Photography...beginners, pros, and all in between - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

Bamboozle · 03-29-2009, 05:52 PM

Forgive me if someone already started a group and I missed it. I kind of skimmed over the groups, and I do miss things now and again.

I just bought a bridge camera a few weeks ago, a Panasonic Lumix FZ28.

I was thinking about getting a DSLR, but didn't have the cash or experience to handle one. I figured that I could afford to learn on the FZ28 before stepping up to a DSLR.

I'm nothing but the rankest of beginners. I do have a background in art, however, so I am excited to learn something new. I didn't have the money or the time to do photography in school (printmaking took up all my efforts), but I have a lot of time now.

I also have a Canon T70 which was given to me by a family member. I would like to learn how to use the FZ28 in manual so I can better use the Canon.

Basically, I'm clueless.

I bought a book yesterday, The Basic Book of Photography. It was the only one in the store that looked halfway decent.

I hope there are some people interested in contributing. I know I'm not a pro, but I'm willing to learn from those in the know.

stone · 03-29-2009, 06:05 PM

The FZ28 is a very good bridge camera! 18x optical zoom, wow.

I am a total beginner too but I jumped straight in with a DSLR, a Nikon D40, it costs about the same as the FZ28. I got it just before Xmas and haven't really used it for a month or two but now the weather is improving I will be using it again.

Do you have a Flickr account? I would recommend getting one to upload your photos to and you can join groups and ask questions and stuff.

This is my photostream Flickr: stonebear's Photostream

Bamboozle · 03-29-2009, 06:20 PM

I should join, stone, just haven't gotten around to it. I have taken a lot of pictures so far (I need to get a back-up battery), but nothing looks stellar.

I do browse through flickr every now and again, and I can't help but get excited about taking pictures of lightning. Some of the images on there....WOW!

Thanks for the link.

Bamboozle · 03-29-2009, 06:28 PM

Nice pics, stone.

That first one on the page is...WOW...I saw that you had posted it here before. That cat looks a lot like my old cat (died a few years ago). The background nicely compliments the subject.

I'm waiting for the weather to get better myself...there are mostly cloudy days here, but I have taken a lot of pictures of Canadian Geese. They're all over the place here.

I have a question about Flickr...my file sizes for my pics are huge...I probably have to shrink them down, right? And I should be able to do it with the editing software I got with my camera, right?

What are good guidelines for size? I know jack about this. Thanks.

lunarise · 03-29-2009, 06:32 PM

BAM! You rock thanks so much for making this thread! I hope that it takes off!

I am taking an online photography class right now and just learning about shutter speed ap and depth of field. I need to reread that section a few 20 times! Then practice practice practice! I too have a Nikon D40. I think it will be a grat camera once I learn how to use it. lol

Also check out photo.net and deviantart.com both are great places to learn and you can also upload photos and get critiques. I will post some of my photos when I have some that are post worthy hehe

Anyone else taking a class...or gonna take a class?

:ghug

lunarise · 03-29-2009, 06:36 PM

I really like your shots Stone....especially the kitties and the ones by the water...with the reflection of the tree..so pretty....

stone · 03-29-2009, 06:36 PM

When you have a normal (non-pro) account the maximum viewing size is 1024x1024 (most pics will be in 4:3 format anyway, so 1024x768ish), so you want to be resizing them to about that.
I use Irfanview or my Nikon software to resize, I still use Irfanview to view my pics, it is free and really nice to use. IrfanView - Official Homepage - one of the most popular viewers worldwide

stone · 03-29-2009, 06:38 PM

Thanks VS.

Another D40 owner!

Bamboozle · 03-29-2009, 06:39 PM

I hope this takes off too, vivid. I need a good, solid, positive hobby.

No classes for me right now, but I'm not opposed to it at a later date. I'll have to see how serious I get about this. I'm notorious for starting things and not finishing.

I'm hoping to make some stop-animation flicks with my camera, too. I already made one just to test it out. I moved around a sock and took 60 pics.

