In the Begining (Post your early mistakes)

[Nonda Surratt]

I'd like to try something, hope this is ok list moderators.

I think, that can be right scary sometimes:p, that when new folks sign on to this list it might be easy for them to get discouraged? You folks on ETL are getting way good!!! BUT we all started somewhere and probably weren't so good, it has taken time and loads of 'in the trash images'.

So what I would like to propose and attach the images here, where we began. Or if you are one of those folks that just had talent from the get go, I'm not one of them, post a FURBER.:D

I'll start

20D, 400f5.6 @f5.6, 1/1600 and I really was quite gobsmaking proud of this! 2006

[Gus Cobos]

Hi Nonda,
Actually I like this capture. Lets call it the social club...:D:p:);) Yes; all of our BPN family members started at one point from scratch...( and do you know that they are still learning....) :eek::D Yes, we all learn every day. PRACTICE MAKES BETTER...:) Its the fun and pleasure, and personal satisfaction that we get from the art of photography...If you could see my first photos from many, many moons ago, you would be horrified...:eek::D did that stop me; NO...so keep on shooting, keep on creating and keep on posting them with your family. We are here to learn and to help each other out; just like a family...Looking foward for your next one Nonda...:cool:

[Gus Cobos]

P.S. I like the bird on the right with the attitude problem...:D

[Nonda Surratt]

Ok Gus so post one of your beginning images:-) Just tack it on here, don't be shy:p

Actually this isn't a begining image I'd had a DSLR for 6 months

[Dan Brown]

I don't have any of my old, really crummy film images scanned, but I do have a story.

My first camera experience 30 years ago was with a point and shoot, range finder, $10 camera. I visited the San Diego Zoo and was shooting away. My brother-in-law, Al, sister, Linda and I decided to ride the tram around the park and I continued shooting. Near the end of the day, Al looked at me as I was shooting a said "hey, what are you doing?" He grabbed the camera from me and turned it around and asked " were you using this that way all day?" I said "yea:confused:". Oops:p, the whole day, I had been shooting with the camera backwards!! So, I shot 2 rolls of my OOF ear, and the lady that was sitting behind me on the tram:eek:!!! What a dummy!!!

Dan Brown

[Doug Brown]

I took a pretty good photo with an advanced point and shoot camera. I bought my first DSLR (Canon 20D) and a 400mm f/5.6 lens and a week later brought them to the Bosque del Apache during the Festival of the Cranes. I shot about 1,000 frames, and about 997 of them sucked. Very humbling to say the least, but also inspiring. I've still got some of them, and I'll try to post one on this thread a little later today.

[Nonda Surratt]

Dan,

I about spit water all over my monitor! Priceless!!!:eek::eek::D:D:D

Cool Doug and thanks!!!

[Oscar Zangroniz]

Great capture Nonda. I like it as presented.

[Doug Brown]

Here you go. Day one of my bird photography career. Hand held flight shots with the 400mm f/5.6. Snow Geese. Harsh light. No idea how to use my camera. Predictable results. Nice wing position though! :)

[Katie Rupp]

Hey Dan,
I loved your story---read it and roared with laughter. Too good! Thanks for sharing.
Katie

[Dan Brown]

Your welcome Katie. someday if I can locate the prints, I will have to scan and post, so I can feel dumb all over again.:D

Dan

[gary rouleau]

Yes Nonda, we all have a story. I hiked to the top of a mountain in the Yukon and while I enjoyed my view a mountain goat crested the mountain and stood right in front of me with the most incredible background. Not more than ten feet away. I pulled out the point and shot and shot away. Looking at the back of the screen I thought "wow" picture of the year. I was excited to get home to see my wonderful photo. Well to my chagrin the photo was blurry, a big white ghost on top of a mountain. From that day on I said I can do better. Have no fear -ask lots of questions and enjoy every moment.

gary

[Nonda Surratt]

Yowie Doug! Yep great wing position:) Oh I've had my share of those only it was Turkey V's, for a year I was obsessed drove hubby nuts. I can under/over expose those guys better than anyone on the planet

Thanks for posting Doug.

Ok folks post newbe image or a big goof..Let have some fun.

