A couple of Nature shots, Would appreciate some C&C Thank you.

[Nautifish]

Well i have been out and about quite a bit still playing with my new Camera and trying different settings ect ect.....These photos i am posting were taking tonight and would appreciate any and all Feed back...

Thank you so much.

Camera Nikon D5000.

The 1st phot i used Portrait and was focusing in on the Horizon by holding down the camera button then once it stopped flashing and focused in i pointed the Camera towards steven and took the shot.
This is what i got.

The next photo i used my shutter speed setting had it set at an ISO OF 200 .
I actually caught the light from the light house bouncing off the water which i thought was very cool..Was not sure what it was at 1st till i studied the photo some more.
Here is the Photo.

I found this little guy earlier in the evening down by the river that leads out too the lake.

PS. Wanted too add that these Photo's have not been edited in any way these are the Orignals

 

[tirediron]

C&C per req:

1. Unfortunately you definitely missed the focus on Steven. Can I ask why you chose to focus lock on the horizon rather than Steven? Aside from that, the image is of course under-exposed, 'though not horribly so and it has a bit of a tilt to the right.

2. A nice scene, but again appearing slightly soft. Good composition using the breakwater as a leading-line toward the light-station.

3. Nice and sharp around the eyes just the way it should be. Exposure is good, but given the similarity between the frog's colouring and the rest of the scene, I would crop a lot of the area image top and right away to allow the eye to better concentrate on the frog.

Just my $00.02 worth - your mileage may vary.

~John

 

[Jcampbelll]

You want the subject of the picture in focus.

 

[reznap]

What made you buy a DSLR?

I think the first one was a good opportunity to practice manual focusing or to experiment with your AF point placement. In this case, 99.999% of the time you're going to want the person who's in the photo to be in focus.

I don't believe you about ISO 200 on #2. Checked exif: ISO Speed Ratings = 1600. Kinda high for a landscape/seascape picture. This is when you need a tripod. Also, with a tripod you could have experimented with a long shutter speed to make the water look misty and dreamy.

The exif data also told me this about all 3 shots:
Exposure Mode = auto exposure (0)

---which is ok, but if you're trying to learn and you have the time to fiddle with settings (maybe with the frog you didn't have time to worry about it - but with the other 2) you should be putting more thought into your exposure.

People here recommend reading a book called 'Understanding Exposure' and there are many detailed online guides and books which explain when and how to set your aperture, shutter speed and ISO.

 

[Nautifish]

I was trying out the tRICK METERING METHOD I beleive it is called...I wanted too pick up the Hues of the sunset on the Horizon which is why i focused on there 1st...I am guessing now i should have done this the opposite way? This was my 1st attempt at this.
Here is another one i did after.

I will crop the frog photo & see how it comes out....
Thank you for your feed back it is very much appreciated.

 

[reznap]

Well... for that recent pic you just put up. This is your shutter speed:

Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) = 10/100 second ===> 1/10 second ===> 0.1 second

That's pretty slow. Generally you want a shutter speed which is reciprocal of your focal length. So, you were at 24mm for that. A shutter speed of 1/30 - provided you have steady hands, should work well. Some people say the crop factor comes into play... and then there's image stabilization to consider.. but for now I'd try to keep to the basic reciprocal rule.

Again, ISO 1100 for that shot... for a D5000 that's pretty high. What you really needed for these pictures was a tripod.

 

[Nautifish]

Date Shot: 10/8/2010 19:11:25.00

Camera Info
Device: Nikon D5000
Lens: VR 55-200mm F/4-5.6G
Focal Length: 55mm
Focus Mode: AF-A
AF-Area Mode: Wide Area
VR: OFF
AF Fine Tune:
Exposure
Aperture: F/4
Shutter Speed: 1/60s
Scene Mode: Portrait
Exposure Comp.: 0EV
Exposure Tuning:
Metering: Matrix
ISO Sensitivity: Auto (ISO 800)
Auto Distortion Control: ON
Picture Control
Picture Control: [PT] Portrait
Base:
Quick Adjust: -
Sharpening: Auto
Contrast: Active D-Lighting
Brightness: Active D-Lighting
Saturation: 0

Above are my settings for the 1st photo sorry i copied the wrong data from another Photo.

I have read and read and read over this last month but i am a Hands on kinda Gal...My tripod i did not have with me as i had left it at home which was a 1st...I do not expect my Photo's to Have a wow Factor blimey only had it a Month....Why did i buy a DSLR....I have wanted one for a long time...I love too take photo's allways have but you are very limited with a Point & shoot.....Like anything this is a learning process which i was under the impression this forum was about? To learn? and seek help & Advice?

 

[reznap]

Why did i buy a DSLR....I have wanted one for a long time...I love too take photo's allways have but you are very limited with a Point & shoot.....

Same reason I got one.. but you're using it like a point and shoot so it defeats the purpose a little. Not trying to be an ass - but giving the camera all of the control over the exposure was not a good choice for these photos.

Like anything this is a learning process which i was under the impression this forum was about? To learn? and seek help & Advice?

This is a good place to get opinions and helpful advice and information.. like I said before, what you should prioritize is learning about what makes an exposure and how/when/why to make those changes in your camera. If you do your reading and experimenting, you'll be amazed by how much better you'll get in mere months.

 

[Nautifish]

Thank you Reznap i appreciate the Advice.

 

[MissCream]

If I were you I would never have my ISO set to Auto.. The camera tends to choose a higher ISO then needed most of the time.

 

[tirediron]

If I were you I would never have my ISO set to Auto.. The camera tends to choose a higher ISO then needed most of the time.

Excellent advice. Of all the settings to leave on 'Auto' this is the one you shouldn't. If I might suggest, perhaps spend a little time each day reading the manual, especially the sections that relate to shooting modes (Manual, Aperture-priority and Shutter-priority; ignore all of the "scene modes"), focus and exposure modes, and then go out and shoot a few dozen images for practice, and if things don't go quite right, post here with your intent and your results.