to that point eventually, but right now I just want to take some good pictures, and maybe learn digital post-processing techniques.

Thanks!

posted by um_maverick to media & arts (13 comments total)

Just go shoot. Now. Or at least, this weekend. Best light is at sunrise or sunset. Put the camera in "green" mode, take some shots, and study what settings the camera picked.
posted by notsnot at 10:50 AM on January 9

First of all, you don't need the DSLR to take good pictures (although the flexibility sure can help).
What I've been doing is going out and taking pictures of everything, absolutely everything, and messing around with aperture and shutter settings. If the picture doesn't work out, I delete it, and if it works out I keep it and look at the settings I used to see what went right.

Have fun and good luck!
posted by dunkadunc at 11:20 AM on January 9

I completely agree that I don't *need* the DSLR, but I've pushed the limits of my old Sony DSC-P100. If there aren't any classes, does anybody know of group trips/clubs - something like the South Shore Photography Club, but more South than Quincy :)
posted by um_maverick at 11:23 AM on January 9

I've found these forums to be incredibly useful, especially the stickied tutorials:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/

I have learned a ton by following the more popular flickr users and investigating their settings. For most pictures you can research the exact settings that produced a given photo.

Also, just put it in Manual mode and shoot, shoot, shoot so you get an understanding of what settings produced what results under certain conditions.
posted by Macallister Vagabond at 11:40 AM on January 9

I love my Rebel XTi (I think the model before yours). One thing I can't stress enough: take a lot of photos. Change positions on the subject, closeness, different angles, etc. I can't count the number of times I've gotten home and found 10 portrait shots and wished for a single landscape. Ugg!

But here's the key: plan on maybe 1 in 10 photographs will be good. Most of them turn out to be crap. But that's okay! It's how modern digital photography lets us cheat. You don't have to get the exposure and lighting exactly right the first time. Just take a bunch of pictures at different exposures, focal points, etc, and one of them is bound to turn out well.

I think of it as the brute force method. :)
posted by sbutler at 11:58 AM on January 9

Canon instruction manuals are incredibly helpful for beginners. Start by reading that, specifically the sections on TV and AV modes. If you want to move beyond the "full auto" setting, use the "TV" (time value) and "AV" (aperture value) modes to teach yourself how exposure time and aperture settings change your photos. Eventually you'll move on to full manual, where you can adjust both your exposure time and aperture at once. Any library will also have a whole section of how-to photography books for beginners. I've read a dozen and they're all basically the same. I wish I could recommend you one in particular. The main thing is to play with it in all sorts of light environments. Stay away from flash for now.
posted by Brodiggitty at 12:44 PM on January 9

Second reading the manual. Read it, go out and shoot, read it again.

Joining Flickr can be a great way to connect with people and find some inspiration. When browsing on it click on the "More properties" link to see what lens and settings they used. There are groups for specific cameras (and lens) and usually have lots of good tips in the discussions.

There's probably a group for your area; sometimes they do a "hey let's all meet downtown and shoot." Good way to learn with other people.
posted by starman at 1:46 PM on January 9

What everyone said. For finding photographers in the area, see Flickr's Boston groups.

In addition to Macallister Vagabond's suggestion, see DPReview's Canon forums if you haven't already. Lots of general info available there too.

You haven't mentioned it, but as you upgrade from a point-and-shoot, your post-processing computer tools become more important (the "digital darkroom" side of things).

For resources on the web, see my large collection of Digital Photography links.
posted by psyche7 at 2:46 PM on January 9

Flickr groups are a good suggestion. RTFM, also a good suggestion.

I can't suggest local photog classes, but I would suggest if you want to learn on your own, check out Scott Kelby's books. Bryan Peterson's book Understanding Exposure is also fantastic. (If book learning sounds good, peruse the list of good reference photog books on amazon.)

Possible semi-local groups - BPC, Picture That
posted by kirstk at 3:21 PM on January 9

Take. Your. Camera. Everywhere!!!!


and, shoot in manual.
posted by captainsohler at 4:34 PM on January 9

Seconding the Understanding Exposure book. Even if you take a class. And I would try to find a workshop or short course, because they are a lot of fun, and depending on your learning style, probably will give you a headstart that you won't get learning on your own. I am currently taking a pretty good class at NESOP, but that may be an inconvenient location for you.
posted by bchaplin at 4:48 PM on January 9

risd, in providence, has a number of continuing education courses, including photography.
posted by quodlibet at 10:23 PM on January 9

Shoot. Shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot. Don't sit online and read about it, don't worry about how you're going to share the photos, just go outside (right now if the sun is still up!), and start shooting. You need some assignments?

Shoot multiple frames of something moving fast (NOT a CAR!). Do it again. Now again.

Shoot something a certain color against something else of the same color, e.g. a green ball on the lawn.

If a picture is worth 1000 words, shoot a portrait of someone you think fulfills that promise. Tomorrow shoot another portrait which you think would be worth just a few more words than the one you shot the day before.

Now, go through them all and pick 3. Don't bother with any Photoshop-ish processing, unless you know exactly what you want to do and it would take you less than a minute or two. Now go down to a photo printing place and get them printed big, like, minimum 11 inches on the short-side. Don't worry about color profiles or whether or not your monitor is calibrated, just hand over three files to the lab and get the prints made (and if anyone on the other side of the counter starts talking about profiles & nonsense, just say to them "just print them". Now go show them to some people.

I have high hopes!
posted by Lukenlogs at 2:21 PM on February 1