Can we talk about Bokeh?

the pics are all fine and i think you are getting the right idea. ; nice job with the closeup of the dog (2nd post), votive holders, and leaf in snow. ; the pic of the calc and remote needs a more definitive point of interest. ; i might like it more if you focused on the leading (nearest) edge of the calc and let everything else fall out of focus instead of it being out, in, out. ;

 

I'm betting you were too close, so the camera didn't want to allow you to take a picture....

 

Maybe you were too close for the lens to autofocus. ; A lot of cameras are picky that way - if the autofocus can't, it won't let you take a picture. ; Drives me crazy, so sometimes I just switch to manual focus to get the effect that I want.

Of your pictures, I really like the flower (7539) and the ceiling fan (7496), although the highlights are a bit overexposed on the fan.

 

Most lenses have a limited close focus distance...even macros (though they can get closer). ; So there's a point at which you can be too close for the autofocus to be able to get focus. ; Your camera is likely set to not allow the shutter to take the shot if the focus can't be confirmed (you can set the camera to take the photo anyway, even if out of focus).

Good job, especially in that you are experimenting for the first time with this stuff. ; It's going to be a learning process to think about your depth of field control and out of focus blur, while thinking about crisp focus and focus point, while being aware of exposure metering, while watching for blown highlights or burned shadows, while remembering to think about composition and leading lines, while being cognisant of color balance and complimentary colors. ; And then figuring out how to distill all of those things down to just a few seconds or less while you take a shot. ; Even good photographers who have learned all of those things still struggle to get them all right every shot - the art of photography is learning them so you can be aware of them and when you're not achieving them...and even knowing when to compromise on one or two of them to get something more important right!

 

If you go wander through the current lens lineup at www.usa.canon.com ; (or even B&H), when you get to the EOS lenses, and find the lens you want to look at, click on the specifications page. ; Look for closest focusing distance. ; I believe that this is the closest distance to the *sensor* the lens will focus to. ; (I may be wrong, but I think that it is correct, because there is something about closest working distance which is the distance between the front element and the minimum focusing distance.)

For older Canon lenses, you can get this info from the Canon Camera Museum, they have data on every EOS lens Canon has ever made. ; Including the first price in Yen for each one.

 

nice photos!
I like the votives and stitch holding the lens cap.

close focus has become important to me!
My 18-200 focuses very close, but I have found my 80-400 very difficult and impossible to use for some shots I have wanted. it seems to focus at about 11 feet!

 

It claims 2.3 meters FWIW. ; I think that is one of the reasons I decided to sell mine. ; Focus speed was probably the other reason. ;

 

Wow...2.3 meters is pretty far for an 80-400. ; Even my big Tammy 200-500 I think is around 6 feet minimum. ; I would think most wider primes would be pretty good at close focus though - my Sigma 30mm F1.4 can focus from about 1 foot or so...not bad for a non-macro.

 

Yeah it's one of the oldest left in the fleet. ; There's a reason why people start rumors that it's going to be replaced. ; And the rumors come up every 6 months, just like Nikon making a f/4 constant zooms *cough cough*, or a lens wider than 50mm that has f/1.4 *cough cough*.