Having fun with this stuff...

[IndianaYakFish]

Really new to photography and have only had my Nikon D3300 for two weeks now. Last week I had a cicada emerging from it's old skin on the side of a cedar tree in the yard, so grabbed the camera and started taking pictures (auto mode, kit lens). Then the other day I headed out to our local state property to try and photograph some waterfowl and blue herons. Didn't have any luck with the birds, but bumped up a very curious whitetail fawn on the way back to the truck. He stuck around and just stood there posing for the camera while I snapped as many pics as I could. Funny how you can snap thirty pictures and only get two or three really good ones. Lol!

Anyway, here are a few pictures and I would GREATLY appreciate any input. Oh, the fawn pictures were taken with the Nikon Nikkor 70-300mm lens. Loving that lens for the money. Thanks in advance for the advice!

 

[OrionsByte]

Hey you're off to a pretty good start, I'd say. Here's some specific feedback:

1. You did a pretty good job on focusing considering you were shooting through all that foliage. That said, it's at least a stop underexposed (your camera, in auto mode, was influenced by the very bright background) and the composition is probably not the best you could have come up with; the deer's legs are cut off and there's more room to the right of her than is really necessary. A tighter crop and some exposure adjustments would help a bit.
2. Again, decent focus, better framing on this one, but argh I wish that branch wasn't right in front of her face. It seems like you could have taken a half step to the right and had a less-obstructed view. This one is also under-exposed.
3. This is probably the best of your bunch. Normally centering a subject in the frame is not a good choice for composition, but it actually works okay for this one. It could probably use an extra third or two of exposure.
4. I'd boost the exposure and contrast on this one a bit, but otherwise I don't have anything to add that I haven't already said.

Additional general feedback:

• It's hard to give too much technical feedback when you're shooting in Auto, because the decisions about aperture and shutter speed are all made by the camera, so we can't discuss what your choices were. It would be helpful for you to look at what setting the camera chose, try to understand why the camera chose those settings, and then understand how the photo would have changed using different settings.
• If you do decide to keep shooting in Auto for the time being, you'll want to focus on composition and really making sure you're framing the photo well. Google "rule of thirds" as a starting point.
• Also, look up the Exposure Compensation feature of your camera to help you learn how to use it and when it might be useful.

You're off to a good start, and I'm glad you're having fun. Happy shooting!

 

[Derrel]

Hey, cool beans! Nice that you are having fun with the new rig. It's a lifetime hobby, so there's plenty of time for anything you want to do in photography.