New to the Photography world..

[gd6noob]

so i picked up a used Canon Rebel XT 350D... im likeing it so far... its my first DSLR camera... ive always used the point and shoot ones like the Sony Cybershot and so on...


here are some pics i took while playing around with my new toy... please comment on how i could have improved, probably on using the right settings or what not..

 

[mwcfarms]

First hello and welcome to the forum. Now Im not a pro at all. But I will tell you what I think since its always nice to have opinions from peers of the same caliber as well as the proffesionals to learn from.

1. I like the shot, I think it looks a bit soft. I see you shot it at ISO 1600 not sure why. I would like to see some of the top cropped out, maybe adjust the contrast a bit.

2. I think being a bit closer would have helped this shot greatly. I almost missed the bee.

3. I like this one the best although its a bit soft again. Again I see ISO 1600.

4. Is out of focus and kind of flat. Sorry.

Keep em coming.

 

[Breaux]

Here's another two-bit opinion if you want it!

1. A polarizing filter will bring out more vivid coloring in mid-day sun. Shooting when the sun is low will also help. Otherwise I think it's a good view and interesting framing.

2. I don't know what to do here. I just don't find flowers graphically interesting.

3. This one might be better if you plucked those 2 dead stems. At least crop out the one on the right. And the flower is overexposed. The detail of the dandelion is the interesting thing here, so it needs to be sharp and properly exposed. I also question the 1600 ISO. Generally you should use the lowest ISO you have, unless there's not enough light.

4. There's no subject! I think a view like this is usually better if there's also something in the foreground. The lighting is off, but it's a tricky situation with bright sky and a dark treeline; work with your levels.

 

[Dallmeyer]

Picture 1 meter more to expose the brightness of the skylight in a controlled way, or split the difference if the range is too broad and that throws the woods into darkness. Picture 2 - caught between two stools - go with a shallower DOF or a smaller aperture. To me it lacks seperation. Maybe you used the nearest significant form as the focus, maybe not. That would be my approach anyway - pick the nearest tangible thing and focus on that, use aperture to obscure the other stuff to some degree.

 

[gd6noob]

yea you guys caught me.. i was using ISO1600... not knowing that i should be using the lowest ISO setting. Naturally, i thought the higher the number the better... but i did some goggle'ing and read i should stick with the lowest ISO unless its too dark for it to handle.


Here some newer shots of my kids at the beach

again plz give opinions/suggestions... i believe these were shot at iso 100.. but i cant remember for sure..

i shot these at Av settings.. should i be at a different settings?

 

[BuS_RiDeR]

Sorry if this is unwelcome... But your profile says that it IS ok to edit your photos. If this is not ok... let me know and I will remove the pic.

am not (by far) an expert... But this is what I cane up with in under 1 minute of post editing.

I took the liberty of adjusting the white balance, cropping a bit out and a few other quick edits. I used The Gimp (open source photo editing software). I

 

[D-B-J]

well.. shoot at a low iso, and shoot shoot shoot! Thats the only way you'll get better. Pay attention to your composition, and try to use manual. Shoot in RAW if you can, becuase it makes it MUCH easier to edit them afterwards!

 

[pbelarge]

well.. shoot at a low iso, and shoot shoot shoot! Thats the only way you'll get better. Pay attention to your composition, and try to use manual. Shoot in RAW if you can, becuase it makes it MUCH easier to edit them afterwards!

I would say shooting in raw makes it possible to provide more editing potential....not necessarily easier.

 

[gd6noob]

well, i want to learn to walk before i learn to run, so to speak..

i dont think i want to be editing any pics until i get a better feel of the camera. plus my photo editing skills are at par with my photo taking skills... its that bad.. haha...