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

I will if you will:eek:....
This was one of my first DSLR attempts about 9 months ago - OUCH...
Mike - never, ever give up and please go ahead and have a good laugh at my expense. OK you can all go ahead and laugh:D:D
Best to all,
Nicki

[Nonda Surratt]

It rocks Nicki!:D Man your a quick study its taken me 3 years to get in the ballpark..Cheap seats

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

This forum is the best...

[Sharna Lee]

OK! I'll bite. Nonda, I really appreciate you doing this for us newbies. It's really inspiring to us knowing that you guys haven't always taken such awesome pictures. I started posting to another forum about a year ago and this is one of the first posts to that forum. I look at it now and wonder if I needed my head examined back then. LOL

ROFL at Dan. That's classic Dan. Thank you for sharing your story with us.

You guys here ROCK!!!! And we are all family and I appreciate that part of this forum.


http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/ittyboo9358/Img_2146COPY.jpg

Sharna

Taken with the Canon Rebel XT on Auto I think. LOL :o

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

Nice going Sharna!!!
By the way, whilst we're all in confessional mode, does anybody else struggle with exposure? I went through a phase of seriously underexposing everything because I was told that 'you can always bring it back in Photoshop'... but actually I dodn't think that this is right. How does anyone else feel about this? Oh, and I'm still really hit and miss with correct exposure....one day perhaps!!!

[Sharna Lee]

Nicki,
LOL I'm glad you and I are on the same page here. I am learning though. Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson has helped me A LOT! And I think that Arthur Morris has a few books where he writes about exposure too. The Art Of Bird Photography I & II though I think 1 is hard to come by or if you find it on amazon it's like over 100.00. Practice, Practice, Practice too. Our photo's aren't that bad LOL seriously. :D

Sharna

[Katie Rupp]

My story is that after dismal disappointments with photography when I was young, I never touched a camera again until---many, many years later I bought a Kodak digital point-n-shoot (4MP 2x zoom) the night before I left for an African safari.:o:eek: I read the manual on the plane and I've been hooked ever since. Not being a fast-learner, I kept shooting jpegs and buying better equipment in hopes that I'd achieve spectacular results without really understanding what I was doing. Earlier this year I switched to RAW and I'm working diligently at the understanding/application part. All the advice, support and information here at BPN is invaluable and I appreciate the opportunity. Thank You, all. So here is a Marabou Stork from that safari. I did get some great images from that trip but certainly not of birds, not at 2x zoom;)

Nonda, thanks for this thread, it's great!

[Dan Brown]

Nice story Katie. The photo is not too shabby either! It's a heck of a lot better than my OOF ear!!

Dan Brown

[Nonda Surratt]

Yes this is a great forum and you are all just wonderful.

Sharna, that is one of those 'wow what could have been' images, neato! Like your bird Katie! Thank you both for sharing!

Exposure..Yes expose to the right makes things much easier in PS even tho' you can bring and image back if it isn't too far off.. This from someone 'me' who absolutely couldn't get exposure though my brain for a long time, it just didn't seem logical how it worked. To be real honest I try not to even think about it, because then I go all logical and get confused:o:)

My 20-30D's I was pretty comfy with, the M3?? Yeash. The prior 2 being 3/4's to the right was just fine, the M3 not so fine..I live with the histogram so no yelling:p but what was fine with the 20-30d would be underexposed on the M3. Took me the longest time to get it pushed to the right far enough. I have 'fear of blinkies'. I still mess up, but improving. Sloowwwwly

Now if I can just remember to change the ISO off 400 when needed.

[Lance Peters]

Ill post one of mine tonight - got some beauty's.

:)

[Gail Spitler]

Find one of my first photos with all those glitches and goofs. HA HA HA Darned if I'm not still doing it, every day and every way. Just keep finding a few keepers now thanks to BPN etc.

Love the thread. Once took a whole roll of film in Denali without the film advancing.

Gail

[Alfred Forns]

Great thread Nonda !!!!!!! Big Time GREAT Will throw in a contribution !!!! Good stuff !!!

