My First Shots C&C

VoLcOmKiDd911 · Jul 31, 2009

I just got my Nikon D60 today from another TPF member and I've taken a few shots today, here are my highlights. All shot with an 18-55mm Nikkor Lens.

1/160s - F/5.6 - ISO 400

1/160s - F/11 - ISO 400

1/160s - F/5.6 - ISO 400

hungry0ne · Jul 31, 2009

it could be my monitor, but they look pixelated - like they were shrunk down and then blown back up a little. nice angles though!

tomhooper · Jul 31, 2009

First shot of the cat is underexposed. Needed fill flash. Second shot looks ok. Pet shots really don't do a lot for me, but they are common pics for new photographers. I like the composition of the third shot but it seems a little out of focus. Keep on shooting man. You got a lifetime to learn.

jsoeung · Jul 31, 2009

I'm diggin the lurking cat

Crazydad · Aug 1, 2009

Nice shots, I especially like the wily hunter...

I do have a few suggestions:

When shooting something in the shade, like the first one, change the metering to spot metering so you are setting the exposure for the subject. The leaves may have be a little overexposed, but the subject would be correct.

On the flower, great exposure and DOF. The only thing I would say is that it looks like the closest part of the petals is in focus, but the focal point of the picture is the group of orange stamens. When going for a shallow DOF, getting the right part in focus is important. Believe me, I have failed a ton at that! :lol:

Very nice start! You have a great camera to learn and grow with, it will serve you well. And I'm glad to see you are jumping straight into the A and M modes!

barfastic · Aug 1, 2009

i really like the second one. Lighting seems to be ok (im on my laptop atm, so some whites are showing up blown) but i really like the cats expression

camz · Aug 2, 2009

I like #1 the best with the cat in hiding in the plants. The others are just too distracting and don't seem to have too much of a focal point like #1.

The good thing about #1 is the focal point. The piece always attracts me to stare at the cats eyes. I think you somewhat have the rule of thirds down for this shot. However, I think you had your metering exposed for the cat resulting in a brighter foreground. I would've gotten rid of the overexposed foreground and framed the buttom of the picture on the cat's feet just above the darker layer of tan bark. Advice when using natural light..uneven exposures of light in your pictures makes it every difficult achieve balance and adds distraction to your piece. Try framing your pictures to where light contrast ratio is as even as possible. Ideally for this picture in my opinion, the cat should've right been at the border of the overexposed tan bark and the darker exposed tan bark and all that natural light would've complimented your subject.

Happy shooting!

VoLcOmKiDd911 · Aug 8, 2009

Crazydad said:
Nice shots, I especially like the wily hunter...

I do have a few suggestions:

When shooting something in the shade, like the first one, change the metering to spot metering so you are setting the exposure for the subject. The leaves may have be a little overexposed, but the subject would be correct.

On the flower, great exposure and DOF. The only thing I would say is that it looks like the closest part of the petals is in focus, but the focal point of the picture is the group of orange stamens. When going for a shallow DOF, getting the right part in focus is important. Believe me, I have failed a ton at that!

Very nice start! You have a great camera to learn and grow with, it will serve you well. And I'm glad to see you are jumping straight into the A and M modes!

Thanks so much, Understanding Exposure really helped me to do just that. I'm glad i read it before I received the camera, that really helped. All these tips make a lot of sense and will take them into consideration for my next shots! Thanks everyone.