Some photos from photo class...

[SalvadorMontenegro]

This is my first time doing this. I bought a Nikon D3000 for the photography course I took this past semester at community college. I had a lot of fun walking around and experimenting. I love using a digital camera as I can snap away without limit. As was the request of the professor, I did everything manually - focus, shutter speed, aperture. Here are some of the pictures I took.

 

[SalvadorMontenegro]

What happened to the others?!?! Take... 2!

 

[NorthALABeeKeep]

Please post more....I enjoy viewing them.

 

[BladeRunner001]

Congrats buddy. Photography is indeed fun. You think that's fun...wait 'til the photography RAD kicks in. This one, unlike str8 shaving, can be $$$...so watch out.

Once you begin to get a handle of all the interesting facets of photography, you will invest in getting the following:

1. Tripod (Manfrotto or similar) with head (mine is Acratech)
2. Filters (Singh-Ray - LB Color Combo, 1, 2, or 3 soft/hard stop Graduated/reverse ND, Gold-'N'Blue Polarizer, Vari-ND, etc...)
3. Flash & associated filters
4. manual/auto shutter release cable
5. Lenses
6. etc....

Experimenting during the "magic hour", the rule of thirds, and long exposure shots at beaches or waterfronts can give a beginner a real satisfaction too.

I am planning a trip to Yosemite valley for some photography

Good luck and have fun

Keep the pictures coming

-Robert

This is my first time doing this. I bought a Nikon D3000 for the photography course I took this past semester at community college. I had a lot of fun walking around and experimenting. I love using a digital camera as I can snap away without limit. As was the request of the professor, I did everything manually - focus, shutter speed, aperture. Here are some of the pictures I took.

 

[SalvadorMontenegro]

Thanks, guys!

I am already concerned about the RAD. You see, my Nikon D3000 came with an 18-55 mm lens. I believe 50 mm is akin to what the eye sees, right? So, my lens is barely capable of zooming in on anything. When I was trying to shoot textures for an assignment, I had to practically put the lens to the object. And of course I want a tripod, as well as Adobe Photoshop, so that I can learn to manipulate these suckers...

Here are some more pictures. Each picture has a specific technique behind it. For instance, the picture of the construction vehicle was one where we were to use a gray card to try and get an idea of the best lighting for the picture. One photo was taken based on the normal settings from where I stood when the photo was taken the other three were bracketed by changing the aperture based on the correct gray card settings from in the shadows. The image I uploaded was the darkest of the images. The below photo of the bridge was a bulb exposure. The phone was "shallow depth of field." And so on and so forth!

So, for the following three photos, in order: BULB exposure, no focal point, shallow depth of field.

 

[SalvadorMontenegro]

See, now I can't stop...

Strong focal point; reflection. The last one is actually a joke. One of the photos shown to us in class was a picture of a refrigerator with the door blown off, stocked full of food, in the middle of a country road. I think it may have had to do with Katrina. Incredibly, I can't find it on this here Internet thingamajig.

 

[SalvadorMontenegro]

Last group (for now):

Stop motion; no theme to this one, I just kind of like it; appropriate ending.

 

[BladeRunner001]

Yes...50mm is "very" roughly what the eye perceives.

I wouldn't count on the 18-55mm as your all in one lens. You will need a wide angle, zoom and some others in between lenses. But remember the crop factor of your camera when purchasing lenses. I think your D3000 has a crop factor of between 1.3-1.7...probably 1.5. So, 55mm is technically registered as a 55mm X 1.5 = 82.5 mm. A wide angle 16mm is 16mm X 1.5 = 24mm.

As to the pictures, the bridge is a cool picture...but you will need to control your WB (White Balance) a bit better and use a sturdy tripod. Certain filters will make the picture pop too.

The phone picture is over-exposed, IMHO. Since your background and foreground are vastly different exposure and the dynamic range is large, there are a couple of things you could try (simple):

1. Try using fill flash...the built in (if you have it) is OK, but a dedicated flash will work much better cause it offers wider individual controls. Using flash, brings the dynamic range closer to be manageable.

