I've come to find out that the Nikon D3100 Digital Single Lens Reflex is a complicated camera. I purchased the camera over Amazon and got two lenses, a tripod, batteries, camera bag and a couple of minor accessories for just more than I care to admit. I have a decent (Yonguo 560II) flash on its way along with a small light umbrella and stand. It should be everything I need until I start making a little money with what I have. And that is one of my intentions.
The challenge here is to familiarize myself with my equipment so that I'm not stumbling or fumbling looking for a setting while onsite. I've preset some settings based on some things Ken Rockwell has said but I still need to make sure I can get to some very critical things in the heat of the moment. For instance, do I know what M, A, S, and P stand for on the top of the dials? Do I know how to adjust each one when asked to? If not, why not?
One of the things I regret doing was taking the time to learn my emergency landing checklist when I was learning to fly 10 years ago. I should have known that checklist blindfolded inside and out BEFORE going up in an aircraft and having my instructor quiz/embarrass me on it. It happened several times, and it was painfully clear that I didn't know the checklist. I mean, seriously, if I had studied that checklist for an hour and practiced it once a day I wouldn't have wasted a lot of time and money in the air fumbling through it.
I say all that to say this, my knowledge of photography will be greatly enhanced when I know the camera and its settings inside and out. And there's really no reason not to know what the functions do. Digital photography has made he craft of photography fairly easy and I should capitalize on that. So, that's my first task.
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