Where do I begin?

[Aedai]

I'm really interested in taking landscape photographs, and I think they're coming out okay:

(critique welcome, these are literally my first landscape photos that I did on my camera)

I'm also really interested in night/star photographs but I don't even know where to start. Lense? Settings? What?

I have a Canon Rebel T3i.

 

[bribrius]

that first one might be one of the better ones i've seen all week.

 

[minicoop1985]

Yeah... You can say that again, Bribrius...

 

[bribrius]

Yeah... You can say that again, Bribrius...

first landscape pic they ever took. im tempted to nominate it for photo of the month.. if for nothing else than the irony..

 

[Aedai]

Ha, well I've taken many landscape ones on regular digital cameras (the cheap $50 ones or so) but these is my first DSLR shots. It helps having an absolutely flawless scenery

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

If you don't have one yet, the place to start is with a good tripod. A tripod will allow you to maximize your image quality because it allows you to shoot without holding or even touching (moving) the camera. This in turn allows you to use slower shutter speeds, which in turn allow you to use lower ISO (less noise) and the aperture of your choice.

Using a tripod also tends to slow people down and make them think about their composition, which usually makes for better photos.

The next thing I'd suggest getting, would be a circular polarizing filter.

Of course, the best and most important thing you can do, is to learn about photography. Specifically, learn about exposure....Aperture, ISO & Shutter Speed.

 

[Aedai]

Tripod - check
Polarizing filters - check (4 of them actually)

I do need to learn about exposures/etc. because I'm completely clueless. Is there a dumbed-down place that explains such things?

 

[Designer]

Is there a dumbed-down place that explains such things?

You've found it!

 

[Designer]

I'm also really interested in night/star photographs but I don't even know where to start.

Start here: http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...aheim-s-ultimate-guide-night-photography.html

 

[twohearted]

Nice shots! The first one looks near-flawless to me, really nice work there. The second is less interesting and a little dark, but still a nice photo.

I don't usually respond to threads because I don't feel I know enough to offer very helpful critique yet, but I wanted to chime in on this one because, in addition to liking your photos, I feel like we have some things in common. I also just recently moved up to my first DSLR (which happens to be a Rebel T3i), and I too am mostly interested in landscape photography. You've definitely chosen the right place to live to do that! Montana is gorgeous. I live in Michigan, which is pretty, but the landscape isn't nearly as dramatic here.

I also wanted to offer a recommendation of the book that taught me about exposure, Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. I found it really easy to understand his explanations of the basic concepts (aperture, shutter speed and ISO), plus he talks a lot about different types of light in various environments and how to take good photos in challenging situations with any camera. Actually, that's probably my favorite thing about his book, the fact that he really emphasizes that taking good pictures isn't about the the gear, but knowing how to use the gear you have.

I should add that there is a wealth of knowledge to be tapped here on this forum. Everyone here has been really nice and helpful whenever I've posted questions or put up photos for critique.

Cheers,
Bryon

 

[Big Mike]

I do need to learn about exposures/etc. because I'm completely clueless. Is there a dumbed-down place that explains such things?

The most common recommendation is this book Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera: Bryan Peterson: 0884798534707: Amazon.com: Books

A better choice, if it works for you, would be to take a class. I teach this stuff and many students have told me that they learned more in 12 hours of class (over 4 week), than they did in years of reading books and websites.

At the very least, read up on these terms: Exposure, Shutter Speed, ISO, and Aperture.

Of course, this forum is a great resource, but you'll get a lot more out of us, if you are clearly putting in some work to learn it yourself.

 

[Aedai]

Nice shots! The first one looks near-flawless to me, really nice work there. The second is less interesting and a little dark, but still a nice photo.

I don't usually respond to threads because I don't feel I know enough to offer very helpful critique yet, but I wanted to chime in on this one because, in addition to liking your photos, I feel like we have some things in common. I also just recently moved up to my first DSLR (which happens to be a Rebel T3i), and I too am mostly interested in landscape photography. You've definitely chosen the right place to live to do that! Montana is gorgeous. I live in Michigan, which is pretty, but the landscape isn't nearly as dramatic here.

I also wanted to offer a recommendation of the book that taught me about exposure, Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. I found it really easy to understand his explanations of the basic concepts (aperture, shutter speed and ISO), plus he talks a lot about different types of light in various environments and how to take good photos in challenging situations with any camera. Actually, that's probably my favorite thing about his book, the fact that he really emphasizes that taking good pictures isn't about the the gear, but knowing how to use the gear you have.

I should add that there is a wealth of knowledge to be tapped here on this forum. Everyone here has been really nice and helpful whenever I've posted questions or put up photos for critique.

Cheers,
Bryon

Thank you! I'll definitely need to check through that book!

I do need to learn about exposures/etc. because I'm completely clueless. Is there a dumbed-down place that explains such things?

The most common recommendation is this book Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera: Bryan Peterson: 0884798534707: Amazon.com: Books

A better choice, if it works for you, would be to take a class. I teach this stuff and many students have told me that they learned more in 12 hours of class (over 4 week), than they did in years of reading books and websites.

At the very least, read up on these terms: Exposure, Shutter Speed, ISO, and Aperture.

Of course, this forum is a great resource, but you'll get a lot more out of us, if you are clearly putting in some work to learn it yourself.

Single Mom-ness prevents me from having the time to take a class, but I do have time to read late at night. Unless I can take an online class for photography... I'll have to look into it. Thank you for the link, though!

I've done some of my own research on ISO and Exposure and it's making more sense now. I used to think photography was point, shoot, done but it's so much more than that! Who knew!


edit::
Also @Designer, thank you for the link! Just noticed you posted it and it looks very helpful!

 

[Designer]

Also @Designer, thank you for the link! Just noticed you posted it and it looks very helpful!

You're welcome!

Here's another one of my favorites: Check out the tutorials: Cambridge in Colour - Photography Tutorials & Learning Community

 

[agp]

I like the first one, but it's a little too HDR-esque for my taste.

 

[Aedai]

Also @Designer, thank you for the link! Just noticed you posted it and it looks very helpful!

You're welcome!

Here's another one of my favorites: Check out the tutorials: Cambridge in Colour - Photography Tutorials & Learning Community

That looks sooooo helpful, thank you!!!