Lol. This.

Better job with using rule of thirds however.

Add more contrast to the b&w!

This post was edited by TheBlackRose66 on Aug 27 2009 07:38am

Like this?

I can't see the first pictures, so I can't comment much...
But my little piece of advice, is don't take pictures just for the sake of taking pictures...
Go for a walk, bring your camera, and go with the inspiration.
Don't force it, cause the results will not be good.
I've had days where I brought my camera and didn't take a single shot, or took a few and deleted them right away.
Other days have taken 180 pictures and couldn,t figure out which ones to throw away cause I had inspiring subjects...
Not sure if I'm making any sense....

Dont be so negative.. Its not a bad picture, especially for someone who has just started.

I take pictures because i enjoy doing it, whether the outcome is something great or not. It is something that helps pass time and clears my mind. I take alot of shots that i am sure are better than the ones that im posting, but those shots are mostly of flowers. The things that i am having trouble shooting are things other than that.

haha did you say .... flowers???
:D :D
I know exactly how you feel, that's what I enjoy shooting the most!!!
Flowers and insects

Insects have been hard for me so far. =[. My macro lense just makes flowers look awesome though so they turn out the best. I'm just trying to make other things look better. Im having a hard time keeping a point of focus and i still don't understand apurture fully and i think that is why most of my photo's aren't turning out as well as i would hope.

Aperture = F stop.
The smaller the number, the shallower the depht of field.
For macro shots it is more desirable to have a smaller F stop, imo..
The bigger the number F the bigger DoF you will have, so closer and further objects will stay sharper...

Ok so thats why my last pic was out of focus. I was shooting on f-9 the majority of the day.

What is your internet browser?
If you don't have it yet, I recommend using Opera.
That is what I am using and almost everytime I right click on a picture, I gett all the picture info, like this for yours:

Orientation of image: 1
File change date and time: 2009:08:27 10:38:38
Image input equipment manufacturer: Canon
Image input equipment model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT
Exposure time: 0,0003125
F number: 5,6
Exposure program: 1
ISO speed rating: 800
Shutter speed: 11,6439
Aperture: 4,97086
Exposure bias: 0
Metering mode: 5
Flash: 16
Lens focal length: 76
Focal plane X resolution: 3954,23
Focal plane Y resolution: 3958,76
Focal plane resolution unit: 2
Custom rendered: 0
Exposure mode: 1
White balance: 0
Scene capture type: 0

Ofc I have no clue what most of it means, but some info I understand..

Like for instance, why use such a high iso if you're shooting daytime outside?
Especially since speed is not an issue here, your bench is not going anywhere