Windows Movie Maker will let you make some crappy ones if you tweak the settings. I might look into better software options later.

I bought some action figures yesterday, too...some cheapy ones with some articulated points. I need to brainstorm for a storyline.

This could be fun.

stone · 03-29-2009, 06:41 PM

Hobbies are good, I never had one before, lol.

Check this out, it shows how depth of field works, if you look at the picture you will see that more of it is in focus when you use a higher fstop eg f16.

How System Cameras Work - aperture, shutter and iso value

Bamboozle · 03-29-2009, 07:42 PM

Well, I created a Flickr account...took me long enough. Thanks for the pointers, stone. Only one picture so far, but here's the link: Flickr: Steaming Lump's Photostream

Angelic17 · 03-29-2009, 08:08 PM

Hey Stone, awesome pictures, Thanks for sharing.

Bamboozle · 03-29-2009, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vividserenity

I will post some of my photos when I have some that are post worthy hehe

:ghug

Looking forward to seeing some.

I hope people post their pics here or at least links to their pics.

lunarise · 03-31-2009, 04:46 PM

hahahah finally figured out how to set the aperture on my camera in manual mode lol lol

May be important to know how to do that...

Bamboozle · 03-31-2009, 05:04 PM

Today...I forgot to take off the lens cap before I turned my camera on and the lens bumped the cap! OOPS! I knew I was going to do that sooner or later...that's my biggest complaint about the camera.

Looks like the lens is OK...I just hope the motors aren't screwed up.

TryingSoHard · 03-31-2009, 08:36 PM

Hello, fellow photographers.

I've got a Nikon D70 that I've had for about 4 years now. I'm slowly but surely building up my lens collection (working for a lens rental place helps with that LOL). Working for a lens rental place is awesome for getting experience with equipment you'd never otherwise even be able to touch, but it's horrible for making you want really expensive equipment!!

I have a Flickr account but I'm hesitant to post a link to it publicly. PM me if you want to see some of my pictures and I'll send you the link that way. I actually have been horrible about uploading to Flickr over the past year or so, but I do have A LOT of older stuff there (and all of my Niagara Falls pictures from January).

lunarise · 04-02-2009, 11:56 AM

Well I posted A pic......in my album profile...I like it.....but its not fab or anything....
Will take more soon

digderidoo · 04-02-2009, 04:57 PM

A good thread. I have been thinking about getting a digital camera too.

Some good pics stone.

Bamboozle · 05-30-2009, 03:07 PM

Where do you folks go to get your photos printed?

Anyone here sell their photos?

I think I'll talk to the people who run a local shop and see if they can print out my photos well. I went through Rite Aid just to see how my new camera did...and while I'm not disappointed…I'm not thrilled either.

The local place charges more, but it will be worth it if I can get some nice looking photos.

If that doesn't work, I know the problem lies with me.

I'm determined to get this right.

My goal is to get enough good quality photos printed so that I can mat them myself, frame a few and find a place to show my work and hopefully sell. This is a long term project because I’m not a photographer (I’m a printmaker) and I want to do this well.

stone · 08-12-2009, 12:34 PM

I recently got a new lens for my D40 and a new compact camera too! I will have to careful that my hobby doesn't jsut consist of buying nice equipment with little photo taking!

I thought I would post a pic and hopefully bump the thread into action. How is your photography going Bam?

New lens. Second-hand 28mm manual Nikon lens, manual focus and manual exposure on a digital camera, lol. It is a cheap way of using professional grade lenses though. This one cost me £55 off Ebay.

Next shot taken with my new compact, the Panasonic TZ6. I have used compacts before and found the image quality to be awful. I am pretty happy with this one though, although it is a bit more expensive.

It was taken at 12x zoom so not too bad considering that.

stone · 08-12-2009, 12:36 PM

Also at 12x zoom.

Messing about with Adobe Lightroom. I dunno what settings I used to get the flowers with colour and the background without but it looks kinda cool.

Bamboozle · 08-12-2009, 01:52 PM

Nice pics, stone.

