Random Pics From New Camera

[mahina-lani]

So I got myself a new camera a couple of weeks ago and I've been playing around with it to see what it can do.

Thought I'd put a few pics up to see what you guys think.
(also if anyone can offer tips on digital photography, I'd really appreciate it as I'm only just getting into it)

Gerbera Daisies (unedited):







Gerbera Daises (edited using image viewer):

[Razyni]

They're pretty cool photographs ;D
Especially if you're new

I've not got a clue about photography, I'm interested in getting a camera for it, as a hobby like, loving the depth on the first one ^^

[Dr.W Aka PG]

^My favorite!

I don't know much about photography, so I best recommend Tori (Candescence.) to give you some pointers. She is incredible! -- serious.

Other than that, I could help you with photo manipulation/edit, if you need. (:

[Gin Soaked Boy]

Very pretty. The first and third are my favourites

[mahina-lani]

Thanks guys!
The third one is my favorite - I just love how it turned out (:

Ok, more randoms...At the moment I'm playing about with the macro and super macro settings, so its lots of wildlife and flower photos!







And checking out the zoom.
I was about 15-20 feet away from this little guy:

And about 10 feet away from this one:

[Candescence.]

Originally Posted by Dr.W Aka PG

^My favorite!

I don't know much about photography, so I best recommend Tori (Candescence.) to give you some pointers. She is incredible! -- serious.

Other than that, I could help you with photo manipulation/edit, if you need. (:

That's my fave pic too.

Aww, thanks Lara. I should link you to my new flickr.



mahina-lani, I'm also curious, what camera/macro lens (if you have one) do you use?

[mahina-lani]

Originally Posted by Candescence.

mahina-lani, I'm also curious, what camera/macro lens (if you have one) do you use?

The camera is a Fujifilm Finepix F1000fd.
The macro isn't a separate lens, it's a setting on the camera itself; it gives me Macro or SuperMacro.

I used to have a very basic Kodak digital camera and the picture quality on the Fujifilm is just so much better it's unbelievable.

Candescence, Dr W mentioned that you're pretty awesome with photography. Do you have any tips or pointers you can give someone just starting out?
I've checked out a couple of basic books, but they tend to over-complicate things.

[Candescence.]

Originally Posted by mahina-lani

The camera is a Fujifilm Finepix F1000fd.
The macro isn't a separate lens, it's a setting on the camera itself; it gives me Macro or SuperMacro.

I used to have a very basic Kodak digital camera and the picture quality on the Fujifilm is just so much better it's unbelievable.

Candescence, Dr W mentioned that you're pretty awesome with photography. Do you have any tips or pointers you can give someone just starting out?
I've checked out a couple of basic books, but they tend to over-complicate things.

Ah okay. I thougt you were using a proper SLR. That supermacro option sounds good, I'm paying £300 to get a macro lens separately. But it's a brilliant lens though so it's worth it, imo.

Before I go into detail I just need to know... can you adjust the shutter speed and aperture (f number)?

[mahina-lani]

Originally Posted by Candescence.

Ah okay. I thougt you were using a proper SLR. That supermacro option sounds good, I'm paying £300 to get a macro lens separately. But it's a brilliant lens though so it's worth it, imo.

Before I go into detail I just need to know... can you adjust the shutter speed and aperture (f number)?

I wish I could afford an SLR...
I looked into it and got a few books on how to use them and got totally confused!!

There is a setting where I can adjust either one or both together (if that makes sense?)...It's not something I've played around with yet as I'm not sure how to do it correctly!

[Candescence.]

Originally Posted by mahina-lani

I wish I could afford an SLR...
I looked into it and got a few books on how to use them and got totally confused!!

There is a setting where I can adjust either one or both together (if that makes sense?)...It's not something I've played around with yet as I'm not sure how to do it correctly!

If you want a cheap but good SLR you should get a Nikon D40. It's a versatile camera for beginners that contains a lot of the option/modes that you'll find on a more advanced camera, only the options on the D40 are a lot more basic and easy. I have a D40 myself and I'm inlove with it. I plan to upgrade as soon as, though. It ranges from £2-400 and if you search on the internet you should get it cheap.



As for tips, I'll start with a few basic tips you can use on the common modes of the camera.

Shutter Speeds: If you take a picture of water I recommend using a slow shutter speed. The lower the number, the slower the shutter speed. But images with slow shutter speeds tend to appear out of focus due to unintentional movement of the hand, so unless you can hold the camera really still or you can rest it on something, don't use a TOO slower shutter speed.

Fast shutter speed.................................Slow shutter speed
.........
source
See the difference?


Aperture (f number): If you're taking a picture of something close up (macro mode) and want an out of focus background to attract the attention onto the subject you'll need to use a large aperture (small f number). Not sure what your camera aperture goes up to but I'm guessing something like f/5.6? The smaller the number the more the background will be out of focus.

Example:

source

Now onto the basics:

-Hold onto the camera grip with one hand, and with the other, cup your hand under the lens to give it extra support.

- If you're taking a picture of an animal make sure to get down to their level. This way you'll be able to capture a lot more of the subject.

- NEVER shoot directly into the sunlight unless you want an over-exposed (bright and washed out) image.

- Don't shoot straight on, it gets boring, if you shoot from the corner/angle you'll be able to capture a lot more from the subject and the impact will be a lot stronger.

- The closer you get to a subject the more out of focus the background will become and the more detail you'll be able to capture.

- Composition. Try and memorise the rule of thirds. Click for more info

- Shoot, shoot, and shoot! don't just take one picture, take several. If one copy turns out bad, you'll have others to fall back on.

- If you're shooting in low light, up the ISO. The higher the ISO the more light it lets in. This works great for night photography.


That's all I can think of at the top of my head. I'll update this if I think of anymore. Hope it helped