A few questions, comments appreciated :)

Hello,

Well this is my first post, so right off the bat, im terribly sorry if I am putting this in the wrong section ><' If I am please move it to the right one (if possible) or delete it and send me a little message letting me know whats up

Okay, my first post, and my first apology, onto the important stuff

I am new to photography, but am addicted! My First camera was a really bad 30mm Pentax, it wasn't digital, and I didn't know anything about proper lighting, focus, flash use, etc. This camera made me HATE photography Luckily, a few years later, I bought a Casio QV-R40 4.0MP Point-and-Shoot, which was great for my needs at the time, but unfortunately the hardware in it died out from overuse

So now I have my new camera, I bought a Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D EOS 8.0MP), which I am completely blown away by. I know its not considered to be a 'Professional' camera, but I want to use it to bring my skill up, to a professional level, where I can justify spending 3-4X more ^^

My first question, is can anyone properly define/explain what 'Macro' photography exactly is? I think I may already be making 'Macro' photos, but I simply use the 'M' setting on my rebel, which lets me manually control all the settings. Is macro photography another way of saying an extreme closeup of an smaller object, to bring out its detail on a much larger scale than you would normally see it?

I took this photo yesterday, is it considered a 'macro' shot? - http://img469.imagesha​ck.us/img469/9600/23ui​.jpg

Today I bought two 'Filters' for my camera. Both Filters are from 'Hoya', I boguht a 58mm UV Filter, and a 58mm ND 4X Filter. The UV Filter is supposed to assist with overexposure from high environmental light sources, and the ND 4X Filter is supposed to give a 'softening' effect to motion. Are these useful to be used most of the time? Or are they possibly just a gimmick to make a fast buck At the very least, the UV Filter will prevent my lens from getting any dust on the glass ^^

I am using the 'kit' lens that comes with a 350D (ducks and plugs his ears from all the hisses), which I know is bad, but I didn't want to just take a leap and buy another one of the Canon EF-S series, without knowing exactly what I was getting. I would like to get a small variety of lenses for different things, and would like recommendations if people have direct experiance with the other lenses Canon makes. I know there is a section for this, so I will be reading up in there, but felt I could ask in this already long post ^^

I need recommendations for a lense for a) Shooting A Human Model, b) Shooting Large Nature Scenes c) Shooting extreme closeups of small objects, and d) extra powerful zooming, for those things you just CANT get close to. I realize that I will probably need 4 different lenses to accomplish this, so don't hesitate to give me a list ^^

Finally, if anyone is willing, would you please give me your opinion on some of the pictures I have taken? They can be seen in many places, but my DeviantArt account is probably the best for my recent shots since I got the Rebel. The link is in my signature, but please only visit if you are willing to give me some feedback, I don't want anyone thinking im trying to self-promote >< I just want some help so I can learn and get better

Just because I don't want anyone thinking im trying to make you visit another site, here are some links to what I consider to be 4 of my best shots. Please give me the best critique you can, my best needs to be better!

http://img507.imagesha​ck.us/img507/904/solar​9id.jpg
http://img507.imagesha​ck.us/img507/5302/abm9​kb.jpg
http://img507.imagesha​ck.us/img507/7595/sky2​iu.jpg
http://img507.imagesha​ck.us/img507/3269/wf9h​c.jpg

So please let me know what I can improve upon, as if I could chose any career for myself it would be photography

Thanks in advance ^^

Welcome to the forums, Dan. Regarding lens recommendations, here are a few:
1. Shooting a Human Model: Canon 50mm f/1.4
2. Shooting Large Nature Scenes: Canon 10-22 or Tokina/Sigma 12-24
3. For Extreme Close-ups: Canon 100mm f/2.8 or Tamron 90mm f/2.8
4. Zoom Lens: Canon 70-200 f/4L, Sigma 100-300 f/4, or the "Bigma" (Sigma 50-500)

You weren't specific about budget, so I tried to keep the lens list within reason.

True macro photography is 1:1, so I'd recommend a dedicated macro lens such as the two I mentioned above. These are a couple of examples of a macro. Not the best, but you get the idea.
http://emphotography.s​mugmug.com/photos/6728​5743-L.jpg
http://emphotography.s​mugmug.com/photos/6728​5705-L.jpg
Peruse the macro section for better examples. Lord V is one of the best.
As for choosing photography as a career, the best thing I could recommend would be to enhance your business skills. Marketing and knowing how to run a business can make even an average photographer successful.

thank you very much for the reply! I appreciate the recommendations on lenses, I have been going through the lens section and will take another look at the ones you recommended!

Thanks for the explanation of Macro photography, I will review the information you've pointed me to!

Thanks again for the help! Its very appreciated!

Macro photography is taking really really really close up shots of something really really tiny. There is a Macro forum under the Photo Sharing section. Pop in and see what it's all about. You will be truly amazed at what you find there! And no, that beautiful kitty shot is not a macro. A macro would be a close up of it's nostril! LOL

As for your Rebel, don't be intimidated by what some other photographers have for their camera body. Rebels work extremely well and you can get fantastic photographs from that camera. I encourage you to poke around this place and you will see what others do with their Rebels.

