Absolute Beginner - Q and C&C

12monkey_Gal

Hey everyone,

Just bought my 350D in New York, had an old film body I picked up ages ago, with a 28-90 4-5.6 and a 75-300 4-5.6 III, so using those lenses. Haven't got much money for new lenses at the min, but would love to broaden my range, and get some faster stuff.

Just a few questions:

1) I think I can guess the answer, but is a 50 1.8 really worth it?

2) How good would that 75-300 be at shooting sports? Its a decent lense, but slow. I would love to shoot some field sports, but have some friends who play basketball too.

Ok, some images I have taken since I started, C&C appreciated. Most on auto or P, trying to learn as I go. I have experimented with the Manual setting,s but need to set aside a few hours shooting to perfect them.







Any suggestions on how to make these better, or resources to help me get started would be great. Thanks everyone.

slumped

WELCOME!

1. think about the angle you shoot at. this looks a little flat, maybe lower down or higher up would be better?

2. I'd crop the emtpy space on both sides of birds

3. Nice effects but what's the focal point? Maybe a headline or word in focus would have helped??

Keep it up!

S

AnimalRights

I'm no expert but I def like them as far as composition goes....

#1 Can't see a fault but I'm a beginner too and will be interested in the more exp people here to comment.
#2 could be cropped evenly on each side?
More saturation too?
#3 I love!

Cabaal

Really liking #3, I'm a sucker for DOF though

Dades

No 3 is great!

And yes - get the 50mm 1.8 - cheap as chips for what you'll get out of it.

Freddie59

Dades wrote: »

No 3 is great!

And yes - get the 50mm 1.8 - cheap as chips for what you'll get out of it.

Get it delivered here for €82.

I'd agree with Slumped on #1,a better angle would make it much more interesting.I really like the way the ducks are positioned in #2,clever composition.I would crop it and increase the contrast though.No.3 is a nice shot too,the DOF is nice and the B&W suits the shot.

The results from the 75-300 probably won't be great but I'd test it out before investing in an F2.8 or F4 lens,just to make sure you're into the whole sports scene.

m_stan

Number 3 rocks! I too love DOF. I would eat DOF if I could.

City-Exile

I think the light is too harsh in the first one & it's slightly overexposed.
The angle in the second one could be better & crop the rock out of the top right. This picture is also overexposed.
The third one isn't interesting, because the subject is too mundane. While it may serve a purpose in stock photography, it is never likely to be something that someone would want to hang on their wall.

12monkey_Gal

Thanks for all the comments guys. The first was my first day shooting, think I could make it better. The second was opportunistic on the same day, I have others, but like that shot best. And the last one was to help my GF, a Communications student, in a project on Newspapers, so I can see it being a bit stocky...

Is there a way to correct saturation and exposure after the photo has been taken?

12monkey_Gal

Is this a better crop on the Ducks pic?

gerry1979

number 3 looks the best

City-Exile

12monkey_Gal wrote: »

Is there a way to correct saturation and exposure after the photo has been taken?

If you shoot in RAW mode, you can edit the exposure, white balance, etc., afterwards.
There should have been some image editing software in the box, with the camera.

The crop of the duck picture is much better.

Do you mind me asking why you bought a 350D, when the 400D is reasonable now that the 450D is available?

12monkey_Gal

A number of reasons. Well only one really. While the 400 wasn't that much dearer, I had been pushed as far as I could go to buy the 350. I also checked out online, and for the kind of stuff I want to be doing, the 350 seems to be grand. I know there are mirror lock up issues, and you can shoot at a higher pixel count, but for what I want the 350 was the most affordable, even if only by a bit.

I am a student so even that last 100 or so euros mattered a lot.

12monkey_Gal

Sorry for the excessive bothering, but any chance of some comments or suggestions for this. Was processing in a lightroom trial, and I really like it, but want to know if it could be improved. This I would like to frame.