Photography: Better than Yeseterday

On the 25th of March I purchased a Canon T3i (this isn't the same kit I brought but it's an option). It was a gigantic step up from my first camera which was a Sony Cyber-shot that I got during my freshman year of high school. I brought my T3i since I was thinking about changing my major to Video Arts and Technology. But, I mainly purchased this camera to feed my love for taking pictures and because I want to start making videos to upload to YouTube.

My first camera ever!

My Canon is my first digital SLR and I had almost no idea how to use it correctly. I watched a ton of videos with words I didn't understand. I even tried reading the extremely boring manual it came with. But I just couldn't comprehend any of the information I was trying to take in. I was shooting in auto-mode without even thinking about switching to manual mode until a few weeks ago. I had decided that I wouldn't be getting my money's worth (which was a hefty penny I might add) until I learned to shoot in manual mode. So as I do whenever I have a problem, I went to Pinterest to figure out how to use it. I found a bunch of great pins discussing filters, lens, and bokeh. Some blogs went as far to suggest taking a photography course. But, after some intense scrolling and pinning I found a few pins that helped me and gave me the confidence to transition to manual mode. I'll list them down below.
A Quick Guide to Understanding Your DSLR Camera
Shutter Speeds: Shooting fast vs. Shooting Slow
How to Shoot in Manual Mode-The Basics
Taking Great Photos for Your Blog
I discovered that I like to change my shutter speed instead of my ISO and aperture, because that's what works for me since I have only practiced taking pictures f my dog. I keep the aperture as low as possible and since I have a 18-55mm kit lens the lowest the aperture can go is 4.5. I haven't taken any pictures at night yet so I haven't had a reason to make my ISO higher than 100.
Here are a few pictures of my dog.

Watching my uncle get ready for work.

Waiting for his food.