File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
So I got me a brand spanking new Nikon D40 a couple days ago and yesterday me and a friend went for a little drive to test my camera out. These are from the first batch of pics I took with it. Everything was taken with the kit lens and on auto since I've yet to figure out what every knob and button and option does. I'm brand new to this photography scene in case you haven't gotten it by now.

Anyways, yeah, just a few shots from our little excursion yesterday. A couple of these are probably overexposed but yeah, like I said I just tried my new SLR for the very first time.
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Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeNIKON CORPORATIONCamera ModelNIKON D40Camera SoftwareAdobe Photoshop CS3 WindowsMaximum Lens Aperturef/4.6Sensing MethodOne-Chip Color AreaColor Filter Array Pattern834Focal Length (35mm Equiv)52 mmImage-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution300 dpiVertical Resolution300 dpiImage Created2007:05:28 22:37:55Exposure Time1/320 secF-Numberf/9.0Exposure ProgramNot DefinedISO Speed Rating200Exposure Bias0 EVMetering ModePatternLight SourceUnknownFlashNo FlashFocal Length35.00 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width902Image Height600RenderingNormalExposure ModeAutoWhite BalanceAutoScene Capture TypeStandardGain ControlNoneContrastNormalSaturationNormalSharpnessNormalSubject Distance RangeUnknown
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)


Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeNIKON CORPORATIONCamera ModelNIKON D40Camera SoftwareAdobe Photoshop CS3 WindowsMaximum Lens Aperturef/5.7Sensing MethodOne-Chip Color AreaColor Filter Array Pattern834Focal Length (35mm Equiv)82 mmImage-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution300 dpiVertical Resolution300 dpiImage Created2007:05:28 22:38:45Exposure Time1/400 secF-Numberf/10.0Exposure ProgramNot DefinedISO Speed Rating200Exposure Bias0 EVMetering ModePatternLight SourceUnknownFlashNo FlashFocal Length55.00 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width902Image Height600RenderingNormalExposure ModeAutoWhite BalanceAutoScene Capture TypeStandardGain ControlNoneContrastNormalSaturationNormalSharpnessNormalSubject Distance RangeUnknown
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)


Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeNIKON CORPORATIONCamera ModelNIKON D40Camera SoftwareAdobe Photoshop CS3 WindowsFocal Length (35mm Equiv)34 mmMaximum Lens Aperturef/3.7Sensing MethodOne-Chip Color AreaColor Filter Array Pattern830Image-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution300 dpiVertical Resolution300 dpiImage Created2007:05:28 22:39:25RenderingNormalExposure ModeAutoWhite BalanceAutoScene Capture TypeStandardGain ControlLow Gain UpContrastNormalSaturationNormalSharpnessNormalSubject Distance RangeUnknownExposure Time1/100 secF-Numberf/3.8Exposure ProgramNot DefinedISO Speed Rating400Exposure Bias0 EVMetering ModePatternLight SourceUnknownFlashFlash, Auto, Return Not DetectedFocal Length23.00 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width600Image Height902
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)


Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeNIKON CORPORATIONCamera ModelNIKON D40Camera SoftwareAdobe Photoshop CS3 WindowsMaximum Lens Aperturef/3.6Sensing MethodOne-Chip Color AreaColor Filter Array Pattern834Focal Length (35mm Equiv)33 mmImage-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution300 dpiVertical Resolution300 dpiImage Created2007:05:28 22:39:59Exposure Time1/125 secF-Numberf/5.6Exposure ProgramNot DefinedISO Speed Rating320Exposure Bias0 EVMetering ModePatternLight SourceUnknownFlashNo FlashFocal Length22.00 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width902Image Height600RenderingNormalExposure ModeAutoWhite BalanceAutoScene Capture TypeStandardGain ControlNoneContrastNormalSaturationNormalSharpnessNormalSubject Distance RangeUnknown
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)


Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeNIKON CORPORATIONCamera ModelNIKON D40Camera SoftwareAdobe Photoshop CS3 WindowsFocal Length (35mm Equiv)82 mmMaximum Lens Aperturef/5.7Sensing MethodOne-Chip Color AreaColor Filter Array Pattern830Image-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution300 dpiVertical Resolution300 dpiImage Created2007:05:28 22:40:24RenderingNormalExposure ModeAutoWhite BalanceAutoScene Capture TypeStandardGain ControlNoneContrastNormalSaturationNormalSharpnessNormalSubject Distance RangeUnknownExposure Time1/160 secF-Numberf/6.3Exposure ProgramNot DefinedISO Speed Rating200Exposure Bias0 EVMetering ModePatternLight SourceUnknownFlashNo FlashFocal Length55.00 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width600Image Height902
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)


Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeNIKON CORPORATIONCamera ModelNIKON D40Camera SoftwareAdobe Photoshop CS3 WindowsFocal Length (35mm Equiv)72 mmMaximum Lens Aperturef/5.5Sensing MethodOne-Chip Color AreaColor Filter Array Pattern830Image-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution300 dpiVertical Resolution300 dpiImage Created2007:05:28 22:40:58RenderingNormalExposure ModeAutoWhite BalanceAutoScene Capture TypeStandardGain ControlLow Gain UpContrastNormalSaturationNormalSharpnessNormalSubject Distance RangeUnknownExposure Time1/100 secF-Numberf/5.6Exposure ProgramNot DefinedISO Speed Rating400Exposure Bias0 EVMetering ModePatternLight SourceUnknownFlashNo FlashFocal Length48.00 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width600Image Height902
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)


Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeNIKON CORPORATIONCamera ModelNIKON D40Camera SoftwareAdobe Photoshop CS3 WindowsMaximum Lens Aperturef/5.7Sensing MethodOne-Chip Color AreaColor Filter Array Pattern834Focal Length (35mm Equiv)82 mmImage-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution300 dpiVertical Resolution300 dpiImage Created2007:05:28 22:41:18Exposure Time1/60 secF-Numberf/5.6Exposure ProgramNot DefinedISO Speed Rating400Exposure Bias0 EVMetering ModePatternLight SourceUnknownFlashFlash, Auto, Return Not DetectedFocal Length55.00 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width902Image Height600RenderingNormalExposure ModeAutoWhite BalanceAutoScene Capture TypeStandardGain ControlLow Gain UpContrastNormalSaturationNormalSharpnessNormalSubject Distance RangeUnknown
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
And finally, I tried out some macro shots and this one is probably one of the better ones that came out.

Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeNIKON CORPORATIONCamera ModelNIKON D40Camera SoftwareAdobe Photoshop CS3 WindowsMaximum Lens Aperturef/4.9Sensing MethodOne-Chip Color AreaColor Filter Array Pattern834Focal Length (35mm Equiv)60 mmImage-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution300 dpiVertical Resolution300 dpiImage Created2007:05:28 22:41:42Exposure Time1/250 secF-Numberf/8.0Exposure ProgramNot DefinedISO Speed Rating200Exposure Bias0 EVMetering ModePatternLight SourceUnknownFlashNo FlashFocal Length40.00 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width902Image Height600RenderingNormalExposure ModeAutoWhite BalanceAutoScene Capture TypeStandardGain ControlNoneContrastNormalSaturationNormalSharpnessNormalSubject Distance RangeUnknown
>> Anonymous
>>51199
>>51200

These are your best 2, One because of the fact its a close up shot of a jittery animal, The other is a cliche path shot with overhanging branches, BUT the real reason why these are your only 2 decent ones, is they have slightly better control of your blown highlights, Which often will ruin pictures. (As they have in all your other shots

Keep the highlights under control and learn how to do some minor editing (Contrast, Levels, Saturation, sharpening, Shadows/highlights)

You will get better looking pictures in the end,
>> Anonymous
>>51206
So how do I go about keeping these "highlights under control." Do I mess around with the aperture?

And yes, that was a jittery little bugger. I had to pretend I was going to give him some food to lure him in and then the dang flash kept scaring him away (forgot my camera was on auto).
>> Anonymous
>>51420
Set your exposure compensation to a negative value (On my D50 i usually set it to -0.3, But sometimes under bright lights I need to set it lower, When taking pics of things like Smoke, for example you want the majority of the picture to be dark so i've been known to set the Exposure compensation to as much as -3.0 (3 stops underexposed what the Metering suggests)