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What would be good beginner info to start with, to learn more about photography rather then simply pointing a camera and pressing a button? Good books to check out, etc?
I know Carl suggested a national geographic Photography field guide book, I will look at the library for that when the weather warms up and I feel like taking more random trips on the bike.
If you would like to know a good online resource you can check out
www.photo.net and their how to section.
You should read the manual to your camera well and figure out what manual controls the camera has. A good way to practice is if your camera as an AV or A mode. This controls the aperture value of the lens and lets you play around with depth of field in your pictures.
The aperture in a lens is like the iris of an eye. It opens and closes to let more or less light. A larger aperture number is a little confusing because it is actually a smaller number. The apertures levels are also called f-stops. If you look on the front of your camera lens it should have an f:2.8/ f:4.6 or something along these lines. This means that your zoom lens at it's widest has a maximum aperture of f:2.8 and at it's longest has a maximum aperture of f:4.6
If you play around with depth of field you can isolate your subject easier. This will draw more attention to the subject and as a result give you a more pleasing picture.
In this picture that I took you notice the rocks in the background are out of focus but the flowers themselves are nice an crisp.
To get this effect in your photos you need to open the aperture up and focus on the subject. In this case the flowers.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...le-flower1.jpg
A smaller aperture value will result in a picture where everything is in focus and could detract attention from your subject.
In a case where your bike is on top of a mountain might mean you would like to have a picture where everything is in focus. This will leave you with a nice photo that shows the landscape in detail.
This photo is a good example of that. I think it was probably taken in Auto mode on you camera but it is a good example of depth of field.
This shot was taken with a small aperture value or high f number
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h3...5/HPIM0371.jpg
The NGeo guide is a good one, but if you're looking for some easy literature with quick hints and tips I'd suggest picking up a photo magazine from a book store or wherever. Usually they'll have some quick pointers on how to do a whole range of stuff from understanding the camera to Photoshop work.
Nice thing about mags is they usually have lots of sample pictures and you can preview them before you buy (if they aren't wrapped in plastic), so you can learn the things you want to learn.
That's important too, I for one, get bored with steps and routines. I like to pick up knowledge here and there as my interest desires and then slowly over time they come together in the way I want/need them too. One thing leads to another and then its: "Well if I want to do this, then I'll need to also learn that." While some fundamentals are important, learn what you want to learn first because learning is much more fun and efficient when you actually WANT to be doing it.
CC
More importantly, it shows your bike in relation to the landscape and detail. The photo is not two separate things, a bike, then a landscape. The photo shows these two elements in contrast and relation to each other.Quote:
Originally Posted by Supersignet
The Depth of Field (DOF) is complicated to work out and, if you really want to get into it, involves some quite complicated math. While a higher F-number (smaller aperture opening) does give you a deeper DOF that's not the only consideration. The DOF varies from set-up to setup but to keep it simple take a look at your 10-20 lens. You'll notice that after a little over one meter in focus distance, it goes almost immediately to infinity. With an ultrawide, the DOF is dramatically different from, lets say your 70-200.Quote:
Originally Posted by Supersignet
- If you focus your 70-200 at 200mm, lets say 2m away at f4, your DOF will be measurable in centimeters.
- If you focus your 10-20 at 20mm at 2m away at f4, your DOF will be almost infinite. In a rough sense, this is sometimes called "hyperfocal distance" which you can learn more about at:
http://www.dofmaster.com/hyperfocal.html
http://www.dofmaster.com/files/dof_hyperfocal.gif
- DOF also depends on the sensor size and the tiny sensors on a PnS lend themselves to incredible DOF's at almost any focal distance...especially when focusing past a few meters.
CC
Thanks for the information.
I am also talking real beginner stuff, like photography / camera terminology etc... I really have only used digital point and shoot cameras like a photosmart, or some no name brand I got at walmart...
I will probably in a few weeks when it gets warmer and I get to want to be out on the bike more often start making trips to the library for some books, rather then the book store.
Also what sort of camera equipment is recommended also for beginners?
My family collectively gave my wife and I a Panasonic Lumix with 5 megapixels 2 Christmasses ago that serves our family real well (of course for all the photos of our little ones that get emailed to them!)
I would think a several megapixel camera (at least 4 or 5, IMO) will give you some pretty crisp, clear photos, simply.