Thought I might share some of my favorite shots (I took over 300 pictures this past weekend and if you include christmas day I have taken over 500 pictures total). These were taken over the weekend. Phil and I traveled from Baltimore to Ocean City to visit with his family. I have reduced these by 25% to save on loading...

They live in a community area that lives right on the inlet. You can see Ocean City and the bridge to get there from their neighbors backyard...
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y105/S2_Rp/08%20Xmas%20at%20OC%202/DSC_0352.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y105/S2_Rp/08%20Xmas%20at%20OC%202/DSC_0358.jpg

Our Baybridge (on the way to Ocean City)
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y105/S2_Rp/08%20Xmas%20at%20OC/DSC_0005.jpg

Neighbors house across the channel. I was really trying to work on my lighting effects and I loved how the house lights and christmas lights reflected off the water...
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y105/S2_Rp/08%20Xmas%20at%20OC/DSC_0119.jpg

OC has a light festival and this display said it all
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y105/S2_Rp/08%20Xmas%20at%20OC/DSC_0150.jpg

I really liked the Tree and the reflection was just as beautiful
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y105/S2_Rp/08%20Xmas%20at%20OC/DSC_0173.jpg

A touching moment
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y105/S2_Rp/08%20Xmas%20at%20OC%202/DSC_0330.jpg

Watchu talkin bout Phil?
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y105/S2_Rp/08%20Xmas%20at%20OC%202/DSC_0335.jpg

I like! your pics are making me look into a new camera now.... just what I need - but hey-gotta have something top-of-the -line to get pics of our babies, right?

Something like that... I am determined to mark my experiences with pictures and words. They are a lot cheaper than material things and mean a lot more.

Something like that... I am determined to mark my experiences with pictures and words. They are a lot cheaper than material things and mean a lot more.

like pictures of suds boys? :D

nice pics, Sunny.

like pictures of suds boys? :D

nice pics, Sunny.

If they happen to be there... We need more Sud Boys

Sorry to bring up an old thread. What lenses and filters are you using. I have the same D40 with the 18-55 Nikkor lens and a sigma 55-200. Maybe we can compare notes sometime.

Bill, I don't think a thread from a week ago constitutes "old". :)

I personally would like to see all threads stay open forever and unlocked, but I don't know what the admin policy is on this. Alex???

Sunny and Bsmith, We have an Cannon EOS and love it. I am just finally learning to use Manual setting more and more. but not alway successful. Lighting is a bear.
I just got a 10-22mm lens wide angle. It is awesome minimal distortion. No fish eye.
It is great for Real estate Photos. pricey but essential for my work.
Have you guys looked into any HDR work. I am working on learning bracketing and have photoshop cs3 but still only a little proficient on any of it. It seems like if I don't use my camera for a bit I forget everything. I got cs3 for cheap with a damaged package box. legal and everything, registered just fine.

If you don't know what HDR is it's ( in my easy beginner terms) taking the same shot in different exposures and Merging them. The results can be awesome. Nice crisp photos with depth. You can over process the effects and do artsy stuff also. But I really am just learning this stuff. slowly.
Most likely your camera has a bracketing mode, check it out it is fun!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_dynamic_range_imaging

I personally would like to see all threads stay open forever and unlocked, but I don't know what the admin policy is on this. Alex???

Far as I know I haven't changed from whatever is the default for vBulletin. I don't believe there is an automatic closing/locking of threads after a certain time period, and as of now I don't foresee a need to change that.

There is a time limit on how long a user can edit one of their own individual posts; it's either 30 or 60 days (it's configurable, I just forget where it's set right now).

Only reason I ask is that I've seen it both ways on vBulletin sites and I have no idea what the default is.

First post!

BlueTyke, congrats on the new camera / new addiction... once you get the hang of DSLR, you'll be able to take some amazing pictures with your D40 (awesome UI and great beginner's camera). Check out the dpreview.com Nikon boards for better help/advice than you're likely to get here.

With that said, I hope you don't take offense to anything I'm about to say... I'm an aspiring amateur photographer myself and only want to help you get better at this.

1.) Noise - if you haven't done so already, invest in a sturdy tripod and lower the ISO settings. Most of your pictures are way too noisy while at the same time being underexposed (IE: Pics 1 and 2). Also, considering using computer software like noiseninja for post processing

2.) Framing - learn to frame your shots better... this'll take practice (some people just seem to be born with "it"). The shots lack a clear subject / are crooked / or just plain uninteresting to look at. Try messing around with the rule of thirds (google it)

3.) Night shots - again, *USE A TRIPOD*, try using aperature priority (for now), lower ISO, they're too grainy/noisy. Your D40 does *not* come with image stabilization in the lens nor the body.. a tripod is a MUST.

Example:
http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/8089/p9210817wb4.jpg

This picture was one of my very first night shots and (it's not a very good one) was taken in pitch darkness without the use of a tripod. It still has less noise than your dusk images... I know you'll be able to take pictures much nicer than mine with the proper gear and practice.

