help with getting better pictures

[mary2011]

picture of grandson taken with nikon d3000 and 18-55mm lens, no flash setting, but other settings auto. any help would be appreciated. thanks

 

[Sammie_Lou]

Your shutter speed is VERY slow (1/8 of a second). Try putting your camera's dial on the S and choosing a faster shutter speed (such as 1/200) by turning the dial on the right of the back of the camera. It'll be the one you can easily control with your right thumb. The camera will adjust the rest of the settings for you to give the correct exposure.

 

[mary2011]

Thanks for the info, I will try that in the morning. I also have a 50 mm f 1.8, would that be a better choice? Thanks again for the help. I hate it when these shots don't turn out.

 

[Sammie_Lou]

The problem with your photo is that it's blurry. Because of that, I would probably hold off on the 50 mm. That will give you a more shallow depth of field, which will make it harder for you to achieve a good focus. But I'm a newbie myself, so others may encourage you to use the 50 mm...not sure.

 

[Bolthead]

Your shutter speed is VERY slow (1/8 of a second). Try putting your camera's dial on the S and choosing a faster shutter speed (such as 1/200) by turning the dial on the right of the back of the camera. It'll be the one you can easily control with your right thumb. The camera will adjust the rest of the settings for you to give the correct exposure.

Can I ask you, how do you know what SS he shot at?

 

[Sammie_Lou]

There are add-ons that you can get for your browser that will show you the exif data if you right click a picture. I use photoME.

 

[ainsleyyip]

picture of grandson taken with nikon d3000 and 18-55mm lens, no flash setting, but other settings auto. any help would be appreciated. thanks

Hi, for taking pictures of children, I would recommend a faster shutter speed if you wana freeze the motion.. There are many fun things that slow shutter speed can do as well but prob you wana explore on how aperture, shutter speed and iso are related to each other 1st. It's a pity to use auto mode on a dslr I feel. Good luck exploring

 

[Dominantly]

I'd throw the 50 on, go into aperture priority mode, set it for 2.8, then click away. If you notice your shutter drops below say 1/100, then up our ISO a bit.

If you take the shots about 6' away from the kid (reasonable with a 50mm on your camera), then you will have about 6" of an acceptable sharpness window.

Online Depth of Field Calculator

 

[dakkon76]

Agree with Dominantly, but you can also set it to shutter priority to make sure you get a decent shutter speed. Start around 80 or so if things aren't moving around too much and go up from there watching to make sure your depth of field isn't getting too narrow (smaller "f" number). Your 50mm will definitely perform better in low light than your kit lens.

 

[DiskoJoe]

The 50mm would work good inside with low light. The kit lens would work better outside during the day where you get more light. Dont be afraid to use the flash. Even the built in is okay to use if you adjust properly.