Reply To: Beyond the friend and family facebook likes.

[iliketag]

Heya Teal,

The T3i was the first camera I bought on my own, I had previously learned on an older Rebel XTi. Those are fantastic entry-level dslr’s and are great for starting out on! The great thing about Canon is that as you start to experiment with manual, the live view can show you how it’s adjusting (to a point, of course) and what your final product will roughly turn out looking like. This can be a great tool for a visual learner and I encourage practice practice practice! It seems to me you already have a fair understanding of lighting and how to take advantage of gorgeous, natural window light. What lens are you shooting with at the moment? If you’re using the kit lens, I would highly recommend (as I’m sure others here would as well) a 50mm prime. I started with the 1.8 II but know many that chose to invest a bit more and spring for the 1.4 for a sturdier, higher quality build (I recently upgraded to that one myself, sold off my old one). The 50mm can hunt a little if you’re working with auto focus but it’s a great prime!

The grain is something the T3i definitely struggles with, as will many other APS-C (crop sensor) dslrs. One alternative to having to crank that ISO up is to work with a black and white image. It’s not a perfect solution but it really does clean it up and, in really severe conditions, at least lend to a photo-journalism look.
Since you picked up a less expensive body, I would really encourage you to begin to invest in the glass. A good lens can outlive a body around 5 to 1 or even more! That’s part of why you see those super high price tags. Through avenues like craigslist, shopping sales and deals, and just good old fashioned saving; I have managed to establish a collection of lenses I am very proud of and that offer a lot of versatility. I really encourage you to grow and experiment – or even just rent lenses as you go to get a feel.

You have a lovely subject to continue to practice with 🙂