graphyx

Hello, my name is David Griffith and I am a complete newbe to digital photography. I have always been a film photographer, primarily b&w but in June I decided it may be time to dive into the world of digital and so I went up to Pro Photo in NW Portland and brought home my first digital camera. Well, my first week I used it for the first time and, well, it wasn't pretty, actually it was a complete disaster . . . out of 125 pictures, not only were all of my photos really dark and way over exposed but they were also all very out of focus, even though I had the camera set for auto focus and used a tripod. Fortunately, a couple of weeks later, Pro Photo was sponsoring a one day class in how to use my new camera with a rep from Nikon and so the following day I made my second attempt at taking off the leans cap and so here is one of the 122 pictures I came home with . . . I know that I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go but we all need to begin somewhere and so I know now that I can at least make the thing work . . .

This is the lower of Multnomah Falls just nine months after the Great Fire on Labor Day of 2017

Then, two weeks ago I was out at the western mouth of the Gorge on the Sandy River Delta . . . just at the entrance of the Delta off the highway and north of I84 is an old abandoned cattle pen and these are seven of the shots I came home with . . .

Lower Multnomah Falls nine months after the Great Fire of 2017 . . .


Old Cattle Pen on the Sandy Delta just north of I84 . . .


Old Cattle Pen on the Sandy Delta just north of I84 . . .


Old Cattle Pen on the Sandy Delta just north of I84 . . .


Old Cattle Pen on the Sandy Delta just north of I84 . . .


Old Cattle Pen on the Sandy Delta just north of I84 . . .


Old Cattle Pen on the Sandy Delta just north of I84 . . .


Old Cattle Pen on the Sandy Delta just north of I84 . . .

swartfort Loc: Evansville, IN

Learning anything new can be daunting! The great news is that pixels are free, so beyond your initial purchase, your practice at this craft can be relatively inexpensive. There are several ways to help make the process less painful. Class is one, online videos (both free and pay per view) and books galore. What camera did you purchase?

Many happy shutter clicks, welcome to the hog

graphyx

I bought the d7500 and when I got it home I began to realize just what I had and the prospect of the learning curve scared the hell out of me . . . but then I realized that I did not need to know every little tweet the camera possessed and I thought about why I had purchased it in the first place, my goal was to shoot beautiful professional gallery quality photos, and to do that I did not need to know every little aspect of the camera, I only needed to know those things that would allow me to shoot the kind of pictures I wanted to capture, and so, I went out on the net and found a .pdf of the manual, went through the basic stuff, spent about four hours setting things up, saved my settings and for ninety five percent of what I will shoot I won't need to change anything accept the f stop . . . yes, it was an expensive camera, but, just like Ps, I don't need to know everything it will do, I just need to know those things that I will use on a regular basis. If I have a question about something else then I just need to open up the .pdf and look it up . . .

swartfort Loc: Evansville, IN

NICE!!! A great attitude. Know what I need... the rest will come! With that camera, you will have years of ability to grow. If your passion continues, I am sure that soon you will know all the features/functions of that body. I am envious of your situation!!!

Leicaflex Loc: Cymru

Welcome to the HOG David and you are off to a good start with your first post.
Excellent series of photographs.
Enjoy the forum and your photography.

loosecanon Loc: Central Texas

Welcome. These are all excellent photos.

graphyx

Thank you and yes, I really like the camera and so now it's just a matter of using it . . . I remember reading a quote some time ago, I think it said something like ". . . don't practice until you get it right, practice until you can't get it wrong . . ." and so I am definitely out there looking for more subjects to work on . . .

graphyx

Thank you . . .

ELNikkor

Welcome to the forum, David! Looks like you are off to a great start in your zeal to grow in your photography skills. From your first posts, I can tell you have a natural eye for detail and composition, which will go a long way in helping you achieve your goals. You pre-visualize each shot until the camera gives you what you see in your mind's eye. Although I live in Rochester, NY, I came to the Portland area in June to attend my nephew's wedding. I traveled west to the coast, and east to the Gorge. You certainly live in a beautiful area, full of photo possibilities. Good luck with the photography and continue to share your progress with us!

Largobob

Learn from each shutter click. Something I learned a long time ago: "Practice doesn't make perfect......practice makes permanent." In other words, If one continually uses faulty technique (camera grip, exposure, focus, composition, etc)...practice without evolving more refined techniques, will only perpetuate the faulty techniques. Hope that makes some sense.

Good images, BTW.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Welcome to the forum.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Welcome to our forum!

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Welcome. You are off to a great start. I can see where your previous knowledge has helped your compositions. You'll grow to love that D7200.

deer2ker Loc: Nashville, TN

Welcome! You bought a fantastic camera and it's obvious you will master it soon. If you are anything like me you are impatient to take those shots that meet your expectations and they will come ;) Love all your pics but my fav I think is the one with the mountains in the background - nice!

MikeMck Loc: Southern Maryland on the Bay

Welcome!