Little bit of help..

[Prickle]

I've bought Nikon D3100 standard 18-55mm lens. A stepping stone into this.

As i'm trying to get to grips with it i've been doing trial and error photos ect.

Could anyone *FAO Ryan* tell me if these pictures are okay? what am i doing wrong? Sometimes pictures come out abit white, some look "good" to me but im not sure what to look for in a image yet.

I'll have a search around but it would be nice to have some input so i can improve.

Beach today;

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8126/8659590369_ecea48f067_b.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8113/8659587531_17a5f56ac2_b.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8125/8660690372_d004df8278_b.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8112/8660687202_bf72179600_b.jpg

[Ryan]

A few are clearly out of focus. Thats one thing to make sure of to begin with dude.

[DAMSK11]

What mode are you shooting on? I had one of those cameras last year.

[kb_pricevtr]

Focus and if its too bright speed up the shutter speed

[MaRiO89]

This is quite an old thread but hey ho..

Shoot in P mode (programmed auto), leave it alone with the flash off and shoot away, thats perfect for snapshots. You can adjust the shutter speed and aperture in this mode also, its kind of like having aperture priority and shutter priority all rolled into one.

Having a faster lens is also a good way to improve your pictures and how they look. A fast lens, low f number, will give you better performance in low light situations, but also create nice shallow depth of field (blurred background with your subject in focus). The lower the f number, the blurrier the background will become.

The kit lens you have will be f/3.5-5.6. A good prime lens (no zoom) which is a 50mm equivalent, would be excellent. Everyone should have a 50mm equivalent lens. These lenses are quite cheap but are fast, go down to f/1.8. You can create some great shots with them. Also the pictures will be alot sharper and have better colours. I believe for your sensor size a 35mm prime lens is what you would require.

The following picture was shot at f/1.8, nothing special just a test shot. See how the background is slightly out of focus making the subject "pop" out of the picture, gives a great 3D effect. While this can be achieved to some extent with a slow lens, its much easier and looks alot better with a fast lens. Can really play with the depth of field.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i131/James_Bristol/DSC_1828.jpg (http://s71.photobucket.com/user/James_Bristol/media/DSC_1828.jpg.html)

So basically i would recommend getting a 50mm equivalent prime lens. Will make you a better photographer, its the classic focal length and they produce great, sharp images with great depth of field control.

[Prickle]

Hi, cheers for the reply mate. Noted.

Since that first post these are the best photos (to me) i've took

My 'S

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7300/8736899044_a671d8455d_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7318/8736880824_6d5b8a49bd_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7305/8736861164_c1ec7a95ca_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7291/8736868306_b56d663ab7_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7300/8736846460_695f8a6ba8_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7281/8735734953_bc3ea375b7_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7284/8735802227_b9cf3e251a_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7288/8735798693_eb34b68f35_b.jpg

Attempt at a v low light :wacko:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8119/8709102565_09ea5095ee_b.jpg

Croft

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7314/8729573642_e746174f9a_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7368/8729098161_4685e816dc_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7331/8730228666_9d288ce89e_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7283/8729688698_9cd67d5bac_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7399/8729675142_b6264545c4_b.jpg

[MaRiO89]

Ah, now those pictures are much better. Thought that was my Saxo for a minute lol. Can see that your thinking more about the angles etc to make an interesting shot.

It also depends though what type of photography you want to do, different types of photography require different techniques and camera settings and lenses. For example, motorsport photography requires a pretty long zoom lens, whereas travel photography for instance generally only needs shorter focal lengths or prime lenses (no zoom).

If you want any more help with anything to do with photography you can ask it here or PM me, would be happy to help :)

[Brettles1986]

An active thread in this section, woohoo.

Will be keeping an eye on this as I have been taking a few shots as an absolute beginner myself.

Have been playing with the aperture on my Canon 400d to try and get the background blury as of late, now I understand why they are not coming out as blury as I would like as my aperture on my 18 - 55mm lense only goes as low as F5.0.

Birthday soon so a prime lense will be requested.

[Ross]

Bret - distance to target and distance from background play a major role in bokeh also. Generally, the (physically) closer to your subject you are, the more background separation you can get.

But the aperture of course is the other major factor. Don't forget when you're shooting in bright direct sunlight, it can be difficult to get any background blur because the aperture is closed right up (high f stop). Here, I want background in focus for effect, which is just as well, as it's a bloody bright day:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1732_41489470981_8831_n.jpg

Whereas here we want soft and fluffy, a good framed shot, but using the focus to drive attention to the hand:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/5530_102782095981_6155782_n.jpg

Regarding lenses, if you get a 50mm (equiv) 1.8 prime, and FORCE yourself to use it, you'll find you become much better at framing shots in general, you'll need to zoom with your feet, and you'll quickly learn to work the aperture to your advantage :)

[Brettles1986]

Yeah I was playing around last night in the garden getting close to the only plant I have in the garden and bluring the background, it wasn't too bad tbh (I will post the picture shortly if I still have it).

