Is there any manual or resource website I can visit to teach me the basics in digital photography?

Question

I am a beginner and I have just purchased a Canon Powershot A710 IS. I would like to be able to use its features, as well as keep up or at least understand what you all say when you mention technical stuff like aperture, shutter, macro, exposure, etc.

Answer 1

Sometimes i think that the more education i get the less technichal i get (i have 3 different canon digital cameras which i usually shoot on "auto", a nikon 35mm, and just sold my large format-4x5, and i also have an MFA,) i'm a firm beleiver in learning the basics. Basically, it's best to know the "rules" before you start to break them. I would recommend checking colleges, art schools, etc. for a basic Photo 1 class, even Adult Ed centers often have good ones. The best way to learn about aperture, depth of field, exposure & meter readings, etc. is w/a 35mm camera, even if your end goal is to work digitally. You will also learn how to develop your own film, and to print in the darkroom where you will learn about contrast control, among other things. I have actually yet to take a digital photo class, i'm lazy & don't read manuals, and i taught myself photoshop elements w/my left hand when my right wrist was broken & in a steel frame for 3 months. i have been told by more than one curator that they can't tell if my prints are dakroom or digital (i can print both B&W and color in the darkroom.) i'll admit that i do need to take a more "serious" approach to learning more about digital, but as i've been told by more than one instructor that you acquire knowledge on a "need to know basis." i also know that i break "rules" such as printing 13x19 images shot w/a 4.1mega-pixel camera & resizing the image up to 720 dpi. (supposedly the largest you can go w/a camera @4.1 is an 8x10 print, but i'm not even sure about that!)
that said, i do honestly believe that a firm grounding in the fundamentals of photography-w/film-has stood me in good stead and will continue to.
In addition to looking for a basic, traditional photo class, and after that one in digital if you want to, the web offers lots of info. Apple, Adobe (the people who bring you photoshop) and many more companies have great websites, very often w/tutorials and podcasts. As far as books go, Henry Horenstein has 3 books out- Basic, Beyond Basic & Color. All concentrate on film and all are excellent. For digital, i've heard Scott Kelby's books are good. Also, if you have a Mac & there's an Apple store near you, for $99 you can sign up for a years worth of unlimited mini-classes on everything from programming your ipod to a resolving 'workflow' issues (organizing your images, basically.)
Good luck, HAVE FUN....

Answer 2

Hello,
Its exciting to venture into the world of digital photos...my advice it to log on to the Canon website. There you should find the forums, which will give you a great resource of what other Canon users say. In my experience, I have found that I can search the forums and find answers that I need with out actually asking the questions. Im a Nikon user, but I think the powershot is a "easy to use, point and click" type of camera (I may be wrong). If so, then you should be just fine for now using the auto modes until you have invested some time in the research. Happy shooting!

Answer 3

the basic to digital photography is the same as photography. Please don't believe these people that say there are not rules. There are things called rules of thirds meaning you never center your subject. The rules of corners. That means you put 2 subjects one in the upper corner the other in the opposite lower corner. Flow is good. Framing these are things that make a good pictures. But there is no set position. How you use the rules by larger or closer. I like to take the thirds to the far side. One area on flow is if you take a picture of people the person looking at the picture will look the same direction as the people in the picture. So use it to your benefit. framing is using things to frame the subject like a tree or a opening in something. So learn the basic and make it yours. Have fun with it but use and learn then. Good luck.

Answer 4

In terms of technical stuff like aperture and shutter even the old (35mm) book apply. I have this book by Michael Freeman (35 mm Handbook).

http://www.amazon.com/35mm-handbook-techniques-professional-applications/dp/0894713396/ref=sr_11_1/102-5666070-9068169?ie=UTF8&qid=1182493836&sr=11-1

Beside the section on film (and darkroom) NOTHING has changed. It starts out by explaining the camera (shutter, exposure, lens), then move on to composition. Even if I ripped out the first 1/3 on film camera the rest are still all the same. This is really an encyclopedia on photography.

It has tons of pictures and illustrations. It explains little bit (actually a lot) of every aspect of photography. Lights, composition, equipment, wildlife, people, architecture, portraits, fashion, food, copying, etc.

I have many photography books but this is a real keeper. It is no longer in print so you can probably get it cheap used (given everybody poo-poos anything with 35mm lettering).

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As for digital aspect, the Dummies series is always easiest to get started and follow.

Answer 5

BetterPhoto.com has a wealth of courses, and right now you can preview a basic digital SLR photography for free - you can see the entire 8 lessons in detail, just not post any of your work. Here's a link:

Answer 6

Here are a few websites that will help you in the basics of photography.

http://www.webphotoschool.com/
http://www.photonhead.com
http://www.betterphoto.com/home.asp
http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=2/3/38/39&pq-locale=en_US

This is a little more advanced info but may inspire you more to see some of the pictures.

http://www.lexar.com/dp/index.html

Hope this helps,
Kevin

Answer 7

Try these tutorials. Found them extremely easy to understand and seem to be especially geared to beginners.

Oh, and one of the best thing you can do is to read your camera's advanced manual through and through.

Answer 8

Did you think to ask someone at the store to teach you to use the camera?