a complete beginners first pictures

davethe11 · 21 May 2008 at 01:37

I've just got my S5700, have spent a few days learning the difference between my f-stops and my ISO, and finally got a few evenings of nice weather to click. With my mode dial set to M, some inspiration from the pictures I've seen here, and bags of enthusiasm, I got some pictures that I was delighted with.

Please check out a few picks on my new flickr account:

link

I have no experience at all with photography so constructive criticism and advice is more than welcome.

33L · 21 May 2008 at 08:01

i think they are very promising! watch out for the highlights in the 'tree texture' image. But as a first set they dont look to bad at all.

TwoSaints · 21 May 2008 at 08:56

For a beginner and using Manual these are really good!

One point I'd say is on the second sunset there is too much sky compared to land, with shots like this you need to watch for the rule of thirds

davethe11 · 21 May 2008 at 11:33

thanks chaps, I'm glad you liked them

By highlights, am I correct in thinking this refers to over exposed areas of the picture? The first thing that has struck me about photography is the difficulty in assessing the brightness of a scene and finding a nice balance between colour and exposure.

The rule of thirds also something I will be more aware of in the future, thanks Jonny. It's interesting how a small amount of knowledge can go a long way; I now look at other peoples photographs in a whole new light, examining composition, depth of field and colour and appreciating how much skill and talent is behind a great pic.

[edit] I followed the links in your sigs chaps, very fine images indeed and more inspiration for me

RaV · 21 May 2008 at 15:52

I think its really great that your using manual mode to start off with. I think it will help you progress a lot quicker than someone who decides against using it. Though at first it is rather daunting.
And definitely use flickr to find all the inspiration you need to get yourself out taking photos as much as possible.

thats one thing i find these sites are very good for.
And it looks like your off to a good start, so dont stop!

33L · 21 May 2008 at 16:38

some cameras donthave great dynamic ranges (i.e. able to handle really bright area and really dark areas in the same shot)

I shoot RAW and its easier to recover blown highlights in a shot as i feel the sharpness is lost trying to get the dark areas brighter.

The best thing to do apart from practising is ASK! never be afraid of comments - you will learn from them. if something something really small can have a huge impact.

davethe11 · 21 May 2008 at 17:33

thanks for the encouragement everyone, I've looked at all of your pics from your sig links and I really am impressed, intimidated, but enthusiastic to practice and enjoy photography. I'm sure I will have some technical questions too regarding terminology, particularly on lenses, but I'm sure you'll see me through my infancy.

Jotun · 21 May 2008 at 23:02

A nice set of images to start off with, I particularly like the one of your friend mid air, an interesting idea and well pulled off I feel, although a bit of processing might be beneficial to bring out the colours a bit more and increase the contrast a bit. The sunsets are quite nice as well, theres nice vibrant colours, if you headed out a bit earlier you could try and get the foreground lit as well, although the silhouette works well. The lighting of the wood brings out the texture well, I'm not sure but a square crop might help, although then it might feel too cramped. With the other few shots, it looks like you've got a fairly good idea of what you are doing as the sky and foreground is well exposed which is still something that I mess up on too often, it looks like you've made an excellent start over all

If you've not done so already I'd recommend reading Jodie Coston's Online Photography Course. As you already know what the settings do you'll be able to skip over some of it, but I found it was a great resource when learning. Just keep experimenting and trying new things as you have been and I'm sure you'll get results you are happy with as you are already off to a great start.

davethe11 · 22 May 2008 at 19:05

thanks for the encouragement and the advice Jotun, it's much appreciated. Thank you for the link too, I intend on reading the resource and absorbing as much as I can! It's also nice to be able to read other peoples posts now and understand to a degree what they are talking about, particularly things like stopping down, changing ISO, and fast/slow lenses/cameras. Again, many thanks to you and everyone else for the encouragement and comments on my photos, and I hope to get some more shots available soon.