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Hey guys I dunno if there is a specific thread for first timers or anything, but im just so excited! I live on the northside of Brisbane and spent the day at Boondall Wetlands with my first ever DSLR, a new Sony A300. Was very unhappy with 99% of the photos, and these are the only ones I wasnt too embarrassed to post

The flora and fauna are a bit rare at these wetlands, especially this time of year. But its very green at the moment at least.








I know they're very average but please c&c

Hi and Welcome Eric.

Your image links were too small for me to properly critique. At those small sizes they looked quite good for first batch of photos! PS: Before the mods jump on you, please put on a meaningful location on your profile. Check the FAQ and also the red lettering on the top of this page.... Don't worry, there are no stalkers in the forum.

Yeh thanks for that, was trying to fix it quickly before anyone saw haha. I have the proper links there now if you would have another look for me? they are still small though, im guessing thats just a flickr thing...

Am about to update my profile now, was just excited about my first photos! thanks again

Hi Eric, and welcome.

I've taken the liberty of editing your post so that the images display within the post for you. It makes it a bit easier for others to review the images in this way.

eric_r wrote:Hey guys I dunno if there is a specific thread for first timers or anything,

We also have a "First Image" section, which these would have qualified for. But this is the better section for receiving critique and suggestions.

Don't be embarrassed: we all started somewhere, and some of us are still pretty hopeless. (raises hand)

Keep posting, listen to what is said about your images, and you'll be surprised at how quickly you'll learn.

Hey Gary, I only didnt do that so people could see a larger version, but thats cool thanks for that. You never actually said anything about the images!!

They're great fun. And the best part is there's so much more you can spend on them. Start getting a modest set of lenses, a decent flash, a nice camera bag, a tripod is a must... and the lost goes on and on and on.

Welcome to the new and financially challenged world of digital photography enthusiasts.

eric_r wrote:Hey Gary, I only didnt do that so people could see a larger version

Try clicking on the images.

You never actually said anything about the images!!

Correct. I thought I'd let others have their say first.

Welcome to the Forum, Eric.

With the first one, I think it's a bit to close to the middle of the day. The light is at least as important as what you're photographing. Late afternoon would help and maybe some clound cover to diffuse the shadows a bit.

With the second one, the bird is probably a bit too central. Usually off-balance images work best unless you're capturing symmetry. Cropping the out-of-focus grass at the bottom and in from the left helps, I think. It might have been netter to get in closer too. That might mean a telephoto lens that you may not have, or simply getting down as low as you can and slowly getting closer.

Keep trying, it's the only way to learn and everyone's still learning.

Regards,
Murray

Congratulations on your purchase. Great to see that you are getting out there and taking photos. When I got my first DSLR (about 4yrs after I last touched a SLR) I took about 6000 shots in the space of 3 months just experimenting.

Dont ever be afraid to post images here...you will always get some good advice. The Magpie has some potential...maybe get closer next time

Keep the pics coming and welcome aboard!

(PS. I think the A300/350 are heaps better than the A330/380 and these are the only SLR's with LiveView worth using)

Thanks guys, I actually considered the time of day but was just too excited and couldnt wait haha, looks like today I will actually wait! The magpie shot was originally supposed to be a portrait - but with only the kit lenses and the fact that your not supposed to leave the walkway, i couldnt get the shot i actually wanted.

Today i might try some public gardens or a mountain lookout, I finish work at midday everyday, so I have plenty of time each day to play, its just a matter of being patient and waiting for the afternoon sun lol Ill wait till i actually know what im doing and have some more practice before i go posting more, thanks again

eric_r wrote:Ill wait till i actually know what im doing and have some more practice before i go posting more, thanks again

Hi Eric
First of all welcome.
Don’t be afraid to post photos in here, if you belief you have got a nice shot share it with us and maybe let us know what you like about the photo. A good way to learn as well as going out there and taking lots of shots with different settings is to read and look at other members posts in the forum and there C&C. I have only been here for a short time but have to say that there are some very knowledgeable people around who don't mind helping out.
I know that the time of day is important but that doesn’t mean that you can’t go out there in the middle of the day and still end up with a very nice photos, just go out and have some fun.

Keep the photos coming!!! PS
If you double click on your photo that you want to post in flickr and then choose all sizes on top of the photo, you can pick from: Square, Thumbnail, Small, Medium, Large and Original
Medium is most of the times the one to choose.

eric_r wrote: its just a matter of being patient and waiting for the afternoon sun lol Ill wait till i actually know what im doing and have some more practice before i go posting more, thanks again

Eric,

The time of day is important, but it's probably more important to learn how to shoot in the different and challenging conditions presented to you by those different times of day. That way you can learn to understand what the challenges are, how they affect our shooting, and what techniques you can use to address those challenges.

And posting your results - regardless of whether you feel they're "good enough" - is truly the best way to improve. Truly, simply posting your good shots is not the way that you'll improve. Posting the shots that are less than good, the shots that you know should be better, but puzzle you as why they're not ..... and receiving the suggestions offered .... and then trying again .... that is what it's all about.

It's only by confronting those challenges that you will learn how best to deal with them.

And then you'll be a photographer.

Both of you guys Craig and Gary, thanks heaps for your comments. Ive been a fan of these forums for a while and i respect both of you and your work on here that i have seen!

Im starting to finally fathom just how much is involved with this! Just for example, those shots i took yesterday, i had no idea about metering, never looked at my ISO settings, etc etc. i picked an f stop and a shutter speed and clicked away. Id only just bought the camera and literally just finished charging the battery for the first time when i took those photos, and the more i take the more im learning, as you said about the time of day etc. So im going to stop being so closed minded about my ability and such, and continue to practice and post! Thanks also for the Flickr size tip too Craig

Time to go and shoot some more...