I said that I was going to try a picture of my wife's dead flowers but I decided to send one of my fifteen year old grand daughter instead. No Photo shop or crop; just straight out of the camera.

Critique please

OK One more time Nikon 5100 50 MM F/1.4

this was taken with my 5100 50mm F/1.4 auto

I'll try it one more time

I don't think I said it right. When I first bought it I expected poor results. A long time ago I was into photography and then job and life took over. So it was no big shock to me that I wasn't taking pictures for Natl Geo. But as time went on I see no improvement.
I know expensive gear isn't the whole answer but I know that I wouldn't be satisfied with a p/s because of my past experience
He said I haven't been following his directions but I've been writing it all down and I'm doing exactly what he says. He would say we were working on f/5 not f/8 but the difference is so slight and I don't think that had anything to do with the results that I'm getting
Recently we had a frosty day and my wife's flowers took a beating. I'll see if I can post an example. It will be with the 50mm set on auto
I've never posted a picture before and I've read the instructions and it says after I've replied to click on 'Browse'. I can't even find that. Right now I'm so irritated I don't want to talk about it or do anything. I'm going for a walk.
You watch the Cowboys will even lose again today.
I'm gone

A while ago I bout a Nikon d5100, a couple of different high end lens, some filters, etc, etc, etc from a camera store here in town. He said he would give me lessons and I would be satisfies or he would take it all back. Well, I'm not satisfied and he won't take it back, hasn't been a month and I'm not following his directions. My birds look like fuzzy blobs, my grand kids look like b movie monsters, my insects look like I took a picture of something that is all green, the sky is white, the clouds are indistinguishable and so on.
I look at the work posted and wonder why can't I do that? I have excellent equipment, an eye for composition. I ask the guy that's supposedly teaching me and his stock answer is 'be patient with yourself it will come.' My stock annswer is 'so is the Grim Reaper who is going to be first?'
I bought Photo Shop Elements and the only thing I understand is the title page the rest is gibbrish.
I think I'm going back to my original hobby of critiquing news commentators.

charlessmall18

Read your explanation of ISO,shutter and aperture. Then I read it again; then I highlighted it and saved it.
Hope you didn't have it copywritten

I thought it was excellent. The teacher showed though.

I was surfing the other day and ran across a site called

camerasim

Then I saw it in Digital Photo. Give it a try. Sounds like you are like me. The first few times I tried it my reaction was HUH? But slowly, veeerrrryy slowly it found a way into my head. Then all of sudden WALLA the light came on. Just give it a try

Thanks to everyone. I hink I have it now which is better Ford or Chevy, Nikon or Canon. That about got it
ted

What is the difference between ccd and lens image stabilization? Which is better?

Well if you're not completely confused by now let me add my two cents. First congrats on retiring. I am myself and the first while is scary or at least it was for me. I asked basically the same question you did only I was upgrading a little. I intended to spend a grand or so. I got a massive amount of recommendations and settled on two. I went to a camera shop and he did me a favor. He sold me a Nikon 5100 with a Nikkor 28-300 F/3.5 lens. It was about twice what I wanted to spend. Just the lens was what I wanted to spend on the whole thing. Anyway he threw in lessons on how to use it and a bag. then he said that after a month of following his lessons and doing what he said if I thought it was still too much; he would take it all back and refund the entire purchase price. It has been one of the best investments I've made in myself in quite some time. I can take macro or telephoto and they are crystal clear. I am working on composition etc now and having a great time. It's been a long time since I've enjoyed doing something like this. The wife is into it to, I suppose in time that will mean another outfit.
Got the whole setup for twenty three hundred. I won't take that for it now.
Good luck == keep shooting,
Ted

Big fan of Eastwood to -- even as a director

I like Ghost and The Sound of Music

Ginger
Go take a look at "dpreview" it is a web site that reviews camera and lens. It is written by two of the best and most knowledgeable people I've run across (except of course here on Ugly Hedgehog) I like the new Panasonic FZ150 because it shoots in raw and it has the "i auto' mode. It runs about five hundred or so. The lens is from 28mm to 800mm

dpreview, a good place

Ted

Take a look at the website "dp reviews" One of the best and most knowledgable review sites I know of. I like the new Panasonic FZ150.

Ginger
We are all here to help but you have to be a little more specific. Do you want to carry the camera with you all the time or at least most of the time, or do you want to bridge camera with a lens from 28mm to 800mm or maybe a really decent dslr?? A price range that fits your budget helps to. Do you want to spend 4 grand on just the body and then a couple of hundred on lens or maybe a max of two hundred for a good point and shoot?
We want to help tell us your specifics.
Ted