Well, after splurging on my first dSLR (Pentax K100D Super), I went out into the Peak District today and decided to have a play.

Some shots were taken fully automatic, others I used the landscape setting or macro setting. All were taken with autofocus and image stabilisation activated. At the moment I'm waiting on delivery of my UV filter, so all the photos shown have been taken with a polarising filter. I only have one lens at the moment and so all the photos were taken with the 18-55mm Pentax lens.

The contrast is pretty poor in some of them as the sky has gone too light. It was a cloudy day anyway, but they were thin and high so they were quite bright and the blue sky was rather pale. I'm assuming I'll need to play around with manual exposure settings, but at the moment, I'm still coming to grips with the fact I've got a flash bit of kit!

When I used to go out taking photos with my Canon Powershot, people would gaily march through the shot, but today, I noticed that people were alot more aware of me and were incredibly polite about not getting in my way! I felt rather guilty to be honest, and when I saw someone coming and they were going to spoil my shot, I just pretended to fiddle with my camera and turned away to allow them time. Aren't I daft!

Anyway, I'd be grateful for any comments or suggestions to get me started: Djelibeybi's day out in Hope Valley (http://good-times.webshots.com/album/562780327OCTkdE)

when I saw someone coming and they were going to spoil my shot, I just pretended to fiddle with my camera and turned away to allow them time. Aren't I daft!



I do exactly the same.

And I did the "fiddling with dials" a lot, today since I was taking photos in the NEC Outdoors Show

Only trouble is, when I WANTED shots to show crowds of people, they all parted like the sea for Moses....

Only trouble is, when I WANTED shots to show crowds of people, they all parted like the sea for Moses....

Squiggs

You had me in hysterics with that observation! :hihi:

Some good photos there :thumbsup:
I like the "entrance to Odin mine" and the "Gorge by Odin mine" has great detail in the forground.
Play about with the manual controls, take the same picture on different speeds etc and look at which is the best exposure.
Also if you want to come along on a SF photo meet we'll be glad to see another new face.

Dave..

Some good photos there :thumbsup:
I like the "entrance to Odin mine" and the "Gorge by Odin mine" has great detail in the forground.
Play about with the manual controls, take the same picture on different speeds etc and look at which is the best exposure.
Also if you want to come along on a SF photo meet we'll be glad to see another new face.

Dave..

Dave

Many thanks for the advice and :blush: thanks for the compliments about my composition.

The SF photo meets sound like a great idea, but I have a balance disorder which makes it difficult for me to walk distances and as a result I suffer from chronic fatigue.

The SF photo meets sound like a great idea, but I have a balance disorder which makes it difficult for me to walk distances and as a result I suffer from chronic fatigue.

Ah right, well check out where Aprils meet is,(its not been decided yet) and see if it looks like too much walking for you, we don't tend to go far and we walk very slow because people are stopping all the time to take photographs.

Dave..

Ah right, well check out where Aprils meet is,(its not been decided yet) and see if it looks like too much walking for you, we don't tend to go far and we walk very slow because people are stopping all the time to take photographs.

Dave..

Dave

That's a good point, actually......I'll keep an eye out and see if I think I can handle it.

Cheers!

A friend asked and it's something I forgot to mention.....none of the photos have been tweaked on a computer. They're as is...straight from the camera, onto the website.

H! I totally agree with Hockeybear - I like the same 2 photos - but I also like the plant on the rock - not much of a surprise for those who know me!!:hihi:
There are some lovely photos there & we would love you to join us if you could manage it. We tend to go to places where there is a smallish area where we wander around as we see fit & when everyone has had enough we will wander to the next 'area'. Not a lot of walking, just a lot of clicking!
If you have any suggestions for a nice photographic opportunity you could manage, just let us know!

Not a lot of walking, just a lot of clicking!

...and waiting for Hemlock to finish taking pictures of walls and tiny pieces of lichen! :D

I liked the two pics of Mam Tor. By keeping the sky to a minimum as you did there you get a much more powerful image and it has the added advantage that there's not enough sky to confuse the exposure metering and give you dark, under exposed pictures. Try some similar shots with more and less sky and you'll see what I mean.

