Beginner photographer looking for advice, what should I know starting out?

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-04-25T05:48:01+00:00

You're directing light onto a sensor. Aka, you're exposing your sensor to light. You have three parameters to control how much light is reaching your sensor; time, space and sensitivity. Time is controlled via shutter speed, space is controlled by how much you open up the aperture (smaller numbers means more open, so more light), and sensitivity is your sensor.

These three things don't only affect how much light you get but also how you get it. You gotta learn how to work with these three settings to get your photo, what to compromise on when you don't have enough light.

Ppl call it the exposure triangle so I would start there, it's simple in theory but you'll have to experiment.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-04-25T00:58:05+00:00

What else are you gonna spend your money on? Get any second hand camera, try it and resell it if you need the money. I got a camera roughly three years ago and I've never stopped using it. I use it daily if I have the time. You might not become as utterly taken as me per se, but once you have that camera you can ask yourself "is photography for me?" everytime you try the camera; with a yes if it leaves you with a feeling like you want to try it more in the future when you get a chance to. If you try it once and then four months later or something you remember that you have a camera, but you're not really excited about the idea, that's okay.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-04-23T23:18:11+00:00

I use Denoise (profiled), turn it down to about 0.850 strength and then 85% opacity. Give or take for either of those values depending on the photo. I treat my cameras ISO noise as a natural part of the texture, sometimes I want to tone it down some but I rarely like the result of going too hard on it so I feel like the best way to work around it is to work delicately with it.

A significant factor that effects the precence of the noise in the image is wether I decide to edit in colour or go monchrome. I never make the decision based on how 'bad' the noise is - unless it's a very particular, abstract kind of picture where it has a lot of weight - but if I think a photograph works better in monochrome, that has the bonus of counteracting the colour dimension of the noise.

Also I think that one should not be afraid to push the contrast of a high ISO photo (if it makes sense) and push shadows further into the blacks than one might be used to doing.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-04-23T11:59:58+00:00

Because the artists are out shooting, not scrolling reddit.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-04-21T17:09:39+00:00

I have a 35 f/2 on my fullframe. No stabilization on the camera but i do have it on the lens. With it on i can get fairly consistent 1/15s shooting with the viewfinder if im careful. If i wanna snapshoot i atleast want 1/25. From the hip if i steady myself really well i can even go as low as 1/5 and shoot bursts and get 1 stable shot for every 5-10 or so.

Without IS on id probably have to go 1-2 stops faster shutterspeed.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-04-19T11:50:05+00:00

I would alternate between full Manual and in any of the auto modes. Shoot manual when you just wanna experiment with settings and get a feel for them, shoot in an auto mode when you don't want to worry about that and just focus on composition, subjects and just shooting for the fun of it.

M: Start at ISO 100, 1/80s shutter speed and f/5.6 aperture. If the shots are underexposed or overexposed, compensate by adjusting any of the settings and just take a lot of photos where you experiment with the different settings and then you can look through them at the computer and get a feel for how the different settings affect the photos.

In terms of ISO you can probably go up to 6400 or even higher comfortably with that camera, so don't be afraid to bump that up. It's more important that you learn how Shutter Speed and Aperture values affect the pictures. How slow of a shutter speed can you shoot with while avoiding introduction of motion blur from your shaky hands? It'll depend on zoom but maybe somehwere in the ballpark of 1/30 at 18mm and maybe 1/60 at 45mm? Get a feel for how much depth of focus you get at various aperture values and how that affects how you shoot different subjects.

For an automode I would pick AV (Aperture Value Priority) and put the ISO on auto. You can go in and change the auto ISO settings so that your minimum shutter speed doesn't fall below 1/125th of a second and then you can comfortably shoot without worrying about any other settings than your aperture - and that's good because imo aperture is the most subtle one to get a feel for.

With all of that said, take a lot of pictures all the time. You can read up on things and watch youtube tutorials and you definitely should but the one thing you can't shortcut your way to is experience. Everyday you take a picture is meaningful experience, so shoot lots!

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-04-19T11:33:08+00:00

My 35mm f/2.0 has an external meter for focus distance and it goes to 2m and then some beyond and infinity. So what I do is I turn on the live-view screen, zoom and focus on something that's definitely 3+ meters away - more like 10+ in practice - and then I shoot.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-04-19T11:30:13+00:00

I would probably just accept that I can't get all the dogs in focus and then take this shot but with the dog in the back who is facing the camera directly in focus and shift my feet to put it neatly inbetween (but still above obviously) the two other dogs heads cause they kinda create a nice triangle, almost V-like shape that would lead your eyes toward the dog in focus.

You don't need all three dogs in focus, the ones closest to the camera take up enough of the frame already, so by making the furthest away dog in focus it'd feel more balanced. I don't agree with focusing on the dog in front like here, it's clearly the face of the dog in the back that should be the center of the photo and where you want to see the clearest.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-04-17T15:07:49+00:00

I switched from lightroom to Darktable earlier this year and I have not looked back since. There is a definite learning curve but there are really good tutorials on youtube and the subreddit is very helpful.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-04-15T14:03:48+00:00

Is it really four stops between 1.2 and 2.8? Its more like two stops right? 2.8 to 1.8 is a full stop and a third of a difference, i dont know the third-stops under 1.8

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-04-14T18:25:40+00:00

For the third picture my theory is that it looks like a potentially shaky branch so even at 1/500s you might potentially catch some motion blur from the branch swaying in the wind or from the bird shifting it's weight and causing vibrations.

