/r/Beginning_Photography

Photograph via snooOG

READ HERE FIRST: Sort the sub by "Hot" and you'll see a Post titled "READ THIS POST BEFORE POSTING TO "r/Beginning_Photography" pinned to the top of the sub. Please, READ IT! It has a link to the sub rules and a Q&A about what the sub is all about, as well as links to the sub Wiki and warnings to Surveyors /YouTubers/Bloggers/Article Writers/Intagrammers/Course Creators/App Developers and other attention-seekers.

A sub where the total photo-newb can ask questions, learn how to improve, and make that cool new camera do what you want it to.

r/Beginning_Photography Wiki- Start here for helpful "Where do I start?" info, FAQs, etc.

We all had to pick up a camera for the first time at some point... let's do our best to share our experience with people who are also just picking up their first camera.

If your questions concern photography, it's fine. Photography is a broad art/science with lots of details to learn. Correspondingly, the rules here are pretty broad. Every day is "stupid question day."

What r/Beginning_Photography is:

  • The place to ask the how-to questions you're afraid to ask in other subs for fear of looking clueless or getting flamed.

  • The place to write original instructional or helpful content/tips/tricks about learning photography. Keep it in-sub: No new threads with links to your content.

What r/Beginning_Photography isn't:

  • Please go to r/BeginnerPhotoCritique and post your image if you're looking for "Thoughts," "Tips," "Feedback," "Opinions," "Comments" or "Critique/Criticism" for your photo.

  • We are not r/itookapicture. Visit ITAP to show off the cool photo you took that you're really excited about.

  • We are not a content directory. The idea is to make the sub itself a source for info, not turn it into a bunch of posts that link to outside content. If you have helpful tips, an article or blog you wrote, etc. you can write it out here as a standalone post, but don't create a new post that links to your "helpful" content. Post it here in its entirety or not at all.

  • You may post individual images (under certain conditions), but please don't post links to your album or gallery of images. On that point...

  • We are not a source for your research-- No surveys or requests for info from the users/readers to help flesh out your course, website, program, blog, etc.

If you intend to post or link to your photo:

  • ASK A SPECIFIC, RELEVANT QUESTION TO START A DISCUSSION Do not just post to show off your shot or ask for general tips, thoughts or critique. It's totally fine to post a photo and ask about issues you're having or how to correct specific technical issues.

  • Post your shot settings (shutter speed, aperture, camera type, and lens used) whenever possible. This information can be found in a digital image's EXIF Data. You can find the EXIF data on an in-camera image or pull it from an image loaded to a computer. Find it and post it- it helps tremendously to let the more experienced photogs here know what you did with the shot.

  • Posting/linking-to a photo you found and asking how it was done, or how you can do something similar is fine. This is a great way to learn! But please always try to link directly to the photographer's work and give them credit for the image.


Keep in mind that:

  • Ignoring the above is grounds for having your post removed by the mods.

  • Belittling of people and their questions will not be tolerated in any way. A good photographer is always learning.

  • Gatekeeping will not be tolerated in any way. Find somewhere else to pontificate about your superior knowledge. Assume that an OP knows basically nothing about photography and help them/guide them to knowledge rather than make them feel stupid because they don't have the same level of experience that you do. Check your ego.

  • /r/Beginning_Photography is not a buy/sell sub. Buy/Sell posts will be removed and the user banned if repeated.

Bloggers, Article-Writers, YouTubers, Vloggers, Instagram-ers, Course-Creators, Surveyors, App Developers, Whatever-ers... Read Up, Please:

Standalone original posts that just describe your content and have links to said content, that clearly are meant to drive traffic toward and promote your Survey, Blog, Article, Video, Image Gallery, Instagram, Photography Course, Website, App etc. will be removed and you will face a potential ban. Self-promotion of your content is not particularly welcome here. However-- If you have a video or post or article that you feel answers a specific question or issue posted by a user, feel free to link to your material in the OP's thread.

Also check out some of the other photography related subreddits:

/r/Beginning_Photography

53,490 Subscribers

2

How can tell whether you're getting the most out of your setup?

I have an Olympus E-M10 IV with the 14-42mm EZ kit lens and I am enjoying it. There's a lot to learn to get the most out of it and I've been practicing.

But I've been wondering: how do I know whether the technical quality of the photos I'm getting out of the setup are using the gear to its fullest versus being limited by user error?

