Introduction and some pics

[S.Bowen]

So there I was wanting to get into photography.

<start gear talk>
Started with a A330, then an A65 with old Maxxum glass. I never really caught the bug but buying new goodies sure was fun. I picked up some books, practiced some techniques but never was happy with my results. I sold everything.

Not one to give up, I decided to try Nikon. I't gotta be the gear that's holding me back, right? I lucked into some really nice Nikon bits (F5, 300 2.8, 80-200 2.8, 85 1.8, etc...) so I picked up a pretty beat D80 from craigslist. The good lenses made a HUGE difference, suddenly I was getting sharp pics. A D600 came home with me.

<end gear talk>

Now I've got the gear, I need to learn how to use it. I'm interested in pretty much all areas of photography except people. I figured that technique would be the first thing to learn, then composition. I went out this morning with the idea of getting hawk pics. This part of the world is lousy with them unless you have a camera, then there are none to be found. Oh well.. There are other flying things.

Here I am learning to get a sharp pic of a moving object: All handheld, 80-200mm for the gliders, 300mm for the RC plane. Straight from the camera and carelessly cropped.

Any suggestions on books to buy? I've got "Understanding Exposure" and a bunch of B/W photo books, but I want something a with a methodical approach to composition.

Thanks.