Photos from a Beginner

I have been hanging out here a while here and trying to learn a bit as I take on this new passion. I love God's creation and like capturing it in photos. I would welcome your feedback. I started taking photos in October 2014. Attached are some from today. Let me know your thoughts and recommendations. All is fair. I am learning as I go.

Photography really is one of those things where practice (and a lot of learning & frustration) makes perfect. So take heaps of shots. Get out as often as possible. Read books & articles. Buy some magazines. If you find something you like try to do similar yourself.

You don't say if you are shooting RAW or jpg......auto or manual. I'd urge you to shoot RAW, but if you can't set the camera to RAW + jpeg and play with the RAW images in software until you can get it looking like the jpeg

I'd urge you to shoot manual also. You'll soon get the hang of it and shoot less duds

As for you shots.....they are not too bad. The obvious thing is that fence in the last shot. Either show more of it to make it part of the shot or get up on it and shoot the shot over the fence to completely remove it

Thanks for the feedback Vixen. I have been shooting in RAW, and using aperture priority mostly, but some shutter priority and learning manual. It is challenging, but I am loving it. Taking a lot of photos.

I missed the fence rail. Glad you thought the photos were ok. In this crowd I feel good about that. Thanks

Good looking start! Just keep at it. The biggest thing I can say is unless you are shooting action / sports. Slow down....run your eye around the edge of the shot then look into it. I can't tell ya how many times I got excited about the center of my shot only to get home and see a bunch of crud on the edges. Or even just the bottom of the frame.





Also. Thick skin helps when just starting out. We all started out on the bottom. Some just forget. Take what you can from those people...and leave the rest.

Deezey said:

The biggest thing I can say is unless you are shooting action / sports. Slow down....run your eye around the edge of the shot then look into it. I can't tell ya how many times I got excited about the center of my shot only to get home and see a bunch of crud on the edges. Or even just the bottom of the frame.

Also. Thick skin helps when just starting out. We all started out on the bottom. Some just forget. Take what you can from those people...and leave the rest.

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Thanks Deezey! Good advice. That is exactly what happened on the one shot. I do struggle with that, but I'm getting better. Thanks

I can give you my 2 cents on each image. but just the thing I noticed.

Image #1, would have been stronger had you moved to the left and got the sun rays and cloud streams coming out of the space between the trees.

Image #2, I like the bridge, however lots of dead brush and trees make the rest of the shot uninteresting.

Image #3, Good use of the stream as a leading line, however it leads you nowhere.

Image #4, would be a great shot in the spring/summer, buildings against the green grass and trees. Move further to the left if possible to make the road and stream more of a leading line to the buildings. Try and remove the power lines and of course the fence.

Overall a good start, just really hard to make brown winter foliage pretty.

Thanks Kevin, Good suggestions. Especially the part about composition of the two shots. I could have gotten a better angle on those I think. It is tough to find anywhere in Kentucky that does not have the dead brush content. Brown is the color of the season...

Danno said:

Thanks Kevin, Good suggestions. Especially the part about composition of the two shots. I could have gotten a better angle on those I think. It is tough to find anywhere in Kentucky that does not have the dead brush content. Brown is the color of the season...

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Totally understand, we're in Oklahoma City right now with the same brown landscapes. Guess that's why I haven't been shooting much either.

Nice start. Like the last shot best. Most of all, have fun shooting. Ed
edit. Intended fun, gun was a typo. My bad

Thanks Ed. That farm is not far from home... and Yes...