Photography All Call

 

(Questions at the end of the post. Help!)

***

One of the things on my 2011 bucket list

is to learn more about my camera

(translation: learn how to use it beyond automatic settings).

Many people in blog land say they are self-taught photographers,

and they learned on their own through trial and error.

I thought surely I can do this.

-so-

I first began by buying books,

which is what I usually do.

I bought

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D for Dummies

(offensive title)

Scott Kelby’s Digital Photography Book

Bryan Peterson’s Understanding Exposure

and

David Busch’s Canon EOS Rebel XSi/450D.


And then my brain shut down.
I then decided my camera was broken.


I even contemplated buying a new point and shoot camera,

I felt so defeated.

Instead,

I began emailing bloggers (lots of bloggers- who are the most generous people in the world).

Kat from Low Tide High Style helped greatly (in fact I bought the lens she uses-

now I just need Kat to come take the pictures).

Sarah at Memories on Clover Lane was a great help. She convinced me I needed

to leave automatic settings behind.


I then called Best Buy and made an appointment

for an hour long, one on one class.


Here is how that went.

A young woman who looked to be about 16:  “How can I help you?”

Me:  “It’s broken.”  (using sad, tragic face-handing over my camera)

YWWLTBA16:  “That’s strange. Let me take a look.”

-pause-

“No… nothing seems to be wrong with the camera.”

-pause-

So I went home and read more blogs,

and emailed more of you.

I read great tips on Designs by Gollum,

and then I began to play.

I bought a piece of foam board

and a display tri-fold to help with lighting

(which is poor in many areas of my house).

I bought clip on lights and daylight bulbs at Wal Mart ,

and I learned that one window is great for taking photos in the morning

and another one works better in the afternoon.


I took my camera off automatic and am now trying to

figure out my camera’s creative zones.

YWWLTBA16 said to use aperture priority for inside shots.

Again, I willed my brain to not shut down.

Although the photo above is far from satisfactory,

that is what the foam board does.


And now to my questions-if you have time.

*Do you have a set formula for setting ISO?

*How do you prevent your shots from being blurry with a higher ISO?

*Do you have a simple method for setting white balance?

*If you were in a gym with old fashioned fluorescent lights,

and you wanted to get shots of a player in action,

what lens would you use and what settings?

Thanks!