New to the forum and photography C&C appreciated

[mike_rambo]

Hi guys

Ive been a lurker for a little while but finally decided to buy my first dslr on boxing day this year, picked up a nikon d3100 as well as the nikkor 55-200 telephoto lense. Below are some of my first shots I'm reasonably pleased with that I took on a recent business trip to Ottawa. I'm looking for some feedback and constructive criticism, any would be greatly appreciated! All the shots were edited slightly in lightroom, primarily for noise reduction. All were shot handheld and with the kit lens as i have yet to buy a tripod.


18mm, iso3200, f/6.3, 1/8sec

24mm, iso3200 f/8, 1/60sec

18mm, iso100, f/5.6, 1/8sec

images shot in manual but with iso set to auto. Thanks!

 

[mike_rambo]

any feedback guys? It would be much appreciated thanks!

 

[tirediron]

Comments per req:

1. The under-exposure gives this one an odd feel, and the distortion created by your focal length and perspective make it more so. I almost think this would work better as a monochrome, especially if you could actually make the snow white.

2. Museum exhibits, like those in zoos, rarely make great photographic subjects. In this case we really can't see enough of the aircraft to make it truly interesting. It is probably the longest a Voodoo has ever stayed in the air though!

3. A tough subject; you've got the flame exposure good, but the rest of the scene is so under-exposed it's hard to see what is going on. This is a case where you can't just shoot it and move on. Either more light, or a technique such as HDR was needed to produce a more interesting image.

Overall, they're a good start. Keep shooting, keep posting...

Just my $00.02 worth - your mileage may vary.

~John

 

[Tuffythepug]

For first shots with a new camera they are ok. I agree with John's comments above. Can't add a lot to that. Yes, museum shots can be difficult to pull off. The airplane kind of gets lost against the ceiling structure. If it could have been somehow made to stand out more it might have been more interesting. But that's hard to do in a 2 dimensional medium under the constraints of a museum setting. Keep shooting and try to learn a bit every time you press the shutter

 

[Alex_B]

Here you can see how different people see things differently But it really depends on what the purpose of your image is, what you want to achieve ....

Comments per req:
1. The under-exposure gives this one an odd feel, and the distortion created by your focal length and perspective make it more so. I almost think this would work better as a monochrome, especially if you could actually make the snow white.

To me, for a night shot ... OVERexposed ... but again, depends on what you want to achieve ....

2. Museum exhibits, like those in zoos, rarely make great photographic subjects. In this case we really can't see enough of the aircraft to make it truly interesting. It is probably the longest a Voodoo has ever stayed in the air though!

Agreed. However, giving the limited space in that hall and the lens restrictions, it is probably a quite good perspective and framing.

3. A tough subject; you've got the flame exposure good, but the rest of the scene is so under-exposed it's hard to see what is going on. This is a case where you can't just shoot it and move on. Either more light, or a technique such as HDR was needed to produce a more interesting image.

I agree it is tough ... if the flames are indeed what it is all about and the rest should remain in mystery, then it is well done, if not, it would need some extra light

 

[Tuffythepug]

I did a bw rendering of the first shot just to see how it would look in monochrome. Whitened up the snow a bit and added contrast

 

[Frequency]

Images are not bad...
I think it is always better to start from well-lit places and build a self confidence and then start handling low light situations
Regards

 

[Derrel]

Not too bad considering your newbie status and all. I have seen much,much,much worse...if this is what you've managed with such a new rig and with your fist dslr, you'll do fine I think. These are actually "pictures", I think, not just "snaps".

 

[Frequency]

or be proficient in post processing as tuffy deals with it

 

[Frequency]

Tuffy, why i could not find the "like" option in your edit post? :scratch:

 

[mike_rambo]

Thanks for the feedback guys! I have a lot to learn still and agree I should probably getused to shooting in good lighting conditions first. I was going for more of a mysterious effect in the flame shot hence why it is so underexposed. Tuffy love the monochrome edit of the first one. I have been shooting and adjusting my settings so that the cameras meter is balanced at 0, I don't know if this is good or bad teqnique when starting out.