So far, the pictures look fine to me, but I wonder if I should be getting more out of the setup. I know composition, lighting, artistic style, etc...are all down to the user (me). But I wonder whether from a sharpness, etc...standpoint whether I am running into limits of the lens for example or whether I'm doing something suboptimal with the settings, picking focus, etc. I almost always shoot in Aperture Priority with slow shutter speed limit of 1/15s and ISO upper limit of 1600, and I control the aperture and exposure comp as needed to get the look I want.

As an example, some pictures I've taken with the E-M10 IV + kit lens are here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBRJUT - all of them SOOC (no editing).

Are these photos as sharp as can be reasonably expected with the gear that I'm using and the settings I picked? (Settings are displayed in Flickr for each picture). If they're not, am I picking the wrong settings or is my copy of my lens below average?

1 Comment
2024/11/14
21:06 UTC

0

Shutter cable for Canon M3

Hello :)

is possible to connect a canon m3 with snap cable to release the sutter ?

there looks like is not possible to do:

https://www.dropzone.com/forums/topic/92445-canon-m3-wired-cable-shutter-release---homemade/

if is not possible i would like to do what they did in that case, using a RC6 ir shutter and connect to a 2.5 male jacket like that one:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005341083840.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.202b18fcYWadAj&mp=1

but i have no idea about what i have to do to configure properly the cables on the RC6 connector and if the 2.5 jack is fine ?

i have to control the canon m3 using the star adventure gti to release the shutter of the camera.

5 Comments
2024/11/13
11:24 UTC

1

Beginner Photographer - Questions

Beginner photographer here feeling a little bit of information overload when looking for answers to some of my questions so far. Any photographers with a bit more experience looking to answer?

  • Currently editing in Lightroom on a MacBook Air but looking to get a monitor for more screen space, are there certain specs I need to look for to ensure the coloring is the same and doesn't negatively impact my photo editing?

  • If using a garage to achieve a studio style look, is it possible to shoot with natural light only or do you need to bring in extra lighting?

  • Do you use Lightroom or Photoshop? Both?

  • Do you use presets?

  • Do you prefer a certain lens for certain shoots, for example 50mm vs. 35mm etc.

  • Do you shoot in natural lighting only or do you use flash? If just natural lighting - how do you get enough light indoors

  • If shooting in natural light, what ISO do you try to stay under?

  • Do you typically stay above 1/200 shutter speed when shooting people?

  • What types of apertures do you prefer?

  • Do you keep all the raw photos from a. Shoot on a hard drive?

  • Do you clear your memory cards?

Thank you in advance for anyone willing to take the time to answer!

3 Comments
2024/11/12
13:09 UTC

1

images distorting

Hello! Could anyone please explain to me what is causing these images to distort so badly? I have many examples with the same lens/body combo, and I can't find a trend in the settings between them.

https://ibb.co/Zdxs250

https://ibb.co/M8NQJT2

https://ibb.co/W0tJbmM

12 Comments
2024/11/12
02:32 UTC

1

Request for photos

Hello folks, I am brand new to photography and really enjoying using a manual focus lens even tho I suck at it. I’m trying to see what is possible using only manual focus. Would anyone be willing to share some photos they’ve taken using only a manual focus lens? Thanks 🙏

0 Comments
2024/11/11
21:54 UTC

2

How to reduce overexposure in macro shots

Hi everyone! I’ve recently started getting into macro photography, but most of my images turn out overexpose. I’ve been experimenting with different setting and I got a flash defuser, but most pictures still turn out overexposed. I was wondering if anyone has any advice for this and for starting macro photography in general. Thanks!

6 Comments
2024/11/10
18:43 UTC

10

How are photographers getting that "crisp and clear" look in portraits?

I was looking at family portraits and I came across a photographer that had images that were just so clear and crisp. Don't get me wrong, I've taken some great photos that were sharp but they way they edited them just made their photos that much cleaner. Any suggestions?

I didn't want to provide a link in fear of the post being removed.

7 Comments
2024/11/06
18:46 UTC

3

How did/do you challenge yourself as a beginner?

As the title says; when you started off what did you learn first, challenge yourself to do, or just become more aware off when taking a photo?

10 Comments
2024/11/05
21:16 UTC

1

Just bought a Canon EOS XT

Hey yall, I'm graduating from phone photos to an actual camera. Bought a cheap one online, and now I'm looking for tips! I'm gonna start out with landscapes and portraits and start building my portfolio, and I wanna know what advice do you guys have for technique, free/cheap editing software, and general business ideas?

1 Comment
2024/11/03
21:49 UTC

1

Which settings below should cause an image to "pop" more?

