# New to photography.



## TheGuy (Jan 6, 2013)

Well as some may know I just picked up a 60d. Where do I start? Lol I took a few pictures of my tank in auto mode and they look terrible! Far too bright. Can anyone point me in the right direction, I have read the intro thing about each thing and what it does but its just confusing lol

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## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

Starting out in Program and using EV to adjust brightness (not sure what buttons on Canon) is the best way for beginners to shoot in my opinion. As you learn more about Manual, slowly start edging into it. Oftentimes however I still use Program just fine, and all I get from my photos are compliments.


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## TheGuy (Jan 6, 2013)

I just did a bunch of this and that and idk.... it will take a good while 

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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

Manual mode. Start with an ISO of 400. Shutter speed 125 and see where your meter tells you to set the aperture. Take the shot. Too bright close the lens a stop. (higher number) to dark open her up. That's a starting point to work from. For aquarium shots I wouldn't go below 125. If you have to open the lens too much to get the shot then increase ISO a bit.


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## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

Auto mode sucks. Forget it's even on your camera. P mode is not much better. Forget it as well.

Go with A, S, or M. A mode is aperture. You control aperture to get a desired depth of field, camera chooses shutter speed to get a proper exposure. S is shutter. You control shutter and the camera controls aperture. M is manual. You control everything. There's no point baby stepping it using A or P mode. Just jump in and learn by doing. It's digital. Mess up, delete and try again.

Check out some books. Bryan Peterson has some really good ones. Also, there's lots of decent videos on youtube.


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## TheGuy (Jan 6, 2013)

When I go into some modes and messed with the iso it would wash out some plants and some not so. Just a matter of adjusting lenses, as iso is only the amount of light correct? Well has to do with

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## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

Yeah, ISO only affects light, but at a cost. Too high ISO and you get noise or grain in the picture which often times is undesirable. Unless you want grain, always go with the lowest ISO you can to get the shutter speed you need. I don't know how well your camera handles high ISO, but most DSLR's made within the past couple years handle ISO up to around 1600 well. 

Aperture affects light and depth of field (DOF) which is how much of the picture is in focus from front to back otherwise how deep the focus it. The smaller the aperture number, the wider open the lens is which lets more light in, but causes shallower DOF. For example, I have a lens that is an f/1.4. I can get a person's eyes in focus, but their eyebrows would be out of focus. If you stop down, which means close the opening of the lens, you let in less light but you increase DOF. So now, lets say you are at f/4. Now the person's whole face in is focus. But since there's less light, the shutter speed is decreased.

Shutter speed doesn't effect how much light is coming in but how long the sensor is exposed to light. The slower the shutter speed, the longer the sensor is exposed. Generally, unless you're steady as a rock, if you are hand-holding you want to try to stay above 1/60 of a second to reduce or eliminate camera shake. Some people can go lower than that, but 1/60 is a good guideline. Of course try slower and see how it works for you. If you are trying to stop movement, I personally like to start at 1/125 or 1/160 and go from there. Sometimes you need even faster but for tank shots, that should be plenty.

If you have a tripod or a solid surface to set the camera to take the shot, really, none of this matters much. You can set ISO to the lowest, choose any aperture for your desired DOF, and shutter speed doesn't matter because there won't be any camera shake, so if you need a really long shutter speed, say several seconds, no big deal. Use a shutter remote or the camera's timer function to take the shot to prevent any movement of the camera that could be caused by pressing the shutter button.

It turns into balancing act.


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## TheGuy (Jan 6, 2013)

Thanks alot man I appreciate it. Now I just must find which buttons are aperture and all that. I have only found iso

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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

As recommended I would definitely get a book or you can go the youtube route.  Take your time and learn one thing at a time until it sticks. People who step up to a SLR and take a pic with the green box will be sorely disappointed. BTW I have a 60D and love it. So if you have any questions, just let me know.


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## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

TheGuy said:


> Thanks alot man I appreciate it. Now I just must find which buttons are aperture and all that. I have only found iso
> 
> Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2


The manual is a great resource of information


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## TheGuy (Jan 6, 2013)

Lol yeah thanks, its just so much to read lol and thanks houseofcards 

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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

ISO is the sensitivity of the sensor. In film it is the "speed" of the film. Shutter is duration of time light hits the sensor. Aperture is ho much light is hitting the sensor.


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## zdnet (Aug 13, 2010)

TheGuy said:


> Lol yeah thanks, its just so much to read lol and thanks houseofcards


Since someone here also has a 60D, if you upload the problem photos along with a description of how you captured them, may be you will get some 60D-specific recommendations on avoiding the problems. That can save you some readings.


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## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

But there's no substitute for learning how to operate your camera. It's all good and well to know what you did wrong with a picture, but the OP doesn't even know how to make setting changes on his camera (not picking on you OP...we've all been new to cameras and DSLR's so we feel your pain).


