learning photography

[troytime]

I bought a nikon d80 about a month ago, i'm slowly learning how to use it.

I'd like to not rely on automatic mode, but i don't know how to practice efficiently.
A few nights ago my daughter had a girl scout party at a local pizza place - i tried to experiment there by using aperture priority...but after missing several really good shots i put it in auto mode and just kept snapping until my 4gb card was full

when i got home and reviewed, most pictures came out clear and sharp, but there was only 5 or so with decent composition or worthy expression or moment

i think i get 'trigger happy' and forget about the simple rules (rule of thirds is the only rule i know)

any advice?

 

[Kaido]

Keep practicing. I developed an eye for shooting simply by taking a lot of pictures...after awhile you just get used to it. It's like posting on Anandtech...you're a total noob when you start out, but after a few hundred posts you get the hang of it

Also, my wife recently started doing photography professionally. She normally takes 500 or 600 pictures per shoot and typically uses less than 100 of them. Every shot can't be "awesome" if you know what I mean.

 

[swimscubasteve]

Take a lot of bad pictures! You will get better. You need a good base of experience before you can develop the feel that will then help you pinpoint what you need to improve on.

 

[ZOXXO]

The Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby is an excellent source for practical tips.

 

[shocksyde]

2nd recommendation for Scott Kelby's book. Also check out "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson.

I'll routinely fill up 4gb + 2gb cards and get 30-50 keepers. I take 3 or 4 pics of the same thing and then move on though, to ensure I get a good pic.