2. Try HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography...what you do here is measure the brightest and darkest areas of your composition, determine how many exposures between the two, set camera to middle and bracket several shots to cover whole range. Merge the images in PS and viola...you get amazing results that way...but takes practice. I don't have an example from my portfolio that I can post right now (but will later when I access and find them)


Have fun experimenting with your new hobby

Robert

Thanks, guys!

I am already concerned about the RAD. You see, my Nikon D3000 came with an 18-55 mm lens. I believe 50 mm is akin to what the eye sees, right? So, my lens is barely capable of zooming in on anything. When I was trying to shoot textures for an assignment, I had to practically put the lens to the object. And of course I want a tripod, as well as Adobe Photoshop, so that I can learn to manipulate these suckers...

Here are some more pictures. Each picture has a specific technique behind it. For instance, the picture of the construction vehicle was one where we were to use a gray card to try and get an idea of the best lighting for the picture. One photo was taken based on the normal settings from where I stood when the photo was taken the other three were bracketed by changing the aperture based on the correct gray card settings from in the shadows. The image I uploaded was the darkest of the images. The below photo of the bridge was a bulb exposure. The phone was "shallow depth of field." And so on and so forth!

So, for the following three photos, in order: BULB exposure, no focal point, shallow depth of field.

 

[BladeRunner001]

Good compositions...watch the exposures

Here's a slow mo example (I had easy access to this one that I could post)...The photo is somehow modified during upload (I hate the green)

Photo info:
Shutter speed: 2"
Aperture: 1/16
DOF focus: ~ 1ft
Flash: None
Lens: 38mm (Tamron 17-50mm)
ISO: 100
Format: Raw
Filter: Vari-ND (low setting for long exposure) & LB Color Combo (Singh-Ray)

Robert

View attachment 106313

Last group (for now):

Stop motion; no theme to this one, I just kind of like it; appropriate ending.

 

[SalvadorMontenegro]

Most of what you said went waaaaaaaaaaay over my head. As far as technical matters go, I know about aperture, shutter speed, zoom and focus. That's it. I need to spend more time with my manual and a more advanced book. And of course I need more practice, as well.

I don't even own a tripod. For the bridge photo, I was leaning over a railing and attempting to steady the camera as best as I could for however long it was that I held down the... button. The picture I posted was the best one of the batch of bulb photos. It was difficult because the Brooklyn Bridge and, further back, the Empire State Building were at an awkward angle. A tripod definitely would have helped, as well as a different lens that would have allowed me to zoom past the pier.

I honestly don't have the money for any other equipment right now. It's just going to be me and the D3000 for a while. Eventually I will acquire a variety of lenses and maybe even a different camera. I'm content with what I've got for the moment. I've only had it about a month and a half.

 

[SalvadorMontenegro]

Good compositions...watch the exposures

Here's a slow mo example (I had easy access to this one that I could post)...The photo is somehow modified during upload (I hate the green)

Photo info:
Shutter speed: 2"
Aperture: 1/16
DOF focus: ~ 1ft
Flash: None
Lens: 38mm (Tamron 17-50mm)
ISO: 100
Format: Raw
Filter: Vari-ND (low setting for long exposure) & LB Color Combo (Singh-Ray)

Robert

View attachment 106313

I love that. The water looks like mist.

Right now, as far as exposure, I just go with whatever the camera tells me is correct. That means lining everything up and click-click. I'm still getting used to the idea of the light meter being fallible. I think it's like training wheels, eventually I'll break away from it.

 

[BladeRunner001]

Don;t worry bud...take your time...Nothing that can't wait. learn your camera and everything will fall into place...Kinda like wet shaving, heh?

Keep at it...it's fun

Robert

Most of what you said went waaaaaaaaaaay over my head. As far as technical matters go, I know about aperture, shutter speed, zoom and focus. That's it. I need to spend more time with my manual and a more advanced book. And of course I need more practice, as well.

I don't even own a tripod. For the bridge photo, I was leaning over a railing and attempting to steady the camera as best as I could for however long it was that I held down the... button. The picture I posted was the best one of the batch of bulb photos. It was difficult because the Brooklyn Bridge and, further back, the Empire State Building were at an awkward angle. A tripod definitely would have helped, as well as a different lens that would have allowed me to zoom past the pier.

