new photographer questions :)

[kfin22]

So I am finally starting photography, something i have always felt passionate about but have been to afraid to try myself. I recently purchased a nikon d3000 and have been playing around with it but i have so much to learn to get where i need to be. I would love some advice from fellow photogs!

I was wondering if anyone could tell me what settings with my camera (nikon d3000 with the standard lens it came with) would help me to produce images with a very clear subject and blurred out backround ... im finding my pictures arent as sharp as i would like them to be. I sharpen them in gimp but im not very satisfied with the results.


i would really really appreciate any comments and advice you have for me!!

 

[Robin Usagani]

Any setting will help you produce good photos if you use it right. YOur best bet is to understand the relation between shutter speed, aperture and ISO.

 

[Johnboy2978]

Sharpness could depend on a lot of variables from quality of your lens to the setting you are using. Generally the "sweet" spot in many lenses is somewhere around f/4-f/5.6 (round about) or a couple stops up from it's widest aperture.

Another cause for blurry pics can be from camera shake. You can reduce this w/ a good solid tripod, using a shutter release or mirror lock up function. You also need to insure that your shutter speed is adequate to reduce your shakiness when shooting w/o a tripod. A good rule of thumb is to shoot with a shutter speed that is at least the reciprocal (or faster) of the longest focal length of your lens. That is, if you're shooting w/ a 50mm lens, you want a shutter speed of at least 1/50 or faster. If you're shooting w/ a 70-200mm, you want at least a shutter speed of 1/200 or faster. Try those tips.

A blurred background has to do w/ several variables as well. This is generally produced w/ a wider aperture (smaller number) like f/2.8 or so. It is dependent however on the distance of the subject to the lens and the distance of the subject to the background as well as the focal length of the lens. When you're shooting w/ a wide aperture, it also makes it much more difficult to focus accurately and takes a lot of practice to get the areas you want in focus given that the depth of field (DoF) is so shallow.

 

[AgentDrex]

And you could always post your photos so we can have a look...

 

[pbelarge]

kfin
Hello and welcome to the forum


1. have you read your manual? If so, it sounds like you did not understand what you have read. This is the first step towards your future.

2. There will be terms in the manual you do not understand. Perform a search on each of the terms, you will find more info online to help than you ever imagined.

3. Once you have started to read these searches, you may develop questions. Write them down and come back for a visit. Well formed questions usually get great responses here.

Good luck and have some fun.

 

[kfin22]

thanks for the advice! here is a picture i took but this is after editing, i don't have the original

also, any advice on my editing? ahhh, i have to tell myself that i have to be PATIENT to get where i want to be and have the skill level i want, it takes time! but i wanna be good NOW haha

 

[Scatterbrained]

Buy, "Understanding Exposure". Read it. Practice.

 

[cnutco]

There is a lot of knowlege to gain before taking this step.

Read, go to classes and learnlearnlearn!

Anyway, have fun.

 

[dannystoria]

So I am finally starting photography, something i have always felt passionate about but have been to afraid to try myself. I recently purchased a nikon d3000 and have been playing around with it but i have so much to learn to get where i need to be. I would love some advice from fellow photogs!

I was wondering if anyone could tell me what settings with my camera (nikon d3000 with the standard lens it came with) would help me to produce images with a very clear subject and blurred out backround ... im finding my pictures arent as sharp as i would like them to be. I sharpen them in gimp but im not very satisfied with the results.


i would really really appreciate any comments and advice you have for me!!

I also have a Nikon D3000. At first I was also having problems with the sharpness of my pictures. Come to find out the setting on my camera was set to the lowest quality. Once I changed that my pics became much clearer.

 

[tnvol]

Buy, "Understanding Exposure". Read it. Practice.

Agreed. This book put everything together for me and I was able to start understanding what my camera could do. It's a very easy read.

 

[Negative ISO]

thanks for the advice! here is a picture i took but this is after editing, i don't have the original

From one newbie to another: To me it looks like you focused on the shrub/bush thing in the front corner rather focusing than the girl. Also there is so much of that shrub in the frame that it rather dominates the picture.

I would also suggest a portrait layout, zoomed in much tighter on the subject. I'm guessing you could crop away 3/4 of the trees and bushes. Or was your subject the woods and bushes, and the girl is just window dressing?

 

[Bad Andy]

One of the biggest mistakes that I made when I first started shooting was not understanding how to toggle your focus points. This tells the camera what to focus on.

Keep shooting!

-Andy

 

[KmH]

thanks for the advice! here is a picture i took but this is after editing, i don't have the original

also, any advice on my editing? ahhh, i have to tell myself that i have to be PATIENT to get where i want to be and have the skill level i want, it takes time! but i wanna be good NOW haha

Your watermark is kind of intrusive. Your name should be bigger than the graphic, IMO.

Why is this girl in the photo? She obviously isn't the main subject since she only takes up about 1/20th of the frame, and her feet are missing.

The background is very busy with vertical lines (tree trunks), horizontal lines (fence), diagonal lines (branches), making for competing lines.

If the girl was your intended subject, get closer and take a picture of the girl. Minimize any background distractions that steal attention from the girl. Get the girl 6 to 8 feet away from background elements and use fill light.

Notice the vertical format, not horizontal: