Newbie first DSLR shots

[r1ch1e]

Hey guys and girls,

I've been recommended this site by a friend who just upgraded to a 40D and I'm now the proud owner of his 350D. :lol:

Now I'm new to this game, and I've been doing a little reading. I've been taking a few photos over the last week or so and have a few that I've put on a flickr account. ;)

Would like to get some poeple's initial thoughts and advice.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26841267@N05/

Thanks :)

Rich

[Schipperke]

Welcome. Hope you enjoy your time here.

Just learn as much as you can and get out there and shoot!

I like "Disconnected" the dirt bike shot. Keep it up and show more.

[ImageMogul]

Welcome, Rich.

Congrats on the DSLR. You will enjoy the flexibility it provides.

I like your "The Road Ahead". It does invite you to whatever adventure lies ahead.

In "Disconnected" and "The Open Road" it would help to get a tighter shot, IMHO. It is difficult to "connect" and share the action with a subject that is difficult to see clearly (Audi A3 on the highway, perhaps?).

Have fun with your new gear!

Mark

[r1ch1e]

Welcome. Hope you enjoy your time here.

Just learn as much as you can and get out there and shoot!

I like "Disconnected" the dirt bike shot. Keep it up and show more.

:)

Welcome, Rich.

Congrats on the DSLR. You will enjoy the flexibility it provides.

I like your "The Road Ahead". It does invite you to whatever adventure lies ahead.

In "Disconnected" and "The Open Road" it would help to get a tighter shot, IMHO. It is difficult to "connect" and share the action with a subject that is difficult to see clearly (Audi A3 on the highway, perhaps?).

Have fun with your new gear!

Mark

Good points. At the moment, I'm stuck with the 18-55mm stock lens, so with both shots, I'm doing the best I can from distance. I'm also limited to the 32MB CF card until the 4GB turns up, so I'm shooting on the small, quality shot. I'm really limited!

Both occasions were rather impromtu and opportunistic - I'm glad with how 'Disconnected' has turned out, even if a bit far away.

Thanks :D

[DrFil]

in your The Open Road shot:
M5??? That's an Audi, not BMW! Did you mean A5?

[yogestee]

in your The Open Road shot:
M5??? That's an Audi, not BMW! Did you mean A5?

Ummmmmm Fil?? The M5 is a motorway not a car in this image..:p

[Walczak Photo]

Hey Rich,
To me it looks like you're getting some good colors and exposures there. The only real advice I would offer at this point is to work on composition. Learn what goes into making a "good" picture. Personally I find one of the best ways to do that is simply to look at the work of others who are doing stuff similar to your own interests to see how it's done. Obviously read and learn all you can, but if you can mimic the work of others who do great work you'll get a good understand of what goes into good compositions...the rule of thirds, isolate the main subject, minimize your backgrounds, how to use DOF (Depth Of Field) effectively, etc..

The one thing I would add to this is simply in regards to your comment "At the moment, I'm stuck with the 18-55mm stock lens, so with both shots, I'm doing the best I can from distance. I'm also limited to the 32MB CF card until the 4GB turns up, so I'm shooting on the small, quality shot. I'm really limited!"... In the long run you may find this to actually be an advantage as it will force you to be a little more creative. Very often those folks who have gotten the really nice "toys" early on don't have as much of an appreciation for doing really good creative work as those of us who have had to learn things the "hard way". That said, if it were me, the first thing I would work on is getting a longer lens. You don't need to go out and blow a bundle right away but I would pick up something like a used Tamron or Sigma 70-300mm lens which you can often find for around $100 (or less) on Ebay...it'll make shots like "Disconnected" much more impressive by bringing the central subject in much closer. I have a Tamron 70-300mm LD which I got used for $65 and it's actually my main lens...sometimes you have to fudge with them a little but they are capable of some really sharp images :D.

Good luck and have fun!
Jim

[r1ch1e]

in your The Open Road shot:
M5??? That's an Audi, not BMW! Did you mean A5?

Ummmmmm Fil?? The M5 is a motorway not a car in this image..:p

:lol: Yes, yes it is!

And the car is an Audi A3 ;)

Hey Rich,
To me it looks like you're getting some good colors and exposures there. The only real advice I would offer at this point is to work on composition. Learn what goes into making a "good" picture. Personally I find one of the best ways to do that is simply to look at the work of others who are doing stuff similar to your own interests to see how it's done. Obviously read and learn all you can, but if you can mimic the work of others who do great work you'll get a good understand of what goes into good compositions...the rule of thirds, isolate the main subject, minimize your backgrounds, how to use DOF (Depth Of Field) effectively, etc..

The one thing I would add to this is simply in regards to your comment "At the moment, I'm stuck with the 18-55mm stock lens, so with both shots, I'm doing the best I can from distance. I'm also limited to the 32MB CF card until the 4GB turns up, so I'm shooting on the small, quality shot. I'm really limited!"... In the long run you may find this to actually be an advantage as it will force you to be a little more creative. Very often those folks who have gotten the really nice "toys" early on don't have as much of an appreciation for doing really good creative work as those of us who have had to learn things the "hard way". That said, if it were me, the first thing I would work on is getting a longer lens. You don't need to go out and blow a bundle right away but I would pick up something like a used Tamron or Sigma 70-300mm lens which you can often find for around $100 (or less) on Ebay...it'll make shots like "Disconnected" much more impressive by bringing the central subject in much closer. I have a Tamron 70-300mm LD which I got used for $65 and it's actually my main lens...sometimes you have to fudge with them a little but they are capable of some really sharp images :D.

Good luck and have fun!
Jim

Thank you for the feedback, and trying to put a positive take on my situation with camera, lens and card! :)

To explain a bit further, I got the 350D to replace an Ixus 700 at taking close-up macro type shots of computer hardware (I run a website that does testing and reviews). For that reason, I never expected to be taking photos of stuff at a distance outdoors so I didn't think I'd need an extra lens. Well, having a DSLR has forced me outdoors and into those scenarios so it looks like I might have to take you advice and pick something like that up.

Thanks again, I should be adding to the flickr gallery this week.