[Lance Peters]

Nicki,
LOL I'm glad you and I are on the same page here. I am learning though. Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson has helped me A LOT! And I think that Arthur Morris has a few books where he writes about exposure too. The Art Of Bird Photography I & II though I think 1 is hard to come by or if you find it on amazon it's like over 100.00. Practice, Practice, Practice too. Our photo's aren't that bad LOL seriously. :D

Sharna

Arties book is being reprinted - If you are really after it I found a number of stores in Australia that still had it in stock at normal retail price.

:)

[Pat Nighswander]

Well I did mostly landscapes because my camera was better at that but then I started practicing on mallards because I liked the color.. seeing this I want to crop it right away but you said early stuff....pre dslr
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v339/nighs/2005/mal.jpg

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

Good morning Everyone - actually I have to agree with Gail - too many of mine still end up in the trash.....
Sharna, I have the Bryan Petersen book and Artie's books - it's just a matter of finding the time - ahh the excuses!! I know that I have to study diligently - does anyone else find it tough to learn exposure from a book??? Nonda I agree about different cameras doing different things - as if it weren't hard enough already...

[Lance Peters]

The things that I found the hardest and am only now starting to get a grip on are......

Shooting with BOTH EYES OPEN - takes a lot of practise but makes a **** of a differnce still having the periphal vision from the eye not pressed up against the viewfinder.

Also I seem to find it easier to notice CHANGING light conditions doing things this way, I am just starting to get to the point of noticing the changes and being able to compensate without having to refer back to the histogram every time. (Still check every now and again)

It all comes down to practise, practise, practise.

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

Oh and by the way I too have 'blinkyphobia'.....

[Lance Peters]

here you go - one of my first attempts with a slr

:)

[Nonda Surratt]

Nice white bird Lance! Both eyes open? I've always wondered about that..Others on that one?

Pretty blue water there Pat:-)

Keeper rate, maybe 10% here and still keep ones that that qualify in the 'what where you thinking' category. Going back though and dumping priors that I thought were just fine, but now with BPN, they aren't fine..Sigh. Oh well keeps the hard drive nice and tidy.

[Alfred Forns]

I'm sure at the start the keeper rate is not even close to ten percent !!! With time it goes up due to a couple of factors. Firs is being better at the tech side and the second being more selective.

Very important to keep from pressing the shutter all the time !!!

[Nonda Surratt]

Hah! At the start mine was well over 10%, if it was 'sorta' in focus I kept it:D

As in 'ohoo lookie honey you can actually tell what it is' if you squint.

[Pat Nighswander]

I think the best way to learn exposure is posting your exifers with the pictures like we do on this forum... studying the exifers and after a little while it is not such a big deal more like second nature..you know what works well with each particular lens where the sweet spot is and how much depth you want if it is landscape or what is a good setting to be ready with your bird lens just in case..

[Harold Davis]

here's one from yesterday!!!!:(:(:o:o we all make mistakes, but you have to know when to hit the delete button!! i probably took 600 pics yesterday and will delete 595 of them!!!

in a hurry right now, gotta go, cant wait to read this thread this afternoon!!!:D

[Gail Spitler]

Hi All
It was Nonda's comment that these early tries are

'ohoo lookie honey you can actually tell what it is' if you squint.

Here's one from just after getting my first DSLR in 2006. Extra points if you can identify the species.:D

Gail

[Desmond Chan]

Well, I started photographing birds about a year ago. Unfortunately, I have to say that whatever mistakes I had then, I still have them now. Here's one of the trash-bound photos that I took in Aug last year and I still keep. I'm keeping this because I don't know when I would have another shot like that :

1) The lighting
2) I caught two chickadees with their wings spread, one was about to take flight and the other one coming in.

S5, 70-300 @ 300mm; ISO 400; f5. 1/1000 sec; shutter priority with zero compensation; no flash; hand-held.

I also got some that had nothing but empty fence. Why? Because the bird took off faster than I pressed the shutter button.

