what am i doing wrong? focus/sharpness/lighting help needed...

[markc]

Depends on what you are after. I like a shallow DOF, so I shoot from f/1.4 to f/2.8. I then use as high an ISO as I can while still keeping a shutter speed that lets me hand hold the camera without too much shake.

 

[RacePhoto]

correct, i guess i'm looking for a "magic combo" . is there a priority one should consider? like 1st adjust the aperture, then adjust the shutter speed and ISO accordingly, or any other order, or does it not matter...

the flash i do believe went off, but it was pointed up. i just took a bunch of shots i am downloading with the flash head on diffused...we'll see what happened...

The best thing you are doing is trying different things, learning and experimenting. Each time you take a picture and make some mental notes on how you did it and how it worked out, you are filling in your knowledge base. (making notes on paper would be even better) What happens next is you will be able to say to yourself, "I'd like the picture to look like this..." and you'll be able to make the camera settings match what you want.

More amazing. The picture will actually look like you planned it to look.

Keep trying and learning. Digital has the advantage of nearly instant feedback, so you can adjust and modify and experiment.

 

[GilTphoto]

yeah, no flash is the goal, but if i "have to" use it, i need to learn how... :study:

here is a no flash and flash shot by the same window, they both look flat to me...

In all these shots you still haven't moved the aperature away from f/4.
Why are you using manual mode? You need to use a smaller aperature such as f/8, and you need to use the flash to get a fast enough shutter speed when using f/8. Forget uping the ISO setting. 400-800 is too grainy. stick with 100 and USE FLASH!! Put the camera on Aperature priority at f/8.

with no flash, there is not enough light to give you a sharp picture.

 

[markc]

Flash isn't mandatory, and she would rather shoot without it.

Though I do think you would need a different lens if you're not going to use a flash. You'd have to either want or at least accept a shallow DOF and use something like a 50mm/f1.8 or 85mm/f1.8 lens at the wider apertures. f/3.5-f/4.5 isn't really going to cut it for most indoor situations.

 

[jerseygirl]

Though I do think you would need a different lens if you're not going to use a flash. You'd have to either want or at least accept a shallow DOF and use something like a 50mm/f1.8 or 85mm/f1.8 lens at the wider apertures. f/3.5-f/4.5 isn't really going to cut it for most indoor situations.

this is what i'm concluding as well...

i spent the last couple days shooting in RAW format and am amazed. i think i'd be able to render some great photos if i only knew what i was doing!