Action Shot

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Hi, new to DoodleKisses and everything along with it. Someone suggested I post this...I am not good at photography but my friend took this shot - I need big help in the photography world. I have a decent Camera but seriously don't know how to use it. I think my Daisy is worthy of better pictures than I can take.

[Diane Margetts]

Welcome Lisa!! Nice photo! You are in the right place. We all have varying levels of experience but what we have in common is we are all here to lear, improve and share.
One of the ways we do that through monthy photo assignments. We post an assignment and a correxponding "lesson". We post our "exercises" to demonstrate the lesson and to gather ideas and suggestions for improvement. It seems to be going pretty well for all of us. Please join in and don't be concerned about your level of understanding. Look back through some of our monthy lessons and posts--there are a lot of good tips in there for you to use. I also have several lessons posted in my blog.

[Donna K & Quincy]

Hi Lisa, If you like taking pictures you have come to the right place, we have everyone from total beginners to people who actually know what they are doing. Those of us who are beginners get the benefit of learning from others and we get to see some great and funny pictures in the process. My friends tease me that I take more pictures of the doodle than I did of my son, but doodles do make good subjects. Welcome, have fun.

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

My daughter is all grown up and married and she is still annoyed at all the attention we give our Daisy, and yes more pictures of the Doodle than of her now, well at least since the wedding ha ha. I will write back later with the camera I have...it was a gift from my husband, it's not really expensive but no cheap either.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

A great action shot is my ultimate goal. I have a decent camera too but so far action shots are the hardest for me and what I dream about most.

[Richard Crowe]

The very best thing to do is to read the instruction book for your camera and then re-read the darn thing. I have owned my Canon 40D camera for over two-years and I am still learning new things about it. The 40D is now several generations old (Canon has introduced a 50D and recently a 60D) but, I figure I will not upgrade until I exhaust the capabilities of my present camera and I have a long way to go before I do that.

As you are reading, you might come to portions which you do not understand. Then pop into this forum and ask questions. if we cannot answer the questions, we can always direct you somewhere that the answer can be found.

Cameras have different capabilities but, just about every digital camera out there is capable of some fairly nice imagery if used correctly. Here is an image I shot in Colorado almost ten years ago with a 2.0 megapixel Olympus. While not quite as sharp as the imagery from my relatively new Canon 40D camera, it is still is a decent image which can be printed to 8x10".



There are five quick tips which might improve your photography.

1. Get closer to your subject and then get a little closer... An image with the subject tiny sitting in the middle of the frame wastes a lot of area which could hold interest. Folks want to see your doodle and don't really have a lot of interest in acres of lawn or carpet.

2. Hold your camera firmly with two hands. Some digital cameras are so small that it seems like they could be held with one hand (and often are). However, a two hand hold will provide a sharper image.

3. Look at the background in your frame. We all have selective vision when seeing real objects. We tend to hone in on our subject and not pay attention to the background. It is said that this comes from our primitive hunting instincts. I don't know about that but, I do know that if I don't pay particular attention the entire image that my camera is framing - I find weird things appearing in the background which distracts attention.

4. Along those lines, also look over your frame lines to ensure that nothing is jutting into your frame like a portion of a person or another dog. See if you can hold your camera level. You can adjust the level in editing but, it is easiest to do it while you are shooting.

5. One of the most important things is to own a photo editing program AND LEARN TO USE IT!!!... There are relatively few images that are great right out of the camera and which cannot be made better in editing. Many cameras come with editing software. There are several free editing programs available; among them Picasa and Gimp. Additionally, Photoshot Elements 8 is a full featured program which is reasonably priced (I got mine for $50 at COSTCO). However, just owning an editing program will not improve your images unless you use it. Jus like joining a health club won'yt help you if you don't go and exercise.

Gosh, I started this post as "Three Tips' and keep expanding it. But, the RULE OF THIRDS is another way to improve your images. Instead of trying to explain this rule, I will just direct you to:

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds This website has a lot of great information...

BTW: Here is a collection of my images...

http://rpcrowe.smugmug.com/

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Thank you so much Richard for the help and the words of encouragement this photo is absolutely gorgeous. When I am at home (and not sneaking a peak from work) I will def look at all of these. FYI though I am felt hopeless after reading the manual - but now I know where to go for help.