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

:eek::eek::eek:

This was another of my early DSLR efforts...
I agree that it is really important to learn when not to press the shutter button. During my last visit to Sanibel in March I was blessed with so many birds and as many photographers with bigger lenses than mine clicking away constantly. In my inexperience I thought, oh well, I'll just click away too - these guys are bound to be seeing something good that I'm not...
So I pointed my lens in the same direction as the 500/600mm brigade and shot away...Needless to say I got a whole pile of rubbish that got trashed immediately. I think that you have to know what kind of image you want to produce. Of the pictures I took at Sanibel the ones that I kept were the ones where I had kept my focus and were true to MY vision of what I think bird photography should be about.
I like to keep some bloopers - essential for moments such as these...:o:o and as a result of joining BPN have become much more selective...at first I was grateful for just getting a bird in the frame - not any more:D:D:D
Nice going guys!! Best to all
Nicki

[Nonda Surratt]

Or one of those 'what were you thinking moments' going way past the poor exposure.. Oct 07:o

[Harold Davis]

hey gail, that's the loch ness monster!!!!!!!! i can see it!!

[Nonda Surratt]

I think MR H called it..You found Nessy!!!!

[Sharna Lee]

A duck bill platipuss?? hehehe I dunno but it sounded good ;)

[mikedelaney]

i can't say anything. it is better than my very best to date.

[Lance Peters]

Mike - dont get discouraged, your shots are showing improvement - probably every one here takes 100's of shots to get the 1 shot that they post - I know I DO. We have all been throughexactly the same things that you are going through - its all just practise.

As what AL said in your other post, you need to get physically closer to your subject or get a longer lens, the lack of quality you refer to is because the shots are large crops of the original.

Hang in there, shoot lots, practose, practise, practise.

[Doug Brown]

A wise man once said that the only difference between a pro photographer and a rank amateur is the size of his wastebasket! We all come from humble photographic beginnings. With time and lots of practice, we all get better. I still take plenty of bad photos, but not nearly as many as before, and my good ones are much better than they used to be. I'm sure the same is true for the Eager to Learn crew (Mike included)!

[Nonda Surratt]

Well said Doug!!!! And what Lance said is true too!

[Sharna Lee]

Mike,

I've felt EXACTLY like you a time or two hundred. Don't get discouraged please. I have a really big trash can. ;)

I am no where near a pro....I just keep trudging. It's like the others have said, practice, practice, practice. One day you'll go to take a picture and you'll change the f/stop, apeture and ISO to get a correct exposure and you wont even know you've done it. It will just come naturally. You'll get it. Don't worry. We're all there with ya. ;)

Sharna

[Desmond Chan]

i can't say anything. it is better than my very best to date.

You said it too soon. I have not shown you my worst yet.

[Nonda Surratt]

Really..Sony 717 man can I make a nice camera really, really look bad, or a bird.

High point you can Id the bird, just....

[Desmond Chan]

Really..Sony 717 man can I make a nice camera really, really look bad, or a bird.

High point you can Id the bird, just....

My guess is a northern flicker.

[Doug Brown]

This one makes my snow goose look well exposed!!! ;)

[Harold Davis]

baby oriole? nonda?

[Nonda Surratt]

Fledge Rob:-) ya'all didn't squint hard enough

[Desmond Chan]

Fledge Rob:-) ya'all didn't squint hard enough


Ooops ! :o:o

[Bruce Gove]

OK then - here's one with no concern for many things we strive to pay attention to....e.g. when not to press the shutter

Cheers, :D

Bruce

[Anita Rakestraw]

This thread is hilarious, a great idea! I can identify with every single thing said so far!! And Mike, don't give up, it's taken me a long time just to get where I am now and I still have very far to go. Even though I can see progress, I still get so discouraged every few months to the point of considering dropping the whole photography hobby! But slowly, there are more keepers (for me) and fewer really dumb mistakes, ha! It's great to see and hear about others' mistakes. One of mine for a few weeks was to be so eager to try and get the shot that I'd forget to even check exposure....and would often get either totally dark or totally blown out images, to my great disgust! Miss enough opportunities from the same mistake and you learn not to make that one anymore!

[Anita Rakestraw]

Sorry, accidental repeat....

[Gail Spitler]

Outside of making us all feel a little better about our painful (digital) photographic beginnings, it has also been the catalyst for me to get my images sorted---including sorting the 'old' ones in light of newer images.

Nonda, thanks for starting this thread.

