len
New Member
Posts: 2
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Post by len on Oct 6, 2006 14:22:52 GMT -5
Hello everyone. I'm the proud new owner of a D200. I jumped to that from a D50 so I've got LOTS of learning to do! I've looked over the minimally helpful Nikon User Guide, ordered a couple books and started to crawl all over the net for information on how to gain proficiency in using this powerful camera. I've taken what I consider to be good photos with my D50 so am looking forward to learning the in and outs of the D200. Honestly, it's pretty d**n overwhelming so far but I am a determined individual  I know how to use a search enging, so I'll keep the stupid newbie questions to a minimum. Looks like a great forum here. Len |
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Post by Larry N. Bolch on Oct 6, 2006 15:13:21 GMT -5
I suggest in a nice comfortable chair with camera in hand, go through the WHOLE manual page by page, and try everything. While the manuals are certainly not verbose, nor are they a course in digital photography, they do describe each feature well enough that you can explore them. If you delete hundreds of shots when you are done, no problem. You are not paying for film. When doing this, it really does not matter what is in front of the lens.
When through, keep the manual close by for reference, but now get out and shoot, shoot, shoot. Of course, lots of what you read and tried, won't necessarily make a lot of sense, and much may not stick. Don't worry, just try to push the camera to the limit with what you did learn.
Down the road a few weeks with a thousand or so shots behind you, find that nice chair and the manual and repeat the cover to cover exercise. You will then discover that the book is laden with gems that now you understand, and you can actually use these features! You will find that this time, it is actually exciting to do - and your photography will improve greatly.
The best time for experimenting and learning is when you have nothing in particular to photograph. No matter what medium a person chooses, there is practice time and there is performance time. Practice time is when you specifically work on your skills, and performance time is when you apply that knowledge.
The worst time to try new techniques is when the pictures really must count. A world-famous concert pianist never stops practicing between concerts. A dancer spends every day between performances grinding through the standard exercises and learning new repertoire.
Between actual shoots, a photographer refines the basics and masters new skills. Even if you are a hobby shooter, this makes great sense. When it is time to make great images, what you learned during the practice sessions provides you with a firm foundation.
Schedule the time and pick a specific technique to work on. It could be exploring the wide-angle end of your zoom lens; mixing flash and room light; working with high ISO settings in dim light; hand-holding at various focal lengths in dim light to find your own threshold in avoiding motion blur. The list is endless, and as you master each, your capability increases - and so does your pleasure.
Your pride also gains when you show people your work, and they say "How on earth did you do that?"
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len
New Member
Posts: 2
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Post by len on Oct 9, 2006 16:30:50 GMT -5
Thanks Larry! great advice and exactly what I've started with. I'm familiar enough with the "practice, practice, practice" method of acheiving a desired level of expertise. I've been a guitar player for 25 years and know the drill well. I found an instructional video at the local camera shop that was a great pre-cursor to wading thru the manual cover to cover. So far, so good. Lots of playing and testing to do now. I was a bit overwhelmed at first and was actually considering taking advantage of the local store's "bring it back for any reason within 10 days" guarantee. I'm VERY glad I didn't and look forward to developing a strategic alliance and partnership with my D200 Len |
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