day at the park. C&C please

[brianyi]

spent the day at the recreational park reading and still learning how to use the camera well. All shots were used with the XTI kit lens(and my only one lol) 18mm-55mm EF

not the park but before i left My pomeranian. damsel in distress!

neat flower I found sitting by its lonesome self. torn beauty, if anything to call it

my best attempt to get the glare out. still no luck

 

[Samanax]

Read page 57 or the XTi owner's manual regarding the selecting of the AF Point. This will give you control over which focus point is used instead of the camera just choosing the focus point (usually on the closest object).

In the first shot the focus is on the dog's nose instead of the eyes. For portrait type shots of people and animals you want to focus on the eyes so that the eyes are sharp and in focus.

And you're centering your shots which makes them static and boring. You want to offset the main subject a little to create a little dynamic tension. For the first two you want to place the subject either to the left or right of center horizontally and either above or below the middle vertically. Same with the lake scenes...don't place the horizon line right in the middle of the frame vertically.

Digital Photography Tips For Beginners

Digital Photography Composition Tips

Taking Better Pictures: Composition

Photo Composition - Your Photo As A Story

Good Photo Composition Is Essential

Learn Photo Composition

How To Make A Killer Photo Using 8 Simple Composition Rules

The Golden Section In Photo Composition

How To Improve Your Photography - 5 Easy Tricks

 

[brianyi]

Thanks for the links! They are a fun read and indeed gave me different ideas to shoot better photos.

 

[Plato]

That's some "park." A polarizer is the solution for the glare.

 

[photo28]

I think that flower could have the potential to be a really cool shot. There's something called the rule of thirds which basically means - Don't put the subject of the photo in the middle - rather, in the corner or side: heres a few examples http://photohub.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/rule-of-thirds.jpg
http://jlphotosusa.com/Images-Thirds/RuleOfThirds-11.jpg
By doing this you give the photo more character and a more artistic and dramatic feeling. Nice shots for learning.