As above, I'm trying to understand what are the relevant variables here for two photos taken of the exact same scene seconds apart with different settings.

Photo 1: Panasonic DMC-G7, 32mm, f/5.5, 1/2000, ISO 1600, EXP 0

Photo 2: Panasonic DMC-G7, 31mm, f/7.1, 1/250, ISO 800, EXP 0

I won't say which one so as not to bias the answers, but one image came out feeling very "flat," while in the other, differences in lighting (rocks on a cliff face) really popped out and were much more dynamic. Which settings would you expect to create the more dynamic lighting, and why?

5 Comments
2024/11/02
04:50 UTC

3

Good Simple Photo Editing Program (Like Snapseed) (Linux)

I'm getting into photography, so for now I want something pretty simple. I like Snapseed on mobile because it is easy to use and has a lot of nice presets (called "Looks", e.g. "Fine Art", "Morning") and presets for black and white etc. That and cropping images is basically all I need.

I've tried some Photoshop alternatives like GIMP and Photopea, but they don't come with presets the same way Snapseed does.

Xnview is nice but also has no presets.

Does anybody have any recommendations? (Websites are fine like Photopea)

2 Comments
2024/10/31
14:50 UTC

1

S21 Sunrise

What is the best way to capture a sunrise on an S21 Ultra?

I was a little late last week but I saw an amazing sunrise and then found a perfect place to take the photo so I am headed back this weekend to try to combine the two.

I'm interested to know how you would tweak the composition as something seems a bit off.

I am also interested to know if I should change the default settings on my phone to capture a better image.

Note: I am taking photos for a 4-H County Fair.

Note: It won't let me upload the photo so I'll try the comment section.

2 Comments
2024/10/22
20:09 UTC

1

quality

what is everyone using to send / share their photos with their customers that doesn't kill the quality !?

1 Comment
2024/10/22
12:09 UTC

3

Flash won’t fire consistently

i have a neewer Z1n and i use it solely on ittl mode because i haven’t yet mastered it. sometimes it doesn’t flash when i take a picture but i thought it was on my fault for not letting it cooldown long enough, but during this shoot the light was green but it wouldn’t fire from time to time, sometimes its all blacked out sometimes dark and im just confused. i had to turn it on and off from time to time because it just wasn’t cooperating. can anyone help?

1 Comment
2024/10/19
13:16 UTC

1

Raw looks better in sony editing software vs lightroom?

Using lightroom for a few months now, but was just wondering how the sony imaging edge desktop.app would compare. And I notice, when I upload a photo, an unedited raw one, on the imaging edge desktop sony app, the pic looks better! Better details, better highloght control, sharper and a bit more saturation

Anyone has an idea? Can i trust lightroom still?

3 Comments
2024/10/17
19:28 UTC

2

Relevant subjects for photo stories?

For documentary and photo stories. Finding the story and doing research is the key. I am trying but after researching and almost finalising a few subjects, I everytime I give up thinking, it’s not important enugh. Any tips on how to find relevant stories and anything on how to research before meeting the relevant people or stepping out to shoot?

1 Comment
2024/10/15
18:30 UTC

3

organizing photos problem

Hello Community,

I have scanned about 300 old photos of my family members. The name of the files are the names of the persons. However, I also want to be able to sort them chronologically. Then going forward I'd like to sort them using more than one criteria. For example:

  1. "All images of Paul from the year 1956"

  2. "All images of Paul but sorted chronologically by year"

The search criteria "name" would not be the problem since it's the also the filename, but how can I incorporate the date? I will run into trouble if I rename the file to, for example "Paul_1982.jpg" since I don't t think it will sort that correctly, so ......

what would you do?

I'd appreciate any suggestions, have a nice day ✌️

i

2 Comments
2024/10/12
22:01 UTC

1

What are good android camera settings for self portraits?

I've seen quite a few YouTube videos and read through some good threads here on the sub as well. These have great information, especially about lighting and various equipment. But I still have yet to find specific advice on settings for the (Android) phone camera. Sure some aspects will be subjective, but I'm curious if others have played around with this and gotten good results with specific settings?

I've experimented with both the front and the back lenses. I find the front lens gives much more familiar looking results so far (which I think many others have found). But maybe the back lens will perform better with the right settings.

So far it has worked out best just sitting below a regular lamp. When I use my 'studio light', it seems to not even out over the face properly and looking quite back.

My phone is a Xiaomi running their slightly different version of Android. Under 'Pro' settings in the camera app, I can do some manual settings but apparently not manually set the focal length.