The weather's been crappy...so nothing new. I could dig up some old photos...

stone · 08-12-2009, 01:55 PM

I hadn't taken any for ages myself.

Bamboozle · 08-12-2009, 02:02 PM

The one with the bug in the bird's beak...I have one that's similar...

Bamboozle · 08-12-2009, 02:10 PM

...and here's one out of a set of butterfly shots that I didn't post in the photo thread:

03-29-2009, 05:52 PM	#1 (permalink)
Bamboozle I got nothin' Duck Hunt 2 Champion! Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: My house. Posts: 4,776 Blog Entries: 14	Photography...beginners, pros, and all in between Forgive me if someone already started a group and I missed it. I kind of skimmed over the groups, and I do miss things now and again. I just bought a bridge camera a few weeks ago, a Panasonic Lumix FZ28. I was thinking about getting a DSLR, but didn't have the cash or experience to handle one. I figured that I could afford to learn on the FZ28 before stepping up to a DSLR. I'm nothing but the rankest of beginners. I do have a background in art, however, so I am excited to learn something new. I didn't have the money or the time to do photography in school (printmaking took up all my efforts), but I have a lot of time now. I also have a Canon T70 which was given to me by a family member. I would like to learn how to use the FZ28 in manual so I can better use the Canon. Basically, I'm clueless. I bought a book yesterday, The Basic Book of Photography. It was the only one in the store that looked halfway decent. I hope there are some people interested in contributing. I know I'm not a pro, but I'm willing to learn from those in the know. __________________ A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.

03-29-2009, 06:05 PM	#2 (permalink)
stone Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: UK Posts: 18,303	The FZ28 is a very good bridge camera! 18x optical zoom, wow. I am a total beginner too but I jumped straight in with a DSLR, a Nikon D40, it costs about the same as the FZ28. I got it just before Xmas and haven't really used it for a month or two but now the weather is improving I will be using it again. Do you have a Flickr account? I would recommend getting one to upload your photos to and you can join groups and ask questions and stuff. This is my photostream Flickr: stonebear's Photostream __________________ . As from a fire aflame thousands of sparks come forth, even so from the Creator an infinity of beings have life and to him return again. -- Maitri Upanishads

03-29-2009, 06:20 PM	#3 (permalink)
Bamboozle I got nothin' Duck Hunt 2 Champion! Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: My house. Posts: 4,776 Blog Entries: 14	I should join, stone, just haven't gotten around to it. I have taken a lot of pictures so far (I need to get a back-up battery), but nothing looks stellar. I do browse through flickr every now and again, and I can't help but get excited about taking pictures of lightning. Some of the images on there....WOW! Thanks for the link. __________________ A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.

03-29-2009, 06:28 PM	#4 (permalink)
Bamboozle I got nothin' Duck Hunt 2 Champion! Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: My house. Posts: 4,776 Blog Entries: 14	Nice pics, stone. That first one on the page is...WOW...I saw that you had posted it here before. That cat looks a lot like my old cat (died a few years ago). The background nicely compliments the subject. I'm waiting for the weather to get better myself...there are mostly cloudy days here, but I have taken a lot of pictures of Canadian Geese. They're all over the place here. I have a question about Flickr...my file sizes for my pics are huge...I probably have to shrink them down, right? And I should be able to do it with the editing software I got with my camera, right? What are good guidelines for size? I know jack about this. Thanks. __________________ A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.

03-29-2009, 06:32 PM	#5 (permalink)
lunarise lunarlovelunar Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 673 Blog Entries: 10	BAM! You rock thanks so much for making this thread! I hope that it takes off! I am taking an online photography class right now and just learning about shutter speed ap and depth of field. I need to reread that section a few 20 times! Then practice practice practice! I too have a Nikon D40. I think it will be a grat camera once I learn how to use it. lol Also check out photo.net and deviantart.com both are great places to learn and you can also upload photos and get critiques. I will post some of my photos when I have some that are post worthy hehe Anyone else taking a class...or gonna take a class? :ghug __________________ LIVE!