As for your filters, I have UV filters for ALL my lenses. I put a filter on to protect my lens and I figure it might as well be a UV. UVs are great to reduce glare. I like photos with softening effects, though depending on what you are using it on. Perhaps using that filter for photographing a lady, or a child, but not for a battleship. LOL Anything can be used for a fast buck, but nothing replaces quality and experience. Play with your camera and extras. Play with them a lot! An AWFUL LOT! The more you play, the more you learn, and I am still learning and learning.

A great lens I recently discovered and everyone here seems to love is what they call here the "nifty fifty." It is a Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens. It is, from what I understand, one of the best lenses around and it is really inexpensive, as lenses go.

Lens recommendations...I am still researching and learning too. If you look at my list below, I am acquiring quite a few! LOL I have a large family so I find that a wide angle lens is valuable. I don't use it often, but when I need it I am sure glad I have it. It might be good for large nature scenes, but depending on what you want, I wouldn't recommend the fisheye. It curls the edges of the photograph. Great for creative shooting though.

I viewed your images and then had to reread the first line of your third paragraph..."new to photography"...You are kidding, right? Those photographs look like they have been taken and edited by a seasoned professional.

So, if in fact, you are truly new to this forum and new to photography, welcome. And if you are really trying to pose as a newbie, shame on you!

thanks for your kind words! I promise I am not trying to pose as a newbie hehe, I have honestly only owned my digital rebel for a little over 2 weeks now. My Casio QV-R40 I had owned for roughly 8-9 months before it died, as it was 2nd hand.

I've been poking through the macro section, I was really quite amazed with a lot of the photo's I saw there!

Hehe some of the lenses I saw on Rebels in the lens section made it look like an entirely new camera! I didn't fully grasp how large they can get from the descriptions on Canon's website

Spending lots of time practicing won't be hard In the two weeks I've owned the camera I have taken over 2500 photos. Not a lot compared to a lot of people here I am sure, but a lot more than anyone I know in person :P

I checked out the 'nifty fifty' you mentioned and I have to agree, its quite amazing what it seems to be able to do I really think im interested in getting a EF-S 10-22, as I really like large panoramic style shots. Hehe, when I took the first few shots with my rebel I referred to them as 'widescreen' hehe. My Casio was okay for a point and shoot, but all the output was so, well, square, the rebel seems to be able to grab a lot the other never saw :P

I've been a fan of skateboarding video's for years, which has always made me want to get a fisheye lense for my sony camcorder :P I wouldn't mind having one for my rebel, but it would be one of the last lenses I would get because of the limited application available, at least, as far as I can think of, maybe im not thinking 'outside the box' quite enough yet ^^

Thanks again for your very kind words! I really appreciate positive feedback ^^

If you like the look of the fisheye, you will find many applications for it. Keep your eyes peeled for photos using that kind of lens. It will bring new ideas to mind. Like I said, I am not really fond of the effects of fisheye, but many, many people are. If you like the effect, look into getting it. You will find reasons to try it out! Good luck, and welcome again!

I suggest you get that Rebel and take shots of skateboarding!

I see a photoholic in the making! Enjoy the adventure.

I think the "Kit lens" is the most underrated piece you can get your hands on. if you've only had your camera for a few weeks, that lens you got right now is a great tool to learn with. Give it a chance before you listen to people put it down. It has its limitations, but those limitations will help you figure out what you'll need in the future.

That is unless you got a bunch of cash just layin' around. if thats the case, have fun with all the new glass!

thanks for the input! Ive been very happy with the shots this camera has been taking so far, and I understand what you mean about its limitations helping to show me where I will want to expand. Hehe I work a day job for my living so unfortunately I can't just go and buy a FEW lenses all at once, but I do hope to buy the ones I need more in the not toooooo far off future I'll see how I feel about it when I have the money to consider it more ^^

thanks again for the help!

One site I like for lens reviews is the-digital-picture.com - not only does Bryan review the lenses, but he gives you sample shots and what I regard as sensible recommendations for different types of photography.

Two of my three lenses were chosen using his recommendations, and I felt I knew what I was getting before I opened the boxes.

David

Here's another thought,Dan, about close-up and macro photography. Maybe you should invest in Paul Harcourt Davies fantastic book "The complete guide to close-up and macro photography" His images will inspire you and his practical tips will put you on the right track for appropriate gear to achieve great photos.

Here's the ISBN for Paul Harcourts book 0-7153-0800-9

DavidW wrote:
One site I like for lens reviews is the-digital-picture.com - not only does Bryan review the lenses, but he gives you sample shots and what I regard as sensible recommendations for different types of photography.

Two of my three lenses were chosen using his recommendations, and I felt I knew what I was getting before I opened the boxes.


David

Hello David and thank you very much for the link! I took a look at the site this morning on my way to work and I have to agree his writeups are quite well done! I will have to take another look before I rush out to buy a new lens! Thanks a ton

Thanks for the title! I will see if I can order a copy of it from Chapters, as I really like the possibilites that Macro photography seems to be able to offer when it comes to more 'artistic' photography over 'commerical' photography! hehe sorry if that last statement didn't make too much sense Maybe it would be better worded as nature vs. human photography :P Anyways thanks again for the recommendation!