First Time Out C&C

[Itsbigdave]

I have been dying to try out my new camera and whilst driving to work this morning I saw a foot bridge so I stopped and run up it to try and take something. I know they are plain and no real story to them and if I am honest I am not particular happy with any of them but I would still like some C&C to try and point me in the right direction.

Thank you for any help
Dave

http://www.flickr.com/photos/114587474@N04/11978734704/
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[Gavjenks]

Welcome!

I was where you are too, frantically running around in glee shooting everything, after getting my first DSLR. Not being judgmental, but the photos have... a lot of issues. It is a bit difficult to know where to start, and I think a more efficient means of feedback would be for you to purchase some books on photography basics, read through them, and then evaluate your photos yourself. Then repost those or new ones with specific questions about whether you are achieving certain things that you learned and applied.

You will want at least one book on each of:
- Composition
- Lighting (not portrait lighting, just regular)

And/or go to somewhere like Digital Photography School - Digital Photography Tips and Tutorials and just go nuts clicking links for a few days.

Then get out and apply some stuff. You may not end up with anything terribly different than you did now (you probably will), and that's fine if so, but you'll have more specific questions to narrow us down on whatever might be confusing you most or whatever.

 

[Designer]

Hi, bigdave. In general, most shots seem to not have a subject, or at least one that pops out at me. I think I understand the shots from the footbridge, but the light was doing you no favors. Just showing the traffic is not an interesting picture. I liked the night shot well enough.

 

[Itsbigdave]

Hi, bigdave. In general, most shots seem to not have a subject, or at least one that pops out at me. I think I understand the shots from the footbridge, but the light was doing you no favors. Just showing the traffic is not an interesting picture. I liked the night shot well enough.

thank you for the advice as I said I am right at the begging and want to learn managed to go out on lunch break today and shoot a bit more so will post links to that now and hopefully get a little bit better result

 

[Itsbigdave]

Welcome!

I was where you are too, frantically running around in glee shooting everything, after getting my first DSLR. Not being judgmental, but the photos have... a lot of issues. It is a bit difficult to know where to start, and I think a more efficient means of feedback would be for you to purchase some books on photography basics, read through them, and then evaluate your photos yourself. Then repost those or new ones with specific questions about whether you are achieving certain things that you learned and applied.

You will want at least one book on each of:
- Composition
- Lighting (not portrait lighting, just regular)

And/or go to somewhere like Digital Photography School - Digital Photography Tips and Tutorials and just go nuts clicking links for a few days.

Then get out and apply some stuff. You may not end up with anything terribly different than you did now (you probably will), and that's fine if so, but you'll have more specific questions to narrow us down on whatever might be confusing you most or whatever.

Thanks for the advice any recommendations as far as books go with composition and lighting?

 

[Itsbigdave]

london day 1 - a set on Flickr

Still day 1 lunch break so again a little rushed

 

[Derrel]

SNIP>>>>>any recommendations as far as books go with composition and lighting?

My favorite teaching books are the ones written by the UK's own John Hedgecoe. He wrote MANY fine,fine illustrated books on how to approach photography. TODAY, the majority of books are what I call 'recipe books'...what Hedgecoe wrote were books that taught you how to become 'a chef', so to speak. Not how to slavishly follow directions using one software application and one specific camera, but how to approach light, how to approach ideas, how to DO PHOTOGRAPHY.

Again, the trend today is recipe-books. Hedgecoe talks about how to see light, how to position yourself in relation to the light, and how to make photographs.

 

[Itsbigdave]

Again, the trend today is recipe-books. Hedgecoe talks about how to see light, how to position yourself in relation to the light, and how to make photographs.

Thank you for the tip. I have ordered 2 books by him "complete guide to photograohy" and "new book of photograohy" hope these cover what I need as I am very keen to learn

 

[Derrel]

Again, the trend today is recipe-books. Hedgecoe talks about how to see light, how to position yourself in relation to the light, and how to make photographs.

Thank you for the tip. I have ordered 2 books by him "complete guide to photograohy" and "new book of photograohy" hope these cover what I need as I am very keen to learn

Excellent choices, both! I can guarantee you this: you will learn more about how to do "photography" from reading and studying those two books, than you can even imagine there is to know.

 

[Itsbigdave]

Again, the trend today is recipe-books. Hedgecoe talks about how to see light, how to position yourself in relation to the light, and how to make photographs.

Thank you for the tip. I have ordered 2 books by him "complete guide to photograohy" and "new book of photograohy" hope these cover what I need as I am very keen to learn

Excellent choices, both! I can guarantee you this: you will learn more about how to do "photography" from reading and studying those two books, than you can even imagine there is to know.

