okay Steve,my attempts [pics]

[MARINERMAGNUM]

the 1st photo in each group was taken in full "auto" mode. the 2nd was me using the settings. this camera in particular is a sony h-1 that i carry with me in my vehicle at all times. as you can tell,i didn't have much for subjects to work with.

160 f-4 64 iso

250 f-5 64 iso

200 f-4 iso 64

500 f- 5.6 64 iso

250 f-4 64 iso

320 f-5 64 iso

in the 3rd pic. you can't even tell the sky is blue when you leave the camera to it's own devises. whats up with that? i guess i like my images a little darker so more shadows can be seen. the 1st flower pic. seems to have too much "whiteness" at the outer edges which seems too bright,but i may have darkend it too much. i will keep trying!

[Steve Foss]

MM, as you see, all the images in which you chose your own settings instead of full auto mode render the highlights (brightest or nearly brightest parts) properly exposed. All these exposures are very challenging, because the frame runs from blazing light to deep shadows, and that is the toughest combination for a digital sensor to handle.

So you're giving the camera it's hardest job right off the bat, and that's like trying to play golf from the championship tees at the Masters instead of the red tees at your public course.

Unless you like the effect of heavy shadow and brilliant light, try waiting until the sun is low in the sky or a cloudy day to experiment.

And always remember one thing: You have to have a purpose. When you get ready to take a photo, ask yourself what EXACTLY you're trying to accomplish here. If, for example, your goal is to take an image that is very sharp and properly exposed of the peony, then ignore the background and focus on the peony and use a variety of settings until you get the combination that satisfies you.

I am also going to make a suggestion that is no brush-off, but is sincere. Studying the camera manual, of course, is a must, but you also should buy a book that explains the basics of digital photography. We're here to answer your questions, but a book can answer many of the simple questions and settle those issues better than we can.

[Dbl]

After you learn what your camera is capable of and how the different functions work together, you get to make the next step and learn how to post process your images. This is just a quick 30sec fix to your last photo. Even fixed the background is not quite right, but it is just to give you an idea of what your software can do.

Original.

And a quick rework. Not finished but just an example. Not being there I have no idea what the original color of the flower was, but this is probably close.