You are very welcome... I find that a visual usually works to cement something into my brain. Happy to help, if you have any other questions please let me know

Think of a Tic Tac Toe set of lines... you will have 3 levels both horizontally and vertically. Placing the main subject of your photo in one of boxes or at the point where the lines intersect give the eye a more pleasing view. Having said that... it is just a guideline... occassionally, you will find a shot that looks best CENTERED... take a couple shots of the same subject but place the subject in a different parts of the grid and then see which is more appealing to your eye... Experimentation is key.

Subject on left vertical third


Subject Centered


subject on lower horizontal third

I love my Nikon D90 and lots of friends have other Nikons and Cannons... A pro I know says, pick a body then invest in the glass.... its more about the lenses than the camera itself...

Nikon D90

Nikon 18-55 Kit lens (came with the camera)

Nikon 50mm prime lens (no zoom YOU have to move your body closer or further away)

Sigma 70-200mm

SB700- Speedlight

Thats my equipment list at the moment... I absolutely love it and am learning how to use them better everyday...

The Adobe Photoshop CS5, Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelly... I just purchased my copy this weekend. Lots of good step by step instructions with lots of photos. I got mine through Amazon.com. I've just begun to read it but I am going to read it at the computer with the program open and "practice" as I go along... the info will stay in my head better that way. CS5 has a new feature called Content Aware that looks promising for situations like this. As you delete what you want gone, content aware tries to duplicate the surrounding pixels to fill in... haven't had a chance to try it just yet, but a youtube video showed removing a powerline from a picture and it worked great. I do believe the success rate is directly proportionate to the learning curve...so practice, practice and practice. One other book I got is called "Top 100 Simplified Tips and Tricks for Adobe Photoshop CS5by Lynette Kent. The two books together are a huge helpm at least for me. Good Luck....

Thank you everyone. What I like about photography forums like this is to see the wide range of differences in photographers. What is an eye catcher to one person might not appeal to others and the same with my own work. Two things I have learned immediately, first is to be myself, to take photos of things I love and to do what appeals to my eye. Second is to learn the ins and outs, rule of 3rds, leading lines, etc...but don't be afraid to break the rules if you feel they don't work a particular phots. They are guidelines, not carved in stone MUST DO's. Secondly, LOOK BEYOND THE OBVIOUS to really see whats out there. Ok there is a tree with leaves... hmm do I see one leaf changing color already, is that flower head smiling up at my camera, are the tears of a young child not wanting a photo taken a BAD thing... let the subject tell you what to shoot... I, fortunately, was blessed with a "Good Eye" way before I learned what it meant. Most importantly, keep shooting and critique YOUR OWN WORK...what do you like about a photo, what do you not like, what would you change...then use those issues the next time you shoot... Ok time to take some photos.....

Thank You everyone.....everyday I find my skills improving. I've had my camera now about 18 months and love it more everyday.. My advice to newbies would be to just go out and shoot...I take tons of photos, few escape the "delete" button but the few that do...are the ones that I sit back and say, "OMG, did I take that?" One of the beauties of digital photography. I usually shoot in Aperture Mode, but still am not so comfortable with my camera's settings that I occassionally jump to automatic if I am positive I don't want to miss a shot. But I'm getting better....... I am so happy I found this site.

Great shot, but what you have captured so beautifully is a Hummingbird Moth, also known as the White-lined Sphinx Moth

http://www.birds-n-garden.com/hummingbird_moths.html

Here are a couple examples I have take using "Leading Lines" for a photography course I took. Hope this gives you a bit of perspective on how the line carries your eye through the photograph to see where it "leads"... Good Luck on you class, I am sure you will do well.

Chattanooga Choo-Choo Station


The fence takes your eyes to the cabin


I find myself trying to look further down the road to see where it leads.

Shortly after getting my Nikon D90 I decided to dive right in and start taking some pictures. I did not have any 35mm camera experience, strictly a point & shoot kind of gal. So, being the type of person I am, I figured if I can get some decent shots in one of the toughest environments, I should be able to shoot anything....so off we went to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. These were all shot through heavy glass... after having my camera for a month...... of course I took about 400 shots that day BUT some turned out pretty good. Gave me the inspiration to keep going..... Hope you like them.

f/3.8, 1/60 sec, ISO800, Nikon D90, 18-55mm kit lens


Nikon D90, 18-55mm kit lens, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO 800


Nikon D90, 16-55mm kit lens, F/4.5, 1/60 sec, ISO 800


Nikon D90, 18-55mm kit lens, f/3.8, 1/30 sec, ISO 1600


Nikon D90, 18-55mm kit lens, f/5.3, 1/30sec, ISO1400

Nikon D90
Picture #1 f/5.6, 1.125 sec, ISO 200
Picture #2 f/6.3, 1/160 sec, ISO 200
Picture #3 f/5.6, 1/40 sec, ISO 200

Photos of flowers in my yard this summer in Tennessee

Picture #1


Picture #2


Picture #3


Pink Peony

Thank You....... the bird is my favorite... she was so cooperative especially since there were workmen putting siding on my house and the were stepping within inches of her nest of babies...hidden in my Astilbe plant.

Hello... I'm living proof that you're never too old to learn something new. I'm a 64 year old grandmother of 3 and just a year ago I decided to attempt the transistion from Picture Taker to Photographer and took the plunge by purchasing a Nikon D90, took an online photography course by Proud Photography.com. I must admit I fell in love immediately. Looking forward to learning from everyone here....