Equipment (Now) Purchased my first DSLR Canon T3i (600d)

any comments?

 

I like the one with the single dolphin coming towards the camera, the focus is bang on for it.

You could crop in on some of the others to make the animals fill the frame better, you should have the pixels for it.

 

Yeah that is my favorite of the ones i posted, i took around 900 that day... haven't edited any of them yet. I will try to post some higher res versions, these are just small copies that I already had uploaded.

 

What are you editing them with?

 

Im going to use gimp or paint.net, any other good programs you suggest? The Dolphin photos were taken with the 18-55 lens and the whales were shot with the 55-250. I was shooting everything manual except Af. I think i needed a faster shutter speed on the whale shots and the faster dolphin shot.

 

don't be afraid to use shutter speed or aperture priority, or even P mode.

i first started using M mode all the time, missed a few shots and got tired of turning the dial every time scene changes. these DSLR's have the facility to meter correctly, so use them. i now use auto-ISO in P mode, it's more important to enjoy the holiday and get that shot, rather than fiddle with the camera.

i have slow shutter speed set on shutter priority and large aperture set on aperture priority. so if a cool motorbike is coming up the road, i just click my mode dial to S and pan to shoot. if i want shallow DoF, click it to A to get that shot. i think M mode is really only useful in studio when timing isn't crucial and you can play around, control everything.

 

I'm exactly the same, when your out and about and you need those quick shots Av or Tv modes are really good and still give you enough control over the shot. I mainly use M when I have more time to set up the shot I want, such a landscape or portraits.

 

i also shoot almost exclusively in P mode unless the situation requires something else. (usually when i am using my "lens" (hint it's a telescope )