Still playing and learning along the way.
Eagerly awaiting my 75-300 lens ... I guess there's only so much you can do with an 18-55mm lens.

Have been testing out higher shutter speeds (as you can see in the tap shots ... not easy with low light though).

Other than that ... I was given a 3-set of Close-up/magnification filters ... so there's a couple of shots with those as well (although notice excessive vignetting with these ... not hosted though as they were awful shots too.).

Also noticed that manual focus is much more flexible for close up shots (new to me as I am so used to AF and haven't tried MF prior).

Here's the link to the album:
Mechan1k/K10D around the house - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Here's direct links to pics i really like from this series.






No PP done either ... as i really don't have decent enough software to edit my images.

All comments welcome.

[vinzer]

I like the orange the best. It's smack dab in the middle of the frame, but it works for me. Great colors as well. Kudos.

[Mechan1k]

Thanks for that ... I thought they must have been pretty bad since there haven't been many replies on it.

I'd love to actually get a better lens to truly capture these better ... although i do need to learn a bit more on composition though ... a lot of my pics still have distractive backgrounds though ... not sure how to get rid of them though.

[Peter Zack]

I like the first shot as well as the Tap water. In both cases I'd suggest you use a tripod if no already doing so. It will greatly sharpen the images. Also use the 2 second timer (Mirror lockup) to get an even better picture. With the tap water picture you can move the ISO up to a higher number like 800 and that may give you the shutter speed you need to take the shot. It's an often forgotten part of the exposure equation. They are all good first shots. I have a suggestion on the editing software as well. Down load Paint.net for free (link below) and install the RAW converter from the forums on that web site. It is a very good editing package that is a great start on a budget.

Paint.NET - Free Photo Editing Software for Windows

Here's the RAW loader:

Paint.NET :: View topic - RawLoader

[Mechan1k]

I didn't have a tripod at the time ... I recently purchased one the other day though ... also have a new remote shutter as well ... have been testing it to see how it all works. Will be using that shortly and see how my shots turn out after that.

Thanks for the info for the editor too.

I haven't had a play with ISO yet ... I kind of understand it ... but haven't tried putting it into practice yet ... I was under the impression using a higher ISO will produce a fair bit of noise in the picture though. Or will the faster shutter speed reduce that?

[Duncan J Murray]

Very creative series! I should do that sometime... Must be difficult though to see good photo opportunities in the place where you live. I find it hard to shoot good photos in even my own city!

Duncan.

[c.r.brown]

Thats probably a good exercise to see your home or city differently. i sit envious of shots from you guys not in a suburban hell fantastic lake,mountain old world shots etc.

[Mechan1k]

Thanks Duncan ... I haven't really had a chance to get out and take photos really outside my home ... and my garden is nearly out of bloom due to winter at the moment.

Here's a frosty pic from the other morning .... -6 deg C ... coldest it has been in a long time.




I am looking at heading up to the botanical gardens soon and having a look around there.

C.R ... I actually wouldn't mind doing some cityscape shots ... it's just getting the time to head in there and finding decent places to take shots ... although a car forum I am on are organising an evening out for all the photographers that can make it ... so i am looking at tagging along and getting a chance to take different shots.

[Peter Zack]

I didn't have a tripod at the time ... I recently purchased one the other day though ... also have a new remote shutter as well ... have been testing it to see how it all works. Will be using that shortly and see how my shots turn out after that.

Thanks for the info for the editor too.

I haven't had a play with ISO yet ... I kind of understand it ... but haven't tried putting it into practice yet ... I was under the impression using a higher ISO will produce a fair bit of noise in the picture though. Or will the faster shutter speed reduce that?

The tripod and shutter release will make a big difference. I really like the frosted rose. great pic. ISO is the "film" speed. You can fairly safely shoot up to 800 without much if any visible noise added to the picture. Above that you will start to see the effects. So going from ISO 100 to ISO 400 will give you a 2 stop increase. That could make all the difference from a blurry hand held shot and a clear shot. With the tap water shot you might be able to both get a brighter better exposed shot and also increase the shutter speed to capture the water better.

Experiment and try it out. I think you'll discover a new aspect of the camera's abilities that is often forgotten.