Newbie- Please be gentle!!!

[sugarbell]

Hi Guys

I'm extremely new to photography. My partner passed away a few months ago and I have immersed myself in learning what makes a great photo- we both used to be snap happy and now I want to learn how to do it properly. Something to invest my spare time in.
Not looking for sympathy, just a bit of background about me really.

I'm very nervous about posting on here as everyone else on here is so good

For my first project, my little kitten was my inspiration. I guess I'd like your feedback on what I can do to improve my technique and what you think of my first attempts. Photos haven't been post-processed in any way (still learning about that!!). Is the composition the best it could be do you think? If it needs post-processed what would you recommend?
Also- is it quite normal to take around 30 shots to get one decent one or am I really not cut out for this photography lark?? I have to be honest, I feel quite inadequate when I look at some of the shots posted here- especially as I am currently using my compact camera!!

Thanks
Sugarbell

Panasonic Lumix (Compact camera)
f 2.8, ISO400, aperture 1/8

[gidikh]

Couple things from a fellow newbie:

- don't be nervous, no one starts out shooting amazing pictures. Its a developed skill like many other things in life.

- shooting 30 shots to get 1 is not bad at all. I recently took about 300 the other day and ended up deleting all but 2.

- Both pictures look just a little out of focus, nothing seems to pop out as the focual point. Usually with animals you want the eyes to be the center of attention and compose the image to draw the viewer's attention to them. Check out Rule of thirds - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

- You could go with either a smaller(larger number) aperture and get more detail from the fur, or go wider to emphasize a particular section of the cat.

- The 2nd image is better (imo) and I would probably zoom out a little bit and move the eye according to the rule of thirds and give it some open space to look into.


hope that helps.
keep shooting, the worse that can happen is that you have to press the delete button

[LoveDSLR]

Originally Posted by sugarbell

I guess I'd like your feedback on what I can do to improve my technique and what you think of my first attempts.

Not bad. You can try being creative in composition and framing. Sample for illustration purposes only.

Originally Posted by sugarbell

Also- is it quite normal to take around 30 shots to get one decent one or am I really not cut out for this photography lark??

Not everyone could be Henri Cartier Bresson who could take a 'Decisive Moment' shot in one take.

[gjakovare]

Like gidikh 30 shots to get one decent shot is not bad at all... There have been times when I've shot over 100 and didn't keep any of them... The thing to keep in mind is that if you don't try, you wont' succeed. So keep shooting.

I like your idea of the cat, however I think you were using a very slow shutter speed, hence the cat being out of focus. Definitely try a smaller aperture as that would give you a faster shutter speed. Keep coming back

[Indigo November]

We are always gentle!! Newbie, Enthusiast or Pro, everyone here is very kind!
Nice photo BTW!