Should I give up now!?

lopster99 · Jul 30, 2008

Hey everyone. My name is Dennis i been a member here looking through the forums for a few months although this is my first actual post here.

I just bought an Olympus E-500 kit. I have no idea what im doing to be honest i just gather what information i can get from these forums. I must say that most of what i hear people talking about here sounds foreign to me! Well here is a picture I took, again im new so tell me what I can do to improve my picture if you can.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27508996@N02/2717908523/

Thanks everyone!

Dennis

lopster99 · Jul 30, 2008

Link to the bigger version

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27508996@N02/2717912731/sizes/o/

crashcart · Jul 30, 2008

I'm learning about everything right now...I barely have an idea what I'm doing. But your thread title is awful. If you enjoy photography then why would you give it up? The only person that the photo really needs to please is you...unless you're a wedding photographer.

Crazydad · Jul 30, 2008

So true. A lot of the folks on this forum are incredibly talented and it can be intimidating, but I'm definitely learning that it takes patience and practice.

I just recently got into real photography and while my shots are not even close to some the others on here (and probably never will be), having them critique my photos has helped because it makes me think of things I never did before (like composition, lighting, colors, etc.).

reg · Jul 30, 2008

I say yes.

If you hate yourself so much that you buy a camera kit worth several hundred dollars, then beat yourself up just because you don't know how to use it yet, then you should probably give up.

or.... Accept that it takes time to learn photography and keep at it.

Your choice.

Heck · Jul 30, 2008

Baby steps and get a book and read everything you can get your hands on. On a side note. Whats with the war birds in your flicker? Looks like your under attack!

bigalbest · Jul 30, 2008

I've seen worse pictures for a first post. Photography is about not giving up, so hang in there.

dklod · Jul 30, 2008

giving up is not an option with anything in life, even more so this. Its not like learning to fly a 747, or becoming a neurosurgeon, photography to me is a personal thing, and to get results that you like takes time and patience and if you want to please others, knowing the basics helps. And considering you just bought a new camera, I highly recommend you keep at it. I'll let the experts critique your photo, I just wanted to get inside your head.

Peanuts · Jul 30, 2008

Hey Dennis,

breathe in - breathe out. Good! Okay, let me first say that there is nothing wrong with that image. Your comp looks good which is the most important part of photography (other then focus, but that is another story). Anyways, you should just take a pek at individuals' first images they posted here, you will get a chuckle.

Joves · Jul 30, 2008

For a first post it is terrible. As was said you need to read all you can and, dont frustrate yourself. It is a common ailment in beginners.

lopster99 · Jul 30, 2008

thanks everyone for the replies. I was just kidding about giving up, I wouldn't do that its just not easy at all. I read the manual for the camera read through the forums and it's hard to understand alot of these things i hear!

The helicopters are from Bethlehem PA, where they shot the new transformers movie. But that camera was just a really old Olympus that i had before i bought the new camera

Tolyk · Jul 30, 2008

Well, what information are you having trouble understanding?

F-stops ?
Exposure ?
Shutter speed ?

Perhaps some of us here can be of assistance and break it down for ya

anubis404 · Jul 31, 2008

That's not a bad photo for a first timer. When I started, which was only about 2 months ago, I also had very little idea what I was doing. Here are three of my first shots:

Not the greatest. How, here are some of my latest pics:

You'll see significant improvement in a short amount of time. Just keep at it.

MarcusM · Jul 31, 2008

The shot you linked to was not bad. The exposure looked to be pretty good. You just need to practice with your camera. Get to know it in and out. Play with the settings. Do not be afraid...it is digital. If it is trash, just delete it and try again. You are not wasting money on film.

One thing I would suggest is just get a couple books and get a good foundation of knowledge. The forums are great (I've learned a lot) but a lot of it can be overwhelming too because you get so many opinions combined with facts, and it can be hard to piece together. With a book you get a nice cohesiveness that you can follow and generally rely on most of the info to be pretty accurate.

My best recommendation for a beginner which was recommended countless times on this forum would be Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson.

Good luck!