03-29-2009, 06:36 PM	#6 (permalink)
lunarise lunarlovelunar Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 673 Blog Entries: 10	I really like your shots Stone....especially the kitties and the ones by the water...with the reflection of the tree..so pretty.... __________________ LIVE!

03-29-2009, 06:36 PM	#7 (permalink)
stone Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: UK Posts: 18,303	When you have a normal (non-pro) account the maximum viewing size is 1024x1024 (most pics will be in 4:3 format anyway, so 1024x768ish), so you want to be resizing them to about that. I use Irfanview or my Nikon software to resize, I still use Irfanview to view my pics, it is free and really nice to use. IrfanView - Official Homepage - one of the most popular viewers worldwide __________________ . As from a fire aflame thousands of sparks come forth, even so from the Creator an infinity of beings have life and to him return again. -- Maitri Upanishads

03-29-2009, 06:38 PM	#8 (permalink)
stone Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: UK Posts: 18,303	Thanks VS. Another D40 owner! __________________ . As from a fire aflame thousands of sparks come forth, even so from the Creator an infinity of beings have life and to him return again. -- Maitri Upanishads

03-29-2009, 06:39 PM	#9 (permalink)
Bamboozle I got nothin' Duck Hunt 2 Champion! Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: My house. Posts: 4,776 Blog Entries: 14	I hope this takes off too, vivid. I need a good, solid, positive hobby. No classes for me right now, but I'm not opposed to it at a later date. I'll have to see how serious I get about this. I'm notorious for starting things and not finishing. I'm hoping to make some stop-animation flicks with my camera, too. I already made one just to test it out. I moved around a sock and took 60 pics. Windows Movie Maker will let you make some crappy ones if you tweak the settings. I might look into better software options later. I bought some action figures yesterday, too...some cheapy ones with some articulated points. I need to brainstorm for a storyline. This could be fun. __________________ A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.

03-29-2009, 06:41 PM	#10 (permalink)
stone Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: UK Posts: 18,303	Hobbies are good, I never had one before, lol. Check this out, it shows how depth of field works, if you look at the picture you will see that more of it is in focus when you use a higher fstop eg f16. How System Cameras Work - aperture, shutter and iso value __________________ . As from a fire aflame thousands of sparks come forth, even so from the Creator an infinity of beings have life and to him return again. -- Maitri Upanishads

03-29-2009, 07:42 PM	#11 (permalink)
Bamboozle I got nothin' Duck Hunt 2 Champion! Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: My house. Posts: 4,776 Blog Entries: 14	Well, I created a Flickr account...took me long enough. Thanks for the pointers, stone. Only one picture so far, but here's the link: Flickr: Steaming Lump's Photostream __________________ A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.

03-29-2009, 08:08 PM	#12 (permalink)
Angelic17 Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Earth Posts: 1,258 Blog Entries: 12	Hey Stone, awesome pictures, Thanks for sharing. __________________ Love the addict Hate the disease If you think you can, Or if you think you can't Either way your right.

03-31-2009, 04:46 PM	#14 (permalink)
lunarise lunarlovelunar Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 673 Blog Entries: 10	hahahah finally figured out how to set the aperture on my camera in manual mode lol lol May be important to know how to do that... __________________ LIVE!

03-31-2009, 05:04 PM	#15 (permalink)
Bamboozle I got nothin' Duck Hunt 2 Champion! Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: My house. Posts: 4,776 Blog Entries: 14	Today...I forgot to take off the lens cap before I turned my camera on and the lens bumped the cap! OOPS! I knew I was going to do that sooner or later...that's my biggest complaint about the camera. Looks like the lens is OK...I just hope the motors aren't screwed up. __________________ A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.

