Was Photography as hard for you?

Was photograhy hard and confusing when you first started? Or is it just me?

Yes, some of the concepts were weird. Learning the f/ stops was tricky, because the numbering sequence was odd.

I thats what im having the most trouble with, keeping the Fstop numbers right , plus keeping the Dof that I want, then you add in the lighting and everything else.... alot of things I dont remember until the shot is over with.... Plus I get in a hurry, and try to rush, something I have to get out of.

Zafonia wrote: I thats what im having the most trouble with, keeping the Fstop numbers right , plus keeping the Dof that I want, then you add in the lighting and everything else.... alot of things I dont remember until the shot is over with.... Plus I get in a hurry, and try to rush, something I have to get out of.

Welcome to the crowd. I have returned from "shoots" and been astounded at how poorly many shots turned out, only to realize that I had left an incorrect filter on the camera. Photography is a lifelong learning experience. Be patient with yourself.

I remember not knowing what ISO meant. I'd heard of it but when I asked my friend what it meant (a photographer) he didn't say and just looked at me like I was joking.

For me though, photography isn't as hard as it could be for others, because of my background in video.

one hundred ten percent when I first got my DSLR!

Very disappointing to say the least after spending years with a P & S and getting good results my first 35mm SLR was hard to learn . Looking back on it now it seems an eternity of time before I understood all of the controls and shooting manual was a chore. It was worth it though because the learning curve was steep especially with slide film and the lower tolerance for error. DSLRs were a little easier to learn and adapt to.

Yes, learning my first DSLR was. Trying to understand ISO, shutter and aperture. But everything else in photography came easy. Like what subjects are good to shoot, the composition, seeing the light etc..

Well I hate to say it but no. I started when I was nine so, it was fun, especially since I wasnt paying for the film or the developing. I did start out with a slight advantage of having a grandfather who was an avid shutterbug and several photographers in the family who were published back then. When I was younger I would listen to them talk f-stops, shutter speeds and ASA/ISOs when looking at each others photos. It pretty much sunk in. Even at nine though I did keep notes on my shots so, I knew where I screwed up. My biggest problem was getting things into photos that shouldnt have been there. Now with digital I think I have more of a problem, film is very predictable to tell you the truth, as where digital sensors are fickled to me. Also you might try and look at it like Ansle Adams did when he said that if you get 15 good photos a year then that is a great crop.

What camera are you using? Perhaps it has too many "bells and whistles." And I understand than Nikon books are hard to understand. My dad started me off with a little point and shoot. All I had to do was set it on automatic and press the button. It was a great started camera. If you have specific questions, I'm told this is a great site to get them answered.

Taking photos, no. Learning how to use a DSLR, yes.

Not as a pat on my own back, but I think it was really easy, for me, because I started when I was really just a kid (I think I was 9- and believe me that was a LOOOONG time ago;) ), I grabbed my fathers Pentax and just went outside and sat down and learned the camera, by playing with it and shooting pictures. I've always been somewhat precocious and always able to learn how to use electronic gear without the manuals(my husband always laughs at that, because he NEEDS to read the directions, or we'd have things with extra pieces ALL. THE. TIME. LMAO...) I was the one running our phone lines at age 12,and hooking up the VCR to the Cable box to the stereo at age 10, etc.... so I think learning the cameras themselves for me was really easy... I got into photography more as a hobby at first, also worked the AV room in H.S. where I learned how to set up, work in and run the darkroom... so I guess maybe because I started from the ground up, it just came second nature to me... I've only found the "terms" to be the difficult part of it... but once I got it figured out what shooting "wide open" meant, there was no holding me back, lmao!
Give yourself TIME. Take your camera out and play with it. Don't shoot seriously.Don't be afraid to change settings ... ENJOY it!!!! You will be surprised to see how by just taking it out and using it, for fun, you learn a LOT!!!! The best to you!!!!

dragonflies8888 wrote: Not as a pat on my own back, but I think it was really easy, for me, because I started when I was really just a kid (I think I was 9- and believe me that was a LOOOONG time ago;) ), I grabbed my fathers Pentax and just went outside and sat down and learned the camera, by playing with it and shooting pictures. I've always been somewhat precocious and always able to learn how to use electronic gear without the manuals(my husband always laughs at that, because he NEEDS to read the directions, or we'd have things with extra pieces ALL. THE. TIME. LMAO...) I was the one running our phone lines at age 12,and hooking up the VCR to the Cable box to the stereo at age 10, etc.... so I think learning the cameras themselves for me was really easy... I got into photography more as a hobby at first, also worked the AV room in H.S. where I learned how to set up, work in and run the darkroom... so I guess maybe because I started from the ground up, it just came second nature to me... I've only found the "terms" to be the difficult part of it... but once I got it figured out what shooting "wide open" meant, there was no holding me back, lmao!
Give yourself TIME. Take your camera out and play with it. Don't shoot seriously.Don't be afraid to change settings ... ENJOY it!!!! You will be surprised to see how by just taking it out and using it, for fun, you learn a LOT!!!! The best to you!!!!

You are fortunate.
When you start young, things become more "natural".
Our camera club raised some money and is going to offer a photography class for several months to a group of 9 to 12 year olds at an after school program at a community center in the city. Canon has donated 14 P&S cameras and a local photographic supply store has offered processing and upgraded cards. The classes will be taught by volunteers from the club. Maybe we will be encouraging a future great in the field. Who knows. This will be fun.

When i first opened the box with my camera and all it's pieces I was worried. Then I decided I needed to learn everything in the instruction manual. I quickly found out that's not going to happen anytime soon. So I read enough to set the camera to automatic and now I just click away to my heart's content and don't worry about the technical stuff... too much.

gayle30 wrote: When i first opened the box with my camera and all it's pieces I was worried. Then I decided I needed to learn everything in the instruction manual. I quickly found out that's not going to happen anytime soon. So I read enough to set the camera to automatic and now I just click away to my heart's content and don't worry about the technical stuff... too much.

Good start. Once you get used to the camera, the other features will attract your curiosity and you will actually understand what the manual says.