I also liked the shot looking out of the Odin Mine. It's pretty much impossible to expose that sort of shot correctly tho - you went for detail in the foreground and hence over exposed the outside bit (which is probably the better thing to do there incidentally - tho it depends on what result you're looking for). The only way to get detail in both the inside and the outside of the cave would be to shoot raw and then fiddle with it on the computer - or to bracket your exposure (ie. take one under and one over exposed) and then combine them on the computer!

Looks like you had a good day anyway. Keep it up.

...and waiting for Hemlock to finish taking pictures of walls and tiny pieces of lichen! :D

I suspect I'll be getting more like that too I'm afraid... looking at things in a whole new way right now ;)

So....inadvertantly I've made some good choices of composition and framing. Cool! I think doing the first year of A Level Art many moons ago helped me alot with that. I bailed halfway through the two year course cos I was taking it for sheer pleasure, and the other students were way too competitive and bitchy for my taste!

Many thanks for the suggestions on how to decrease the over-exposure problems. I've taken them on board and will continue to experiment. There were alot more photos taken that day, but after downloading them onto my laptop, I deleted quite a few and kept the cream. I LOVE digital photography! No more wasting rolls of film!

Due to my illness, avoidance behaviour and becoming isolated have become a problem for me, and buying the camera was one way for me to motivate myself, particularly given my preferred photographic subjects. I think Hemlock and I will have alot in common! We'll be fighting over bits of rock and wall! :hihi:

I need an interest which will help me overcome my shyness and lack of confidence since falling ill with this chronic and debilitating disorder. I think photography is the answer, as it's something I've had an interest in since I was very little.

I'll be keeping an eye open for posts about the meets, and shall endeavour to get off my backside and join you. If nothing else, I'm sure you lot won't object to me asking for advice on how to familiarise myself with manual settings! I tend to learn easier from example rather than reading a book or a manual.

I'll have a think on locations for future meets, but what's the criteria? Do you tend to consider locations which are only accessible using public transport? Also, do you just stick to places within the city boundaries? I know someone was organising a trip to Monkey Forest, but is that unique?

Sorry....lots of questions....

Here are some other photos I've taken with my new camera:

close up of a flower (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2325377610099643448IRptri)

Sasha laid in the front room (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2913571810099643448dtaLsd)

Sasha licking her nose (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2070648070099643448bPNvYM)

Sasha's all sleepy! (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2845811040099643448NphGRU)

Sasha looks lovely!
Perhaps using some editing software to alter the animal equivalent to 'red eye' would make her look even better.
Your flower close-up is really good - very sharp. We'll have to get together & drool over walls & rocks:hihi:
I think doing photography sounds like a really good idea for you - I found it really theraputic when I was in a similar position.
You'll find everyone who comes along on photo meets really friendly & supportive - I thought I would feel intimidated, but even I can take the frequent jibes & jokes about my style of photography:D
A really great bunch of people!:)

I'll have a think on locations for future meets, but what's the criteria? Do you tend to consider locations which are only accessible using public transport? Also, do you just stick to places within the city boundaries?

The last one was Wentworth which is outside the city and not accessable by public transport and so the answer to both questions is no. between us we can usually arrange lifts for non drivers. I usually go to work Saturday mornings and go straight to the meet from there, I don't mind picking folk up on the way, or meeting somewhere.

Dave..

Hemlock

Sasha is adorable. She's a 9 year old German Shepherd Dog who's so big that if she walks through my legs, I have to stand on tiptoe to avoid being knocked over......and I'm 5'8" tall!

I don't currently have any photography software at this time, so that's something to consider for the future maybe.

It sounds like you and I have a similar eye when it comes to composition!



Dave

Well, transport wouldn't be a problem for me, as long as I've got petrol in my car!

I'm far from expert but I gave it a go in photoshop
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c363/hockeybear/sasha.jpg

I'm far from expert but I gave it a go in photoshop
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c363/hockeybear/sasha.jpg

Wow! What a difference! She still looks a bit spooky, but it's alot better than with glowing eyes making her look like a devil dog! :hihi:

To show exactly how big she is, have a look at Sasha sat in her armchair (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2663874720099643448fyIjvT)