Allow me to introduce my self...

Hello My name is Rachel, I am from the South of England, but currently living in Virginia, US, My husband is an American which is how I ended up here

When I first came out to the US we went sight seeing allot and I used hubbys Sony old P+S I decided I Quite enjoyed taking pictures so decided it was time to save for a better camera. In December 2006 I decided on the Canon Powershot S3IS. I opted for the S3 because I had NO Idea what I was doing, I had NO idea what any of the functions and controls did, so I purchased it to grasp a basic understanding of photography.

I finally had time to sit down and read some books after I got married July and I stopped using Auto mode and realized all the good pictures I must have missed out on (especially relevant to our honeymoon that we had in England). So now I am almost at the stage where I have a half decent understanding of my camera and I can take some OK shots with it, I am thinking its time to upgrade to the DSLR (not sure what yet but it will be Canon)

Before I purchase a DSLR I want to learn as much as possible about everything to do with the cameras and the lenses, as Its going to be quite different to my p+s

Currently I dont drive so most of my pictures are taken around the home of everyday items and my cat, or at the cat shelter I volunteer at. I also use PSE 4 for editing

I look forward to being an active member on the board....


A few of my pictures:

The London Eye (auto mode) and my Wide angle lens

Lovely shots and welcome to the forum. If that is what you get out of your P&S I can't wait to see what you do with a DSLR.

Welcome to POTN! You'll learn so much here, and probably spend more than you first anticipated.

Hi & welcome to POTN

Yes, if you feel you have reached the limits of what your P&S does for you then the world dSLR can open up not only your photographic potential but according to many also your wallet.

So, jump in the waters fine and I agree with the comments above the images shown are of a high calibre. The only one I am not sure about is the B&W tree that looks like you were experimenting with toning (sepia?), it has very flat contrast and does not quite work for me.

Welcome rachelsne! i love your shots, not because of the technical but because of your "eye". I love seeing shots from people who "think" or have the talent to spot their compositions and aren't worried about, that much, of the technical. I'm learning ALL the time and certainly am NOT decent at all. I agree that if you have this level of skill with a P&S then I too am certainly looking forward to you getting a DSLR.

BTW - Where did you come from, in the UK?

Thanks for your comments above, I absolutly love taking pictures, I have been reading this whole site since yesterday, I am a very visual learner, so seeing all these pictures with notes on how they are taken is great.
DSLR will be a few more months away as I know when I purchase one I am going to want to get a couple of lenses to go with it, this requires more funds! I cant wait to get one, Its silly how excited I am when I dont even know which camera I am going to go with LOL(apart from it will be a canon)

Oh and I am originally from a small town 25 minutes south of Guildford and north of Portsmouth!

Welcome to the forum!

rachelsne wrote in post #4683471
Oh and I am originally from a small town 25 minutes south of Guildford and north of Portsmouth!

now depending on how fast you drive that sounds like anywhere between Hindhead & Petersfield or some along that route!

Did you know they have finally started the Hindhead tunnel, talk about even worse bottleneck at the moment.

Whitehill was my home town, so I know all about the Hindead...cant belive they finally have started it

When I came back to the UK in the summer I was directing my hubby to Guldford and completely forgot how bad traffic gets there, we both had some road rage LOl

Are you from that area?

Welcome, there is a bit of a learning curve with a DSLR but you'll find tons of help here.

You my lady are perpetrating a fraud
Those pics are fantastic!
cheers

rachelsne wrote in post #4683777
Whitehill was my home town, so I know all about the Hindead...cant belive they finally have started it

When I came back to the UK in the summer I was directing my hubby to Guldford and completely forgot how bad traffic gets there, we both had some road rage LOl

Are you from that area?

Yes, Whitehill towards Borden way?

We are north of Guildford by about 3 miles or so. But I frequently have to get down to the south coast (Portsmouth amongst others) on business and depending on the time of day I intend to avoid Hindhead for the next few years if I can though having said that I hope once they have started properly on the tunnel portals the roads will ease a little back to the bad old days before they started!

I agree wholeheartedly with Rammy.Your work reminds me of an artist friend of many years past. He had no formal training and I suspect, learned very little if anything from technical books. He sketched, painted with watercolors and oils. His work was wonderful but would not stand the scrutiny of art critics because of the unconventional way he applied his craft. He broke almost every "rule" but his paintings were wonderful. It's obvious you have the "eye" that is necessary to produce fine work. Good luck.

Great photographs! Welcome to POTN -- it's a very nice place to be...

Bryan

After seeing your pictures, I'm dumping my gear and buying a P&S. Great pictures! You certainly have natural talent. Welcome to the forum.