Dialed In

I'm looking at my Nikon right now, and am tickled pink to see the 'M' in the upper left corner of the screen.  Yes, I have finally committed to operating completely under the 'Manual' setting.  Feeling like I was one of the first DSLR owners, originally owning a Digital Rebel, I have since upgraded my gear, but not my skills.

Today's epiphany began like all great days, before 6am, and started by me photographing an old pine cone on my dirty kitchen counter.  Doesn't sound too impressive?  Didn't think so.  It's always bugged me that under the 'Auto' setting on most digital cameras you can get a great picture 90% of the time.  However, mastering the controls of your camera is where 'hobby' turns to 'art' and you have the chance of snapping a FANTASTIC picture.  I'm talking fantastic without Photoshop (because I have yet to master that).

Anyhow, I played and played and played until the relationship between aperture, ISO and shutter speed became evident.  Wow.  Only took me 10 years to stop a bunch of flying leaves mid-air.  I'm not claiming that this is my long-awaited "fantastic," but it's a start.

For help with your digital learning needs I would check out the blog Kevin and Amanda.  I have followed her for years and adore her photography.  She does have a few digital tutorials which are extremely helpful.  However, it may just take a pine cone in the wee hours to really understand what you're doing.