New D40 owner, critique request

[chhhrrriiisss]

ModNote: Split from here.

I just got my D40 and I'd like some critique.

Anyway, I'm reading this site for tips on photography.

Should I be staying away from the auto portion of the camera and focus more on manual to get better?

Here are some pictures that I took of my niece about an hour ago. I haven't edited any of them at all.

The rest of the set.

 

[Razeus]

I just got my D40 as well. I'd like some critique as well. I figured I'd just post in this thread too.

Anyway, I'm reading this site for tips on photography.

Should I be staying away from the auto portion of the camera and focus more on manual to get better?

Here are some pictures that I took of my niece about an hour ago. I haven't edited any of them at all.

The rest of the set.

I think all beginners should focus on getting great pictures first. Great pictures means great composition. So leave your cam on auto mode and go out and take shots, focusing on what's in the frame.

Then after you get the hang of it and start getting an "eye" switch over to manual mode and learn the camera, inside and out. This will enable you to bring a more dramatic effect to your compositions, either in lighting or depth of field.

Finally, learn how to use Photoshop and/or Lightroom. This will add punch to your shots and fix any mishaps that happen out in the field. Don't just shoot and think you can fix it in post processing later. Only worry about the "photography" features of Photoshop, so get a book written for photographers, instead of trying to do everything under the sun.

 

[M-5]

I just got my D40 as well. I'd like some critique as well. I figured I'd just post in this thread too.

Anyway, I'm reading this site for tips on photography.

Should I be staying away from the auto portion of the camera and focus more on manual to get better?

Here are some pictures that I took of my niece about an hour ago. I haven't edited any of them at all.

The rest of the set.

In my opinion, the best photo of the bunch is this one:

I'd recommend a crop of it, and maybe play with the distracting background? Here's a quick edit:

 

[NintendoChick]

I use a D40 as well. It's a great little DSLR.

I also agree with Razeus. Composition is key. If all the settings of the camera are messing with your ability to compose your shot, Set the camera in auto until you can naturally line up the shot.

...but that's just me. I've had my camera less than a year, after all...

 

[MattSepeta]

Composition

I just got my D40 as well. I'd like some critique as well. I figured I'd just post in this thread too.

Anyway, I'm reading this site for tips on photography.

Should I be staying away from the auto portion of the camera and focus more on manual to get better?

Here are some pictures that I took of my niece about an hour ago. I haven't edited any of them at all.

The rest of the set.

Everything looks satisfactory, except the composition, which is the most important part. Books cant really teach you composition, only you truly can. Practice practice practice.

Take tons of photos of the same subject, same angle, same settings, just move them around in the frame, and eventually, your eye will become trained to frame shots in a more and more pleasing way

I would have stepped back further, zoomed in more, shot at the lowest f stop you could, and placed the babys head more in bottom right thirds. Also I would have shot from a lower perspective, closer to the ground, to put you more on the same level as the baby.

Hope this helps

 

[chhhrrriiisss]

Thanks for all the help everyone!