C&C My Nature Photography!

[margosoriginals]

Hi! I am new to the site, and photography. I just bought a DSLR camera and recently played around with it at a local nature reserve. They had these awesome little birds in the middle of the woods that would fly to you and eat seeds out of your hands which made for some really cool shots! The second one is more of a candid portrait I guess. Your critique is greatly appreciated, thanks for viewing!

 

[tirediron]

C&C per req:

1. Nice capture, however it would be a stronger image if we could see all of the person rather than just a disembodied hand.

2. It is a nice candid portrait; be careful of things like the bit of elbow cropped off. These tend to give the appearance of careless composition.

Both images are rather over-exposed; if you look at her sleeve, you can see there are large areas where there is no detail left. I would recommend reading some of the beginner tutorials here for a better understanding how your camera's light meter works, and how to obtain a properly exposed image.

Just my $00.02 worth - your mileage may vary.

~John

 

[margosoriginals]

Thank you! It helps when someone else's eye examines things!

 

[GooniesNeverSayDie11]

What TI said. Two suggestions I would make are to research the "Exposure Triangle" (aperture, Shutter speed, ISO ) and read your cameras manual ( and keep it with you at all times when shooting )

 

[GooniesNeverSayDie11]

Also, I do not mean to discourage you, but I saw your other post stating that you were going to be shooting a wedding. I would STRONGLY advise you not to do this. After seeing these shots, a wedding should be the last thing on your mind, no matter how casual it is. Learn your camera and proper technique before attempting anything as serious as a wedding.

 

[margosoriginals]

I am not shooting a wedding, it is my cousin's wedding and they have a professional photographer. I am just bringing my camera for practice and to get some tips from the photographer. I don't want to do any commercial work until I have a lot of experience with equipment- like years down the road. I have been reading more of the manual and playing around with the exposure settings though! Thanks guys!