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## zdnet (Aug 13, 2010)

Nubster said:


> But there's no substitute for learning how to operate your camera.


Agreed!



Nubster said:


> It's all good and well to know what you did wrong with a picture, but the OP doesn't even know how to make setting changes on his camera


Thus, someone who has the same model of the camera can be a great help in getting the OP to find his way around while getting better photos.


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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

> The manual is a great resource of information


This is the best advice for a starting point. Kelby's Digital Photography series uses both Canon and Nikons and is another good resource. Just not as good as the manual.


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## TheGuy (Jan 6, 2013)

Hey guys, these aren't tank related but the first actual pictures I have taken in 100% manual mode. Please comment and tell me what should have or could have been done better. Thanks!! Also, these were done without a tripod.


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## Kai808 (Jul 19, 2011)

TheGuy said:


> Hey guys, these aren't tank related but the first actual pictures I have taken in 100% manual mode. Please comment and tell me what should have or could have been done better. Thanks!! Also, these were done without a tripod.
> View attachment 106770
> 
> 
> ...


Good start on shooting manual! The first picture looks a little over exposed and IMO a little too much water showing. Both of these issues can be fixed in post production. When I started to shoot in manual, my instructor told us to bracket the shots. So we were taking 3 shots of the same subject and shooting +1/-1 exposure inaddition to the correct metered exposure. This is just so we could see the difference between them. Your camera may also have an auto bracketing take a look at the manual and while you're looking at it look for metering modes.

Your second pic is very symmetric. Meaning it's very balanced on the left and right of the subject. I think if you used the rule of thirds and crop, it'll look even better. What you did correct that most newcomers wouldn't do is use the shade. It looks like afternoon to late afternoon in the pictures and that would cause some harsh shadows. Try using your flash to brighten it up a little or edit it after. Also, I see something that I used to do a lot and sometimes still do. Do you see the leaves coming out of the subjects head that look like antenna? Try getting lower or separating the subject from the background to blur it out a liitle more.

The third pic is a great example of the rule of thirds... Actually it's an example of why the rule doesn't always work. I think this is your best shot! Although it's a little under exposed, you have a great subject with very engaging eyes. Great texture in the background and a good contrast of textures between the subject and the background. Once again Great Job on this shot.

The last photo is also a great shot! The only thing I would do is to crop out the road. This shot would make a great aquascape.

I hope I'm not too discouraging on the comments. But believe me, I have hundreds(probably thousands) of photos that needed work when I started. What's really cool is to see the progress I made year after year. Keep it up your off to a good start. 

P.S. Hey Do you mind me editing these pics in Lightroom to see what a little post production can do? I'll erase them after I'm done. If not, I understand.


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## TheGuy (Jan 6, 2013)

Kai808 said:


> Good start on shooting manual! The first picture looks a little over exposed and IMO a little too much water showing. Both of these issues can be fixed in post production. When I started to shoot in manual, my instructor told us to bracket the shots. So we were taking 3 shots of the same subject and shooting +1/-1 exposure inaddition to the correct metered exposure. This is just so we could see the difference between them. Your camera may also have an auto bracketing take a look at the manual and while you're looking at it look for metering modes.
> 
> Your second pic is very symmetric. Meaning it's very balanced on the left and right of the subject. I think if you used the rule of thirds and crop, it'll look even better. What you did correct that most newcomers wouldn't do is use the shade. It looks like afternoon to late afternoon in the pictures and that would cause some harsh shadows. Try using your flash to brighten it up a little or edit it after. Also, I see something that I used to do a lot and sometimes still do. Do you see the leaves coming out of the subjects head that look like antenna? Try getting lower or separating the subject from the background to blur it out a liitle more.
> 
> ...


Thanks man, deff not too discouraging. This is the first time I actually did any shots after learning what buttons controlled what and what they did. Please do edit them in lightroom! I have no experience to do so myself... yet lol so you can have at it.

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## Kai808 (Jul 19, 2011)

I hope they look alright. My monitor might be calibrated a little differently. Basically, I adjusted some exposures, contrast, cropped, and curves. I hope you like them.


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## TheGuy (Jan 6, 2013)

Look good to me

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## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

Get a post processing program if you don't have one already, something with RAW support, and start shooting RAW. It gives you a lot more to work with when post processing your shots.


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## TheGuy (Jan 6, 2013)

Well just regular ole iphoto supports it, its not the best but it shouldn't be hard to find one. Probably aperture does also and its good. I have yet found how to put camera into raw.

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## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

You change it under the image quality menu. You maybe able to do it on the camera as well rather than menu diving. I don't know about your particular camera.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

On the 60D there's a Quick Control button to the right of the LCD, just click that and it will bring up all the vital control options on the LCD. The image quality is the lower right corner. You'll probably see an L,M or S for Large, Med, Small jpeg. You can click on that with the round wheel and than select the option you want. As other's have mentioned, it's best to read the manual or another book chapter by chapter and you'll really learn the camera.


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