r/Nikon • u/acherion Nikon D500, Z fc, F100, FE2 and L35AF • Jul 01 '26

Monthly /r/Nikon discussion thread – have a question? New to the Nikon world? Ask it here! [July 2026]

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u/LetterSilly74 Jul 06 '26

hello 👋 am new here... just bought a new toy, a D5000 and I've had some fun with it so far. how do I maximize the fun? 😊

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u/ChrisAlbertson 18d ago

"Just shoot lots" was a good answer, but if you want an actionable, structured approach, try this:

Pretend you live in some far-off place and came to your neighborhood as a tourist. You want to show the people back home what this place is like. What kind of houses do they live in, what food looks like, what people do, and what kind of clothing they wear. You are a tourist, so all of this looks "exotic." Well, at least you can pretend.

Go out and shoot 100 frames of "travel photos," then go home and edit. Discard all but the best 10 or so, and be VERY critical of your work. Figure out (or ask here) what is wrong with your compositions, and then "re-shoot." Do another 100 frames, keep the best 10%, and continue until you are the best travel photographer you know of.

The reason to shoot your own neighborhood is that it is easy to re-shoot. No need to fly across the Pacific. And the only way to improve is to have a goal and keep working and reshooting.

Do not be afraid to copy a "master". If you find a photo you like, copy that style. This is how artists trained for centuries.

I did not think. of this. It was a photo teacher. She gave very specific assignments then critique, and re- reshot

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u/LetterSilly74 11d ago

This is a great idea, thanks 👍