My very first SLR camera, the Nikon D5100, arrived last week and I took it out for a spin. I still have a lot to learn about the camera so I’m mostly shooting in auto and scene modes with jpeg quality. I’d eventually like to shoot exclusively in RAW to take advantage of the extra detail (my old camera took too long to write RAW photos to the card so I used it sparingly), but I’m still experimenting with the best approach for post-processing, so for now jpeg will suffice.
This first set of photos were shot in Allentown, NJ with the kit lens.
I’m not positive but this one may have been taken with the in-camera HDR setting.
The photo below takes advantage of the camera’s selective color effect. I know I could probably achieve the same thing in photoshop, but I think it’s pretty cool that I can do it in-camera.
The next two photos were taken after my new Sigma 18-250mm zoom lens arrived. I wanted something versatile for traveling so that I can avoid having to change lenses and I think this will meet my needs (I love how fast it focuses). It even has a short minimum focusing distance, which allows me to take macro-type photos like the ones below:
Now that I have a good SLR camera it might be time to take this hobby to the next level and enroll in a photography class…
Michael Rappa 