My first attempt with DSLR
Discussion
SimboRS said:
Any pointers on how to get better would be helpful.
Your pictures will look better on here if you get a Flickr account, it's what the majority of posters use.As for your photos, you've obviously got a good eye so practice and learning are the way to get better. I'd get on YouTube
This guy's tutorials are excellent, here's one specific to your camera.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJGjTUICOnc
Disagree, your crop is too aggressive and loses a lot of the composition detail. Having the full reflection helps the shot in the original. A slight crop would have helped.
TheRainMaker said:
Just my 2 pence worth, and I'm not expert btw.
This is what I would have gone for on the last picture.
Less clutter and more focused on the subject.
Just an edit of your pic.
This is what I would have gone for on the last picture.
Less clutter and more focused on the subject.
Just an edit of your pic.
Simpo Two said:
How does hosting your photos on Flickr make them look better? Does it autoresize/autosharpen?
I don't know why, it's not something I've looked into, but there is a noticeable improvement over ThumbSnap. Just brighter and clearer. In other words, more like the original. Maybe ThumbSnap use more compression.Thanks Singlecoil, every day's a school day as they say. (I use my own webspace).
OP, the comments about composition should be taken in context, firstly because composition is often in the eye of the beholder, and secondly because a bit of cropping here and there can be done afterwards. More important is to make sure you capture the best image while you're there, and aside from the art, which is up to you and your taste, getting it technically as right as possible.
OP, the comments about composition should be taken in context, firstly because composition is often in the eye of the beholder, and secondly because a bit of cropping here and there can be done afterwards. More important is to make sure you capture the best image while you're there, and aside from the art, which is up to you and your taste, getting it technically as right as possible.
thanks for all the comments, I'll keep trying and see how it goes. Could I have made those photos better by taking the camera off auto mode? This is what I need to learn.
Can anyone enlighten me about Flickr? Or are there any other alternatives that will allow me to upload only single photos?
Can anyone enlighten me about Flickr? Or are there any other alternatives that will allow me to upload only single photos?
SimboRS said:
thanks for all the comments, I'll keep trying and see how it goes. Could I have made those photos better by taking the camera off auto mode? This is what I need to learn.
Can anyone enlighten me about Flickr? Or are there any other alternatives that will allow me to upload only single photos?
Flickr will in effect establish an album for you, people will be able to look back through your work if they want to. But that won't be a problem because you can delete anything that embarrasses you later (been there). You can upload a single picture, get the 'share' link and post it here.Can anyone enlighten me about Flickr? Or are there any other alternatives that will allow me to upload only single photos?
Your first question is difficult to answer without knowing how much you already know. Better? When you can define what you mean by that you will be in a position to search out the answers.
Look at your pictures and decide what about them could be better. Look at other people's pictures too.
A lot depends on the subject matter you have access to, there are some scenes that it's difficult to get an attractive picture of so a lot depends on how far you are prepared to go (literally and figuratively) to get a good picture.
I think the Flickr thing here is a time-consuming sideshow. The OP wants to learn more about photography.
Auto vs The Rest....
Well, on Auto you're relying on the camera to do everything for you, even down to whether you want flash or not. It will take the data off the chip and process it into an image according to preset algorithms. Exposure, white balance and various other stuff - for example I can see a halo around your bridges which tells me it's using HDR (Active D-Lite in Nikon-speak). They may be right, they may give you what you want, or they may not. Did you want halos? Did you want the sky to look like that? Did you want the silhouette look? Are the sky colours right?
The other end of the spectrum is Manual. Now there are several flavours of manual. Manual exposure, manual focus, manual flash... but take all the controls at once and you'll crash.
The next best step IMHO is semi-Auto, by which I mean either shutter-priority or aperture-priority. Those two, with ISO as a get-out-of-jail-free card, really control what the photo looks like, ie exposure and depth of field respectively. This is stuff you'll need to know. Stay with JPG for now while you get the hang of which controls do what and what effect they have. Then you can worry about post-processing, RAW and all that jazz!
Auto vs The Rest....
Well, on Auto you're relying on the camera to do everything for you, even down to whether you want flash or not. It will take the data off the chip and process it into an image according to preset algorithms. Exposure, white balance and various other stuff - for example I can see a halo around your bridges which tells me it's using HDR (Active D-Lite in Nikon-speak). They may be right, they may give you what you want, or they may not. Did you want halos? Did you want the sky to look like that? Did you want the silhouette look? Are the sky colours right?
