Newbie Photo

[Tallullah]

Hello all!
I am brand new to this site and LOVE it. There are some extremely talented people here with gorgeous work.
I am a newbie and almost completely clueless :blushing:. Its a bit overwhelming wading through the terminology and technical aspects but I am trying. Just thought I would post a recent photo. Your thoughts/criticisms are appreciated!

 

[iriairi]

Welcome! People here are friendly and usually very helpful.

The blurred background is a plus, and the framing is good. There is a bit of softness in the main subject, though.

 

[Samanax]

Your thoughts/criticisms are appreciated!

What is the shot information (exif data)? What kind of camera did you use? What were the shot settings? Was this a hand held shot? Was a tripod used?

Which photo editing program are you using? How much PP work was done to this image?

Do you have a larger image? It's hard to critique small images.

C&C - I think a tighter crop would help. Maybe more contrast and sharpening. Did you desaturate the colors or is how the flowers looked?

 

[ANDS!]

I would not be a fan of a tighter crop. It has a perfectly down home salt-of-the-earth feel to it, as I'm imagining grandma making hot apple cider for her grandkids that are about to come and visit.

 

[Torus34]

Welcome to TPF!

Your picture is a nice addition to your 'keepers'. I particularly like the very subtle color palate. 'Gee whiz' colors do not a picture make all by themselves [though they can, if well-composed, unravel your socks!]. Quite often, you can achieve a fine result, as here, by selecting limited colors and concentrating on the composition.

You're off to a good start. And don't worry overmuch about the jargon -- it will come in time. And you'll also find that once you're comfortable with all the terms -- you'll promptly ignore them and get back to the pursuit of composing fine pictures.

 

[Tallullah]

Thanks everyone for the feedback!

iriairi - Thanks! I agree about the sharpness. I like to take photos like this quite a bit, and a friend I have suggested a macro lens. I think I will probably try to master the basics before I buy another lens, though.

Samanax - Thanks for the C&C!
-Not sure what you mean by exif data or shot info. (I am very nearly clueless..)
-My camera is a Canon Rebel XS with the 18-55mm lens that it came with. -I am still shooting in Auto mode because I haven't learned enough about ISO, aperture, white balance, etc. to feel comfortable yet.
-It was a handheld shot, I still need to buy a tripod (every photog I know extolls the values of a tripod and tell me that should be my next purchase.)
-Sorry about the small image, I was afraid to post a larger image on here.
-I have photoshop CS4. On this image I added darkening (vignette?) around the edges. (Which is basically all I know how to do!) That was the only thing I changed.

ANDS! - Thank you! This picture was taken at my great grandparent's farm. That's kind of what I was going for

Torus34 - Thanks for the advice, that's encouraging. I just got my camera a month ago, prior to that all I had was a nice point and shoot.

 

[Samanax]

Samanax - Thanks for the C&C!
-Not sure what you mean by exif data or shot info. (I am very nearly clueless..)

The exif is information put into the image by the camera...it includes things like date and time the picture was taken, which camera was used, the settings used by the camera (shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc...) and you can view the exif info with either the software that came with the camera or with exif reader like Opanda IExif.

-My camera is a Canon Rebel XS with the 18-55mm lens that it came with. -I am still shooting in Auto mode because I haven't learned enough about ISO, aperture, white balance, etc. to feel comfortable yet.

That picture was taken in AUTO mode? Wow, I actually thought you shot it in manual mode and chose your own exposure settings.

So the flowers are that color naturally? You didn't desaturate the colors in a photo editor?

-It was a handheld shot, I still need to buy a tripod (every photog I know extolls the values of a tripod and tell me that should be my next purchase.)

Yes, one of the first accessories a new photographer should get is a good quality tripod. If you want absolutely tack sharp images a tripod is a must.

-Sorry about the small image, I was afraid to post a larger image on here.

No problem. A bigger image is just easier to examine. I don't even know if this forum has size limits on posted images.

-I have photoshop CS4. On this image I added darkening (vignette?) around the edges. (Which is basically all I know how to do!) That was the only thing I changed.

So you didn't sharpen the image or adjust color or contrast? I think this image would really stand out with a little more PP work done to it. Get yourself a good Photoshop CS4 book (like [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-Digital-Photographers-Voices-Matter/dp/0321580095/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232728145&sr=1-1"]The Adobe Photoshop CS4 Book for Digital Photographers[/ame] by Scott Kelby) and spend some time learning how to post process your photos. You'll be amazed by what you do with CS4...only problem is it takes time to learn...a lot of time.

 

[Tallullah]

So you didn't sharpen the image or adjust color or contrast? I think this image would really stand out with a little more PP work done to it. Get yourself a good Photoshop CS4 book (like The Adobe Photoshop CS4 Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby) and spend some time learning how to post process your photos. You'll be amazed by what you do with CS4...only problem is it takes time to learn...a lot of time.

No, i don't know how to sharpen an image yet, and the only color change I know how to do is convert an image to black and white . (The only reason I know how to add the vignette is because I found a free online tutorial.)
Thanks for the recommendations, Samanax. The book you mentioned and a tripod will be next on my list of purchases!

 

[puyjapin]

As everyone has stated a tripod is essential, it was my first purchase and it makes a massive difference. As your new to it autoseems like a good option a first. I personally used auto then decided to use Apeture mode, which I use a lot of he time now until I gain more experience. If you try Apeture mode for somethinf like ths try a few different f stops, low ones I wuld say, ie with bigger apeture. The camera will select a suitable shutter speed for you and as said if the light s low the shutter speed will b slower so a tripod is a must. I also find swiching my lens to manual focus seems to help as auto focus i find does not always select the most importnat part of the subject from the perspective you would like. Thats just my opnon and I ampretty new to all this too. I found the digital photography book by scott kelby qite helpful it explains things in astraightforward manner.