First shots

Hey, just bought a new A620 and tried my luck with some nature shots. I am really new to photography so i would appreciate some criticism. I am going backpacking in Europe this summer so i hope to improve before I leave.

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3.

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Well, these are certainly acceptable photos. I presume that you have a processing program that will allow you to crop the images. If so, then one way to look at your images for getting a desired pictorial effect, is simply to try different crops and see what you think. Carry your conclusions to the field on your next shoot.

Take you second photo for example. The trick of coloring the flowers, and leaving the rest in black and white is an interesting appoach to this image. Limiting the depth of field as you did helps this image. Next, you might ask yourself about how the background impacts the image. For example, do the railings add or detract from the image? The nice thing about digital images is that one can improve on the original images through using all these post-processing techniques.

Hi, I also have an A620. It's a great camera to learn on, pics look great in Auto mode when you're a newbie and even better when you start experimenting with aperture and shutter speed. One thing to keep in mind is the rule of thirds. What is the main focal point in your picture? Try to see ordinary object in a different way and try different angles. For some honest critique - in your first picture I wasn't sure what I should be looking at, it's not very interesting. The second picture is nice with just the purple being the color. One thing to try would be to get a little closer to the flower, move it to the left or right of center and shoot with a more open aperture (f2.8 for example) to acheive a nice blurry background (aka Bokah) with less distractions. Same with the third pic. That one is nice but it would be a little more eye catching to play with the depth of field a little so it goes out of focus in the back.

I also recommend the book Understanding Exposure by Bryant Peterson. Another thing that really helped me was to look at other people's photos. It helps you learn what you like and don't like, what makes a good photos and a stunning photo. I have found Flickr to be an amazing source of inspiration. Take tons of pictures, that's the beauty of shooting digital. I will take 20 shots of the same thing trying out different settings and out of the batch one or two will be winners. Best of luck and have fun!