The other end of the spectrum is Manual. Now there are several flavours of manual. Manual exposure, manual focus, manual flash... but take all the controls at once and you'll crash.
The next best step IMHO is semi-Auto, by which I mean either shutter-priority or aperture-priority. Those two, with ISO as a get-out-of-jail-free card, really control what the photo looks like, ie exposure and depth of field respectively. This is stuff you'll need to know. Stay with JPG for now while you get the hang of which controls do what and what effect they have. Then you can worry about post-processing, RAW and all that jazz!
SimboRS said:
As some of you may know, I out a post up asking about cameras. Iv since purchased a Nikon d3400 DSLR.
went out last night with it for a little while. Shot on auto mode because I just wanted a chance to use it. Any pointers on how to get better would be helpful.
Verdict?
Well for someone who is just starting out in photography with a brand new Nikon d3400 camera I would have to say those photos are mighty impressive, you have a good eye. I especially like the last photo.went out last night with it for a little while. Shot on auto mode because I just wanted a chance to use it. Any pointers on how to get better would be helpful.
Verdict?
I'm fairly new to all this DSLR stuff and have been having great fun over the past few years, learning a great deal from the guys and gals on here that have far more knowledge and skills than I. For more ideas on what to photographs take a look at the Macro Photo thread https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Now as Simpo Two has mentioned, perhaps it's time to concentrate on using the camera and how to achieve the best results from it. Auto mode is perfectly acceptable and I doubt you will miss a shot with it, but there are so many more things you can do in the semi-auto mode using either A - aperture priority mode or S - shutter priority mode.
If you want to control depth of field to achieve those blurry backgrounds use A - Aperture mode, the lower the number shown for the aperture the shallower the depth of field,
If you want to control shutter speed in order to reduce blur on faster moving objects like race cars or the kids in the living room then switch to S - Shutter priority, and select a higher shutter speed, I find that I need a shutter speed over 1/160th (or faster) when trying to photograph my kids in action!
Rule of thumb is keep your shutter speed above that of the stated lens, so if you're photographing using a 50mm lens then keep the shutter speed above 1/50, if your shooting at 250mm keep the shutter speed above 1/250th. You can of course take photos at lower speeds if you wish, but blurring may occur if your camera isn't on a tripod or you're not fully braced when taking the photo.
You will notice that the price of say a 70 - 200mm f2.8 lens costs substantially more than a stock lens with an aperture of say f4.5, the lower the f: number the faster the lens which means higher shutter speeds. In terms of lenses f:1.8 tends to be at the faster end of the scale for prime lenses, though f:1.4 and lower lenses are available at much higher cost.
I use a Canon camera so am not too familiar with Nikon lenses, but I enjoy using the 50mm f:1.8 lens because it's so damn fast and is a relatively cheap lens to buy for a newbie, when I say it is a fast lens that is because it is a f:1.8 which means it draws more light in so you can take photographs at higher shutter speeds which is useful when photographing in low light.
BTW, the ISO dictates how grainy the photo will be and harks back to the days of 35mm film, a photo taken at an ISO of 100 will be far less grainy than one taken at 1000. It's a trade-off between shutter speed, aperture and ISO. As Simpo Two mentioned, if you go full manual with the settings the camera will let you set all 3. Having done that a few times to see what would happen I now tend to use 'Aperture' or 'Shutter' priority, and let the camera work out the rest!
Looking forward I'm tempted to buy either a 85mm lens or 100mm lens for portrait and macro photographs, these being prime lenses rather than zoom lenses tends to mean their optics will be slightly better, the drawback is that you can't zoom in or out to achieve optimum composition, you have to move the camera which may not be ideal if you are indoors or at a car show with limited room to move due to other cars being in the way, which is why I'm also tempted to buy a 24-70mm lens, then I start looking at the 70-200mm lens.... so many choices!!!
Sorry for the late reply guys. Iv been trying to read up on all the terminology as while I appreciate all your replies, I don't understand most of it.i need to understand more of the ISO/ aperture and shutter and what they actually do and how they will affect my photo.
I now want to move off the auto mode and try and get more from my photos. At the minute I'm going to concentrate on learning how to shoot landscapes and cars( generally stationary)
So any advice geared towards these 2 would be appreciated. Particularly the car I'd like to get some photos printed and framed for the garage.
Thanks again.
I now want to move off the auto mode and try and get more from my photos. At the minute I'm going to concentrate on learning how to shoot landscapes and cars( generally stationary)
So any advice geared towards these 2 would be appreciated. Particularly the car I'd like to get some photos printed and framed for the garage.
Thanks again.
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