I was taking some photo's last night of a local reservoir but the zoom on my camera was not enough as I couldnt get very close to what I wanted to shoot, I can see me purchasing a few more lenses in the not so distant future.

[MaRiO89]

I agree with what Ross said. I didn't explain it as well as i could have but the distance between yourself, the subject and the background plays a role in how blurry the background becomes. With a faster lens though you can create those types of images easier and they just look better.

As i said, a 50mm equivalent prime lens will make you a better photographer and your photos will improve an awful lot. You need to think about your positioning more etc. The only lens i own for my Nikon 1 system is the 18.5mm (50mm equivalent) f/1.8. I sold the kit lens and i do not regret it. The focal length is perfect for most situations.

[Brettles1986]

I agree with what Ross said. I didn't explain it as well as i could have but the distance between yourself, the subject and the background plays a role in how blurry the background becomes. With a faster lens though you can create those types of images easier and they just look better.

As i said, a 50mm equivalent prime lens will make you a better photographer and your photos will improve an awful lot. You need to think about your positioning more etc. The only lens i own for my Nikon 1 system is the 18.5mm (50mm equivalent) f/1.8. I sold the kit lens and i do not regret it. The focal length is perfect for most situations.

Any chance of you linking me to such a lense to fit my Canon? 58mm

[MaRiO89]

Ye sure, what Canon do you have?

[Ross]

He has the 400d Mario :)

On the 400 (a crop camera) to get the equivalent of a 50mm lens you'll need a 32mm or thereabouts. The problem is the fast short canon lenses down there are quite expensive - in the £300 range and upwards), even for a sigma.

A reasonable choice might be the 35mm lens, f2 but that's still a good low light option.
https://www.google.co.uk/shopping/product/12391989186760271459?safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=UyH&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&sclient=psy-ab&q=canon%2035mm&oq=canon+35mm&gs_l=serp.3..0l4.10531.10587.4.10720.2.2.0.0.0.0.1 13.155.1j1.2.0...0.0...1c.1.17.psy-ab.YfIurkJzB38&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.48175248,d.ZWU&biw=1680&bih=894&sa=X&ei=RsvCUdPUBoyBPfi-gbgE&ved=0CGYQ8wIwAA

If you're saving for a good lens I would strongly urge you to look at the 10-22mm canon lens. It's truly mighty and incredibly versatile. It is of course, not as fast as a prime lens being a zoom, and it defeats what Mario and I are trying to encourage you to do a little (zoom with your feet to learn!) BUT it's an AWESOME lens. I used one every day basically for about 3 years for skydiving. Loved that lens and would have one again in a heartbeat if I needed the functionality.

[MaRiO89]

Noticed you have a 400D, with your sensor size a 50mm equivalent would be this lens i believe..

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-35mm-Wide-Angle-Lens/dp/B00007EE8P/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371720667&sr=8-1&keywords=canon+35mm+1.8

[MaRiO89]

Beat me to it Ross :P

[Brettles1986]

Thanks guys, added to wishlist!

Nice to see some ongoing discussion in this part of the forum tbh.

[MaRiO89]

No worries.

I haven't used Sax-P for quite a long time and this part of the forum was never hugely busy iirc. Personally, i could talk about photography all day! :D

[Brettles1986]

Here's a few I took at my nieces birthday the other day. Literally the first time I had used a DSLR camera.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/97581528@N03/with/9057416477/

A few are blown out with the light coming through the window but overall I'm impressed with them.

[MaRiO89]

Nice shots there man. Now imagine those shots with the background slightly out of focus..

A fast lens would allow that to happen and would turn already nice shots into something even nicer to look at.

Sorry to keep going on about that, but getting a fast lens has made photography much more enjoyable for me and i will recommend any photographer to have something like it in their camera kit :)

[Brettles1986]

Thanks.

Yeah I have tbh, I am really keen on the idea of blurring the backgrounds, until funds allow atm I may have to utilise Photoshop but I feel that goes away from the idea of having a decent camera.

[MaRiO89]

Yes true, personally i don't like post processing at all. I take photo's for the enjoyment of taking them, i love camera's. I understand there are times when post processing is useful. For example a pro photographer who relies on the perfect shot to earn a living will post process so they can sell their photos to clients who want the perfect shot.

For me though, as a hobby photographer, i prefer to take my time with camera settings and get the shot in camera without the need to sit at my laptop for hours fiddling with sliders, that isn't what photography is about for me :)

Once you get round to getting one of these fast prime lenses you will fall in love and it becomes quite easy to create fantastic looking images :)

[Ryan]

If you're saving for a good lens I would strongly urge you to look at the 10-22mm canon lens. It's truly mighty and incredibly versatile.

Scrap the canon ef-s 10-22.

Sigma 10-20 is much cheaper and really in this price range most people will not be able to tell the difference.

[Ryan]

Yes true, personally i don't like post processing at all. I take photo's for the enjoyment of taking them, i love camera's. I understand there are times when post processing is useful. For example a pro photographer who relies on the perfect shot to earn a living will post process so they can sell their photos to clients who want the perfect shot.


Speak to any wire agency pro.. They don't edit ;)