I hope so. Are there any good books anyone would recommend on street photography as this is what I am most interested in.

Also I am going to Australia for 3 weeks and china for 4 days so would like a basic book for landscape photography all help appreciated.

Thanks
Dave

P.s I know its annoying all these newbie questions and I apologize

 

[Designer]

Are there any good books anyone would recommend on street photography as this is what I am most interested in.

Heh! I want to say just hang out here. There are discussions all the time about street photography.

But seriously, I do not know of any books on that topic. Sorry. There are, however, some excellent examples. Looking at examples might get you started.

Man on Earth

Street Photographers - The art of street photography

Fotoura | London Festival of Photography - Fotoura

Street Photography & Other Stories

https://plus.google.com/113332593582232559763/posts

21 street photography tips from the professionals | Digital Camera World

Good luck!

 

[Itsbigdave]

Are there any good books anyone would recommend on street photography as this is what I am most interested in.

Heh! I want to say just hang out here. There are discussions all the time about street photography.

But seriously, I do not know of any books on that topic. Sorry. There are, however, some excellent examples. Looking at examples might get you started.

Man on Earth

Street Photographers - The art of street photography

Fotoura | London Festival of Photography - Fotoura

Street Photography & Other Stories

https://plus.google.com/113332593582232559763/posts

21 street photography tips from the professionals | Digital Camera World

Good luck!

Thank you for the tips I will read through them and see what I can find.

I have the "Fro knows photos beginner guide" to watch and have signed up to a course online which has assignments and other bits in it as well so hopefully combing that with this forum I will learn enough to at least get some good pictures on my holiday next month

 

[Itsbigdave]

Hey guys and girls went back out last night and tried again. Hopefully people will say there is some improvement. Again please be harsh but if you do see things you like please say so I know I've got something right lol. Also please follow me on Flickr as I will follow back so I can see other peoples work to guide me.
http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/114587474@N04/sets/72157640328698406/
Thanks
Dave

 

[DaninMD]

Hey guys and girls went back out last night and tried again. Hopefully people will say there is some improvement. Again please be harsh but if you do see things you like please say so I know I've got something right lol. Also please follow me on Flickr as I will follow back so I can see other peoples work to guide me.
Welcome to Flickr!
Thanks
Dave

link didn't work, but I found it on flickr

london set 2 - a set on Flickr

well I would say your shots have definitely progressed. keep reading up, its definitely working. Before you get swamped in compositing, lighting, etc, it seems you need to work on some basics such as exposure, depth of field (DOF) and focusing. quite a few of the shots I saw had pretty decent composition and subject, but your focus was way off and ruined the picture. on others they could have benefited from more/less DOF based on the shot. you cant fix focus in post processing. you cant increase DOF in post processing either (you can decrease somewhat), so its important to know how to get these right when shooting. for exposure, probably the biggest help for me was when I turned on the option to show the histogram with the preview picture on your screen...take some time to read and really understand what a histogram is and how to modify your camera settings to achieve the correct histogram for the photo you are taking.

 

[Itsbigdave]

well I would say your shots have definitely progressed. keep reading up, its definitely working. Before you get swamped in compositing, lighting, etc, it seems you need to work on some basics such as exposure, depth of field (DOF) and focusing. quite a few of the shots I saw had pretty decent composition and subject, but your focus was way off and ruined the picture. on others they could have benefited from more/less DOF based on the shot. you cant fix focus in post processing. you cant increase DOF in post processing either (you can decrease somewhat), so its important to know how to get these right when shooting. for exposure, probably the biggest help for me was when I turned on the option to show the histogram with the preview picture on your screen...take some time to read and really understand what a histogram is and how to modify your camera settings to achieve the correct histogram for the photo you are taking.

I found with the depth of field on the stuff like the lanterns I couldn't blow out the background even with a low f stop. Then I switch the the 50mm 1.8 lens and it was too far away for me to focus on and still have a narrow dof. I am assuming I will see the depth of field through the viewfinder and it won't change after I press the button?
With the exposure I noticed that most were coming up to bright but I was going by the light meter on the camera so guessed I was right and thought it must be something else I'm unaware of. Clearly a lesson learnt lol.
When you say focus what is it you mean? As in the picture isn't in focus or I've focused on the wrong subject in a picture?
I have read histograms are great for working on exposure so I will do some reading on that tonight.
I'm meant to be going back up town Sunday day time with the other half (not sure how much she will put up with but will try and take more n more photos)

I really appreciate the advice. I will keep hitting the books. Will start with the things you've mentioned tonight.

Thanks
Dave