Mastering a fixed set of parameters for beginners

[Trotters]

Hi Everyone,
My first post, love the Podcast and love this site. Very low signal to noise ratio :-)
I have a few questions so I'll put them in separate posts instead of throwing them into one post.

Question:
When starting to learn photography, is is best to start with mastering a fixed set of parameters, eg f5.6 50mm iso100, and then going forward from there?

I have a Sony DSC-H7 with a 80-450mm lens and find I'm doing a lot of closeups, zooms, dark/light, etc. and I'm getting the feeling I'm kind of spinning my wheels a bit. I'm purely a hobbyist but I do see myself upgrading my gear in the future.

Thanks for any advice.

[Marko]

Hi Trotter and Welcome!

The answer to your question is ....no.

It is far more important to understand the relationship between shutter speed film speed and aperture than trying to find subjects that fit a particular combination of the three.

one of the more useful exercises to try as a beginner is to take shots at different apertures and see the differences. Then take shots at different shutter speeds to see the difference.

Here is an article that explains this crucial relationship. It's really not that hard, it makes sense mathematically and just takes time to practice.
http://www.photography.ca/phototips/trinity.html

Hope that helps

marko


Hi Everyone,
My first post, love the Podcast and love this site. Very low signal to noise ratio :-)
I have a few questions so I'll put them in separate posts instead of throwing them into one post.

Question:
When starting to learn photography, is is best to start with mastering a fixed set of parameters, eg f5.6 50mm iso100, and then going forward from there?

[aophoto]

Practice makes perfect, or something like that:)