My first 'work' here - Amateur shot of my daughter

[akm3]

Hi all! I have a Nikon D40 and am excited to improve my technique any way possible!

Any suggestions about this shot? (I know nothing...so I know I need to work on basic composition, etc)

Thanks for any advice!

I was going for the saturated, 'popping' colors in this photo, the blue, the pink, and her eyes.

I don't know if posting baby photos is like a faux pas or not =D

This was not edited in photoshop or anything, just a little tweaking of the iphoto sliders.

[clockdoc]

Hi and welcome to the group. I think you have captured a cute shot that any mother (or father) would love. Tell us a little more about the lens you used on your D40 and some technical 'stuff' like aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Also,please tell us how this was illuminated.

[akm3]

Originally Posted by clockdoc

Hi and welcome to the group. I think you have captured a cute shot that any mother (or father) would love. Tell us a little more about the lens you used on your D40 and some technical 'stuff' like aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Also,please tell us how this was illuminated.

Uhhh...It was the lens that came on the D40 (18-55mm I think), I have no idea what the apeture or shutter speed or ISO was (I shoot in "P" mode so far), and the light source is sun streaming through a window into a dark room.

/edit: I pulled up the "show photo info" in iPhoto and it tells me the iso was 200, the shutter was 1/60, and the aperture was f/6.3

I know what those all mean, in theory, but I have no idea how to properly set them to graduate to 'M' mode on the camera. I also have no idea if they were appropriate to the shot, but I like how it looks so I guess it must have been right.

[clockdoc]

Thanks for digging out the EXIF data. It can really help reviewers if that data is posted along with any questions you may have about how to improve your shot. The "P" mode will allow you to adjust your aperture and shutter speed as a 'family' of combinations. In the manual mode you would adjust each of those values separately. Please tell me a little more about your experience in photography. You mentioned that you know what ISO, shutter speed and aperture mean 'in theory' but if you have any specific questions I can try to answer, I'll be happy to help where I can. Digital cameras offer lots of "bells and whistles" so sometimes it can be a bit intimidating to make the move from film to digital. 8-)

[akm3]

Thanks for your help! I understand that ISO is sensitivity to light, and higher ISO's mean that the shutter and aperture can be lower and get the same exposure - but at the expense of graininess.

I understand aperture is how wide the hole opens, wider letting in more light (and I believe lower numbers is bigger opening, but I'm not sure), shutter speed is how long it stays open, letting in more light.

So understanding that, I have no idea when or why if my picture was too dark, if I'd want to increase the iso, slow down the shutter or increase the aperture.

Or, what a good 'base' value is to tweak from.

They all let more light in, so I don't know under which circumstances I'd edit one instead of the others. And I don't know how far to move them. And, without taking a ton of pictures, I don't know what to expect from making a change.

I hope that makes more clear the 'in theory' explanation of my understanding.

As far as my photography background. Nothing. Just what I've red on this site and others on the great internet.

-Allen

[clockdoc]

Hi Allen,
Thanks for your quick reply. Since you have a basic understanding of ISO, aperture and shutter speed, check out this site and download their "Exposure Wheel" application. It is an interractive application that will allow you to play with ISO, aperture and shutter speed and see how they are interdependent for a given light value.
Here is the link:
http://training.sessions.edu/design-...sure-wheel.asp

For a given ISO, when shooting in available light, the shutter speed will control the ability of the camera to 'stop' motion. Both shutter speed and aperture work hand-in-hand to control the amount of light striking the camera's sensor for a properly exposed image. The higher the shutter speed, the larger an aperture opening you will need to have the same amount of light strike the camera's sensor. Aperture controls the amount of depth of field a particular lens provides. The smaller the aperture opening, the more depth of field you will get in your image. You were correct in saying that the smaller the number (f/1.8, f/3.5) the larger the aperture opening. The higher the number, the smaller the aperture opening (f/22. f/32, etc.)
Depth of field exteds from the point of focus in a 1/3 forward to a 2/3 back ratio. For example, if you focused on a subjects eyes, the tip of the nose may be in acceptable focus as well as the subject's ears, if you used the correct aperture setting. Think of your scene as a large loaf of bread with each slice representing a "plane" that can be focused on. If you focused about 1/3 the way in from the end of the loaf, as you close down the aperture, sharpness extends forward and back in the 1/3 to 2/3 tatio I mentioned earlier.
As a learning experiment, since you are already shooting in the P or Program mode. Shoot a series of the same scene with various apertures and then note how the aperture setting affects what is in focus. As you go along, don't hesitate to ask questions. What may seem intuitive to some is like taking a sip of water from a fire hse to others. Just let us know where we can help. Good shooting!

[Martioto]

I just want to say, "I'm enjoying being a little fly on the wall." I, too, am a Mom who wants to take better pictures. My understanding is about as great as akm3's. I, too, get it "in theory". To me, it means that I've read what it is on the net and watched the video for the Rebel XTi. But, like her, I'm not sure what I'm looking at even when I do play around and take the different settings. I figure it will just take me a few more years of practice. In the meantime, I'm enjoying reading the posts and learning from all of you generous helpers with more experience! "To the world, you may just be one person, but to one person, you may just be the world." I'm not sure who wrote it originally, but please know that you are making a big difference in my world with your willingness to help us amateurs out!

Thanks!

p.s. Adorable baby! I never get tired of baby photos....

[ezzabazza]

That exposure wheel is just brilliant!!!!!! Thank you clockdoc!!!