Hi from New Member Me!

[Mintybaby]

Hi all,

My name is Ginny and I live in the Llandudno area of North Wales. I own and run a small B&B, and in my spare time write some fiction. I also have a fast developing interest in photography. I have recently 'upgraded' my trust Panasonic compact to a Nikon D3300 with 18-55 kit lens.
I am delighted with what 'Auto' mode has brought me so far but I do want to go further and 'grow' with the camera (yes I have been reading up!). That said I am a complete newbie, and need to get out and about and practicing. I am on a bit of a learning curve as I am going to Australia in a few weeks and I would like to take the opportunity to get some better shots than in the past.
This forum really looks good, and some of the photos are stunning. Well beyond me I am sure, but I do hope to improve and am prepared to put the time in to do so.

Cheers

Ginny

[Shadowman]

Welcome Ginny, good camera to bring along to Australia, look for interesting light and if standing in front of a popular site; just remember that it's been photographed so many times so go for something unique. Looking forward to seeing what you capture.

[NorthernFocus]

Welcome, Ginny. Plenty of Ozzies on this site who are kind enough to offer advice as needed for visiting down under. My wife and I were down there for three weeks last November/December. Simply lovely.

The best photography related advice that I have is to get out there and fire away. With digital we get the benefit if instant feedback and can change/correct things on the fly. So go for it. Look forward to seeing some of your images.

[Kaye Leggett]

Hi Ginny

If you get time before you go, book yourself onto an understanding yur DSLR course - there are loads around so I would hope you'll find one near you. I did one when I was a complete newbie and haven't looked back.

[davidedric]

Hi Ginny,

Ah Llandudno. Memories of happy family holidays in the 1950's, once we'd moved upmarket from Colwyn Bay

Welcome on board.

Dave

[IzzieK]

Welcome to CiC. I am a Aussie transplant here in the US and will be visiting my children and my home back there soon. When are you going?

[Mintybaby]

Hi everyone and thank you so much for the warm welcome. I do feel this could be the site for me as there is loads I can learn and the forums all seem friendly. I can't wait to get going

As for the holiday I am going in March until the end of April. I will be in the Brisbane area , and hopefully spending some time up the Sunshine Coast in the Noosa Heads area. We were there a couple of years ago and love it, such beautiful beaches! (I think I will need to work on my technique for those! This will be my tenth visit. My sister moved out eleven years ago and I try and do each year. This will be the first time with what to me is a 'decent' camera.

I can't wait.



G

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Ginny,

Welcome to the forums from me, good to have you join us.

Auto is a good way to get started, but to avoid unexpected disappointment, shooting with knowledge is preferable. To that end, have you been analysing your shots, looking at the good ones - and especially the less good ones to figure out which settings worked well and why - and which didn't work well (and why)?

If that sounds daunting, I'd suggest you post two or three here for us to analyse - and provide suggestions to improve the 'less good' ones.

You may find this thread helpful:
HELP THREAD: How can I post images here?
plus the first post in this thread:
How to Get Effective Feedback for your Posted Images

... and remember, we all started this malarkey knowing nothing and had to learn, so the only daft questions are the ones not asked.

You haven't said what kind of subjects you'd like to capture and my thought is that if that includes wildlife, you might need a lens with a longer focal length, in which case, I'd advise you get that ASAP so you can practice with that too.

We can now doubt assist with your choice of lens too - we like nothing better than 'spending' other people's money

All the best, Dave

[rpcrowe]

Hi Ginny...

Welcome to CiC congrats on your new camera!

Going on an important trip with a new camera can be a formidable challenge.

One way to guarantee that you will bring home images is to shoot in Programmed mode. Set the ISO at around 200 (I believe that is the lowest your Nikon goes) in bright sunlight and increase it to around 400 when the light is lower.

[John 2]

Hi Ginny and welcome. What makes this forum so much better than most is the regular (almost daily) contributions. So post some of your images with info on how you made them (lens, shutter speed, aperture etc,) and you will definitely get some feedback. Let us know what processing software you have as well.

[Ndukes]

Welcome aboard Ginny. You will get lots of help around here. Your Australia trip is a great opportunity to check out your new D3300. My advice is to shoot everything in sight before you go and post some here for advice about fine-tuning your technique with the different format.