Still learning so don't get technical!

Ok, let's see if I can master this?
[IMG]http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m85/fishface220/Pentax%20K100d/IMGP5248-1.jpg[/IMG] That's me in the middle.
[IMG]http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m85/fishface220/Pentax%20K100d/IMGP5253.jpg[/IMG] Shiny ball outside @Bristol.
[IMG]http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m85/fishface220/Pentax%20K100d/IMGP5261.jpg[/IMG] Life on the draining board.
[IMG]http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m85/fishface220/Pentax%20K100d/IMGP5621.jpg[/IMG] Snow covered log.
[IMG]http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m85/fishface220/Pentax%20K100d/IMGP5622.jpg[/IMG] So much for the close up of a water droplet.
[IMG]http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m85/fishface220/Pentax%20K100d/IMGP5632.jpg[/IMG] Close up with out blur.

Be gentle, I don't have a clue what I'm doing but will keep at it in the hope that some come out ok???

Well your getting there, No2 is my fav' and No4 needs the colour poping a bit, well done.

I hate myself for saying this but wouldn't they all benefit from a little sharpening in post processing?

What do you use? Do you shoot RAW of JPEG? If RAW then try SilkyPIX and see how that looks after you've fiddled with some of the adjustments.

Mike

No. 2 for me in a square format, cropping out all the grim architecture, with some PS tweaking to give it more impact.

???????
Colour poping? Post processing and PS tweaking? Help, I haven't got a clue what you are on about!

The pictures are taken in JPEG (I know at least that much) and viewed on the computer with ACDSee5.0(installed by the guy who upgraded my memory on the PC). I haven't done any touching up before posting. (Straight from camera to forum so to speak)

When I say I haven't a clue, trust me, I'm not lying...

The main method I'm using is point and pray! (Some times this seems to work other times it's hit delete!)

Others will have different thoughts, but I would recommend that you purchase Photoshop Elements 7.0 software which is a very cost effective product, containing all the tools that you will need for a very long time.

It would also be worth buying the book - Photoshop Elements 7 - The Missing Manual by Barbara Brundage. Both of these can be found on Amazon, sometimes as a package.

It is possible to learn much of Photoshop by trial and error, seeing the effect that a particular button or slider has on your image, but studying the manual or finding an evening class would be better.

Routinely on this forum Photoshop is known as PS.

Once you get into Photoshop, you will find that it becomes addictive - a bit like spending hours in the darkroom experimenting

"The Photographer's Eye" (I believe that's the name of it) is a very helpful book in terms of composing an interesting shot. #1 is a good effort. #2 is the best focus.

If you're not ready to jump into post-processing by purchasing software, try out Picasa for hosting and processing your pictures. It's free and simple to use. A little rudimentary, but a good place to start.

Keep it up, you'll learn what you and your camera can do.

A good first effort. What you need to learn are the basics of apperture, shutterspeed and iso. You have to do that to master a dslr. A dslr is probably one of the worst point and shoot cameras you can buy

The second and third are good shots. Best focus.

The last 2 are not to good. Probalby due to camerashake (no fast enough shutterspeed). Besides to much noise.

I recon you try to hook up with a veteran from here. I'm sure someone around here are from around Bristol and wants to help you.

Keep posting and trying.

Well FishFace, you have achieved more than I have, I cannot get the hang of posting to this forum and I am what they call an experienced photographer. Your "snow covered log" is good, try not to get bogged down in "Post Processing"! get the image right in the camera in the first place and you are there. Just remember, film speed (ISO setting on camera), aperture, (very important, play around with this) very effective and shutter speed. If you are going to photograph reflective surfaces, glass water etc, treat yourself to a circular polarizing filter. Buy the filter to fit your largest diameter lens and then purchase stepping rings (£4.50), that way you only need one polarizer and use the stepping rings to fit all/any other lenses you may have. Good luck, get out there and take photographs.
Regards,
Rees

Echoing the rest on here. You will get the hang of what works and what doesn't. Colours could probably be better with different white balance, like Daylight or Cloudy. I've been finding at this time of year, my first with DSLR that the auto white balance can produce quite washed out colours, and you need either daylight or cloudy white balance. The last picture to my eyes looks like it was taken at 1600 ISO as the image seems noisy. Personally I don't go above 800 on the K10D I have. The focussing side I think comes down to experience. With the shake reduction on 1/45 might be your limit, but some can do better, depends how much coffee you drink! Also don't forget the red light tells you what you will focus on but you're not in focus until the green hexagon appears.

Thanks for all the pointers, hopefully I can get my head around some of them and put them into practice.

Going to give Picasa ago as Giving Tree has suggested and see how I get on with that.

Look out for some more dodgy pictures in the future!!

For what it is worth I learned a lot from the tutorials on this website:

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials.htm

They are quite short and helped me understand the basic principles of digital photography, which helps a lot when you start looking at processing tools such as Photoshop Elements.

Had a little play with some of the setting on ACD Foto Canvas V2.0 which is what I view my pictures on with the PC.

Hopefully a little better?????

Before play
[IMG]http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m85/fishface220/Pentax%20K100d/IMGP5253.jpg[/IMG]

After play
[IMG]http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m85/fishface220/Pentax%20K100d/Tweaked.jpg[/IMG]

Before play
[IMG]http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m85/fishface220/Pentax%20K100d/IMGP5621.jpg[/IMG]

After play
[IMG]http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m85/fishface220/Pentax%20K100d/CopyofIMGP5621.jpg[/IMG]

Before play
[IMG]http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m85/fishface220/Pentax%20K100d/IMGP5239.jpg[/IMG]

After play (didn't even know I could do this until I started to play around with any old button!)
[IMG]http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m85/fishface220/Pentax%20K100d/CopyofIMGP5239.jpg[/IMG]

And last one
[IMG]http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m85/fishface220/Pentax%20K100d/IMGP5256.jpg[/IMG]