Be gentle

[Sniper]

My first outing with my new dslr. I've never used the camera before and would appreciate your thoughts and suggestions on my very first attempts with it. The pictures are untouched they are as captured by the camera, I don't have photoshop and would'nt know how to use it even if I did, I only have "Picture It" by Microsoft but only ever use it for sizing and cropping. I was on duty over on the Isle of Arran, and because of ferry timings we had a bit of time to spare before coming back tonight so we had a run round and took a couple of shots when we saw something worth looking at. First is before we got on the boat, and the rest on the island itself.

[Sniper]

Also saw this chap whilst driving round.

[singteck]

Well the horizon is not level and that is very obvious There is no focal point in any of the picture. Try to include something big in the photo to attract the eyes to....... the peacock would have been good in any of the background except the one it's in

singteck

[Nagual]

Well the horizon is not level and that is very obvious There is no focal point in any of the picture. Try to include something big in the photo to attract the eyes to....... the peacock would have been good in any of the background except the one it's in

singteck

Not level? You've not been to Arran have you? The whole island isn't level... lol Actually only the first picture has an obvious horizon to look at ( the sea ) the other pics are quite level - if you look at the roof tops of the buildings you can see, you may note they are fairly level.

I would disagree about needing something big to focus on. I personally hate this is pictures, besides aren't those hills big enough? What I would say is get back out there ( okay maybe not Arran, but it's a great place so what not ) and take more pictures, play with different styles. Lots of close up shots, lots of Vistas, some concentrating on wildlife etc. Wild life would be a good one to play with as you have little control of the subject, forcing you to make creative decisions. Close up or away? Angled or flat? Front or Rear... the more you play and the more you examine your own work - and you'll be you own biggest critic, the better you'll become.


It takes time, thats all. As long as you enjoy it, it really doesn't matter what anyone thinks. So go forth! Have fun!


Nag.


Nag.

[Wayland]

Not bad for a start.

There are a couple of problems that can easily be sorted out.

Horizons are notoriously tricky, especially with the small viewfinders in modern cameras. Anything with water in it will show it up most for obvious reasons.

What can often help is the autofocus areas displayed in the viewfinder can be used to show you a level. Alternatively the pictures can be straightened up with software later if needed.

Composition is often thought about as some kind of dark art that some people understand and the rest of us will never get. I think it's quite easy actually, even without the rules that everyone thinks are so important.

In general a story has a start, a middle bit and and ending. Pictures, a bit like little stories in themselves, are much the same.

Visually we have a foreground, middle distance, and far away. (This last part includes the sky.)

All of these pictures have them but they are presented to us in a way that sort of flattens them out.

The thing about foreground as we look at it, is that it near to us and therefore large in the frame and detailed.

In the last three shots there is some interesting foreground detail associated with the fences and walls. By moving closer to these and including a bit more of them in the frame it would have given the shots much more depth by separating those zones of interest. I hope that explanation makes sense.

Ideally the interest in the foreground will lead our eye into the middle distance and so on. Paths, walls and fences are great for this.

Now, important bit, no single "rule" of composition is going to apply to every picture. There will always be exceptions but by applying a little thought to foreground, middle distance and far away it helps us to examine our pictures and decide what it actually is that attracts us to a view.

I often look to try and find something interesting to include in each zone. Often I only get one or two, maybe an interesting rock in the foreground and a dramatic sky in the distance but it helps to think about how they relate together.

After a while it becomes second nature and you don't even realise your thinking about it but the difference it can make to your pictures is great.

[Cobweb]

What Wayland said!

[Sniper]

Thanks a lot folks, good tips and sdvice there for me. I have to admit much of my previous stuff has been done indoors, portraits and the like but after having seeing some of the great pictures put up recently has got me wanting to move more outdoors, so this is all completely new to me. I have a lot to learn which is apparent but with people like yourselves here it should be fun, thanks again folks.

[Gill]

very good mate, lovely familier views for me as well .i have a wee pining for Arran at the moment .