cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

I'm brand new to photography. Just bought a 6D . Is it easy to learn?

RealtorRichie
Contributor
6D
4 REPLIES 4

For someone brand new to photography? No.

 

I should add that the camera does have settings to make it easy to use. But that's the answer to a different question. And, of course, the results of learning to use such a camera well are worth the effort expended.

Bob
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA

ScottyP
Authority
I have a 6d and I love it. Major upgrade from my old crop Rebels.

1.). Buy the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Petersen.
2.). Google for videos on the exposure triangle.

Lots of free amateur and pro videos on even the most specific issues on the exact camera model.
And look at buying a bright Prime lens. A 35mm or 50mm is great and versatile.
Scott

Canon 5d mk 4, Canon 6D, EF 70-200mm L f/2.8 IS mk2; EF 16-35 f/2.8 L mk. III; Sigma 35mm f/1.4 "Art" EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro; EF 85mm f/1.8; EF 1.4x extender mk. 3; EF 24-105 f/4 L; EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS; 3x Phottix Mitros+ speedlites

Why do so many people say "FER-tographer"? Do they take "fertographs"?

You can use any DSLR like a point & shoot camera.  So from that perspective... sure... it's easy.  

 

But if you use the camera that way... you're cheating yourself.  The whole point of the camera is that it allows you to conrol so much about the exposure and get absolutely fantastic results.  I tell people it's sort of like buying a Steinway and just expecting that, since it's a Steinway, you'll be able to play beautiful music with it.  That would only be true if you took some time to learn to play a piano.  The same is true of your camera.

 

The camera needs to collect a certain amount of light to get a properly exposed image.  But it turns out there's more than one way to collect the light.  You can collect the light slowly over a long period of time... or quickly over a short period of time.  You'd think the results would be the same as long as you collect the same amount of light in the end... but they're not the same.  How you capture the image, massively influences the artistic and creative results you get.  You can freeze action, or let movement blur to imply motion.  You can create an image which is sharp from front to back... or you can create an image in which only your intended subject is sharp and everything else is softly and artifully blurred.

 

The camera wont just "know" what effect you want to go for.  But if YOU know the effect you want to go for... and you know the basics of exposure and what sort of things you can do to achieve the results you want, the camera is designed to make it very easy for you to manually control everything.

 

The good news is, you can learn the basics of controlling the exposures and getting some pretty nice results in a relatively short period of time.  Some photography is more difficult than others -- much is easy to learn the basics, but harder to master.

 

I second Scotty's recommendation on the book "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson.  It's written in language that assumes you know nothing about photography (you don't have to speak any special lingo or terms to do understand what he is teaching in the book - he'll teach you those terms as you go along.)

 

As for exposure triangle, here's a good video:

 

 

The video leaves out the fact that you can also control the lighting.  If I'm trying to take a portrait of someone, I don't necessarily just take that shot where they stand... I consider the background, the lighting, etc.  I move the subject into the light that I prefer and I place them in front of the background I prefer.  I may add supplimental lighting somehow (either flash, or reflective surfaces, etc.)   So the above video describes the basics of "exposure" but doesn't talk about lighting.

 

It turns out lighting will massively influence the results -- so you can get books on lighting.  Composition (how you frame up your shot) is also a really big deal and influences how well people like your photography.  You can get books on composition too.  But hold off on lighting and composition and JUST try to learn about "exposure" first.  When you think you're comfortable with exposure... move on to composition and lighting.

 

Good luck!

 

Tim Campbell
5D III, 5D IV, 60Da

ebiggs1
Legend
Legend

Is it easy to learn? Probablynot any harder than learning realestate!

For some people it is and for some it is not.  The best way is the use it.  Use it alot. Remember what you do as that helps.

 

Did you get a lesn with the 6D?  To start out you can do some shots on "P". And that is where you should start before you start twisting dials.

It will amaze you, I guarrantee.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!
Announcements