These are all from my new SLR, a Pentax MZ-7, with a 35-80mm manual zoom lens. I'm not sure about the settings (shutter speeds, aperture, etc) because I forgot where I put the piece of paper with all the notes for each frame (hopefully I'll find it soon!).

My cat again.. she's a good indoors subject. :)

Outdoors graffiti.. mostly an outdoors color test shoot.

A small brook (actually right next to the graffiti).

No idea what that is (had no idea what it was when I shot it either *grin*).. that was just floating in that brook. And no, it's not a rock.

To infinity and beyond! (heh)

A friend of my brother.

And, lastly, a little experiment which turned out some rather nice colors (I'm afraid the scan doesn't do it justice, though). Bulb exposure mode, shutter opened for 2-3 seconds (forget the aperture though, probably something like f/4). And that's it for the first roll (the B&W is postwork). The rest either didn't turn out right or they were bracket shots. The film was a Konica 200 color. Very cheap (heck, the pharmacy was actually giving them away with any purchase the day I picked it up). All in all, I got OK results for a first try at manual SLR. But the best part is I really like the feel of my new camera. :) - darkpen

Dang, it looks way too cold where you are, LOL! I'm strictly digital, so I can't give you any helpful hints, but I think these turned out great for your first attempts, the best and most important thing being that it felt good to you! :-) Your cat is a sweetie, love her markings - and that last one is beautiful, the colors and the reflections on the glass are lovely! (And I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with overflowing table tops, LOL!)

I like pic no 3, 4 and 6 the most, probably because they draw my eye along...I particularly like the angles and dynamics of 3, along with the excellent graffiti capture! Great stuff for first go with a new camera!

love the abstraction in number 4. Reminds me of a pic I just saw in a photo book i borrowed from the library. Me keen on abstractieen

Thank ye all kindly. :) It -is- cold out here! grin Actually, it wasn't too bad that day.. about 14F (-10C), and the day after that was 28F (-2C) (which is actually pretty warm for late January.. we usually start hitting the -4Fs (-20C) to -31Fs (-35C) around this time, but it's been raining rather than snowing lately). You get used to it though. It's all a balanced matter of clothing thickness and cursing at winter. Slynky, you're from Montreal right? You know what I'm talking about. :P (and I like abstractieen too.. better than ovaltine!) Once Spring comes around, I'll put up pics from the Tulip Festival to show the huge contrast.. I'll have to find a really good film to bring out all the colors, too. Good thing I bought all kinds to experiment with. :P - darkpen

I think I like #5 & 6 best....I got a thing for B&W.

I am, therefore I create.......
--- michelleamarante.com

They're all well done! Congrats =) The first snow shot shows that it's a bit over exposed, so next time try to compensate a little (1.0 or lower). I guess it's a matter of the extra light the snow gives...but the rest are just fine. So I certainly wouldn't waste a roll on metering shots, but just try to get a hang of when to correct the metering. Btw, have you ever read Kodak's Guide to better pictures ? It's an awesome online site form Kodak, really interesting and huuuuge with great examples =) Anyway, maybe Alpha or Slynky or anyone else can go into this: I think the next step to improvement is choosing film :)

Thanks! loads up new browser window That site is bookmarked now, Rork. :P I'll go through it this evening, it looks really nice. I'll be experimenting this weekend again. I'm really enjoying this! :) - darkpen

Attached Link: http://www.kodak.com/US/en/nav/takingPics.shtml

Whoops! Forgot the link, lol! Just in case you got the right one, here it is.....it's fantastic...lots of short and great tips. Glad you're enjoying this.....that must be the #1 tip to make better pictures: having fun, heh =)

Mikey unnerved from first shot - cats evil stare chilling 2,3,4,5 Liked them but skipped coz theyre too damn cold and we had enough snow without warning today, thank you very much. 6 - Is he related to Punksie?!? lol.... actually what type of car is that? It look quite similar to an old Toyota I used to have - absolute tank, it was. Bent the crankshaft on the way to an Alice Cooper concert..... 7 - Yeah, nice colours. Way too much tabletop left uncluttered though - I can still teach you a thing or two!! (",)

That car is a 1984 Pontiac Parisienne. A real gas guzzler. grin Really nice engine, though. I prefer my own car, though. Better acceleration and more environment friendly. :P And thanks, Alpha.. I'll try! My drawer's worse than that tabletop, though. :) - darkpen