think i have wasted my money

[chris]

hi all i want out and got my self the nikon D40 kit about 4 weeks ago and i have never got a camra b4 and i was playing with a friends and that is what made me go and get 1 and i love taking photos

BUT... i can not get my self out of auto every time i try and use the settings all my photos r blurr

and dont know any 1 that dose photography so they can give me some 1 on 1 help

i sit and read all the posts very day to see if that will help me at all but as u all can see my reading and spelling is that that good

so know i am lost with what to do???

[NaturesPixel]

ok so since this is your first camera.. and have not ever taken many photos i suggest sticking to AUTO for now... and reading the EXIF data your camera produces for every image to see the settings that it uses... i know this helped me move out of auto mode .. continue reading the forum and other sites that help.... PLEASE don't expect to be a Ansel Adams 4 weeks after getting your first camera that wont happen .. what will happen is that you get so angry at your self that you will give up before you have even begun i have seen this many times.. i have just looked at ytour flickr page and there is NOTHING wrong with those images.. you have to remmeber you are a beginner.. we have all been there.. and you will improve over time....

[wulf]

What kind of pictures are you taking. Peeking at your Flickr account, it looks like a lot of portraits, so one step would be to spend some time working on the same type of shots but in "portrait" mode. That still doesn't give you much else that you wouldn't have on a reasonable "point and shoot" camera but will allow you past that first hurdle of always being in "auto" mode.

Also, have you tried Nikon's "Digitutor" site? That provides a very helpful tour round the D40.

Wulf

[alissasanderson]

Well, I think those pictures on your Flickr page look very nice. It doesn't matter if you took them in Auto mode or not--the end result is what matters!

Practice makes perfect. Have you read the user manual that came with your camera? It may explain exactly why your pictures are blurry--it may be something as simple as low light with the setting you're using.

[jewels inet]

Chris, I like your photos too. Have you purchased a tripod yet? Another trick is to use the self timer. It could be that the pictures are blurred because people are moving right after they see that you have taken the shot. Tell people to stay still, and don't move your camera for a few seconds.

[mdwsta4]

just keep on reading the manual and practicing. a helpful tip is to sit down in your house with the camera and the manual and play with the settings on the camera as you're reading through the manual. also, instead of going straight to manual mode, practice in aperture priority and shutter priority modes. it helps eliminate some of the guesswork with manual mode.

[Saralonde]

Don't worry, it just takes a lot of patience particularly at the beginning. Feel free to post pictures here and ask questions. We don't bite!
NaturesPixel was right about just using the AUTO settings for awhile and noticing what your camera sets things at. After awhile you'll notice a pattern. Sticking to one type of picture as Wulf suggested is a good idea, too. WHen you get more comfortable taking portraits then you can try a manual setting to see if you can duplicate what the camera does in AUTO.

Welcome to our forum!

[mdwsta4]

SRSLY? you edited that out of my post? i think people making some sort of effort to spell halfway decent is just as much a courtesy as resizing pictures to a moderate size.

[QUOTE=NaturesPixel][QUOTE]

[Seltzer]

Originally Posted by mdwsta4

SRSLY? you edited that out of my post? i think people making some sort of effort to spell halfway decent is just as much a courtesy as resizing pictures to a moderate size.

Actually it was more of a matter of wording and how things can be taken from another perspective even on a rant..
We do what we can to keep the board in a good civilized manner, yes, spell-check is highly appreciated and I can understand your sentiment but please just choose words carefully, that's all we ask, for you and everyone else, including a decent try at spelling (Firefox has a wonderful built-in spell checker) and not abbreviating all the time. Thanks.

[Seltzer]

Chris, I know it's been said before, but as with everything, I would be amazed if anyone picked up a new camera without using one before and automatically knew all of the modes. Just read the manual if you get a chance, play with the camera and get used to how things come out, that's the joy of digital. I've had my 350D (Rebel XT) since mid May last year and I still havn't read the manual or go exploring much through the modes. If you like how things come out with the auto mode, by all means, keep shooting that way. As you get more comfterble with the camera go through and try the new things as you see fit.