A little background info, my friends have DSLR's (canon) and i would say they are into photography so it was only a matter of time before i got bitten.

About a year ago i purchased my first digital camera. A canon elph powershot sd750, i was enamored with it and i still am to a degree.(It is a great point and shoot camera and i highly recommend it if you are not into photography and are lurking on this section of the forum.) One day while we were at Limerock i was taking some pics with the sd750 and a friend was shooting with a 1ds markIII and a 35-350 glass. Not exactly equal footing i would find out later. It was from that point on that i could not stop thinking about taking photos, shots, pics, what have you. So i did something about it. A friend was selling a 5d to another friend which left him without a need for his 20d. This is where i *ahem* walk in and free my friend of the burden of 2 dslr cameras.

So i am learning photography now, and having a a lot of fun.
My first purchase was a 75-300 lens for "track" shots. My 20d came with a battery grip and a 1gig card(i went out and bought a 4gig card).
I am "borrowing" a 50mm and a 35-80mm, a 35-350, and a fish eye lens.
The only thing i have to say about L-glass is that it is wonderful yet expensive and i need to have it. The next thing i am looking to purchase is a flash, just to have, i am considering a speedlite 580. Actually what i should get is L glass of my own, and for that im thinking a 24-70.


Neelm3 - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting is where i store my pics, enjoy.

Any tips that can be given are greatly appreciated and welcomed.

 

Some pics i like.
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Some pics.

 

I'd consider a more useful lense for now...24-105L IS..the 24-70 is great of course but limited range, heavy and expensive..I've also heard it's due for an upgrade...

nice shots..read about spot exposing for the above shot..you pick a mid range and spot expose..you will like the results..

Keep it up!

 

thanks for the advice. The one aspect which is lacking greatly for me for now is PS. I have no clue how to use it, and my shitty comp can only handle Pshop CS. Its only frustrating because i know how much of a difference it can make.

For anyone who is reading this and is on the cusp of getting a DSLR.. First get the camera, then shoot shoot shoot and shoot some more. I'm still new but the first thing i learned was its digital media, you can delete and take pics again so don't hesitate to take pics.

 

Welcome to the new world of an expensive hobby!

My first and quick advice to you, definitely be aware of any image or subject cropping in all of your photos (Ex. Ducati)

Also, do yourself a favor - pick up some PS books from Scott Kelby - memorize and live by it.

In the world of photography today I would almost say you are almost useless without proper PS / editing knowledge. It is only hurting yourself in the long run because you'd be astounded at what you could do with some experience in that program.

If I have your permission, I would love to show you what a few minutes in PS can do to some of the photos you posted up. I think you'd be dumbfounded.

- Chris

 

Are you kidding me, go for it. Id love to see what you can do, use any pic i have up on the photobucket account if you'd like as well.





My friends are real jerks aside from cars they have introduced me to watches (Horology if your REALLY serious about it) and now photography.


Edit: Josh and JDfrasier and everyone else... your all jerks hehehehehehehehehhe

 

Great shots! I am a photography nut myself...and it's a fun hobby.

Although not all pictures call for it, photoshop is great for touching up stuff.

I am bored tonight so processed a few of yours ( I am learning myself as well...PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!)...if you don't want this, let me know...I will remove them right away!

Even with Photoshop CS, you can do pretty basic things to enhance your pictures.

I usually shoot all my photography in .raw format because this allows me to adjust white balance and exposure among other things when I get home. After I go through the raw processing, I usually do simple adjustments like curves, color balance and levels.

Also, you can clone out things in the background. Like, for instance, in one of your shots, there is a fire extinguisher in the background. With a quick clone, you can get rid of that!

I bet Rockfreak will see this thread though...and he is a million times more advanced then me. He can probably give you even better advice .

Here are a few samples (again, let me know if you want these removed ) .


I tried rotating the Beemer pick and cloning in the brick wall...but I think I failed miserably (not bad for 20 minutes I guess, lol). It's a great shot regardless - just thought I could show you some of the basics of photoshop.


By the way, if you are looking to make a few bucks with photography, check out www.nationalphotoawards.com . I'm not affiliated with them in anyway, I just happened to win one of their monthly contests back in October '06 .

 

The ducati, yea i definitely pulled in too tight on the bike. I was a little excited, that thing sounds INSANE.

 

I shouldnt say im a complete noob to PS. I hit all the pics with auto color,
auto contrast, auto levels ( im not sure if thats the same as the first two things)
and i also go with a one step sharpen. I figured out how to automate the tasks so its a little easier now.
I also picked up some watermarking software which i am messing around with.
I still have yet to do some of the cooler things such as B&W the photo except for the subject. A friend added that effect to this picture i took.

 

lol Some of the comments above cracked me up. My photography is no better than anyone else's, I just post more work than most.

Anyway buddy, here are 3 of the photos I tinkered with late last night.

All 3 photos together were done in under 10 minutes.

I cloned quite a bit out of the BMW picture and made it "less messy" if you will.

I kept the fire extinguisher in the C6R photo but I definitely think it adds to the effect of the scene. It's very fitting for its environment but that's the beauty of photography. It's all personal interpretation.







Hope you enjoy the edits. If you have any questions feel free to PM me, I'd be more than happy to help you out.