Hi All

[chrisjsy]

Hi all im new to Digital Photography and was given a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7 for a christmas present and im really not sure where to even start lol im such a noob at this, i could not even tell u if its a SLR or not all i can tell you is it is fixed lensed

[GeoffWessex]

Slightly odd gift, as it's a model that's been discontinued, but it's a decent camera. Looks a bit like a DSLR but it's, in practice, a compact.
Maybe you didn't get a manual with it..... but here's one you can download.

[donoreo]

Anything that you want to take a picture of? Let us know, we can give some tips. In the meantime, read the manual so that you know how it works.

[chrisjsy]

thanks but it was my mums old digital camera but she upgraded to the G2 and thanks but i already downloaded the manual hope to upload some pic for u all soon

[donoreo]

Originally Posted by chrisjsy

thanks but it was my mums old digital camera but she upgraded to the G2 and thanks but i already downloaded the manual hope to upload some pic for u all soon

That would be good. Take a look at some of the technique videos or stories and try some of the ideas out, that will generate some questions.

[chrisjsy]

hey guys i have put up a few pics of my german shepherd for u to take a look at and please comment on pros and cons are welcome as it the only why i can get better

Chris

[rbarry]

Hi Chris,

I prefer Trickey 3 out of the set. The main problem seems to be inconsistant focus, which can be attributed to all the images being hand held at 1/25 sec, if the exif data is correct. It's very hard to maintain a blur free image at such a long exposure time. The ISO is set at 400 which is quite high for such a slow shutter speed in day light, so I guess the aperture (no data given for this) was quite small, say f16 or above? The flash shot seems to have retained the same settings and so appears somewhat over exposed.

Was the camera set to manual operation? Try taking the same type of images again in manual (leave the settings as they are) and then switching to auto mode and compare the results and exif information. Reading the exif info from how the camera wants to expose an image in auto mode is a great way of undersatnding how your camera reads light levels to expose an omage. It can help you experiment with more advanced settings starting with using aperture or shutter priority modes, and how you can achieve different results that combine to give the same levels of image exposure.
Also, when taking a portrait shot try to conentrate the point of focus on the eyes.

If the above is a small insight into the technical side of photography, the other skill you need to hone is that of composition. There are thousands of books and I dare say millions of pages on the net covering this topic alone. As adorable as Trickey is, the subject matter lacks a bit of punch. To make it more interesting you could start by changing the normal view you see him from; that is from a standing position looking down at him. Get down to his level to give more of an idea of what his view of the world is like. For example experiment with face on shots, head profile shots, shots from the rear 1/4 showing him and what he's looking at.

Hope this helps,

Rick.

[chrisjsy]

Thanks for the great advise Rick. i will give this a try soon

Chris.

[rbarry]

Hi Chris,

Just found these links from another site: they may be helpful in understanding how to take control of your camera. The first is probably the best but the other two don't throw as much at you at once.


The first is a virtual camera that allows you to set the controls to take an image of a subject. Change the settings and the result will be different each time:
http://camerasim.com/camera-simulator.html

And another:
http://www.kamerasimulator.se/eng/?page_id=2

and one more!
http://www.photonhead.com/simcam/

[Nezhnayka]

Hello my name is Dan I am a beginner photographer.
Who may express criticism of my photos and tell me how to change it. Write to me at the email address and I'll send you pictures.