Went to my first class last night and it was incredibly interesting. First thing I noticed was that 90% of the class had some flavor of the Canon Digital Rebel. I was seated at a table of 6 and all of us had a Canon. The good news is that the instructor also shoots with a Canon so that's cool.
We started out with the basics; f-stops, shutter speeds, and ISO. I finally understand what a "stop" is, how it's used, and what it represents. I also understand the numbering scheme and how it relates to the size of the lens aperture. I know I learned this in high school, but it makes sense now. Plus, the instructor gave us a cool chart showing the f-stop and corresponding aperture size so I have that picture in my head. In addition, he showed us how adjusting one, two, or all three settings can affect how the photo turns out.
I also realized that using digital, I can change the ISO per picture unlike shooting film. That in itself is way cool.
My homework for this week is to set the camera on manual and go take photos. May go to a softball and/or baseball game tonight and give it a try. First thing I need to figure out is how to adjust the f-stop. :)