Newbee. How do you learn to use your camera setting.

Posted by OceanTide on July 16, 2012 01:41 pm 16

Hi there,

I have been able to mess around with my mom's Canon 1100D, prior to this I was used to a small Nikon Coolpix 4600 (a compact camera without much settings)

First I tried to shoot in automatic with the 1100D, but that got boring fast, then I tried full manual where I can manipulate the Exposure time / apeture and ISO.

I have noticed that I often take more natural shots in manual, since in automatic the camera is overbalancing the ISO (to 3200 and over) in dark shots, and when I shoot at night I want it to look dark, but the camera forces a high ISO on me. Another reason I like manual is because I can change to 'bokeh" to my liking by adjusting the apeture.

My question is...how do you learn all those settings, by trial and error, do you after a while get used to right settings. Is there a point in time where you can look at a scenery and say "these are the settings I need" and take 1 shot and get it right? Is this something you learn or is it always going to be trial and error that you take a shot, mess up, adjust setting, mess up, and the third shot is right finally...or do people get good at it that they can just guess the right settings?

I feel like I should be posting a picture just to show how I do, this was on the first day of getting my 1100D, I ran into the garden and took a shot of a flower and tried to blur the background a bit by a low Fstop and used my 18-55m lens with 5.6Fstop and I think 200 ISO and 1/50 exposure I think.

via oi45.tinypic.com

Thanks for any help, welcome to say why my picture is bad too.