First DSLR shots~ beware of kittens

[kurlykid]

I finally got my DSLR, a nice Nikon d5000 as a present from my fiance!
so in all excitement, I basically took pictures of the one thing that wouldn't talk back to me at 2am and was relatively interesting in our boring apartment. My kitten! (and a random shot of my lens cap)

no post editing. fiddled around with saturation a little on the camera...otherwise these are just out of the camera, all i did was resize.

So much to learn, so little time.

 

[eddlum25]

Nice #2 & #3. Good focus on them 2.

There is white balance issues on all of them, I think.

 

[kurlykid]

eddlum, thank you! and yes, probably there are. i'm actually amazingly new at all of this and i think i jumped into the excitement of snapping images of my cat...so i wouldn't be surprised if there's mistakes everywhere.

 

[creisinger]

Very easy help: Read the camera manual!

This sounds incredibly boring but you're only going to be as good as you know your tool!

Even the cheapest DSLRs these days have incredible features.

Ideally read the manual twice - the second time you WILL understand more. While you are reading check out a few web sites that explain photographic terms so you are not getting lost.

Again, it's utmost important to know all your features of your camera - it makes life a whole lot easier.

Nice kittie! ...and lens cap

 

[UUilliam]

Nice shots, they make good use of the low aperture.

as said, your white balance is off, I found leaving it on daylight works well for most situations, but auto is incredibly good in new cameras so make use of the auto white balance feature, but as shown, it isn't always correct.

a good thing to do when your starting out, use manual mode (M) and do not use AUTO, I feel once you use auto, you learn bad habits, if you limit yourself to x amount of shots using manual (limit to about 36 shots per session <thats how many exposures are on a typical film roll> so you have less chances of getting a fluke.)
and try get a good exposure (and for bonus points, composition!)
This should help you greatly, my camera is almost always in manual, but not every shot will be a correct exposure, but that is okay, you are only starting out.

The best way to tell if your exposure is correct is by using the histogram!
I am not sure how to display the histogram with the nikon D5000 but this is a link to how to use the histogram.
How to Use Histograms

also in shot #2 its a bit blurry, try and learn to hold your camera still,
the best way to do this I find is to try take a picture at the longest exposure you can (start at 1/15 then drop to 1/6 then to 0.5" then to about 2" and just try get it sharp as possible at 2" it might be a bit hard, but there is technique to it (if you use your camera strap it helps, there is some videos on youtube you can look at by searching "how to hold a dslr steady"
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJGYShZNDYY[/ame] notice how his strap is wrapped around his arm.

another tip I feel is useful...

After you get manual mode down, or when out shooting something important (assuming you are still learning manual) use the semi auto modes (A and S)
I prefer using the A (aperture) semi-auto mode when my shutter speed doesn't matter, however if I am shooting something that I need a certain shutter speed I use Shutter priority (S)


as I say though, take your time and learn no need to rush into it.
(and ofcourse if your not looking to take anything fancy like landscape or w/e) the shots your taking just now are great.

I will leave it at that and good luck
enjoy your new purchase.

 

[myfotoguy]

Welcome to TPF!

If you set your WB to incandescent (the bulb icon) you will get rid of the yellowish tint.

Have fun reading and learning about your new camera and technniques.

 

[Stormchase]

Welcome to TPF! Congrats on your new toy as well! You should have tons of fun with it! Photography is a practice so you are in a good place to learn right here. My first night didnt come out this good lol. like posted above learn the manual and settings.

 

[kurlykid]

Thank you all for your kind comments and insightful advice!
I have fallen in love with photography and now I have the chance to actually learn it and get better at it. It should be fun!