What can I do with a Nikon D60 SLR w/AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens?

[pezuzaine]

I'm new to photography... like BRAND NEW and I own a Nikon D60 SLR with an AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens. Can anyone help with suggestions and/or advice on what I can do with it? Or even how to effectively use it?

Pez

 

[fiveoboy01]

Well for starters, you can use it to take pictures:meh:

Gotta be more specific with your question.

 

[Plato]

I'm new to photography... like BRAND NEW and I own a Nikon D60 SLR with an AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens. Can anyone help with suggestions and/or advice on what I can do with it? Or even how to effectively use it?

Pez

Give us some idea of your interests.

Here is a collection of my snaps. Roughly half of them could have been taken with your gear.

 

[pezuzaine]

LOL, yeah I guess that was a pretty bland question. I've had it for a while now and I've been taking random pictures here and there, just not ones that are keepers. I've take a few that turned out pretty good, but either than that I've been a little frustrated with the turnouts.

 

[::trainwreck::]

sometimes it comes in handy as a paperweight. if you throw it hard enough, you can knock someone out with it. try using it as a doorstop. hell, sometimes i even take pictures with mine

 

[pezuzaine]

How about this, I want to be able to take pictures that have a focused background and a blurred foreground and vise-versa.

 

[Jaszek]

you can have a competition with your friends like who can throw it further, or who can throw it higher.

 

[Plato]

How about this, I want to be able to take pictures that have a focused background and a blurred foreground and vise-versa.

Did any of my snaps interest you?

 

[fiveoboy01]

How about this, I want to be able to take pictures that have a focused background and a blurred foreground and vise-versa.

The 18-55 does not have a very large max aperture but you can still get out of focus backgrounds/foregrounds if you get close enough to the subject, increase the distance between the subject and the background, or zoom out with the lens. Shoot at maximum aperture(lowest f-stop number) to get the most blurred areas.

Here is a good quick read on depth of field:

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Depthoffield-explained-4631

 

[::trainwreck::]

i would suggest a beginners book on photography, it'll explain things like depth of field, aperture, shutter speed, etc. go to my flickr, i have the same camera you do, and all those were taken on it.

 

[pezuzaine]

How about this, I want to be able to take pictures that have a focused background and a blurred foreground and vise-versa.

Did any of my snaps interest you?

Yeah I saw the one the the plane in the foreground and the people in the background were blurred. Also the same effects on the one with the memorial stones and the background was blurred also.

 

[Plato]

How about this, I want to be able to take pictures that have a focused background and a blurred foreground and vise-versa.

Did any of my snaps interest you?

Yeah I saw the one the the plane in the foreground and the people in the background were blurred. Also the same effects on the one with the memorial stones and the background was blurred also.

OK. The airplane shot was taken with a 50mm f/1.4 lens wide open and the cemetery shot with an 85mm f/1.8 lens wide open. Your equipment will not produce those results from the distances involved because your lens will not open wide enough.

However, you can (and should) experiment from closer distances using your camera in Aperture Priority mode with the lens as far open as it will go. (Set it while it's zoomed in. That way, as you zoom in and out, the camera will always force it to whatever the max is for the selected focal length.)

 

[pezuzaine]

Thanks that was helpful Plato :thumbup:

 

[mrs.hutch]

ooorrrrrrrrrr... you could throw your hands in the air, let out a big sigh, and decide you would love to just mail your camera and lens to me okinawa call it an early birthday gift!!

(a girl can wish right..)

 

[Plato]

ooorrrrrrrrrr... you could throw your hands in the air, let out a big sigh, and decide you would love to just mail your camera and lens to me okinawa call it an early birthday gift!!

(a girl can wish right..)

Have you no shame, woman?

Hmmm... I wonder if he would send it to me.