Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

A beginners portfolio; help me learn

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    A beginners portfolio; help me learn

    So this will most likely end up being thread for me more than anyone else as I would like a place to track my progress, but I suppose I'll give some background.

    I've always been interested in photography...not so much pictures of me (I hate being photographed), but photography in general. Being able to capture that perfect moment in time is something special. Photographs allow us a window into another mind, another persons world or in the case of our own photos, a time capsule, a memory captured, a moment preserved.

    I've toyed with photography for as long as I can remember. I stole my moms camera every chance I had growing up.

    I took took two photography classes in high school. The first was with 35mm film. We developed our own exposures in a dark room in the class. It was a heck of a time. The second was a digital photography class. While it wasn't that long ago (2002) it makes me laugh to think how far the technology has come since then; it also amazes me how far behind I've become.

    But enough about the past...I've been watching the posts on here and have a great friend who is fortunate enough to guide for a living. I have seen the incredible pictures you and he have taken. The bite from long ago has once again taken ahold...and I finally purchased a decent camera.

    So on to the substance....

    Camera: Nikon D5300
    Lenses: Nikkor 18-55, Tamron 70-300
    Software: Lightroom CC (just downloaded this...I have no idea what I'm doing yet...I have experience with PS from when I was in HS. A lot has changed since then)

    Background on first pictures: I am living in Houston now. I got my new gear last week. Headed to my hometown (Boerne, Tx) this past weekend. My best friend and a few others headed out to 1851 Winery in Fredericksburg. The following are a few pictures from the winery and then a few at my parents place in Boerne.

    Please be open and honest on your opinion of the photos. I hope to learn and become a more proficient photographer with your help. These are literally from the first 100 pictures I have taken with my new camera. They also have not been edited in any way other than re-sizing to post.

    Again, Please criticize heavily.
    Tell me what I am doing wrong (or in rare instances...right)
    Please let me know if you have tips or tricks for me....they will be greatly appreciated. I know there is much work to be done.

    My plan is to continue to post pictures to this thread as I progress. I thank you all for you're evaluation, knowledge, input, criticism, instruction, and if warranted...compliments.

    I hope some of these are worthy of your time

    Thanks for the look.

    Sincerely,

    R. Carlisle
    Attached Files

    #2
    Pictures look good. Everything seems very center framed. Dont be afraid to make the focal point of your photos be off to the sides or in a corner

    Comment


      #3
      Good start. I would suggest learning about depth of field, rule of thirds, shutter speed, ISO etc. Also, Lightroom is some pretty awesome software. In the last few years, I have really started to appreciate it. There are a ton of YouTubes that will teach you some neat tricks and improve your workflow. Keep up the good work. It's an addicting hobby/job.

      Comment


        #4
        There is a LOT to learn about composition. Do lots of reading and looking at photos that catch your eye. Pay attention to how the photographer framed the shot, the perspective that he/she used in taking the shot (high/low, etc.). Also read and study photographers' use of light and shadow and contrast. Photos of subjects in the shade and photos of things in bright mid-day sunlight all look kinda flat, because there is no contrasting light. Capturing contrasting light adds a LOT to an image.

        Comment


          #5
          Thanks for the input everyone!

          Shane, any specific books I should check out?

          Comment


            #6
            There are tons of books. There is also a lot of reading online, YouTube video instruction, etc.... I don't have any bookmarked, but you can just google "photography composition" or other things like that, and you'll have material for days.

            Comment


              #7
              I just saw a facebook ad for this article. Maybe they're spying on my TBH posts or something.

              Comment


                #8
                A Stanford Professors entire class on digital photography.

                What's inside a digital camera? Here’s a cutaway view of the Canon Digital Rebel 1000D. Here's a more instructive diagram, showing the main optical paths. I'll show the parts of a camera (every screw) during one of the lectures.

                Comment

                Working...
                X