I honestly don't have the money for any other equipment right now. It's just going to be me and the D3000 for a while. Eventually I will acquire a variety of lenses and maybe even a different camera. I'm content with what I've got for the moment. I've only had it about a month and a half.

 

[sodajerk]

Most of what you said went waaaaaaaaaaay over my head. As far as technical matters go, I know about aperture, shutter speed, zoom and focus. That's it. I need to spend more time with my manual and a more advanced book. And of course I need more practice, as well.

I don't even own a tripod. ...

You will learn technical things as time goes on. First, learn to "see" a picture story, understand light (direction, time of day, etc.), spot interesting colors and composition (rule of thirds, etc.). Google "photography composition tips for beginners" and you will be reading and learning for a while.

If that lens has VR you will not hurt for a tripod right away but it should be near the top of your want list. Until then, firmly prop the camera on, or against, something as much as possible. High ISO's help, too, but cause noise (grain) in your pictures. And, 50mm is "normal" for a full frame 35mm camera. Yours has a smaller sensor and 35mm is closer to "normal" on it.

Great start!!

 

[SalvadorMontenegro]

Thanks, guys! Now that school is over with, I'm looking forward to spending the summer fraternizing with my camera. I live in NYC (as you probably guessed), so I should have ample opportunities to shoot a wide variety of things.

 

[JJMontague]

Thanks, guys! Now that school is over with, I'm looking forward to spending the summer fraternizing with my camera. I live in NYC (as you probably guessed), so I should have ample opportunities to shoot a wide variety of things.

If you want to shoot cityscapes, a polarizer filter is a huge benefit. It not only deepens the colors of the sky, it gets rid of the glare on all the skyscraper windows. Even the cheap ones will do a decent job of it.

 

[CMATakashi]

If you want to shoot cityscapes, a polarizer filter is a huge benefit. It not only deepens the colors of the sky, it gets rid of the glare on all the skyscraper windows. Even the cheap ones will do a decent job of it.

May I recommend further a circular polarizer. It leads to some pretty looking results, even though you lose a stop.

 

[JJMontague]

May I recommend further a circular polarizer. It leads to some pretty looking results, even though you lose a stop.

Unless you're using a view camera or a pre-1970's camera without auto-focus, you MUST use a circular polarizer. It has to do with how the light travels through the lens and bounces off the mirror. If the light is linearly polarized it can throw off the metering and autofocus. Fortunately, nearly every polarizer filter you see for retail these days is circular.

 

[CMATakashi]

Unless you're using a view camera or a pre-1970's camera without auto-focus, you MUST use a circular polarizer. It has to do with how the light travels through the lens and bounces off the mirror. If the light is linearly polarized it can throw off the metering and autofocus. Fortunately, nearly every polarizer filter you see for retail these days is circular.

Ah, didn't even think of that. I got my first circular polarizer for my 24-70f2.8L a couple weeks ago and before then I've only used polarizers on my non-battery-powered leicas.

 

[Adcurium]

Awesome photos! Thanks for sharing!

 

[BladeRunner001]

Using my Fuji S5 pro DSLR, Here are 5 more photos I found on my iPhoto (after JPEG conversion). A few more coming up. IMO, these are OK, but not the greatest photos I have and upload to the web does not do the colors justice (no time to convert)...

I still need to find time to go to my master photo list and dig some out for you to see the various variable at play and how they can make or break and image

1. Japan (near Himeji Castle)

Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/6
LB color combo filter
focal length: 22mm
ISO: 640

View attachment 106549


2. Japan (Osaka - Fall festival)

Aperture: f/4.5
Shutter: 1/60
focal length: 46mm
ISO: 100

View attachment 106550


3. Hawaii (Maui)

Aperture: f/3.5
Shutter: 1/160
Exp bias: -1 stop
focal length: 40mm
ISO: 100

View attachment 106551


4. Zion Nat'l Park (Utah)

Aperture: f/16
Shutter: 1/3
LB color Combo filter
focal length: 17mm
ISO: 100

View attachment 106553


5. Lake Louise, (Canada, AB)

Aperture: f/18
Shutter: 1.6
focal length: 110mm
ISO: 100

View attachment 106554