First post in ths forum

[DeeDee]

Hi everyone, I have been watching this forum for quite some time and all of your posts have givin me an itch to try myself. The only problem is, I have been using digital cameras but nothing worth mentioning until now. My husband bought me a Canon Rebel XT EFS 18-55. I ahve so many questions but to roll them into 2 questions.....

1. I have a nice camera, how do I use it?

2. I would like a better lense but dont knpw where to look and the seem to be quite expensive. It doesnt meed to be fantastic I just want to get closer pictures. What would be a good starter lens?

Here are a couple from my yard, I'm sorry their so big. I am trying to figure out photobucket too. photoshop questions to follow later.....

[Steve Foss]

Hey DeeDee, welcome to the photo board. Great to have you here!

As to your lens question, we need to know what you'd like to accomplish with the lens (exactly what types of pictures you'd like to take) and your budget.

Your pics aren't showing up, either. Since you're on photobucket that can be fixed easily. Go to your photobucket gallery and copy and paste only the last (fourth) line of code below your image into your post here and it'll show up fine.

When I post pics, I generally have one window open with the photobucket gallery and another with my post here on HSO/FM, which makes it easy to copy code from the photobucket window and paste it into the HSO/FM thread window.

[Steve Foss]

There, you got it now! Nice images. I'm VERY partial to floral photography and love those flower pics.

Just keep asking questions. Camera questions, lens questions, photobucket questions, processing software questions . . .

A lens that will let you get closer than your 18-55mm is called a macro lens. They run from $150 on the low side for a 70-300mm Tamron macro zoom up to well over $1,000 for the top quality Canon 180mm macro. The differences are in build quality and image quality, with both being better the more money you spend. Other manufacturers like Tamron and Sigma also make higher quality macros that fit Canon bodies but cost less than the best Canon lenses.

[DeeDee]

Thank you. I am dying to go down the river and get some photos from there. I love nature shots and florals.

[DeeDee]

And not sure why they are comming out so big. I tried to resize it but I guess I'll practice that too before posting more

[Steve Foss]

DeeDee, if you resize them yourself using whatever software you have before uploading them to photobucket, you don't have to ask photobucket to do the resizing. Lots of people run into trouble with online gallery sites when they ask the site to do the resizing.

If you can resize your images to about 700 pixels on the long side before uploading to PB, that'll work really well on here.

Do you have post processing software like photshop, paintshop or any of those?

[DeeDee]

Thank you for the info stf, I will check out those models. I'm not sure where I want to go with this, for now a hobby and who knows, maybe I will have a creative streak in me. I wish to get closer to my subjects but dont really want to make a major investment yet. The first one you mentioned sounds good for a beginner.

[DeeDee]

I have paintshop, photoshop, spitfire, and photostudio 5.5. The only one I have downloaded so far is spitfire (havent used yet) and photostudio.

[mountaindew]

Welcome to the photo forums! Those are NICE photos!

I can't wait for the first bloom come spring time!

Use photoshop. I love using that software! So powerful! Go to the image on top and from the drop down use the "image size". That will show you the actual size. Don't forget to change the dpi (dots per inch) to 72 for web viewing.

[Steve Foss]

DeeDee, mountaindew is right on most. Photoshop is great. But DPI/PPI is immaterial for our purposes here. The DPI (dots per inch) or PPI (pixels per inch) resolution guideline is a newspaper/magazine and photo printing regimen that has no bearing when posting images online.

You can leave the DPI at whatever it is and just size the image 700 pixels across for a horizontal and 700 pixels up/down for a vertical.

I used that inexpensive Tamron macro for a couple years before upgrading, and still sell quite a few images I took with it. Build quality isn't great, so you'll have to guard against banging it hard or dropping it, but the image quality is pretty nice.

[DeeDee]

Thanks for the tip mountaindew. I know I will learn so much from all of you. just reread my posts I guess I'll have to practice my typing too.

[mountaindew]

stfcatfish, you're right. I forgot to mention that. Also forgot to tell you that make sure you safe it as another file rather than saving it over the same picture (file). It'd be bad not be able to print high quality on photo paper if it's 72 dpi! Yes, that happened to me when I first learned photoshop. That was years ago!

Hope to see many more photos of yours DeeDee!

[DeeDee]

 Originally Posted By: mountaindew

Hope to see many more photos of yours DeeDee!

I cant wait to post more

[MN Shutterbug]

Welcome aboard, DeeDee. How did you ever find us, all the way from Florida? Curious minds need to know.

[DeeDee]

I found you on accident. I was planning a trip back home to minnesota! And somehow ended up finding this site and posted in the womens forum looking for camping locations. That was last year and I have been hooked ever since I just cant stay away. After I wandered into this forum I have been playing with cameras and missing minnesota more then ever. We are actually thinking about moving back, but it has been many many many years and a picture someone posted of their thermomiter made me kinda nervous 40 BELOW!! I'm not sure I can handle that. However we will be in the Cloquet area again at the end of June thru the 5th of July.