03-31-2009, 08:36 PM	#16 (permalink)
TryingSoHard I'm just a little unwell Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: USA Posts: 2,182	Hello, fellow photographers. I've got a Nikon D70 that I've had for about 4 years now. I'm slowly but surely building up my lens collection (working for a lens rental place helps with that LOL). Working for a lens rental place is awesome for getting experience with equipment you'd never otherwise even be able to touch, but it's horrible for making you want really expensive equipment!! I have a Flickr account but I'm hesitant to post a link to it publicly. PM me if you want to see some of my pictures and I'll send you the link that way. I actually have been horrible about uploading to Flickr over the past year or so, but I do have A LOT of older stuff there (and all of my Niagara Falls pictures from January). __________________ Being aware of your crap and actually overcoming your crap are two very different things. ~ Sober since October 1, 2008

04-02-2009, 11:56 AM	#17 (permalink)
lunarise lunarlovelunar Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 673 Blog Entries: 10	Well I posted A pic......in my album profile...I like it.....but its not fab or anything.... Will take more soon __________________ LIVE!

04-02-2009, 04:57 PM	#18 (permalink)
digderidoo Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: UK Posts: 470	A good thread. I have been thinking about getting a digital camera too. Some good pics stone.

05-30-2009, 03:07 PM	#19 (permalink)
Bamboozle I got nothin' Duck Hunt 2 Champion! Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: My house. Posts: 4,776 Blog Entries: 14	Where do you folks go to get your photos printed? Anyone here sell their photos? I think I'll talk to the people who run a local shop and see if they can print out my photos well. I went through Rite Aid just to see how my new camera did...and while I'm not disappointed…I'm not thrilled either. The local place charges more, but it will be worth it if I can get some nice looking photos. If that doesn't work, I know the problem lies with me. I'm determined to get this right. My goal is to get enough good quality photos printed so that I can mat them myself, frame a few and find a place to show my work and hopefully sell. This is a long term project because I’m not a photographer (I’m a printmaker) and I want to do this well. __________________ A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.

08-12-2009, 12:34 PM	#20 (permalink)
stone Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: UK Posts: 18,303	I recently got a new lens for my D40 and a new compact camera too! I will have to careful that my hobby doesn't jsut consist of buying nice equipment with little photo taking! I thought I would post a pic and hopefully bump the thread into action. How is your photography going Bam? New lens. Second-hand 28mm manual Nikon lens, manual focus and manual exposure on a digital camera, lol. It is a cheap way of using professional grade lenses though. This one cost me £55 off Ebay. Next shot taken with my new compact, the Panasonic TZ6. I have used compacts before and found the image quality to be awful. I am pretty happy with this one though, although it is a bit more expensive. It was taken at 12x zoom so not too bad considering that. __________________ . As from a fire aflame thousands of sparks come forth, even so from the Creator an infinity of beings have life and to him return again. -- Maitri Upanishads

08-12-2009, 12:36 PM	#21 (permalink)
stone Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: UK Posts: 18,303	Also at 12x zoom. Messing about with Adobe Lightroom. I dunno what settings I used to get the flowers with colour and the background without but it looks kinda cool. __________________ . As from a fire aflame thousands of sparks come forth, even so from the Creator an infinity of beings have life and to him return again. -- Maitri Upanishads

08-12-2009, 01:52 PM	#22 (permalink)
Bamboozle I got nothin' Duck Hunt 2 Champion! Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: My house. Posts: 4,776 Blog Entries: 14	Nice pics, stone. The weather's been crappy...so nothing new. I could dig up some old photos... __________________ A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.

08-12-2009, 01:55 PM	#23 (permalink)
stone Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: UK Posts: 18,303	I hadn't taken any for ages myself. __________________ . As from a fire aflame thousands of sparks come forth, even so from the Creator an infinity of beings have life and to him return again. -- Maitri Upanishads

08-12-2009, 02:02 PM	#24 (permalink)
Bamboozle I got nothin' Duck Hunt 2 Champion! Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: My house. Posts: 4,776 Blog Entries: 14	The one with the bug in the bird's beak...I have one that's similar... __________________ A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.

08-12-2009, 02:10 PM	#25 (permalink)
Bamboozle I got nothin' Duck Hunt 2 Champion! Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: My house. Posts: 4,776 Blog Entries: 14	...and here's one out of a set of butterfly shots that I didn't post in the photo thread: __________________ A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.

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