[nostartnoend]

I bought a K10D -- my first-ever SLR, D or otherwise -- in Feb, and now I'm trying to look at others' photos and see how they arrive at certain results. I know next to nothing about depth-of-field, aperture, shutter priority, and so on. I just tinker until I get something that looks good. I'd like to be a bit more deliberate about which settings to use to get good effects.

It's corny, but I like the look of this photo. Is that edge softening a Photoshop filter, or is that straight out of the (Canon) camera?

How do I make a photo like this one of the Louvre better?

How do I take a sunset shot like this one from the top of the Eiffel Tower and get proper exposure of both the sky and the buildings below? The sky always comes out overexposed and/or the buildings underexposed.

What can I do to get some really good floral photography? The local botanical garden is in bloom, and I'd like to improve on the shots in this set, which were taken with my old Olympus point-and-shoot.

Thanks in advance!

[Matjazz]

The first photo is post processed. An image editor like Picasa can do that (soft focus).
Photo of the Louvre could use more DOF that means use bigger F numbers (which will result in longer exposure).
If you want to reach the limits of your sensor use raw. To get more dynamic range than sensor is capable shoot multiple exposures (changing time and keeping aperture constant). Then blend images in photoshop or photomatrix or hdr shop... For guides and techniques ask google about "hdr photography"

[db2]

Man , you need good book, not a quick answer on a forum. Or better still take some lessons, sounds like you have a lot to learn. Do you understand how aperture and shutter speed relate? They both alter the amount of light your sensor 'sees'.... aperture by the size hole the light comes through and shutter speed by how long it sees that amount of light. Try to understand aperture by shooting the same shot with all the apertures your lens has... notice the differences... Using Av setting. f16 - lots of in focus areas... f4 not so much and lots of people use this end of the f range for portraits. This is nuts and bolts stuff but critcal to know. good luck, Pete

[atupdate]

Here is a camera simulator that will help you learn the relationships between aperature size, ISO, and shutter speed. The SimCam: Film and Digital Camera Simulator - Photonhead.com

Tim

[Kaimarx]

Heh i agree with the above poster, take the time to learn the basics or you can learn online about the principles of shutter, aperture and film speed. In the digital age you can learn a hell of alot faster then those who had to shoot and develop in the darkroom just to see how a certain combination would look, not to mention the experiments in pushing and pulling film...the bottom line is experimenting is the only way to get photos the way you want to as its all subjective. Might sound a bit daunting at first but i bet once you learn a lil bit you'll want to take photos more and more because you understand the processess. I saw not long ago a post on here about which book was the most helpful for the learning photographer....check it out in the search.

Good luck and have fun with it.

[nostartnoend]

Okay. I'll hunt around for that thread on beginner's photography books. Sorry to have wasted your time.

[Kaimarx]

I wouldnt say you've wasted anyones time From the sound of your original post it seems like you already do alot of experimenting anyway! Id love to see your photos once you get the ball rolling.

And if you havent been already...welcome to the PentaxForums!

[Camera Obscura]

I think there's a saying along the lines that there's no stupid questions, just stupid answers....
As far as the questions you have, as well as the examples you refer to, -from my own experience, the most important part would be to recall what the word photography means!
Photo means light and graphy means drawing, -drawing with light...
Just keep in mind, the perfect photography is jet to be shot! Some have come rather close, as we all know.
From my own experience, the most important part is your own imagination! All the fancy equipment, all the nice gadgets and all the fine words are useless, if your imagination fails!
Keep in mind, the camera, the lenses and whatever, are just tools! Vital for the job, -ok, fair enough. But the best camera in world and the best lenses, etc. are just tools and instruments for using your own imagination....!
When this is said, I'd like to point out; a good, sturdy tripod is a MUST for photography in low light/night settings. In my days, I used a simple Slik Master Standard, which did the job. But I modified this tripod ever so slightly, bu mounting a kind of a "hook" to the bottom end of the column. On this hook, I attached a weight of 10 -15 kilos, -and the tripod was rock solid!
I goot quite a few excellent night shots, in the streets of Utrecht, Holland, among else.
As far as the "Soft Focus" photo is concerned, -well, there's allways the old trick of putting some Vaseline, on the edges of an UV filter, or skylight filter....
But today, you can probably make something similar one the computer, I guess...?
I'd just like to add; in view of all the digital hocus pokus that's available today; all the digital wizardry in the world can't make a bad photo good, but you can destroy a good photo....!

[db2]

I don't need any help to do that!!!!Seriously, the apertures are a good starting point, once you understand them the rest will come easier, except of course the creative part of photography, which has to be difficult or it would be ordinary, wouldn't want that.