Photo of Yosemite with my new Nikon D200

[LeftCoast]

I'm so excited. For graduation, my partner bought me a Nikon D200. This is the sweetest camera I've ever had. I'm not that much of a photographer, but the combination of the Yosemite and this camera made for a lot of fun. Here's one of my favorite shots:



I plan on taking a lot more photos. Feedback is appreciated, especially since I'm just learning about all this stuff. :)

[JeffR]

1. Congratulations!

Post some more.

[LeftCoast]

5. Here's one I snapped on Mt Davidson this AM

FYI: Mt Davidson is the highest peak in SF.

[JeffR]

7. Sweet

:)

[Maestro]

2. Awesome pic!

About the only suggestion I have is possibly doing some post processing to try to bring out the foreground more. It's a little dark. Do you shoot in RAW or jpeg? I would suggest RAW because it gives you much flexibility in modifying the image. Depending on your imaging software you may have to download a plug-in to handle the RAW images.

[LeftCoast]

3. I shoot in jpg, but have the option for RAW

In the full-sized version, the foreground doesn't look quite as dark. Makes for a nice background on my computer screen.

I'm probably going to invest in photoshop or something similar, but first I want to learn how to take the best pix I can. :)

[Maestro]

4. You might as well wait for CS3

It should be out soon. I have Photoshop CS2 and doing maybe 1/128th of what it can do.

[LeftCoast]

6. To be honest, Photoshop intimidates the heck out of me

I've looked at it before, but found it completely incomprehensible. :)

What is CS2 versus CS3?

[Maestro]

8. From what I have heard from some it is somewhat of an update

to CS2 although it is sold as a stand-alone "new" version. Others say that it has some great new features. You might be able to get CS2 on the cheap once CS3 comes out. I haven't seen a side by side comparison of features so I really couldn't tell you.

[regnaD kciN]

12. Here's an example of what Photoshop CS2 can do...

...with just one adjustment (Shadows/Highlights).



Even if this particular modification isn't what you would have chosen to do, it shows off what can be done in post-processing with Photoshop. And, if you shoot RAW, you'd be able to adjust the exposure with even higher quality.

[LeftCoast]

13. Wow...thanks for doing that!

That's pretty amazing! Looks like I'll be going to a photoshop class. :)

[Maestro]

14. Good example!

I really need to learn how to do more with CS2.

[CC]

21. Beautiful.

Great gift too. I know I love my D200 so betting you do yours too. Cameras tend to get used more if you like them. I used hereto learn the controls. Much easier than the instruction book.

[LeftCoast]

22. Cool site! I've bookmarked it!

I'm going to a class at the end of January. I also got a DVD on the D200 which I haven't had a chance to view yet. Between the class, the DVD and this website I should be able to figure it out. :)

[Blue_In_AK]

10. LeftCoast, you might want to try PaintShopPro X or XI

It does almost everything PhotoShop can do, and is quite user friendly. And much, much cheaper.

[LeftCoast]

11. I'll keep that in mind as well

I think that I'll be ready to look at photo editing in a few months. This forum looks like a great place to ask for advice on all things photographic. :)

[Blue_In_AK]

9. Very beautiful, LeftCoast.

Congratulations!

[Call Me Wesley]

15. Great gift, great pics!

You'll be sucked into photography in no time! :hi:

[LeftCoast]

17. I was already way into photographing my carnivorous plants

but I was quickly overwhelming the capabilities of my old Nikon coolpix camera. This new camera can do everything. So far, the most fun I've had is with action shots. I've got some great pix of my bro and his son playing catch at the park. It's amazing to be able to shoot pix of the football in mid-air, etc. :)

[Call Me Wesley]

19. Yes, shutter speed is quite excellent.

I 'only' have a D50, but I'm quite the happy camper with it. Of course, working as a professional photographer 25 years ago made me not touch any cameras in years. I had a crappy digital camera (while my most used Nikon F2 just got layers of dust), and made nothing else than crappy snapshots with it.

But I have to say that when I got the D50, I started to remember something and am somewhat hooked on photography again. :)

Good to see you!

[LeftCoast]

20. I think the D200 has a shutter speed of 1/8000th of a sec

Just quoting that from memory, so I could be way off.

I would've been plenty happy with the D80, but I'm not going to complain about getting the D200! :D

You might be able to find a D80 or D100(?) on eBay. I've heard a lot of people are 'upgrading'. I imagine you might get a great deal.

Looking forward to seeing some of your pix!

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

16. or in PSP or PS or gimp you can

do something really goofy... this took me 5 minutes

[LeftCoast]

18. LOL! That's crazy looking!

I have GIMP, but for some reason it stopped working. Just downloaded another free prog called Seashore that seems to be similar. All I need it for is resizing. Later, I'll look into buying better software. I'm still engrossed in learning how to use the camera. :)