Newbie photographer: first shots with D70 at macritchie

[rao]

hello everyone. i'm new to photography, had a Canon A40 previously. got a D70 and as a beginner, i found it a bit difficult to use. :sweat:

went to macritchie this morning and took some photos. spent about 45 min there. well.. it wasn't good, i was confused about the exposure settings and messed it up. the photos are too dark in my opinion. anyway, it was great fun toying around with the D70. learnt a bit from today's experience.

D70 with kit lens and 50mm F/1.8 D

#1

#2

#3

#4

 

[rao]

#5

#6

#7

#8

 

[rao]

i would like to improve on my photographic skills. criticism and constructive comments are appreciated.

 

[foxtwo]

Can't advise u on equipment, but give my views on ur composition.

#1 zoom more/get closer. easy to lose ur subject as it blends in well regardless of it being smackdab in the centre. From ur original, try doing a crop around the squirrel, resize & compare which is better.

#2 zoom more/get closer, squat/prone.

#3 Go for the rule of thirds. In this case it would proby look better at the bottom right. edt: portrait maybe?

#4 I believe this is a spider lily? Easier to shoot it singularly. Poor choice of background, always try to find an angle for minimal colour clash. this time green & brown & shadows. Furthermore, u need to shoot with a wider aperture (*whilst maintaining enuff DOF) to help throw the background off.

#5 improvement from everything mentioned in #4. But, remove the distracting leaves at the top & bottom. improve by following rule of thirds.

#6 nicely done. remove that distracting lone petal at the top. Almost a layered effect with the bokeh. maybe crop a little from the top right, dun need so much green.

#7 :nono: for centre framing unless u zoom in right to its tips. again, crop resize compare.

#8. :dunno: get down to it's eye level, zoom in. if u get closer it'll proby run away. edt: no need the whole lizard, head most impt.

 

[snowspeeder]

The D70 is a good camera. Best if you could go for a variety of shoots with fellow CS members and pick up some tips from experienced shooters.

 

[rao]

Can't advise u on equipment, but give my views on ur composition.

#1 zoom more/get closer. easy to lose ur subject as it blends in well regardless of it being smackdab in the centre. From ur original, try doing a crop around the squirrel, resize & compare which is better.

#2 zoom more/get closer, squat/prone.

#3 Go for the rule of thirds. In this case it would proby look better at the bottom right. edt: portrait maybe?

#4 I believe this is a spider lily? Easier to shoot it singularly. Poor choice of background, always try to find an angle for minimal colour clash. this time green & brown & shadows. Furthermore, u need to shoot with a wider aperture (*whilst maintaining enuff DOF) to help throw the background off.

#5 improvement from everything mentioned in #4. But, remove the distracting leaves at the top & bottom. improve by following rule of thirds.

#6 nicely done. remove that distracting lone petal at the top. Almost a layered effect with the bokeh. maybe crop a little from the top right, dun need so much green.

#7 :nono: for centre framing unless u zoom in right to its tips. again, crop resize compare.

#8. :dunno: get down to it's eye level, zoom in. if u get closer it'll proby run away. edt: no need the whole lizard, head most impt.

:thumbsup: comments noted.
for #1, #3, #8: that's the closest i can get.. can't get much zoom from 70mm. is there any way i can increase the zoom of the lens?

rule of third: subject takes up 1/3 of the photo?
crop: select and cut off the desired portion of the photo and discard the rest?

Thank you

 

[rao]

The D70 is a good camera. Best if you could go for a variety of shoots with fellow CS members and pick up some tips from experienced shooters.

yup.. i'll definitely do that as soon as my exams are over. i love photography and enjoy learning

 

[snowspeeder]

:thumbsup: comments noted.
for #1, #3, #8: that's the closest i can get.. can't get much zoom from 70mm. is there any way i can increase the zoom of the lens?

rule of third: subject takes up 1/3 of the photo?
crop: select and cut off the desired portion of the photo and discard the rest?

Thank you

You can increase the zoom by investing in a zoom lens. Think nikon has a 80-200mm zoom.

 

[foxtwo]

rule of third: subject takes up 1/3 of the photo?
crop: select and cut off the desired portion of the photo and discard the rest?

Thank you

rule of thirds

crop... pretty much rite. Advice: Learn to do ur cropping in the field & not on the pc.