need to get better at shooting photo...

Hi guys I am still a newbie at taking photos and i need all the helps i can get to become a better photographer. Please point out what and how i need to improve on the following photos:

Camera: Nikon D3100
Lens: Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 af-s dx
Shutter Speed: 1/125
Aperture: f/1.8
ISO: 100
White Balance: Direct Sunlight
Focus Mode (Auto Focus): AF-A
AF-area mode: Single point AF
Metering: Matrix
Setting: Manual setting




Thanks,

Andy

Hi Andy, you joined the forum, there are plenty of great people here willing to help you along the way, quite a few have the same model D3100 as you do, just give it time & they'll see your post & am sure they'll get back to you.
Welcome aboard.!!!

Good job with the 35 mm 1.8, very shallow depth of field and you did a nice job with the focus dead on the dog's face. I think I would have cropped out a lot of the unecessary and distracting background and had the emphasis on the dog. Good exposure. Welcome to the forum.

That is interesting...nice display of DOF but the range seems a little off (the grass in the foreground is sharp enough to distract me) ...with this composition I think a DOF that encompassed the whole dog and toy would make for a stronger photo...for that matter stopping down to F16 and making everything in focus would work very good with this composition as well. For me wide angles and very shallow DOF is a strange tack...I'm into grabbing as much real estate and the objects in the frame as sharp as possible when it comes to 35mm and wider...that is just me though...IMO super shallow DOF works best with short and long teles or 50 macros...

Good shot beautiful dog!!!

Eye-level said:

Good job with the 35 mm 1.8, very shallow depth of field and you did a nice job with the focus dead on the dog's face. I think I would have cropped out a lot of the unecessary and distracting background and had the emphasis on the dog. Good exposure. Welcome to the forum.

Click to expand...

What about this?

Eye-level said:

That is interesting...nice display of DOF but the range seems a little off (the grass in the foreground is sharp enough to distract me) ...with this composition I think a DOF that encompassed the whole dog and toy would make for a stronger photo...for that matter stopping down to F16 and making everything in focus would work very good with this composition as well. For me wide angles and very shallow DOF is a strange tack...I'm into grabbing as much real estate and the objects in the frame as sharp as possible when it comes to 35mm and wider...that is just me though...IMO super shallow DOF works best with short and long teles or 50 macros...

Good shot beautiful dog!!!

Click to expand...

Yea I noticed it as well. Do you think getting closer to the subject would be better off going shallow and yet not so much other things other than the subject being in focus?

The second crop is very good, concentrating on the dog and eliminating distractions.

If I may, I'd propose a third crop. The dog is apparently looking to the image right, so I'd leave more free space on the right edge of the photo and crop the left side much closer to the dog's shoulder. Just my 2 cents.

pforsell said:

The second crop is very good, concentrating on the dog and eliminating distractions.

If I may, I'd propose a third crop. The dog is apparently looking to the image right, so I'd leave more free space on the right edge of the photo and crop the left side much closer to the dog's shoulder. Just my 2 cents.

Click to expand...

Ahh. Sounds like I need to crop more tonight

A little more crop and I messed with the background a little.

Andy Liang said:

Yea I noticed it as well. Do you think getting closer to the subject would be better off going shallow and yet not so much other things other than the subject being in focus?

Click to expand...

I think you should shoot the photo you want to shoot...what you think looks best!

Wide angle lenses see things in their own sort of way which is probably just as hard as any other FL to master. I have virtually nil experience using them especially with DSLR rigs.

I really love that you use a prime...it is always fun to explore the "envelope" if you will of a nice prime...

Eye-level said:

I think you should shoot the photo you want to shoot...what you think looks best!

Wide angle lenses see things in their own sort of way which is probably just as hard as any other FL to master. I have virtually nil experience using them especially with DSLR rigs.

I really love that you use a prime...it is always fun to explore the "envelope" if you will of a nice prime...

Click to expand...

Thanks! And I really love this lens. It makes me a wayyyy better photographer. I was thinking of another wide angle lens, lets say 10.5mm, but its way too costly so its gonna have to wait until next year.

I like the close cropping of number three much better. But IMO you can lose the vignetting, I don't think it adds that much to the shot. As a general rule remember, when shooting with a wide angle it pushes things away, when shooting with a telephoto it brings things closer. So when shooting with a wide angle you want an attention grabbing object or subject in the foreground. Otherwise everything gets lost in the wide angle view.

Thanks! And I really love this lens. It makes me a wayyyy better photographer. I was thinking of another wide angle lens, lets say 10.5mm, but its way too costly so its gonna have to wait until next year.[/QUOTE]

BEWARE !!! NO LENS is going to make you a better photographer. Only experience will. Shoot as much as you can and experiment. The lens is only A tool to help you get what you have in mind. You have to know what you want to have on the picture before you shoot and/or be able to examine your pictures objectively. What I mean by this is when you look at the picture of your dog for example, you might only see it's face and adorable expression. But we, as strangers see all the background and the rest of the picture.

The best way to become a better photographer, to me, is to take many many pictures, look at other people's pictures and try to learn as much technique (specially post processing in these digital days) as you can. And don't expect it to happen overnight either.

Only my 2 cents hoping to help.

Marcel, sound advice as usual.