First shots with my first DSLR

[swollix]

This was my very first time using a DSLR. Please give me some tips on taking better pics, they may be cloudy because I did not use a tripod. I can't wait to try some HDR. EDIT: updates on page 2.

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[SenorJ]

look good for not having a tripod. Did david ever send you the rolling shots?

[87 Turbo II]

Meh, you'll get better, but nothing about those shots looks spectacular. Get a tripod for sure, then start shooting in lower ISOs, and a little post processing work with the unsharp mask, curves, levels and such could help you.

[DB4LYFE ™]

NICE MAN!

~DB4LYFE

[rbf]

Great start!..

[BalistiX]

Lookin Good Man. You know what would make the pictures better....A black Integra GSR :D

[Atlblkz06]

Which camera did you buy?

[csmiths]

lol had to get one for your self huh? not bad, dont worry i dont know shit about cameras either

[uproot]

Read the manual

[Dwisforme05]

nice. which camera u go with?

[FasTech]

The first one is very nice! Not bad though at all

[MachNU]

nice, i cant wait until i can get a good camera to take nice pics!

also beatiful m3

[GhostSTI]

Nice pics..

[swollix]

nice. which camera u go with?

Nikon D70, with Nikon AF-S Nikkor 18-70mm F/3.5-4.5G ED DX lens.

[Atlblkz06]

The difference in quality is immediately apparent eh? There is just no comparison (to a point-n-shoot).

Enjoy it! I am looking to buy a DSLR in the near future too. Thanks for sharing details on your purchase.

[Terror]

Got a camera finally! cool man. not bad shots at all, a tripod will def help and as stated above lower ISO will most always produce a better pic. The only thing I really noticed is it seemed like you were taking some pics facing the light source on the shadowed side of the car :ninja:. Alot of times the best pics come from the lit side of the car, but congrats on the camera either way!

[Sir_Christopher]

sick ass BMW dude!! i im gonna get a loan out for one haha :]

[speedminded]

The difference in quality is immediately apparent eh? There is just no comparison (to a point-n-shoot).

Enjoy it! I am looking to buy a DSLR in the near future too. Thanks for sharing details on your purchase.lol *sigh* Who wants to bring me their $200 point & shoot and I'll put it up against anyone's DSLR with shots in this same situation. ;)

...granted it's not a 5D with a $1,400 'L' Lens! :boobies:

[swollix]

sick ass BMW dude!! i im gonna get a loan out for one haha :]

Economy is not well suited for loan applicants, it will be hard.:no: If you do I suggest not getting anything without an "M" in the badge. Everyone who sticks with BMWs ends up getting an M later.The M models are really that much better than the normal models until recently with the production of the 135i and 335i.

[swollix]

Got a camera finally! cool man. not bad shots at all, a tripod will def help and as stated above lower ISO will most always produce a better pic. The only thing I really noticed is it seemed like you were taking some pics facing the light source on the shadowed side of the car :ninja:. Alot of times the best pics come from the lit side of the car, but congrats on the camera either way!

Finally? I didn't really want one till I saw David's, then I had to have one. These things are not cheap either man!

[87 Turbo II]

The difference in quality is immediately apparent eh? There is just no comparison (to a point-n-shoot).

Depends, a good photographer with a shitty camera is better than a shitty photographer with a good camera. a lot of people make the mistake of thinking that their photography will just magically be perfect when they get the DSLR. The common metaphor photographers use is someone writing a note to Picaso.

Dear Picasso:

I want to become a painter. I want to know what paint brushes you use, so my paintings can look as good as yours.

Now anyone can look at the metaphor and understand how ridiculous it sounds, you could be using very precise brushes with the highest quality paints, but if you don't know whatbyou're doing, you won't get far.

Granted, if you knew what you were doing with the P&S in fully manual mode, then you'll notice a huge difference in the SLR's control and you'll be able to feel the improvement. Then you'll have to re-hone your skills. 80% of the amateur photographers out there buy new equipment when they haven't even achieved half of the full potential of their current lenses/bodies/equipment.

