First time with the camera

VaE39 · Mar 14, 2008

Finally! After getting the D80 with the 18-55 kit lens I went out and took some photos. Went to NYC to visit a friend and took some shots there. I'm new to photography so give me any criticisms to help me out. I started a flickr account and everything

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24364200@N04/

My question is... how much post processing do you guys normally do? These pictures are straight out of the camera with no processing. Thanks for giving it a look.

Socrates · Mar 14, 2008

VaE39 said:
Finally! After getting the D80 with the 18-55 kit lens I went out and took some photos. Went to NYC to visit a friend and took some shots there. I'm new to photography so give me any criticisms to help me out. I started a flickr account and everything

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24364200@N04/

My question is... how much post processing do you guys normally do? These pictures are straight out of the camera with no processing. Thanks for giving it a look.

First, I do almost zero post-processing except for occasional cropping.

Second, don't look for critiques yet. There's a lot to learn about that camera. I suggest that you take some shots with the PhD (Push here Dummy) modes first. See User Manual page 24. Then, experiment with shutter priority and aperture priority, pages 48 and 49.

Stranger · Mar 14, 2008

I agree with Socrates (he is a great thinker).

I on the other hand, do process. Sharpening contrast curves is pretty standard for me, but everyone is different.

I think your brooklyn bridge photo is stunning. Other than that, learn some of the rules of composition and what not. I think you have a nice eye for subjects though.

Keep shooting, you will get it

VaE39 · Mar 14, 2008

Thanks for the reply. Actually thats how I started. I've had the camera for about 2 weeks and started with P mode then I moved to S and P and I finally understood what everyone was talking about with the f/ numbers! I've been shooting on M just to get my used to adjusting both shutter speed and aperture. The only thing I'm not understanding is iso and wb. Right now its on auto iso and wb

Early · Mar 14, 2008

VaE39 said:
Thanks for the reply. Actually thats how I started. I've had the camera for about 2 weeks and started with P mode then I moved to S and P and I finally understood what everyone was talking about with the f/ numbers! I've been shooting on M just to get my used to adjusting both shutter speed and aperture. The only thing I'm not understanding is iso and wb. Right now its on auto iso and wb

Most of those shots are good, but it was the Catching a Cab photo with the light streaks that caught my eye the most. It's been awhile since I've seen one like it and never with streaks of light from the cars in broad daylight. There wasn't enough detail in the highlights for me to make an adjustment in PShop, so I'm guessing using a ND filter was in order. This is not a critique because I liked the idea of the photo.

Heck · Mar 14, 2008

Most times I crop and sharpen unless I want to get fancy on a photo.

Stranger · Mar 14, 2008

think of the iso as kind of the master setting when it comes to light.

Aperture and SS are a variable of the ISO. The lower the iso, the less noise you will see and the less light is being allowed.

Say at ISO 100, at f/2.8 your camera is calling for 1/20th SS.. If you raise the iso to say 400, you can get (im just making these numbers up) f/2.8 at 1/80th or so. go to 3200 ISO and you will get a lot of noise but may be able to obtain f/2.8 at 1/160th.

Generally, you want to shoot as low ISO as possible and it should only be raised if you are A) doing it purposely to achieve specific look, or B) you need to get the faster shutter speeds.

As far as WB, for most shooting, i find Auto works best for me. I only change it when i need it fine tune or know i want those warmer tones that i get with cloudy. If you shoot raw, you can always change the wb afterwards as well

andrew99 · Mar 14, 2008

Nice pics! I'm a beginner too, but I'll give some comments. If I am off base, I hope someone will correct me or disagree.

* The shot of the car, it is a little awkward since there is no space in front of the car. When shooting a car from this angle, it's nice to leave some space in front so you can see where the car would go if it were moving. Sounds weird, I know. Same thing for shooting people's faces from the side (profile) view, leave space in front.

* Trying to catch a cab: Nice shot, but it is a bit over-exposed. Nice idea, though, this one would look awesome at night.

* The 3 night shots look really good!

* One of the shots with the ducks is very crooked, you probably did that on purpose, but I'm not a fan of that one. And the 1st duck pic with someone standing in front is not so good. If you could see her better or if she was interacting with the ducks, it might make a good shot.

* The bridge with the binocular thing -- if you had focused on the bridge instead of the binoculars, I think it would have been a better shot.

* The "no fishing" sign - if you could have got the camera a little higher, then the pole of the fence wouldn't be right over the horizon, which I think would have looked better.

I hope I don't come across as negative, I think these are really good, better than my first pictures! I added you as a contact on flickr, I'm andrew71ca.

Socrates · Mar 14, 2008

VaE39 said:
Thanks for the reply. Actually thats how I started. I've had the camera for about 2 weeks and started with P mode then I moved to S and P and I finally understood what everyone was talking about with the f/ numbers! I've been shooting on M just to get my used to adjusting both shutter speed and aperture. The only thing I'm not understanding is iso and wb. Right now its on auto iso and wb

ISO is a measure of the sensitivity of the film/sensor. Higher numbers mean that less light is needed for a good exposure.

White balance is the "color of light." Did you ever buy clothing only to come home and conclude that it's a different color than what you wanted? The lighting in the store was probably fluorescent while your home has incandescent lamps. White balance compensates for these differences and it's called "white" balance because it's easiest to see the difference if you're looking at a white object.

VaE39 · Mar 14, 2008

Hey guys thanks for the info on iso and WB.
Andrew, thanks for the critiques too. I know what you were trying to say for all of them. The cab one was during the middle of the day which was the only time I could be in times square so I tried to get a blurred shot but it was hard to not over expose.
Man, now that I look at it, I wish I could go back and take more pictures at the no fishing sign with a different angle.
Oh and for the car picture, it was in the garage with like 2 inches of space on either side and I decided to mess around with my new tripod and get a shot haha

passerby · Mar 14, 2008

VaE39 said:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24364200@N04/

That's nice photos with good composition. So, what do you need to know?

My question is... how much post processing do you guys normally do? These pictures are straight out of the camera with no processing. Thanks for giving it a look.

No processing is my opinion. What you shoot is what you take home, no if and no but. If in the computer you find it the photo is unsatisfactory than you go back to that location and re shoot it regardless. Keep doing it until you think you got it right.

You have only one chance if the place is a far away place. So think hard and the right shot before you walk home. That is my stand.

andrew99 · Mar 15, 2008

VaE39 said:
Hey guys thanks for the info on iso and WB.
Andrew, thanks for the critiques too. I know what you were trying to say for all of them. The cab one was during the middle of the day which was the only time I could be in times square so I tried to get a blurred shot but it was hard to not over expose.
Man, now that I look at it, I wish I could go back and take more pictures at the no fishing sign with a different angle.
Oh and for the car picture, it was in the garage with like 2 inches of space on either side and I decided to mess around with my new tripod and get a shot haha

Ah, I see what you mean about the car, I have the same problem -- there is always something in the way of taking the perfect picture!

Yeah, I have the same problem -- every time I get home and look at my pics on the computer, I wish I could go back and try some different angles!