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mrspotts

mrspotts

Could I get a planner for my planner?
Joined
Jul 24, 2011
Messages
1,790
For Christmas I got my very first DSLR. :yesss
Since then I've been experimenting with manual mode when I'm okay with just having fun with the camera. But when it comes to being sure that I get a reliable shot I fall back to auto mode.

I really want to get out of auto because I can see how the photos I take in it are not always as fabulous as some of the ones I "accidentally" take in manual.

I've thought about taking a class to learn more, but honestly I just don't have the time commitment for that right now. However, I do have time to read and then go practice. So i was hoping you all could give me some good suggestions for reading material. You ladies always have the best advice!

Oh and one other thing. For someone who only has photoshop to edit photos what actions would you suggest buying? I'm looking for a good general everyday action that helps lift my photos to the next level. Hope that makes sense.

If you made it to the end of this you are a trooper, and I would cherish any advice you could give me!
 
Well, I started out with Brian Peterson's Understanding Exposure because it was so highly recommended and it didn't take me long into the book to realize I hated it. I think I needed a understanding, Understanding Exposure book because I could not follow it. I hated his writing style and it all just seemed to go over my head unless I read it over and over about 10 times. I then did a class with Candice Stringham at Jessica Sprague and it really finally made manual mode click with me. That was probably 6 or so years ago and from that point on I have never had my camera on anything but manual mode. I know you said you didn't have time for a class but there are lots of self paced classes out there and you can print off the materials and refer back to them over and over. The Candice Stringham was one of the cheaper ones. From there I took a beginner class at Clickinmoms.com and I can't recommend it enough. It's pricey but so worth it. I have also done the Snapshots of a Goodlife course with Karen Russell and it is very in depth. Not sure that I would recommend it as much as the CM classes but you get a lot of info for your money. I still haven't made my way through it all so I can't really judge completely on it yet. The most important thing is to just learn the basics of manual mode and practice, practice, practice. I just bought the DVD called, "Perfect Exposure for digital photography" and it teaches about the zone system for metering and I would highly recommend it. I still have a long way to go in learning but it has helped a lot with my outdoor photos in high sunlight. I used to blow everything out in those.

As for actions I would work on getting good exposure from camera first. I wish I would have followed this advice from the beginning because I have hundreds of dollars in actions that never get used anymore. I was always trying to fix my bad photos with them. I do enjoy using them on occasion but I honestly have 2 actions that I got for free on Clickinmoms and they are about the only 2 I even use anymore. If you can land good exposure in camera it will bring you very close to clean editing that you won't even need actions for. Learn a good curves boost and good exposure and you will be glad you didn't waste all your money on actions. Spend it on those lovely LilyPad kits in the store instead. A much better investment I promise!!
 
gracielou said:
Well, I started out with Brian Peterson's Understanding Exposure because it was so highly recommended and it didn't take me long into the book to realize I hated it. I think I needed a understanding, Understanding Exposure book because I could not follow it. I hated his writing style and it all just seemed to go over my head unless I read it over and over about 10 times.
Click to expand...

Amanda you make me feel so much better! I tried his book too and the writing style drove me crazy! I'll have to look into some of those self paced classes you listed. Most classes I've seen were not self paced and thus out of reach right now. Thanks for being so thorough in your response!
 
I'm not sure if you're still interested in getting any photo actions, but I figured I'd post some links just in case.....

Pioneer Woman
Did you know Pioneer Woman does more than cook? lol Her two Photoshop action sets are free, and each set includes at least one basic workflow action. "Define and Sharpen" from set 2 is my fave.

Totally Rad!
They're kinda pricey, but they do offer free samples. I believe their sample sets include some basic workflow actions as well as the color tweak-type effects.

MCP Actions
Linked above to their page of free actions.

My Four Hens Photography
If you like M4H on FB you can download a freebie action AND get a password to download a few more free goodies from their website.

Besides Photoshop, Lightroom is excellent for photo editing and effects. I use Lightroom interchangeably with Photoshop depending on what kind of effect I'm going for. Most of the sites I listed above also do Lightroom presets.

Hope that helps! (if you're still looking :))
 
That's hilarious! I hated Understanding Exposure too! :)
I was awarded a grant a while back to work with a famous Boston photographer, Peter Vanderwarker. I too was looking to get away from the auto settings and use manual as well. He gave me the funniest advice-- why get away from auto when the camera usually knows best what it needs in most situations? He thought it was fine to use manual for unique situations such as fireworks, stop action, etc. but that in regular situations, many times the camera knows what it needs. I usually keep it on aperture priority because I'm taking mostly portraits and his advice usually works pretty well.
As far as actions go, my favorites are from Florabella Collection but I can't live without Pro Retouch from Totally Rad.
 
yellowpeep said:
....
As far as actions go, my favorites are from Florabella Colection....
Click to expand...

Wow! The Florabella actions are beautiful. I'd consider buying some if I wouldn't have just splurged on Totally Rad's RadLab (which is pretty dang awesome btw). I did like Florabella on Facebook, so at least I have some freebies to test out.
 
Another site that has tons of great free information is Digital Photography School. They have lots of different people writing the articles and some are better than others (like anything I guess). I signed up for the email newsletter and I usually glance through the new articles then click on the ones that interest me. I have picked up some tips from them that are helpful.
 
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