Gimmie some Critiques

Finally got to shoot some with my new Cannon SLR.....keep in mind I'm as amature as it gets right now.....here's some samples.... first one is of my guard dog.....

The second one is of my Crepe Myrtle that has finally decided to bloom..... I didn't see the june bugs until after I had them on the computer....

I do have Photoshop, I need to reinstall it, but I don have it and can do some simple things.....with that in mind....get me on the right track...thanks folks.......

I think that you're off to a great start.
The pro's will be along shortly to give ya some great advice....all ya gotta do is ask!!

okay Hoss

...DRB???

..RIP??

Feral????

anyone.....

BTW...Thanks Smokey...I love this type stuff..otherwise I wouldn't dare telling the wife what this little booger cost!!! shhhhhhhhh! (no she don't check in here, thank goodness)

man i love the pup shot !!! if any thing on that one i would try to get a little lower. i try to think of a critter pic as being on it's level . down shots are only a last resort as well as an up shot like on a bird. the shot is great though and one to be proud of. in this case of a long pup it worked out great for that angle. just want to get ya thinkin' !!! on the crepe myrtle you need to ask yourself what you want to see in that pic, if it is the whole bloom stalk, increase the size of your aperture to a larger number to get more of the stalk in focus ( greater depth of field) if it is the delicate bloom you want to see, move in close, decrease the aperture , focus on a pretty bloom and let the rest fade into the bokeh. and keep shootin' till your shutter finger hurts !!!! hope this helps a bit !!!

FERAL ONE said:

man i love the pup shot !!! if any thing on that one i would try to get a little lower. i try to think of a critter pic as being on it's level . down shots are only a last resort as well as an up shot like on a bird. the shot is great though and one to be proud of. in this case of a long pup it worked out great for that angle. just want to get ya thinkin' !!! on the crepe myrtle you need to ask yourself what you want to see in that pic, if it is the whole bloom stalk, increase the size of your aperture to a larger number to get more of the stalk in focus ( greater depth of field) if it is the delicate bloom you want to see, move in close, decrease the aperture , focus on a pretty bloom and let the rest fade into the bokeh. and keep shootin' till your shutter finger hurts !!!! hope this helps a bit !!!

Click to expand...

It does...but what's with the aperture? I've been workin on shutter speed, focus (I like auto...) and stuff like that...what am I supposed to do? Remember I've got a Cannon Rebel XL ( I think...i don't have it infront of me) I know it's a rebel...

Those action shots are throwin me for a loop.....I can't help but move the camera....man that's hard to get used to! I'm not even gonna post any of those!!! lol

i shoot aperture priority most of the time , it allows me to choose the aperture and the camera selects the fastest shutter speed that will support that aperture . if not that i shoot full manual and adjust both the aperture and shutter speed. fool around with aperture priority a little and i bet you will learn to love it. i sure did !!!

SouthernAngler said:

It does...but what's with the aperture? I've been workin on shutter speed, focus (I like auto...) and stuff like that...what am I supposed to do? Remember I've got a Cannon Rebel XL ( I think...i don't have it infront of me) I know it's a rebel...

Those action shots are throwin me for a loop.....I can't help but move the camera....man that's hard to get used to! I'm not even gonna post any of those!!! lol

Click to expand...

SA,

You've probably got the same camera that I do. A Canon Rebel XTi. As for the action shots or any shots for that matter just keep taking pictures at different settings. I'm still very new to this picture taking stuff myself so I'll refrain from giving any advice. However, if I can take actions shots, anybody can. Here are a few links to some Rodeo pictures that I took recently. All done without a flash in low light and the kit lens that came with the camera.

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=205570&highlight=rodeo

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=205571&highlight=rodeo

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=205564&highlight=rodeo

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=205579&highlight=rodeo

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=205574&highlight=rodeo

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=205577&highlight=rodeo

Thanks smokey...yea this thing has taught me that a flash isn't necessary all the time....I'm gonna work on it..thanks for the advice feral....I can assure you i'll be in contact with ya

Looks like you're getting some fine advice. I'm like Feral and most of the time shoot aperture priority so I have better control of the DOF. One of the best ways to see what changing the settings does is to set up the camera on a tripod and take several shots of the same thing varying the settings with each shot. That'll help you learn how to set the camera. With some time, it'll get easier.

I also shoot most of the photos in RAW format. That gives me a shot just as the camera took it with no in camera processing. This enables me to make adjustments on the computer. The computer has a lot greater processing power than the camera, so I'm able to do a lot more. Also, there is no loss due to compression when shooting RAW, so I've got all the data the camera can deliver to work with. We've got some folks on here who are true wizards with photoshop who can give you great pointers on post processing.

Thanks for sharing your opening shots and good job getting started. Keep mushin that shutter button and sharing the results with us.

Hoss

Neat shots! Looks like you did pretty good with the guard dog! It might be a tad over-saturated, but not by much. Rather than a square crop, a vertical crop might be a little stronger.

For flowers, trying to pick a blossom in peak condition really strengthens most images. Like F1 said, getting rid of anything that doesn't convey your message (by getting closer, pruning, whatever) can help as well.

Looking good! Keep them coming! The more you shoot, the better you get!

Just glad to be along for the ride

Don't let Smokey fool you, He's a Guru and he knows it.
If you don't believe me ask him to explain the word Bokeh used in Ferals post.
Here's a few tips:
Fill the frame. Try filling the photo with your subject/s.
Use the rule of thirds. Just google rule of thirds and you'll quickly find some good reading.
Speaking of reading. Read your manual Two or five times.
If you really want a great book,Get:
"Complete Guide To Digital Photography" by Rick Sammons.
I highly recommend this book!!! Complete with pics too.
Learn how aperture effects shutter speed and Vice- versa.

You can always ask specific questions here. Great start, looking forward to some more.

believer said:

Just glad to be along for the ride

Click to expand...

I will second that.
I hope you will have at least half the fun and enjoyment
I have found.
Nice puppy picture.