Good Morning:

I am a pointandshootaramus. I know nothing of photography and really should given the fortune of my location. I would like to learn more about digital photography in the coming months. At the end of April I will be back working and living in Wyoming right beneath the spectacular South Absaroka Wall until mid November or so. I hope to take a couple of 4 day backpacks later in the season, but other than that I’m limited to two day trips. If anyone is in JHOLE or the upper Wind River Valley just across Togwotee Pass this year I am always open to learning from anyone that can start at the beginning for a technomoronman like me. You never know what someone else might have taught me by the time you get there too.

I never became much of a climber in my few short climbing days 30 years ago, but I can scramble and for the fitter of you I am capable of what you might think of as “moderate” hiking. I also do not have a problem separating and soloing, and I can lend you a can of bearspray and an airhorn. I’ve been wandering the wilds of the Southeast GYE since I was tiny. I’ve found some pretty darn exquisite places to observe wildlife and other aesthetic attractions. If we come to an understanding and you’re willing to share a bit of your knowledge I’m willing to give you a shower and bunk for a night or two, a REALLY good meal if the Kitchen is running, and I’ll even make sure you don’t get your posterior kicked at Happy Hour. I’ll even haul a little of your equipment into paradise. The only thing I ask is that when you get your Pulitzer Prize is that I get a signed first edition.

I hope to have 3 full days in earlier May to drive park roads and hike/snowshoe looking for Wolves, Grizzlies, Martens, etc. May is the best time to observe wildlife in the region IMHO. Work will be very difficult for me otherwise until summer hits the calendar and we open up. October is also a heavily problematic month for me and I likely can only get a single day at a time then. If you want take a look at some of my snapshots here on Summitpost. I’ve got a few critter shots too I can share.

Thank you all for the fabulous photographs you’ve given us and thanks for the indulgence here,

John

Nothing wrong with point and shoot photography, though I learnt the basics in the film era, so for cost reasons I learned to seek out a good shot and try to get some basic composition, which I see as having foreground, mid and long distance to give the effect of depth. The light and mood is also important. Though there is always the shot that just pops up out of nowhere.

I'd like to see more real close-ups of people, especially without "posing". Catching people unaware reveals better concentration and displays the real circumstance. That's my 2 cents worth.

Thank you Ray, your observation and comments are much appreciated. Have a great weekend across the pond there,

John

Yes nothing wrong with pointingandshooting! Look at lots of other photgraphers work, look at your own and ask yourself "could that be better?" and "how?"
There´s lots of tell you how books around. Tipod´s not a bad idea - makes you take the time to compose.
Sounds like a nice offer by the way!
Cheers and good luck!

Something to add: Image size. There are a range of pixel quantities that can be set on digital cameras. For general use I set at 1600 x 1200, then I don't need to resize for display on the Site. This gives a pretty full frame and is quick to open. A lot of my first images I resized, so they look a bit small when opened. Pity when there is a panorama to display. For pro work, I guess they set at max, though this will fill the memory card more quickly.

You can subscribe to this guys site and get a tremendous amount of free info...

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/

My best advice would be to get out on your own and shoot photos. Shoot a lot of photos, and shoot a lot of different types of photos.

There is a ton of info on the web on how to shoot just about any thing. When I am heading out to shoot something new I look on the web for hints and tricks about shooting that thing and then go shoot. Photography started as a thing to do when I am outside, and it now pays bills. If you can upgrade to an SLR or a cannon G11 then do so since it will allow you to learn aperture, shutter speed and ISO a little better. If not stick with the point and shoot and master composition.

http://www.alasdairturner.com
http://alasdairturner.blogspot.com/

Just ran across this, doublecabin. How is the photography project going?

Warning: may be habit-forming.

Double-cabin, THESE are the two options you have for shooting an image for Summitpost :

I've seen couples like that in Yellowstone. Of course, it's always the man with the long equipment.

There are some shots that are truly art. Very impressive. I have a suggestion, for those shots that are something special, the photographer should note shutter speed, aperture, etc with the photo.

Marmaduke wrote:There are some shots that are truly art. Very impressive. I have a suggestion, for those shots that are something special, the photographer should note shutter speed, aperture, etc with the photo.

If the picture was taken with a digital camera, the camera will often store that information with the image. For example, your profile picture claims it was shot with a Canon PowerShot S70 with an exposure time of 1/100 and an aperture of f/2.8.

drjohnso1182 wrote:

Marmaduke wrote:There are some shots that are truly art. Very impressive. I have a suggestion, for those shots that are something special, the photographer should note shutter speed, aperture, etc with the photo.

If the picture was taken with a digital camera, the camera will often store that information with the image. For example, your profile picture claims it was shot with a Canon PowerShot S70 with an exposure time of 1/100 and an aperture of f/2.8.

I'm not seeing this, can someone enlighten me? Thanks.

Marmaduke wrote:

drjohnso1182 wrote:

Marmaduke wrote:There are some shots that are truly art. Very impressive. I have a suggestion, for those shots that are something special, the photographer should note shutter speed, aperture, etc with the photo.

If the picture was taken with a digital camera, the camera will often store that information with the image. For example, your profile picture claims it was shot with a Canon PowerShot S70 with an exposure time of 1/100 and an aperture of f/2.8.

I'm not seeing this, can someone enlighten me? Thanks.

Your photo editing software or even your internet browser may have a means of quickly showing this info, but one way (if you use Windows) is to save the image, right-click on the file name, select `Properties', and select the `Summary' tab (you might have to push the `Advanced >>' button if it appears). The properties I've described are usually among those listed.

Marmaduke wrote:

drjohnso1182 wrote:

Marmaduke wrote:There are some shots that are truly art. Very impressive. I have a suggestion, for those shots that are something special, the photographer should note shutter speed, aperture, etc with the photo.

If the picture was taken with a digital camera, the camera will often store that information with the image. For example, your profile picture claims it was shot with a Canon PowerShot S70 with an exposure time of 1/100 and an aperture of f/2.8.

I'm not seeing this, can someone enlighten me? Thanks.

There are a lot of ways to skin this cat but one way is to install (free) PhotoME to view metadata associated with a photo. They even have a browser integration so you can see the exposure/apeture information for any image on a web site (link here. Maybe that is what Marmaduke is using or maybe something else.