First Run

[Reefbabe]

I finally received my Nikon D50 in the mail the other day. You could call me a newborn to SLRs because I know almost nothing about them. I would love it if everyone would give me pointers on how to improve and maybe even throw some tips in there as well . Here are my 1st photos, one taken in macro mode. I was wondering how I can bring these flowers into better focus, improving my DOF. Thanks everyone.......

 

[LaFoto]

That boy portrait (your son, I'd assume?) is lovely. His expression is so nicely "boyish", a little cheeky, a little curious as to what is going to happen, focus is right on his eyes, background is nicely blurred ... all I would wish for - compositionwise - is that his whole hands and arms had been included in the frame. But well. Next time. Something's telling me that you're going to "hire this model" more often .

As to the flowers ... I'm not sure. It is ok to see only the front flower in focus, but I wish that had had all its petals inside the frame, and I am not sure about the lower part of the back flower's petal that ALSO are in focus. Something tells me that it might be better if those were as out of focus as all the rest of that flower (can be achieved in PS). Light and background are good. (I will always say so about any sort of green background )

 

[Chiller]

Great shots. The first one is really excellent.

 

[JonK]

First shot is excellent...needs a crop in from the left IMO to get rid of the blue bit and the wooden bolt at bottom...that would make it a cleaner shot and slightly better balanced compositionally.

Best thing you can do to improve macros is to use a tripod so you can utilize smaller apertures at slower shutter speeds. That said I do like this one the way it is..really good saturation.

 

[Big Mike]

Looks like you are getting a good start.

When shooting close up (macro), your DOF will be very thin. Like Jon said, the use of a tripod will allow you to get more of the object into focus.

DOF is controlled mainly by the aperture (F-Stop) that you use. The smaller the aperture (higher F number)...the bigger the DOF. The bigger the aperture (low F number) the more shallow the DOF will be.

Now, you can put the camera into aperture priority and crank the aperture down to F22, to get a nice deep DOF...but to compensate for that...the shutter has to stay open much longer than it would for an aperture of F4 (for example). The problem with longer shutter speeds, it that you will get blurry photos because of camera shake (or subject movement). Camera shake is the small (or sometimes big) movements when you are holding the camera in your hands.

To eliminate camera shake, you can support the camera on something steady (like a tripod). You should also trigger the camera without touching it...either with a remote or with the self timer.

Now on the other end, you might want a shallow DOF...which you did nicely with the first shot. Just open up the aperture. Subject distance and distance to background/foreground will also determine how the out of focus areas look.

 

[Reefbabe]

Thanks everyone!
WOW!!! I did much better than I thought I would . These pics were my very first outing and today is another day....now for a 2nd try.
LaFoto....yes, this is my lil adorable son (may be asking how to make a portfolio in the future, lol). He's such a ham and so photogenic...always has been. He's perfect for taking photos. My daughter on the other hand....well, let's not go there.
JonK...I will definately try the crop. I can see it looking better already!
Mike...thank you for all those tips...I'm going to bust out the tripod today!

 

[M @ k o]

These are both really nice photos. I tell you what Reefbabe, you stick around here you'll soak in alot of stuff. T P F has made me shot alot better than I could of ever amagine. Congrats on your D50, get a grip on that thing and shoot, shoot, shoot ! Looking forward to seeing more photographs from ya.

 

[Calliope]

Very nice photos, especially for a first time. Your little boy is absolutely adorable - nice portrait - love the expression. I also like the soft look of the second one. Great work!

 

[Reefbabe]

Thanks......and I'd like everyone to be harsh on me. Let me tell you, I am one tough chick. I don't look at it as criticism, I look at it as learning....perfecting my technique...making the best out of the shot. The only thing I would ask when making an oppinion is, please keep the photo lingo in means that I can understand, lol!