Playing with my new Nikon D40

trlblazer3

trlblazer3

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Ok, so I finally made a decision on a new camera (thanks everyone for their help in in the other thread). These are some shots I took tonight just to play around. Just to let you know, this is my first SLR experience ever, and I haven't touched these files other than transferring them to my HDD. Let me know what you think!

Pansy.jpg


flowers.jpg


Duck1.jpg


dogwood.jpg


Hopefully with a little practice and education on DSLR, I can get better at it. My first reaction is that I absolutely LOVE this camera. I'm definitely going to have fun with this thing for sure.
 
like the last photo...i love getting close ups on flowers
 
Beauties, I like all the little faces on the first one.
 
Nope, no filters were used. I haven't grabbed any yet, I'm probably going to run to the camera shop later this weekend to grab some.
 
You forgot to tell us what make & model of camera you bought.
Very nice photography.
 
I got the Nikon D40 with 2 lens kit that Best Buy has running on sale right now. The kit came with the camera, 18-55mm and 55-200mm AF-S lenses, two instructional DVD's -one specific to the camera and another one as a good intro to SLR photography (I thought the two DVD's were a great tutorial), software, strap, and battery pack. I also picked up a case and 2 GB Ultra II SD card (on sale for $34, I thought that was a pretty good deal). I can't wait to get out tomorrow to snap a few more pics and get a little more familiar with the functions etc. So far its only seen the Auto mode lol
 
Are these with the lens that comes with the Nikon D40? Very nice. How fast will it shoot?
 
Yep, these were shot with the lenses the came with the kit. I don't have any other lenses in my ownership, so that's why I thought it would be best to step into the DSLR genre with a kit like this. I'm loving it so far, it seems pretty capable, more camera than I'll probably ever need. The AF is amazingly quick the times I was using it, and the manual say it'll take 2.5 frames/second. I've yet to try continuous mode yet so I can't confirm.
 
Congrats on the new setup! What setting did you have it on?

No use getting a DSLR if you're not using the different settings. I'd start with P and slowly move into the other settings. You'll see the differences after alot of trial & error.

Good thing is that you won't waste film! Get a good memory card that has a fast write speed too. (sorry, just noticed you picked up the Ultra II)

Good Luck!
 
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The picture of the duck needs to be cropped. The picture of the blue flowers should be closer up. Id increase the aperture on the picture of the pink flowers, f/11+. Id also try doing it with cloudy WB instead of auto. Thatll give you more vivid colors. Use the lowest ISO possible. And try to make the pictures a little more interesting. I suggest signing up on fredmiranda.com: Specialized in digital cameras, photoshop actions, and digital darkroom.

I edited the picture of the duck. Increased contrast and sharpness, then cropped it.

167178.jpg
 
Very nice pictures! My fav was the 2nd one with all those flowers in different shades of pink.
 
03gtmustang said:
The picture of the duck needs to be cropped. The picture of the blue flowers should be closer up. Id increase the aperture on the picture of the pink flowers, f/11+. Id also try doing it with cloudy WB instead of auto. Thatll give you more vivid colors. Use the lowest ISO possible. And try to make the pictures a little more interesting. I suggest signing up on fredmiranda.com: Specialized in digital cameras, photoshop actions, and digital darkroom.

I edited the picture of the duck. Increased contrast and sharpness, then cropped it.

167178.jpg
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips bud! I can use all the help I can. Still have a long way to go with getting to know all the features and what to use when etc. But that's what makes it fun!
 
No problem. Hope you didnt mind me editing your picture and like what I did. I got my XT only 4 or 5 months ago, so Im no pro. You should definitely check out that forum though. A lot of professional people with good tips.
 
Okay, so some tips on these shots, they look good! Great camera!

This one, the focus needs to be on the center of attention, and that needs to be in the center of the shot.. so next time, try to focus on the flower in the center, and let the bottom and the top be out of focus.
Pansy.jpg


I like this shot because of all the different shades! But next time, go streight on and fill up the WHOLE screen with flowers.. you see the concrete and dirt in the corners takes away from the beautiful reds and pinks, and adds "trash" to the shot. Remember you see EVERYTHING in photographs... the human eye has been trained to ignore things (exit signs, or signs in general, dirt, just basically anything out of place) but they all show up and are very obvious in photography.
flowers.jpg


When shooting a subject, you need to get the "Rule of Thirds" Do a google or wiki search for that rule.. basically you want the top of the ducks head to be at the top of the shot (proper "head room" (NOT the center) and give it what is called "looking room"... in other words, if he is looking to the left, give a little more space on the left.
Duck1.jpg


This one is a great shot, but be VERY carefull of your exposure settings... this one is pretty bad under-exposed.. but that can always be fixed in post. (also, you are focused on that pedal instead of the yellow bit in the center (what it should be focused on)
dogwood.jpg



a general tip, focus is EXTREMELY important.. it will make or break a shot.

...not sure how not to sound like I'm tooting my own horn, but I'm really not, I'm just a hobbyist, not a professional... so take a look at my diviant art gallery... I feel it shows what I'm talking about pretty well.. take a special note of where the focus is in each shot.. and where the subject is placed. None of these are cropped.. I'm very carefull to get proper framing to begin with so that I do not loose resolution by croping.

Draddy's deviantART Gallery

But great work! I love the camera, have fun and shoot EVERYTHING!
 
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