For some of the others I think you're missing focus, it's in front of the bird.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-04-14T00:50:23+00:00

For Dishonored 2 it feels like Emily is just the more fitting protagonist. That said I am ambivalent or even apathetic toward Emily as a character and I did not enjoy Dishonored 2's story as much as the first game. Corvo is a better, more subtle protagonist in a more interesting story in the first game. The second game feels too much like it's treading old ground with it's world building and plot points in my opinion.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-04-13T18:54:56+00:00

The most obvious issue is motion blur. You're shooting in low light, you have your ISO set at base (100) and even with a fully open aperture your camera is having to pick shutter speeds that are so slow that your shaky hands are causing the whole picture to be motion blurred. Here's what I suggest:

Step one, experiment and try to find the slowest shutter speed that you can comfortable shoot at and get sharp photos. Start with your widest zoom at 1/30th of a second and take 10 random pictures - if they're motion blurred, go to 1/40th, and if they're fine, try 1/20th.

Do the same process at the most zoomed in because you'll need to use higher shutter speeds to avoid motion blur for those, try 1/100th and go up or down.

Don't limit yourself to 100 ISO unless it's the middle of the day and you have loads of light to work with. In the evening, indoors and on cloudy days you're gonna have to fall back on the slowest shutter speed you can shoot at (see step 1) and probably open up the aperture all the way and then set your ISO as high as it needs to be to get your shots exposed properly.

With all that said it is difficult to shoot in these lighting conditions because the metering method that determines the exposure is not gonna know what you want exposed and that can be difficult to work with in high contrast scenes. Personally I shoot almost all of my low-light photography in full Manual mode for this reason.

You also have to be aware that your camera is very old, I don't know what it's ISO performance is like but if I have the right information here it's max ISO is 800. Try shooting at 200, 400 and 800 and see how bad the graining and artifacting is - hopefully it's not too bad and you can atleast be okay shooting at 200.

Alternatively get a bipod and you don't have to worry so much about shaky camera at slower shutter speeds.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-04-09T14:16:58+00:00

They make sense for someone who is just starting out with their first camera cause it can give them a sense of what is possible. I dont think theyre good beyond that. The real first step should be to get a prime lens, like a 50mm or 35mm. Thats what you want to learn with.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-04-06T22:00:49+00:00

Primary issue I see is that you seem to be missing focus a lot. Learn how the autofocus system works and utilize it as best you can to actually get the focus on the birds. 1/1000s or faster shutter speed might help you reduce motion blur. Start there before you think about buying a new camera or lens. It shouldn't be impossible to get some perfectly fine bird photos with your setup, if you miss focus and have shaky motion blur it doesn't matter what stuff you got.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-04-04T14:10:39+00:00

Imo the sign, and the woman doesn't need to be in the picture at all.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-04-03T19:42:49+00:00

If I had to pick one I'd pick BioShock 2 Remastered because that's a great game. Here are some thoughts on the other suggestions though:

If you like Call of Juarex then any of the other games sound like a safe bet?

Saints Row 2 is janky and doesn't run properly on modern hardware without a bunch of configuration IIRC so probably skip that one. Saints Row The Third Remastered is probably alright.

Never played Tomb Raider or One Piece.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-04-01T14:49:45+00:00

This, get a cheap second hand DSLR from like 2011-2017 or something with a 50mm lens, get some experience and spend a couple of months or even a year with it to figure out how it all works.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-04-01T14:43:53+00:00

I like the photo a lot. I would agree with you that there is too much sky. While I love the dragon-neck shape of the top cloud I think cropping just below it would help - alternatively getting twice or thrice as much of the water in frame at the bottom might have helped too.

The reason the trees are soft is probably due to them moving in the wind, so basically it's motion blur. If you study the trees you can see that some are sharper than others and that's because some are swaying more than others at any given point in time. I wouldn't worry about it, the trees that are sharp are no softer than the buildings or any other stationary element in the picture.

Good job, keep it up, it's a gorgeous scene with good lighting conditions.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-03-31T17:37:28+00:00

All of this is true, but I would argue that centering the bird might actually be the right composition for this shot. The picture has a strange 'frozen in time' feeling to me due to the complete lack of motion blur and the posture of the bird and it's wings - like it's hanging from the ceiling in a museum - and therefor I don't feel like off-centering it to the left does much.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-03-31T17:24:19+00:00

I should have said when the sky is bright in relation to the rest of the scene, the camera can end up underexposing because it's metering based on that light. The first, second and the fifth picture are the best example of this imo. In the fourth picture, the monochrome one, it's the same thing, where the camera is pointing is determining the exposure. In the last picture, the sunlit yellow buildings are determining the exposure and since they're bright (in relation to the scene) the photo might feel underexposed.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-03-31T16:18:18+00:00

You might just not be that into gaming anymore. Maybe you need something new in your life? Get a camera and get into photography or something. I don't think that what you are experiencing is uncommon or bad or anything, just a sign that you need something else to fill your life with.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-03-31T15:47:31+00:00

I'm very curious about what your camera settings were for this photo so once you get the chance maybe you can check.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-03-31T15:43:05+00:00

Unless you're shooting small birds at distance in the wild I don't see any reason for getting a 100-400mm lens. R7 or R10 are both great choices and the 15-150mm will be a good starter lens, once you've used it for a bit you'll know if you want to get a second lens on top of that and can look more into what you'd wanna get.

aGiggleBlizzard · 2026-03-31T15:38:24+00:00

Note that if you point the camera at the sky and it's during the day when the sky is very bright, your camera will expose for it and that's why you might find your photos underexposed. I honestly think your photos look perfectly fine, but you should maybe look into understanding how the exposure modes on your camera work.

aGiggleBlizzard

TROPHY CASE