Example 2:
http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/8855/p91100501tonemapped2wk9.jpg
http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/7683/p911005234tonemapped3ju5.jpg

^^ Couple of my first night shots taken WITH a tripod and touched up with HDR ^^

4.) Read - there's tons of websites that do a great job of explaining the interaction between aper. priority / shutter priority and how you can use the two to obtain the best shots

5.) Post Processing - this step is vital... it's what separates the mediocre photos from the great ones. Learn how to use Photoshop CS2 - you'll thank yourself later for it

As of now, outside of the last photo of the dog, it's hard to tell you're even using a DSLR.

Keep practicing! Good luck

Sorry to bring up an old thread. What lenses and filters are you using. I have the same D40 with the 18-55 Nikkor lens and a sigma 55-200. Maybe we can compare notes sometime.

No filters just the 18-55 that came with the kit. I haven't purchased any additional lenses so far.

If you don't know what HDR is it's ( in my easy beginner terms) taking the same shot in different exposures and Merging them. The results can be awesome. Nice crisp photos with depth. You can over process the effects and do artsy stuff also. But I really am just learning this stuff. slowly.
Most likely your camera has a bracketing mode, check it out it is fun!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_dynamic_range_imaging

That I did not know! Thanks for sharing!!

Those are some neat shots! Thanks for the observations as well.

I will say there is a lot of things about Photography that I haven't learned and am in the process of learning. I am taking this like I am a motorcycle. I doubt I will ever be an expert but I will have fun while learning.

With that being said...

1) I didn't realize my pictures were that noisie, I'll look into that. As for a tripod I do have one but I don't always have it with me. To be honest I don't think I trust it much...

2) I don't 'frame' pictures persay because I usually go for angels other people do not consider... also I do realize there is a lot of 'negitive' space but unlike some I don't have that much of a problem with it. There are times that it actually adds to a photo...So my subject is not always going to be dead center in the frame. Or focused for that matter. Sometimes it is looking past the object to see whats there that is intriging to me... Rarely considered angle example:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y105/S2_Rp/Xmas%2008/DSC_0126.jpg

3) Night shots. I have learned that using a Tripod when dealing with night shots is a must but also a stable object is a must. In the particular example I had above my Tripod was a bulkhead post. It wasn't going anywhere and wasn't moving. What was moving was the channel. Again I was just learning and the ISO was lower (I know this because Phil had to show me how to do it)

4) Thanks there is an aweful lot of info out there. It is all really daunting. Also for a beginner there are a lot of terms that are known to photogs and not the natural world.

5) By Post Processing... what do you mean by that? I have Photoshop 5.0 LE (yeah its old) so thats generally what I work in. Aside from 'resizing' my images I don't do anything in order to bring my shots to the web.

2) I don't 'frame' pictures persay because I usually go for angels other people do not consider... also I do realize there is a lot of 'negitive' space but unlike some I don't have that much of a problem with it. There are times that it actually adds to a photo...So my subject is not always going to be dead center in the frame. Or focused for that matter. Sometimes it is looking past the object to see whats there that is intriging to me... Rarely considered angle example:

I am happy you are just going with it!!!!!!!! refining comes in time.
It is fun to experiment. I am glad I am not using real film that would be sooo costly.
I am just learning about depth of field. focusing everything or just a point.
but I do not think in a linear way so documenting what I have done to get a certain shot is a challenge for me. Alittle ADD I am for sure.

I can not believe I did not take out the camera for the record snow we had for weeks. but I guess I feel snow is an natural diaster. like a flood, quake,locust... you know and should be observed quietly. Snow would have given me extra exposure challanges.

It sounds like you are having a fun time with your camera regardless. As for some of the 'natural disaster' pictures. Some of the best ones Time Magazine has ever published were during those times. I also find that it does let you do/look at interesting things.

Blue, Great shots of the Ocean City area. We have sailed all around that area. I do miss living on the boat. Much less of a rat race.

BlueTyke,

By framing, I didn't mean "framing" everything literally... it was just the first word that popped into my head :) Different angles are great and putting everything dead center can get boring... which is why I suggested looking up the rule of thirds.

If you enjoy taking shots like the one you posted of the acorn(?), consider using the focus-lock / increasing the aperture a tad or investing in some quality macro lens.

Haha, the world of Photoshop and post processing can be even more daunting than actually taking the pictures themselves... but PS is an extremely powerful / valuable tool that is worth investing some time in. For example, PS can be used to neutralize tones (too red, too blue, etc.), run filters (de-noise, sharpen), saturate/desaturated and most importantly, you can utilize the histogram (the distribution bar chart) to fix your exposure. The histogram is an essential tool (check out this link for a quick intro http://www.photocolorcorrection.com/histogram.html
) that you must learn to understand.

Using PP to lift shadows is also an essential skill to taking well exposed photos.

You can get some awesome and direct feedback by posting your work at dpreview.com - some of those guys are pros and they can critique and offer better constructive criticism than I can. Keep it up and let me know if there's anything I can do to help :thumbup:

Thanks I'll look them up...

Psst it is a broken clam... Hehe Its alright it's an aquired image.

