Basic photography help

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the d100 is pretty old but it will do fine until you figure out if you want to pursue photography further or not.

as far as the lenses go, you have 3 telephotos. you could probably sell the 55-200 and 70-300 if you wanted too. post a pic of the sigma 70-200. panda jerk just got one and from the photos i have seen other places it looks pretty good so i would probably keep that one

the 18-35 is probably a kit lens so its not the best lens out there but itll get the job done for now.

as far as what they are used for, i would carry the 18-35 with me for street photography. the telephotos are for like you said, far away stuff or portrait photography. They make alot bokeh(blurry back/foreground) when you are at a large aperture(f2.8) and long focal length.

if you did end up selling the two other teles i would recommend a good 50mm 1.8 or 1.4 lens or a 35mm 1.8 or 1.4 .

as far as format, i shoot jpeg just because i dont have anything to process raw. im going to get lightroom soon so i will start shooting raw once i do get lightroom.

i hope i didnt forget anything but if you have anymore questions just ask!

 

If you want to shoot .NEF (Nikon's raw format) get Photoshop Elements its relatively cheap and get the add-on Camera Raw from Adobe and go from there. Shooting raw will allow you correct any issues in the white balance and exposure.

The best way to way to get better is to take more photos and take lots of them.

Remember~~

You don't take a photograph, you make it.
~~~Ansel Adams

 

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definitely keep that one man, ive only heard good things about that lens.

for settings too, i would use aperture priority (A,set the aperture and shutter speed adjusts automatically) and shutter priority(S, set the shutter speed and aperture adjust automatically) first until you learn how to set them for yourself.some info on aperture the smaller the aperture the larger the opening when you take the picture which allows more light and a faster shutter speed.

 

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500 iso isnt bad, i shoot at 400 alot, i usually try not to go higher than 800 though but if i need to i go to 1600(my highest). i usually shoot 200 if its sunny out maybe even 100. 400 if its cloudy or bright indoors and 800 indoors with okay lighting and sometimes even at night but thats usually at like f1.8 with some lighting

 

yeah thats true, i didnt think about that.

 

You have the gear so you don't have to worry about that. From The first three photos i saw from you, i would say work on your composition... Rule of thirds, straight photos, etc..

An easy way to practice is just take pictures of landscape. So bust out that 18-55mm lens, keep it at 18mm and let us see where you live! make sure you keep the horizon line straight. Also try not to put the horizon line in the direct center of the image. Try this and then show us the end results!

 

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If I could boil it down even further. Just take pictures. Lots of them.

Read about the rule of thirds. The general idea is the frame is divide into thirds horizontally and vertically. Place the subject on the intersection of any of these lines and you should be pretty good. Of course there are exceptions to this but don't worry about them.

Some other rules include watch the horizon. Level for landscapes. If you're going with a really odd angle, be careful. Doesn't always work but try.

Also, to get an idea for how you see with lenses, pick one. Shoot with it all day. If it's a zoom, use sneaker zoom instead. Pick a subject, shoot close then walk back, shoot and so on until you're unable to do so.

When you get home, look at all your shots. Keep the stuff you like and post a few--ask for critique. We can (and will) give it to you.

Welcome to the world of photography!

 

This would look better if you had panned the shot. Follow the bus and shoot so the bus is sharp and everything else is blurred. Gives the feeling of speed and movement.