Photography thread (closed thread, see first and last post)

[daisychick]

My camera is a Nikon D40 and that is all I know about it.
I want to learn how to use more than just the "auto" setting on my camera.
All the other options and setting scare me because I don't want to change a setting and then not know how to get it back to normal. I just use the auto setting for everything.

Took these today.
The sun was so pretty behind the leaves.
I wish the pictures were more crisp.

 

[redtailgal]

HI daisy chick! I like your pictures!

You and Livinwright both have a good eye!

A d40 is a nice camera, use it to its full potential!

Go to this thread and read the page on Focus: http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=14312

Work on getting your focus undercontrol (ask for help if you want) and then we will tackle getting you off the auto feature. See if you can show me a nicely focused picture of a single object, a flower, a goat, a chicken, etc.

One you have mastered your shutter release button, you will need to grasp exposure settings (F stops ,shutter speed etc) and you will be well on your way to getting off that auto feature!

 

[kstaven]

You just hit on my biggest issue in your article. Not framing out the picture. All to often it is point and click. That is where my current camera has allowed me to get into bad habits I didn't have with the 35mm.

 

[daisychick]

Thanks RTG, I need all the help I can get. I have tons of pictures of flowers, those are one of my favorite things to take pics of. I will dig through today and find one. Here are some pictures I took quickly of my goaties.

http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=14341

 

[redtailgal]

Thanks RTG, I need all the help I can get. I have tons of pictures of flowers, those are one of my favorite things to take pics of. I will dig through today and find one. Here are some pictures I took quickly of my goaties.

http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=14341

Hmm. Just a thought here, but do you know how to change the picture quality in your camera? I think you may need your setting tweaked a little.

SInce you have a Nikon, I pretty much know the specifics of your camera.

Find the button that has the large "I" on it. Tap it once and you get a screenw with a bunch of information on it, and a large circle on one side. Tap it again, and you loose the circle, but gain the ability to move around on the screen. You may "timeout" of this screen and have to come back in a couple times. The locations of the places I am talking about may be slightly different, so dont panic if you dont see it at first. I refer to this as the "working screen".

First: on the top right hand corner , you should see a box that says "QUAL", and beside it wil be two smaller boxes. Use your arrow keys to navigate to them, once you get on them tap "OK" and another menu will appear. One called Image quality will give you choices similiar to RAW, RAW+f, Fine etc. You will want to choose Fine or best and tap OK.

Now go to the other little box beside "QUAL": and tap ok. You will be at the image size selection. Choose M or medium or L for large. Large will not only give you a larger final picture, but a better quality picture. (you can always e edit or crop to the proper size later) Make your choice and tap OK

Now back to your "working screen", scroll to each of the following settings to check what they are. If they are not right, tap ok to open the selections, choose the correct setting and tap ok again to return to the "working screen". If you do not tap ok, your changes will not be saved.

ISO should say AUTO
Releasemode should have an "S"
Focusmode shoule say AF-A
and AF Area mode should be on the one with the largest square (open it to see the selections)

 

[daisychick]

Whooo hooo I actually went into the settings and touched buttons......I was wayyyyyy to scared to do that before. But your directions were easy and I wasn't skerd.

 

[redtailgal]

You were very brave!

Those settingd should give you a slightly better quality picture, and a better file, so you will have more options of what to do with your pics........you may could even print a poster!

Give you new settings a try, along with the tips in the focus article, and when you are happy with your focus, I'll tell you how to get off that auto setting.

Its WAY easy, if you do it in steps.

 

[soniat]

Its been 7 months since I bought my DSLR, shot over 8000 photographs and yet I feel, I havent scratched the surface of its capabilities. Only yesterday I finally setup the my menu, hopefully it will come in handy during the upcoming shoots.

 

[77Herford]

How do I capture an enraged old lady wielding a five gallon bucket while she hits an angry bull.

 

[redtailgal]

Its been 7 months since I bought my DSLR, shot over 8000 photographs and yet I feel, I havent scratched the surface of its capabilities. Only yesterday I finally setup the my menu, hopefully it will come in handy during the upcoming shoots.

What kind of photography do you like to shoot?

I'd love to see some of your work.