That HDR Stuff is hard if you don't have the programs to do it. My Photoshop doesn't have the merge and so I did it all by hand...I might have done it wrong but I was following a tutorial explaing how to do it on a day shot. I went with that.

One of the local malls in the are is celebrating our football team getting into the playoffs so changed their display lights from white to purple... (sssh we aren't supposed to be taking pictures of the shopping mall, or so the security person told me.. Oops!)

What I was working with: (And yes I was using a Tripiod. I think I might need to get a Leash to push the buttons so I don't jiggle the camera at all)

Dark
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y105/S2_Rp/Photoshop/DSC_0017.jpg

Meduim
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y105/S2_Rp/Photoshop/DSC_0018.jpg

Light
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y105/S2_Rp/Photoshop/DSC_0021.jpg

End Result
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y105/S2_Rp/Photoshop/HDRTest.jpg

Try using Photomatix... there's a trial version available and it doesn't cost much.

Adobe Photoshop CS3? (2 or 3, can't remember) has the HDR function... there's more to it than just merging different exposures together (ie: tonemapping).

Using Photomatix Pro
http://img56.imageshack.us/img56/2658/p9110052pt2.jpg
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/6555/p9110053mt5.jpg
http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/593/p9110054ge9.jpg
http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/7683/p911005234tonemapped3ju5.jpg


Also, try using noise ninja :) Or if you have a noise filter setting on the camera itself, set it on (preferably to "low" or equivalent)... for the some reason, the images are still very noisy. What ISO setting are you taking these night shots in?

Tip: If you are experiencing camera "jiggle" from pressing the shutter, set the self timer to something short (2 sec) and take pictures that way.

CS2 I think is when it started (my Photoshop isn't even on the maps anymore)

Photomatrix. I downloaded that.. The original picture actually has a lamp post and it turned the light completely black... Which was why I figured i was doing something wrong.

ISO setting... As I didn't mess with it (part of my problem, to quick to point and shoot I forget to think about these things) at turning on my camera now it says ISO- A (I assume automatic?)

Noisy.. Blury you mean? Just so I have the termanology... My art teachers have drilled noise as being to cluttered...

Why the heck didn't I think of the self timer! Uggh! Thanks for reminding me!

Oh, haha, must be CS3 then... are you sure you're getting PhotoMATIX? I'm not sure if PhotoMatrix is a different program. Either way, until you mess around with tonemapping, the merged image will be pretty nasty looking... disregard it and play around.

When you take pictures, which mode are you typically in? Auto? If you have an automatic ISO-mode, I really, really would recommend you stay away from that (if you can, avoid using any sort of auto/scene modes... that's what point and shoots are for ;) ). Until you can do full manual, stick with Aperture Priority (Ap) or Shutter Priority (Sp) modes.

Noise = grain/speckles ... the opposite really, grains tend to show up more when images are sharper (generally speaking). Did you boost up the Sharpen setting on the camera? It might be too high, leading to excess noise.

According to the new icon on my desktop it is the Photo Matrix Pro 3

For most of these it was the auto settings. Auto, without flash, and night time...I haven't gotten to the point of being able to figure out the rest of the manual settings

I don't think I boosted the sharpness but my SO might of. He played with it a few times

Just took this... No edit or anything...

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y105/S2_Rp/Practice/DSC_0033.jpg

Photomatrix Pro...

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y105/S2_Rp/Practice/Photomatrixtest.jpg

I actually am tired so I didn't crop out the street light.

Don't get hung up on HDR, sure they look cool, but not very realistic... and that defeats the purpose of buying a high end camera... you can make plenty cool pictures just with the camera.

For example, these shot's, I havent touched these with an editing program, this is it strait out of the memory card of my Canon 40D, you can do many amazing effects (in this case silhouette's) just through aperture and shutter speed settings... you'll learn to perfect these things over time.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2376/2967022847_8168495e30_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3005/2891874273_ae1eb00057_b.jpg

Those are sweet!

HDR is just another tool - in most situations, it's the equivalent of photography rice but it can be very practical. I've seen some AMAZING HDR shots... they can look as realistic / unrealistic as you want them to look:

http://www.toxel.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/hdrp8.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3353/3179985135_fb17469315.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3316/3177678639_ba0e973e3e.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3469/3178392724_a2f243365d.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3085/3179700255_9f2a50855d.jpg?v=0


All achieved via HDR, some tonemapped to look more "processed" than others.

Ah, that's what I figured - here's a couple links explaining how to use / the diff. between AP/AV and SP/SV
http://www.geofflawrence.com/photography_tutorial_shutter_speeds_and_apertures.php
http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/aperture-and-shutter-priority-modes/

Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority modes (AP/Av vs SP/Sv) is where you'll want to start on your DSLR :) It is "semi" automated... as in, in AP, you just set the aperture and the camera will select the appropriate shutter speed (and vice-versa in shutter priority) but still allows you to retain some control over the exposure. This is what you bought the DSLR for :thumbup:

Thanks for the links! he DPS is very helpful!