Gail

[Alfred Forns]

Bruce that is one great pose for the RW BB !!!! about the only thing not messed up was the color balance !!! Love this thread !!! :)

[Nonda Surratt]

I love it Bruce a truly superior bird backside, however a true BB (bird butt) image would have been better, great feet:D

Gail your welcome, this is one fantastic group!!!!

[Alfred Forns]

.... I need to start remembering all these abbreviations BB .... :eek::cool:

[Jeni Williams]

Hey guys, thanks for the laugh..... makes us newbies feel a LOT better. I started in March and was really starting to get discouraged especially that darn exposure. Also when I get advice and I don't know what the heck they are talking about - feel like a real dumbie!!!:eek: Now I'll definitely keep plodding along:D:D

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

Jeni - I know what you mean about feeling dumb when someone gives you advice and you haven't got a clue what they've just said!!!! Don't worry - as your peripheral knowledge improves so will your self esteem...

[Nonda Surratt]

At least the advice is often given over the net so they can't see the deer in the headlights look, one I have often (DITHL Alfred):D

So right now I'm going thought the nothing suits me image thing. They are in focus, exposure is fine I just don't like them. I've tried different looks and approaches to the same things and still blah!

Maybe need a change of scenery? New husband, new house? What do you all do?

[Jeni Williams]

Nonda you described THE look perfectly!!! :-) I take comfort in the fact that at least I've always pointed the camera the right way.....(sorry Dan) :-)

[Fabs Forns]

This was last week-end :o:o:o

Nighthawk, never seen one before. I meant to dial +7 in a hurry, unfortunately emotions made me dial the wrong way.
So not only a dot in the frame, but heavily under-exposed and smack in the middle :eek::eek::cool::p

Not proud of that one!
What I mean is that we all screw up once in a while, part of the game. Didn't get anything I'm proud of in two photo sessions. Part of the game too, so don't you dare get discouraged!!!!

[Sharna Lee]

At least the advice is often given over the net so they can't see the deer in the headlights look, one I have often (DITHL Alfred):D

So right now I'm going thought the nothing suits me image thing. They are in focus, exposure is fine I just don't like them. I've tried different looks and approaches to the same things and still blah!

Maybe need a change of scenery? New husband, new house? What do you all do?

LOL Nonda! You crack me up. I think that your images are great btw. But I know exactly how you feel.

When I get in that mode the first thing I do is go visit my mother in law. Seriously. She makes me appreciate how sane I really am. :eek:

Next I send the man on a week long job. He's out of my hair for a week. And if I'm lucky it's summer time and he takes my daughter with him. Then....calgon take me away. I take a long relaxing bath and read a good photography book or magazine. And presto. I've regained my composure and I can look at my pics and appreciate them again.

Good luck.

Sharna

[Lance Peters]

Nonda - know eactly what you mean - the last one I posted of the black shouldered kite - I had ummm'd and ahhh'd over posting that for weeks.

Currently when I go take some photo's I never look at them the same day - I always give it a couple of days and then go through them and have a look - Just seem to close to them the same day there are taken.

I think we are are own worst critics sometimes :)

[Nonda Surratt]

Oh Fabs, darn! They are really cool birds and fly around here all the time, not even close to a half way decent image yet and I've certainly had more than one opportunity.

Sharna, Lance thanks!!!

[George DeCamp]

Here's one from me. I had to just put a copyright on it so no one steals it! :p

http://decamp.net/bpn/DSC227.jpg

[Harold Davis]

hey george!! i think you can buy a head for your bird from al!! he's setting up a store for bird parts and i think he has one in stock!!!:D:D:D:p

[Doug West]

My early mistake was not finding Artie sooner :)

The first shot was before Artie arrived in Cleveland in 2006 to talk at our
annual Wood Duck Festival.

At the Festival one of the things Artie talked about was getting low.

The second shot was a result of listening.

Doug

[Pat Nighswander]

I do like the low pov in the second but also like the first mallard too... One thing about editing early bird shots I mostly deleted everything... once I had a better picture... with landscape and other subjects I didn't do this but with birds when I finally realized what was good and what wasn't it was easy to make decisions of delete everything.