Equipment available other than the phone:
-a cheap small 'studio lighting' that can be set to x Kelvin
-a tripod - can hold either phone or the light

1 Comment
2024/10/10
17:19 UTC

2

Looking for editing technique to increase dynamic range with 3 exposures, but at the same time average them out to reduce noise since you have 3 exposures.

Is there some software tool that can do this?

1 Comment
2024/10/10
19:27 UTC

3

How to stop the stars from running/line effect?

Hello,

This photo was taken on a galaxy s24 plus:

speed at 30 iso 640 Multi point focus

How do I stop the bleeding of stars?

https://ibb.co/s9SDW3y

4 Comments
2024/10/05
16:59 UTC

1

Sweet Spot for Canon T2i/550d + 18-55mm efs lens

Hello, im new to all of this. I know iso needs to be as low as possible but for the best quality pictures, (regardless of setup/goal/lighting), what should I use as my starting baseline aperture? Specifically for street photography for the crispest image, i saw i need to avoid using 18mm due to distortion so im leaving the focal distance at 35mm. I saw i should go 2 or 3 stops up from the highest(f/4) like f/9 or f/10. Is that good advice or I should think about this differently? Thank you, sorry if this is a dumb question, first day into this.

2 Comments
2024/10/02
14:28 UTC

1

Beginner photography

Hi! What website/app do you recommend for delivering photos to clients? Also I am shooting on RAW mode can you still upload with RAW or do you have to convert to JPEG in order to put in gallery? help!! I use Lightroom to edit.

1 Comment
2024/09/29
18:14 UTC

1

Anyone knows where I could learn to take professional pictures with nikon d610?

Any online classes to learn how to use Nikon d610?

2 Comments
2024/09/26
20:51 UTC

1

Ideas for Fast Shutter Speed Photos

I'm taking an Intro to Photography course for school. I have to take two photos using fast shutter speed, but I have no idea what subject to photograph.

I'm mostly limited to my home, since taking two kids under 3 out of the house is difficult alone.

Any ideas on how to complete this would be much appreciated! I'm a total beginner, and haven't found that creative spark yet.

2 Comments
2024/09/26
23:30 UTC

1

Now that I got the camera

Now that I got the basic equipment to get some cool bird shots, it’s like they found out and avoid flying into my backyard.

2 Comments
2024/09/24
21:30 UTC

3

Beginner Question/Help

Hi everyone,

Im looking for some guidance as I’m feeling a little overwhelmed with choice at the minute. My Dad left me quite a lot of camera equipment after he passed away a couple of years ago.

Although I know that this equipment is no doubt quite dated at this point, I did want to bring a camera with me when I go on holiday next week. I’ve played around with most of the cameras in the past but have been thinking about trying to take a serious step into learning this skill lately.

The cameras I have at my disposal are:

  • Nikon D40
  • Olympus E-450
  • Olympus OM-D (E-M5?)
  • Olympus E-P2

Again, I recognise that none of these will be top of the range but I’m looking for one which people with more experience than myself might think is a good decision for a beginner and is possibly versatile in what I can learn from it.

My question is: if you were someone like myself, with very limited knowledge on photography and you were to choose one camera to start really working with; what one would you choose?

Thanks!

5 Comments
2024/09/22
10:07 UTC

2

Adorama canon 6d hot pixel.

I recently bought a canon 6d in excellent condition from Adorama. I tested it took a few shots in the dark and notice a few hot pixels (red). I did the sensor cleaning manually and let it sit for a minute and it disappeared. I took it out for another test run at night and it came back at higher iso. Should I return it or have them fix it under the warranty? Or this is just normal?

6 Comments
2024/09/21
00:03 UTC

1

New to this

I’ve always play around on my iPhone camera and now I’ve been wanting to learn to work an actual camera. My aunt had given me her Canon, power shot sx 150 IS camera. Is this a good camera to start out with?

2 Comments
2024/09/20
21:58 UTC

1

Help me out

I got this family after a football game they want like a portrait type mini shoot but I only have a 75-200mm lense and the light source would probably be stadium lights and the lowest f/ 4.5 give me some advice

3 Comments
2024/09/20
21:47 UTC

1

The euphoria when upgrade from the kit lenses to a good lens and release you weren’t bad a photography you were just poor

Just bought the canon 50mm for my R50, I know I’m still a noob, but the leap in the quality of photos is crazy.

1 Comment
2024/09/18
14:10 UTC

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