Quote:
Originally Posted by zipinitaly
Keep the camera off 'auto' mode. Shoot in aperture priotity mode (AE on Canon cameras) and practice at all F-stops on your lenses. In low light switch to manual mode. Most importantly, PRACTICE! Digital is free, it's not like the old days with film, you get instant feedback!
As far as websites, I prefer DPreview.com.
Take lots of shots and have fun!
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I learned about SLR photography with my dad's old film SLR camera that had a broken light meter. Through trial and error, it taught me the relationships between various components of the camera, as well as how different adjustments affect the outcome.
Fully AUTO mode is great to just start taking pictures. But if you really want to understand how a DSLR camera works, you need to go further. I would start with the "A" and "S" modes. These are Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority settings. (I have a D3200 - you should have these settings on your D3000).
There are three main variables or settings in a camera: shutter speed, the amount of time the shutter is open to allow light to hit the 'digital film', aperture opening, how big the opening is to allow the light in, and ISO setting, how sensitive the 'digital film' is to light. The combination of these three variables can alter the composition of a picture tremendously.
Take for example a picture of a speeding Porsche on a racetrack. On a sunny day, you would probably select an ISO setting of around 100 to 200. Then, you would probably want to put the camera in the "S" setting for shutter priority, and the aperture setting will automatically adjust to the correct setting. Now, you can set the shutter speed to somewhere around 1/500th of a second. As the speeding Porsche comes into view, track the car with your camera (known as panning). As the car passes infront of you, click the shutter release and continue to follow the car with the camera.
When you look at the results, you are looking for three things: a car which is in focus, a blurred background, and blurred wheels. If the car is not sharp, adjust the shutter speed up (faster - something like 1/1000th of a second) and work on tracking the car (panning) more. Blurry wheels and background give the picture a sense of motion. If they are not sufficiently blurry, then decrease your shutter speed.
In my opinion, photography is all about experimentation. While fully auto modes allow for terrific pictures to be taken, it is when a photographer starts to experiment with different settings that some great pictures can be taken!
Another suggestion: get yourself a good primary (non-zoom) lens. A 50mm or 35mm lens is a terrific lens to use. Primary lenses typically have lower apature settings (good for depth of field and low light photography) and have less compromises in terms of focal 'sweet spots.' you may need to move around a little more to compose a picture with a primary lens, but it may also force you to be more creative as well.
Good luck and enjoy!
-Z-man.