Where can I learn the basics of still photography?

[Winston Smith]

I was hanging out with my friend Brian (ex navy) and we were shutterbugging around the Stanford campus, and he was telling me about "F" settings and lighting, shutter speed, lens aperture etcetera. Now I know a little abotu these things, (I'm in my third year of a film/video arts program, but we do motion picture exclusively.) I was wondering if you guys could direct me to a forum where they won't eat me alive for asking stupid questions, or maybe just a website with the basics.

Now, whats  good entry level digital camera, if I'm looking for portability, low cost, yet with enough settings and gadgets to make it worthwhile to learn all this stuff?

[mtnbkr]

Photo.net isn't bad.  I highly recommend www.kenrockwell.com (not a forum, but a page put up by a Ken Rockwell to share what he's learned).  His delivery is a bit pointed, but spot on.  It's very Nikon oriented, but the basics are universal.  

You might start here: http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech.htm#technique

Can't help you on digital.  I'm not a fan.

Chris

[Unisaw]

An oldie but goodie is Developing the Creative Edge in Photography by Bert Eifer.  It's available from Amazon.

[Brad Johnson]

The Kodak Big Book of photography is a good resource for the basics. There is also a Photography for Dummies book. A bit simplistic at times, but easy to understand especially for the beginner. Pretty much anything by John Hedgecoe will be a complete basic guide. I think his latest is called 'The New Manual of Photography' and includes digital techniques as well as his perpetually updated beginner's guide. I just jumped on barnesandnoble.com and they have it for $32. Here's a link to all their John Hedgecoe books. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?userid=QC79ak6BM8&ath=John+Hedgecoe

Also, subscribe to a photography enthusiasts magazine and read, read, read. There's a lot more to good photography than just tripping the shutter and it will take a while for you to understand how it all works together. Seeing the different photos and all the related settins and setups will help you take it all in. Don't panic. It's an intersting subject and fun to learn!

Finally, find you a good used camera on e-bay. Preferably a Pentax K1000. It's the quintessential student's camera. The K-1000 is full manual (except the light meter), modestly priced, and built like a tank. It will help you learn the basics and still be rugged enough to last you a long time. Plus, after you learn the basics and jump into the better lenses the K-1000 is capable of taking some stunning pics. Oh, that reminds me, if you decide to buy more camera, don't make my mistake. I bought the best camara body I could afford and stuck a cheap lens on it. Do the opposite. Buy the best glass you can find and get a modest camera body with what you have left. The lens makes the pic, pure and simple. You can have the most expensive film in the best camera on the market, and the pics still won't look good if you take them through crappy glass.

Hope this helps!

Brad

[mtnbkr]

Good advice from Brad, but I'd pick a body that supports currently available lenses, at least partially.  Get a mechanical Nikon and your lens investment won't be totally whacked when you upgrade to an AF or DSLR, assuming the new body supports the older lenses.  The N80 doesn't work properly with older Nikon lenses, but the F5 does (and I think the F100 as well).  Anyway, my point is to choose the camera wisely.  Photographic gear is expensive and you don't want to "grow" out of it quickly.

FWIW, my Nikon N80 gives me full control when I want it.  I simply rotate the dial to Manual mode, then switch the lens to manual focus and I have as much control as I would with the K1000.  Or, I can switch the exposure system to manual and leave it on autofocus.

When I want to visit the past, I have an Olympus OM1 that's fully manual, made of metal, and a joy to use when I have time to do all the work myself.

Chris

[Brad Johnson]

Good advice from Brad, but I'd pick a body that supports currently available lenses, at least partially.

Agreed, but you can usually find a K-1000 and a lens on ebay for under a c-note. Good for learning, and makes a dandy backup or B&W setup. Plus, it's always good to go back to for a little brushup on the skills. I still have my original K-1000 with the Pentax 52mm lens on it. It's usually loaded with 400 speed Tri-X for candid B&W work.

My everyday rig is a Canon Elan with a Canon 24-70 F/2.8L hung on the front, an auxiliary battery pack/grip, and a Speedilite 380 flash. At only 2 fps the drive is a little slower than I'd like, but works fine for my needs, and the body has more functions than I'll ever use. When I got the body I bought a Tamron 28-80 for it but was never satisfied with the pics. This L-series Canon, however, exceede my wildest expectations (as it should have, for what the darn thing cost!). The only problem is that the thing is so gosh-awful heavy.

Brad

[Penman]

John Shaw (not the firearms trainer) wrote a book called: "The Nature Photographer's Complete Guide to Professional Field Techniques". It pretty much covers a lot of the issues in outdoor photography.