The OP is on his way. Everyone's "first SLR" shots are their worst, but his are better than most people's firsts because he really got most out of his P&S.

[GSRteg®]

You have a clean BMW man. :goodjob:

[CHADbee]

I can't wait to try some HDR.


please do wait, till after im dead :lmfao:

all jokes aside, if you plan on doing any night photo a tripod is for sure on your list asap. have fun with it and enjoy!

nikon ftw.

[swollix]

The OP is on his way. Everyone's "first SLR" shots are their worst, but his are better than most people's firsts because he really got most out of his P&S.

Thanks, I thought my point and shoot shots were decent.

[speedminded]

Depends, a good photographer with a shitty camera is better than a shitty photographer with a good camera. a lot of people make the mistake of thinking that their photography will just magically be perfect when they get the DSLR. The common metaphor photographers use is someone writing a note to Picaso.

Dear Picasso:

I want to become a painter. I want to know what paint brushes you use, so my paintings can look as good as yours.

Now anyone can look at the metaphor and understand how ridiculous it sounds, you could be using very precise brushes with the highest quality paints, but if you don't know whatbyou're doing, you won't get far.

Granted, if you knew what you were doing with the P&S in fully manual mode, then you'll notice a huge difference in the SLR's control and you'll be able to feel the improvement. Then you'll have to re-hone your skills. 80% of the amateur photographers out there buy new equipment when they haven't even achieved half of the full potential of their current lenses/bodies/equipment.

The OP is on his way. Everyone's "first SLR" shots are their worst, but his are better than most people's firsts because he really got most out of his P&S.You pretty much hit the nail on the head. DSLR's don't compose shots themselves. If you don't know composition with a point & shoot or how to make the most of the equipment then better equipment will not help one bit. Like I said, I'll challenge anyone with a DSLR, particularly new owners, with a low to mid range point & shoot. :doh:

You can buy someone a brand new Snap-On tool box loaded with all their goods but does that make them capable of working on or repairing a car?

[Tree]

not bad

[CHADbee]

Like I said, I'll challenge anyone with a DSLR, particularly new owners, with a low to mid range point & shoot. :doh:
OoOoOOooo!!!!

make some call outs in the kills forum dude :lmao:

[black_e92]

such a beautiful car... pure sexyness:D

[james]

doing any night photo a tripod is for sure on your list asap.




don't cheap out. if it wobbles at all, even slightly, its no good. you can get a decent bogen at wolf camera (wolf camera = idiots, but whatever), for like 125, with head. id check that out if i were you. you know, just don't go to best buy and get the most expensive one they have there thinking its going to do you any good. all that would do is make a nice hat rack.

all that aside, work on metering.

[87 Turbo II]

Thanks, I thought my point and shoot shots were decent.
yeah they were, and because of it, your DSLR shots will rapidly improve and you're already ahead of other new-to-DSLR people.

[Brown Man]

pics look good man

i like this one the most


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[DavidTB8889]

yeah they look pretty good... im still trying to get the hang of my D50 but im getting a lot better, but dont worry about these assholes!

[A.P. Photography]

The difference in quality is immediately apparent eh? There is just no comparison (to a point-n-shoot).

Enjoy it! I am looking to buy a DSLR in the near future too. Thanks for sharing details on your purchase.

So you think having an DSLR is what makes great photos? You still have a lot to learn.

Do some searches on here for Speedminded's old post. He was shooting with a Sony point and shoot and killin most people who had DSLR's. A camera is only as good as the photographer using it.

To the OP, like has been said. Get a tripod and watch your metering and keep at it.

[CHADbee]

it is true and here is proof. look at the photo and then look at the screen shoot i just did.


http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh98/chadbee123/leef.jpg

[CHADbee]

sorry guys the AM/PM was switched on the powershot^

its was shot at 12/2/06 at 3:40 PM not AM lol

another point and shoot, same camera....

