Gotta learn somewhere...starting with my local library

In my quest to learn how to use a DSLR, I headed straight for our local library. Their selection is very limited, so I took what I could could get. I figured I'd start with one book. So I picked up A Short Digital Course in Photography (Sixth Edition) (London & Stone, 2005). It got me through my first week giving me the basics on shutter speed and aperture and their relationship -- though, truth be told, I'm still scratching my head about it. It also helped me get a better understanding of lighting (very concise) and controling exposure. Well, I've got through that book and I still have a long way to go. So today I picked up National Geographic Photography Field Guide (Burian & Caputo, 1999) and The Book of Photograhy (Hedgecoe, 2005). So, armed with more books, I continue to learn the craft of photography. Slowly. Very slowly.

Last week, my wife sent me a craiglist ad about a Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D). I looked at it and told her that if she was serious about it, call the guy. Well, she finally did and arranged a meeting. We quickly ran over to Costco to check out what they had on the market. We had our eye on the entry level Nikon 3000 which sold for $700 with 2 lenses. That was $700 more than I had to spend, so we decided to take a closer look into the craiglist ad. After meeting the kid, we decided that it would be better to pay less money for a starter camera and took the kid up on his offer. We paid a couple hundred for the camera with a 18-55mm kit lens (and some other accessories). There was no buyer's remorse. We had a DSLR for hundreds less than the cheapest new one in the store. Now I just had to figure out how to use it. I had figured that the green sqaure on the mode dial was the auto function and was snapping away with my "new" DSLR as if it were my old point-and -shoot. When I got home, I went straight to my computer and read the manual from end to end. I found myself talking to myself saying things like "Ooooh, that's what Av stands for, my first attempt and speeding up the shutter. A week later and I'm not sure if I've shown much improvement, but I know the relationship between aperture, shutter speed, ISO speed and "stops". The picture of the horse is from today. Again, improvement? Not so much. Increased knowledge and theory, better.