Elwe Attempts Photography. Kinda.

So I had an art thread a while back, but I didn't quite dabble with photography, since I didn't have a camera. If I recall correctly, I may have had one picture up, but I think it was more of a shop thing, seeing as how the original, taken from a disposable, was pretty terrible.

So yeah, I went out and FINALLY bought a digital camera. It's not particularly awesome, but it was on sale and it came with a gift card. So I dished out $100 for a Samsung S730 and some memory cards, and took a couple of shots.

Anyways, I'm a complete noob on this, so constructive criticism is more than welcome. I keep hearing about some third rule, so I'm probably going to look further into this.

For the time being, here are a couple shots plus a bit of shopping. They're not particularly new, but recent enough, I guess. =] And excuse the watermarkish things; the unmarked ones are on my external HD, which is somewhere in my bookshelf.


Yes, the Buddha statue is next to a pie plate. I'm not quite sure why...




This actually wasn't taken with my digital, but a disposable. I was in the city and didn't have my digital camera, so I stopped by a Walgreens and got ripped off terribly. So yeah, this one's obviously shopped b&w.



Same as above. Let's see if you can guess which city. It should be pretty obvious if you're familiar with it.



Same as above again, except it's the view from a bridge.



The last of the shopped disposable shots.




Taken at the park. I'm not quite a fan of smoke.



Backside of a keychain I got at Disney World.



I dunno. This one reminds me of unpleasant visits to the dentist's office and those terrible sandpaper strips shoved between your teeth like floss...



[insert interesting commentary here][/commentary]



The shutter speed was a bit slow here, and I can't hold my hands still for the life of me. Hence, the blurriness.


Obligatory slightly-emo flower photo. Oh, and most definitely shopped.



Ceiling shot. This was taken during an awards ceremony at a math meet.



Food coloring in water with one of the worst lamps imaginable in the background. That's why we never used it; I dug it out of the basement and stood a sheet of white paper in front of it.


Same as above, but with a different lighting.



No need to get excited. It's just lemon in water. =D


Had to be on the floor. Otherwise, no sunlight. =[


Tangerines, I'm pretty sure.


Same as above, but different. I think I used a different setting on this one.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Thanks for all the input. =]

Originally Posted by Greykin

- set your focusing mode to center weighted. Sometimes the camera might not focus on what you want it to, so now it will always focus on the middle. So just focus on what you want, hold the shutter half way still, recompose your photo, and then push all the way to take the photo . I've been doing this all the time with my DSLR since the auto-focus points aren't always going to pick up on what I want.

Yeah, I've had issues with focusing on the "right" thing. Thank you SO much for this tip. I never realized the camera would still focus on the same object even if the camera is moved after focusing. This is definitely going to help out.

I've been thinking about getting a tripod, but I never really got around to it. $10 doesn't sound too bad, though. I just have to sacrifice one dinner out! ='D

My favorite ones so far are actually from the disposable as well. Funny how that turns out.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Indigo-2: Thanks =] Yes, what I wouldn't give to roam around Chicago as well. I'm stuck hours away from the city right now. I'll probably be over there again come winter time, which could be both good and bad. SNOW! =[

Bernard Black: Yeah, the more focused shots weren't as interesting-looking as the blurred one, although I still couldn't get one that was completely in focus.

Schadenfreude: Those are definitely among my favorites as well =]




New edited shot taken over at college. We get a nice view of the smokestacks along with an amazing sunset, which I haven't had the opportunity to capture quite yet. I'm not particularly happy with this one, but I haven't been taking many shots as of late, mostly due to the fact that I left my camera at home and just recently got it back. And I've been incredibly busy with schoolwork. :3

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Thanks~

Here are some kinda new shots. Style's a bit different from the usual, but I was playing around. My batches tend to be similar in mood, so it's interesting to see the changes from one shoot to another. Haven't been out with my camera lately, though. I'm thinking of finding some side jobs in addition to my (hopefully) part-time job this summer, so I might be able to upgrade my camera to one that doesn't stink. Or more than 7.2 megapixels. I was kinda angry that my friend was able to nab one with over 10 for 40 bucks less than mine. And it's slimmer. D:


These were taken near a nature preserve area near home. I realize some of these shots are similar D:

















I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?