random pics for c&c with my first slr

[DiskoJoe]

keep trying and dont play with guns kids!

 

[MLeeK]

Hmmm... composition before the technical? So she will have well composed OOF under/overexposed photos? Cool! We definitely differ on that... but that is what is cool about TPF! lol! (j/k)!

If you aren't in manual yet the best thing you can do is make sure you are making a good composition out of it. If you go composition first you will at least see an instant improvement.
Take blackrose's images. Her camera is a pretty limited p&s with no control afforded to the user. She has improved immensely by just working on composition and seeing creatively.

 

[ashleighmcf]

There is no thought to the composition of the images. Here is my favorite link on the composition basics: Guidelines for Better Photographic Composition.

There is no creative use of the exposure triangle to get proper exposure or to control the image. The exposure is off on all but 1. Focus is lacking on most of them. There is no control or thought put into them. They are just random snaps of things.

You are at the beginning of a long and wonderful journey. Did I mention LONG? There is A LOT for you to learn now, grasshopper!
Start with the link on good composition I gave you. EVERYONE-even a cheap crappy point and shoot can make some pretty amazing images if you use good composition.
Composition is something you can take months and months and months to work with and never stop learning new things. I'm a FIRM believer that EVERY photographer from the newest to the most seasoned should do a FULL study on composition at least once a year. I do it whenever I run out of inspiration and I learn something new or find a new way to see things every time I do it. There is much more advanced stuff to composition too, but the basics are always what I come back to every time.

Then you need to begin learning about exposure-the exposure triangle. How it works to create proper exposure of the image as well as how it works creatively to produce the image you envision in your head on the film or sensor. Digital Photograph School has some great tutorials to start you out here: Digital Photography Tips and Tutorials

As you travel along this long and winding road post your questions and your images for critique. When you do post images please tell us what you are working on (aperture, depth of field, focus, composition, etc...) so we know what to help you with most. Please include your settings with any images if at all possible. If you don't know what the settings are you can right click on an image and go to the details tab. We also need to know the mode you shot in (auto, TV, AV, P, M...) when you are working on exposure.

I thank you very much for your kind advice and C&C - I must admit it really feels discouraging on some ppls reply's on here, but when I read a post such as yours it gives me some sort of encouragement , I find overly harsh C&C for beginners can make a noobie feel a tad picked on instead of encouraged.

 

[bazooka]

Don't feel discouraged by the above comments. I feel they were all fair and decent (and accurate). It's better to assume that each poster has the best intentions regardless of how their comments come across.

Also, don't feel entitled to encouragement. There are a lot of people asking for C&C so sometimes people are brief and only have time to point out the weaknesses of an image without pointing out the good things. Many people post "ok" images and don't get any feedback because technically they are fine, but they lack impact, which is much harder to give advice on.

While it is, I would argue, equally beneficial to point out the good things because we can't assume you know what you've done right, they can be easily overlooked by people who are more experienced because they are expected of an image. For example, the exposure and white balance of #1 and #4 look really good. But the weaknesses of the images are more apparent so they are the first things that are noticed and mentioned.

If you want to solicit specific comments like "what are the strengths and weaknesses" of these images, then you need to put a little more effort into just posting images with no description or expectations other than "C&C please". We don't know where you are at, what you are working on with these images (compositiion, exposure, focus, off-camera lighting, post processing, etc....). Also, if you post only 1 or 2 images, you are more likely to get more detailed comments on each.

I think the best thing you can do for yourself right now is find a good beginners book on photography like "Understanding Exposure" or whatever, and give it a read. After a few chapters, practice. Then read some more. When you feel like you are producing better images (it won't take much time), post back for C&C. Specify what you've learned, and what you are trying to apply in the image(s) you post for critique.