ClumsyMonkey.net

I've been seriously considering taken a photography course at the Community College. But, I should probably figure out if I suck at it or not before I even try to get in. So this is my first real attempt at actual photography, and I was hoping for maybe a couple comments, a little contructive criticism.. if anyone is willing it would be greatly appreciated.

Man this is garbage....................................
















Nah I'm just messin' with ya. It's good, you'll also get better with time.

Get used to working with RAW if your camera allows it. You can do some amazing stuff with a great imaging software like Photoshop and the RAW format.

man, i love all of those. the first and last ones especially.

First, are you shooting film or digital? If its digital and you shoot in RAW format as Lando suggests than you can worry less about proper exposure and white balance because you can adjust them after the fact without losing any of the picture or color quality. Also, is your camera an SLR or point and shoot? There really is no sense taking a course if you don't have an SLR in my opinion.

Anyway, when you are shooting, don't be afraid to ignore your camera's light meter. I often slightly under-expose all my shots to get more vibrant color. I think under-exposing slightly would have helped on the first and last shot. Also, you can avoid blowing out the highlights of your shot through under-exposure which is always a huge plus. At the same time, feel free to over-expose if you think a shot needs it. Generally, there really is nothing more I can tell you without knowing the camera you have. If anything, just shoot what you enjoy. When I first started taking pictures, I often took pictures of what I thought other people would want to see. Now I just shoot what interests me and I think my photography has improved because of it.

I'm using an old Pentax SLR.
And thanks for all the tips. I'm always worried about under or over exposing, but I'm definitely going to experiment more with the next roll.
I've been trying to get photoshop or something similar so I can play around with the pictures.
Also, I was reading about a whole bunch of extra tubes and lenses and things you can get to alter the look of your picture and I was wondering if all that is really necessary? It seems understandable if someone is paying you for the pictures, but, for now, this is just for my own amusement.

Here's a couple more.

This one isn't so bright it seems pale. And I liked the way that all the colours in Zipper (the cat) are in the beat up stairs.



I just took this one because it reminded me of being a kid, I was sitting on a swing at the time. Do you think if I had underexposed it the colours would have turned out brighter?

Ahh I have an old pentax as well. A k-1000. The thing is a brick but its reliable as anything. The great thing about SLR's is the ablility to change the lenses. The better the lense, the better the quality of the shot. Really though, the lenses you want depend on the kind of pictures you take. Regardless, its not necessary but it sure is a bonus. I'm not sure if I would have underexposed the shot of the swing. On the one hand the highlights on your jeans are blown out, but on the other, the dark tones in the gravel might lose detail if under-exposed to much. Regardless. underexposure won't make the colors brighter, just richer. Anyway, I think the shot is interesting to say the least.

I dig the one with the kitten-- that's flippin cute.

But seriously, you're really good to just be starting out, I think a class would be a great idea.

Thanks for the feedback and tips from before.. I just thought I'd stick this up here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bentdent

you went to italy?

Those are some smallll feet.

Yeah, I actually got to go on the school trip in March. Went to Italy and Frace. And yes, I have small feet.