Messing around with aperture for the first time

James07

James07

James07

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So, i have a Nikon D40x and ive just been reading up on aperture, this is what i managed to do. Now i know im no pro, remember this is my first couple of shots trying properly & i need a tripod, fortunately its on order :)

Im only adding the ones i thought were any good, there were a few really crappy ones that i didnt like!

Please be constructive with your criticism :)


DSC_0040 by urbexj, on Flickr


DSC_0043 by urbexj, on Flickr

Cheers,

James.
 
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I don't understand what you mean by 'messing around with aperture'? Both look like you've used the same f-stop.

Edit: Yes, you used exactly the same settings for both so what do you mean/what are you asking?
 
Uploaded the wrong image, the first one was f5.6 55mm the second was f3.5 18mm
im not entirely sure what im doing, kinda need to know if it looks like im doing things right, although it looks right?
 
It depends entirely on what YOU as the Photographer are trying to achieve with the photograph, there is no right or wrong.

Your photos are using relatively large apertures, at least for the lens you are using. Depending on focal length, distance and what you are shooting, this will allow you to separate the subject from the background, giving a blurred background.

If you want to capture the subject and the background and have it more or less the same, you want to use a smaller aperture in the range of at least f/8-f/11.

Once you get on to the really small apertures, you can have complete front to back focus throughout the image, so if your subject is halfway into the capture, everything in front and behind will also be in focus, with something like f/22.

Continue to play around to see what they do to understand how aperture works, what kind of shutter speeds you need, then you can move to shooting in manual mode. There isn't really much to say about your photos though.
 
Why do you think you need a tripod?

In my opinion what you have actually shown in your two photos is the difference the focal length makes to the depths of the scene. The one shot at 55mm is much more compressed than the 18mm shot.
 
I like your exposure in both, you have caught the cold wet beads on the can quite well. Technically, the top shot is good, as the can is in sharp focus and is not distorted. So if it was an advert, it would do well. The second is heavily distorted by the wide angle of 18mm. This may be great if you had someone's arm stretching from behind the wall and reaching for the can, as it adds a quirky 'story' to the picture.
Like Geuben said, the 18mm has made depth to the picture, so this is good if the can was replaced with a statue, or a rock and you want the background blurred away in the distance.
 
Thank you everyone for the comments, ive read all of them and im going to take everything on board, ive been out to a local quarry and i had another try, but i dont know which i like of the pics below, im not sure if i even like any of them..


DSC_0162 by urbexj, on Flickr


DSC_0158 by urbexj, on Flickr


DSC_0157 by urbexj, on Flickr
 
James07 said:
Uploaded the wrong image, the first one was f5.6 55mm the second was f3.5 18mm
im not entirely sure what im doing, kinda need to know if it looks like im doing things right, although it looks right?
Click to expand...

You are changing both aperture and focal length so it will be hard for you to learn what change is causing what effect.

Why not just stick your lens to 55mm and try f/5.6 and then f/16 to see the difference with the camera at a fixed position.

Also you wont get a shallow DoF with the kit lens to really learn what is happening.
 
Above all once you understand the basics of exposure, forcing yourself to only use a prime lens like a 50mm 1.8 or 30mm 1.4 will teach you a whole new world of things.
 
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