4 picture

[Blrdvision]

I bought a used Canon Rebel XT (350D) a few days ago as a birthday present to myself. I was more into photography when I was in college but have drifted from it over the years with work and family. I was never very good because I could not afford the hundreds of rolls of film needed to experiment with. This digital camera seems like a good training tool because I can instantly see the effects of changes in my settings.

I'm hoping to drift back into photography as therapy for dealing with anxiety and depression. (recently laid off) It forces me to look at the world with a different eye as well as walk outside more....which is a good thing.

Now, if I can just learn how to use this thing!

My biggest concern going forward is how to deal with clarity and saturation. Most of my pictures are not clear and usually lack good color. This has always been a problem for me. Based upon what I'm reading, I'm beginning to think much of it is in the lenses - and the lenses I got with this camera include the stock (kit) lens EFS 18-55 1:3.5 - 5.6 and what looks like a cheap EF 55-200 1:4.5-5.6 . Most of my shots from yesterday were not very sharp and the color was questionable - except for the obligatory flower shot below. I don't remember the F stop but it probably should have been lower to increase the depth of field? BTW: There was a whole field of these blooming even though it snowed up there last week.

All the rest of my shots were so bad I'm not sure where to begin. Suffice it to say, I'm going to need a lot of input going forward.

I did increase the saturation in Photoshop to what most people might think are obnoxious levels but I had heard Paul Simon's "Kodachrome" earlier that day and was in the mood for some thick colors.

- Chris

Composition is lousy, but it was an interesting spot.