Any tips for a beginner?

[NikonUser]

I am a beginner photographer, age 14. I am in high hopes of going to college for the art, and I am studying Media arts, and science. I only have basic equipment , nothing fancy. I have a DSLR Nikon camera. As of now, I have no lens (dropped it in the pond D:< ) My tripod is shot too. Does any one have any tips, like what to study in school, how do work with natural lighting, and how to create backdrops and other light sources? (I have been experimenting with a high LED flashlight, and like what I see.) I am interested in wildlife photography, by the way. If you care to see, I will post pictures of my recent work later

[Bambi]

Hi Nikonuser,
welcome. You will get lots of tips here. But my first piece of advice is to get a lens or a p & S and start taking pictures. No matter what type of camera you have you can practice composition.
Post any photos you like and we will give you some constructive criticism.

[Iguanasan]

Hey, NikonUser. Well, you can't shoot without a lens... try a 50mm f1.8. Both Nikon and Canon have them for about $130 which, in the lens world, is pretty cheap. Next, take photographs. The more you take the better you'll get if you take the time to look at what you've taken and think about how you can make them better. Even better is to post one or two here in the critiques section and get the opinions of other photographers.

Look in your neighbourhood for local photo clubs and join a club. The way to get better is to work at it.

[NikonUser]

Thanks every one! I had a very nice 300mm telephoto lens . But as I said in the OP, I dropped it in the pond yesterday :( It was almost 500$!!

[NikonUser]

I do have one more question; Today, I am not very happy with what I came up with. I got one photo out of about 15. The problem was sharpness. How would I make them a bit more clear. I was about 3 feet away from the bird. I will post the good picture :
http://i52.tinypic.com/242vc7c.jpg

[Iguanasan]

I'm not familiar with the Nikon Coolpix so I can't recommend anything with that camera specifically but there are things to watch out for when trying to improve sharpness. Camera shake. Be careful to squeeze the shutter release and not push it. If you are using the zoom feature then you have to be twice as careful. Also, be careful if you have low light because you will have a slow shutter speed.

The big issue with this photo is that your point and shoot may not be able to make anything sharper than this.

Did you break the lens or just get it wet? Was it salt water? You may be able to have it cleaned. Will your parents household insurance cover the replacement costs? I hope you haven't tossed it. You might just have to wait until it dries out.

If you dropped the lens what was on the camera? You must have a kit lens or something with it or why would you have the lens off the camera?

[NikonUser]

I'm not familiar with the Nikon Coolpix so I can't recommend anything with that camera specifically but there are things to watch out for when trying to improve sharpness. Camera shake. Be careful to squeeze the shutter release and not push it. If you are using the zoom feature then you have to be twice as careful. Also, be careful if you have low light because you will have a slow shutter speed.

The big issue with this photo is that your point and shoot may not be able to make anything sharper than this.

Did you break the lens or just get it wet? Was it salt water? You may be able to have it cleaned. Will your parents household insurance cover the replacement costs? I hope you haven't tossed it. You might just have to wait until it dries out.

If you dropped the lens what was on the camera? You must have a kit lens or something with it or why would you have the lens off the camera?
Ok- I will answer one at a time :
1: My camera is not a point and shoot. Just thought I would throw that out there ; I have gotten some great photos out of it.
2. The whole front of the glass was cracked.
3. No, it was fresh water.
4. I don't think my parents will get me another one, I saved for my camera, and my lenses myself.
5. I was actually putting it on my camera. I like to take some shots with out the lens some times.
I will post some of the better pictures that I have gotten over the last few weeks.

[NikonUser]

This is my camera :
http://byphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/nikon-coolpix-l110.jpg
And here are some photos :
http://i55.tinypic.com/n3s46.jpg
http://i51.tinypic.com/14jstoo.jpg

[Iguanasan]

Ok- I will answer one at a time :
1: My camera is not a point and shoot. Just thought I would throw that out there ; I have gotten some great photos out of it.
2. The whole front of the glass was cracked.
3. No, it was fresh water.
4. I don't think my parents will get me another one, I saved for my camera, and my lenses myself.
5. I was actually putting it on my camera. I like to take some shots with out the lens some times.
I will post some of the better pictures that I have gotten over the last few weeks.

1. Sorry, I was not trying to insult your camera. The Coolpix L110 which was used to take the above shot, according to the EXIF, seems like a very nice camera.
2. Ouch.
3. Good, it should be fine if it dries sufficiently and if it's only cracked you might try shooting with it anyway as long as it's all dried out. You might lose a bit of sharpness but you might find that it adds some character and you may be surprised at the results.
4. I wasn't suggesting that they buy it for you but if it's that expensive it may be covered under insurance depending upon the deductible on the policy.
5. I've never tried that. What kind of results did you get doing that?

[NikonUser]

1. Sorry, I was not trying to insult your camera. The Coolpix L110 which was used to take the above shot, according to the EXIF, seems like a very nice camera.
2. Ouch.
3. Good, it should be fine if it dries sufficiently and if it's only cracked you might try shooting with it anyway as long as it's all dried out. You might lose a bit of sharpness but you might find that it adds some character and you may be surprised at the results.
4. I wasn't suggesting that they buy it for you but if it's that expensive it may be covered under insurance depending upon the deductible on the policy.
5. I've never tried that. What kind of results did you get doing that?

1. Thats ok, I didn't take if offensively .
2.Bleeh, I know :(
3. Its not only cracked, it pretty much shattered, it looks like a spider went to work on it.
4. I will have to see.
5. The two photos I just posted are with no lens, and if you like, I can post more, some nicer ones I got on a sunny day.

[Bambi]

as with any camera and lens you need to figure out the parameters under which is works well and what the limitations are and how you adjust. I suspect with the bird photo above that the shutter was a bit slow leading to the blur. the seeds are in focus while the bird is not. the wrench and the cat shots seem fine.

[NikonUser]

as with any camera and lens you need to figure out the parameters under which is works well and what the limitations are and how you adjust. I suspect with the bird photo above that the shutter was a bit slow leading to the blur. the seeds are in focus while the bird is not. the wrench and the cat shots seem fine.

Thanks Bambi, it didn't help that it was misting in the bird photo either . The weather was NOT on my side that day.

[canonjen]

familiarize yourself first with the camera controls then start from there

[cindiaugustine]

I did a 365 project (http://365project.org/) when I was first starting out. It doesn't matter whether you use a DSLR, a camera phone or a P+S, the point is that you take a photo (or more) everyday. It really keeps you thinking about photography and pushes you to get creative because after a few months it can get challenging to find something to shoot everyday if you aren't thinking creatively.

You can set yourself some challenges, like a weekly theme, or get friends to suggest something like: photograph your dinner everyday for a week, or get an action shot of your cat. Whatever. There are lots of sites out there to help with inspiration.

The equipment you use is not really all that important in the end. It's how you use it that matters. Learning to see is where great photography starts.