Photography 101: Week 1

So, last night was our first session of a six week photography class and I learned so much! We started off with the basics (memory, transferring files from the camera to the computer, and filing/backup systems) before moving on to the four basic shooting modes: Program, Shutter, Aperture, and Manual. We talked a bit about ISO and which settings are best for indoor versus outdoor shooting and then moved on to the main lesson: white balance. We learned that the camera is not sophisticated enough for the "Auto" setting to work correctly in every situation. I so wish I had known about white balance before I went on that trip to Washington last May—I think my photos would have been so much better. In addition to the "Auto" setting, my camera has the following white balance settings:



Our homework for the Week 1 is to go outside and find a good subject. We are meant to shoot the subject with the white balance setting that we think is correct, and then at least three more times with the incorrect settings so that we have a series of the same photograph like the image below:



Then, we are to go inside and do the same thing with no natural light (only tungsten or fluorescent) and no flash. When I've completed the assignment I'll post it here for you to see.

UPDATE: For the assignment, I ended up taking pictures of some graffiti by my house. It's interesting to see all of the different tones produced by changing a simple setting. Here's the series: