I only just recently bought myself a
Canon Rebel T4i; not because I needed a new hobby but because my children are growing up so fast and I don't want to miss a minute of it. What I didn't know was that, like any Christmas gift that requires batteries or involves electronics, this was a gift that would keep on giving. If I had done my research I would have seen about a "bazillion" lenses and filters and hoods and flashes and other wonderful accessories to go along with my new "black box of light developing"; but at the time, all I knew was that I wanted to take better pictures of my beautiful kiddos.
Another thing I could not have imagined was how many settings and terms I would be forced to learn once I had my camera in my hands. Yes, I am one of those people guilty of saying, "Yeah, well he/she has a really great camera." Um, yeah right! While I am sure that having a great camera IS helpful, pointing and shooting are only the beginning of great photography.
Last week on Saturday, I took a Beginners Photography Class to help me learn my way around my new camera. Yes, I have the manual, and yes, I have read it through at least 5 times. The trouble is, there is so much information and I am a visual and hands on learner. Those black and white demonstrations and page upon page of words did nothing for me.
In this little class I learned about ISO, Fstop(aperture), and Shutter Speed. I was faced with terms like Depth of Field and Focal Length and Focal Distance. I stretched my mind and dumped in creative words like Rules of Thirds and Dark Meets Light and Leading Lines.
My head was beginning to spin, but I can safely say that I will never go back to auto.
So goodbye to that little green square of safety.
Hello to Mr. Manual. It's so nice to finally meet you.