[swollix]

Okay guys, I have some updates, I bought a tripod and used the Nikon remote this time:
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[A.P. Photography]

Much better. Just watch your backgrounds now.

[swollix]

Much better. Just watch your backgrounds now.

What do you mean?

[87 Turbo II]

Swollix, you can officially add yourself to the list of people who actually noticed improvements when switching to DSLR cause you knew what the fuck you were doing with your point and shoot. REPS for leanring on the cheap gear before getting the good stuff.

[speedminded]

What do you mean?First, use the rule of thirds....you rarely ever want to center your subject.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds
http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/rule-of-thirds/
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=KXV&q=rule+of+thirds&btnG=Search


Secondly, you never want things protruding from the roof line of the car in the background...ie. power poles, trees, building columns, etc. Shot #1, 2, & 4 all have a window that are killing the outline of the car. The car in shot #1 and 2 should have been centered between the windows and number #4 would be an excellent shot if the window was either to the left or right of the car, not directly behind it.

As for the post processing, adjusting the levels like that to look like fake HDR really accentuates the mismatched paint...or makes it look like it is anyways. I'd suggest trying to take a photo like your eyes see's it before ruining the shot with PP.

[speedminded]

Swollix, you can officially add yourself to the list of people who actually noticed improvements when switching to DSLR cause you knew what the fuck you were doing with your point and shoot. REPS for leanring on the cheap gear before getting the good stuff.He has yet to take a shot that couldn't be done with a low end point & shoot from wal-mart.


Check out this post, great pics right?
http://community.automotivephoto.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2185
Then read how critical the replies are. The members replying are some of the best automotive photographers in the WORLD...those who shoot the magazine advertisements for automobile manufactures in magazines, etc.

[87 Turbo II]

As for the post processing, adjusting the levels like that to look like fake HDR really accentuates the mismatched paint...or makes it look like it is anyways. I'd suggest trying to take a photo like your eyes see's it before ruining the shot with PP.
That's photomatix, it's real HDR.

[87 Turbo II]

He has yet to take a shot that couldn't be done with a low end point & shoot from wal-mart.
well that's true too, but he still is doing a better job than most do when they pic up a DSLR for the first time.

[speedminded]

That's photomatix, it's real HDR.LOL! yeah...no. Do you even know what High Dynamic Range means?

[CHADbee]

He has yet to take a shot that couldn't be done with a low end point & shoot from wal-mart.


Check out this post, great pics right?
http://community.automotivephoto.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2185
Then read how critical the replies are. The members replying are some of the best automotive photographers in the WORLD...those who shoot the magazine advertisements for automobile manufactures in magazines, etc.
i love posting my shots on APN!!! i LOVE getting flammed!

"nice pictures dude" doesnt help you get any better.

critiques>compliments

[87 Turbo II]

LOL! yeah...no. Do you even know what High Dynamic Range means?
yes, utilizing overexposed, properly exposed, and underexposed shots to exceed the dynamice range the sensor is able to record at one time. Thye can look realistic or dreamlike, the ones in this thread are not artificial HDRs made by levels and curves. It's a proper multi-exposure HDR.

[amandDA]

very nice shots

[swollix]

Paint is not mismatched (you can see in the beginning of the thread) , I am unsure why it always appears that way in HDR photographs...

[KevinT707]

Hrmm interesting, well for the guys that are pretty good with DSLR cameras and stuff throw the man some tips on which things he should/could adjust in certain conditions etc.

[speedminded]

...

[A.P. Photography]

Ok Speedminded had pretty much hit the nail on the head with what I was saying so just re-read his posts again.

As for the mismatched paint, it is what the camera sees with the light conditions it is given on a white car. If there is the slightest variances in paint, uneven lighting, or a pearl in the clear or something like that then doing an HDR is going to show it. Normally this is not as noticable in other color cars. At least that is what I think, the car phoogs on here would have a better answer.

~waits for Speedminded, Walker, Jaime, Changaroo~