The Official Photography Thread - Vol. 3

[iamdef]

If all you got from what I said was go get a point and shoot then you missed my point being shooting in AUTO settings, not auto focus, is a waste of a DSLR's potential and you'd basically be reducing it to a p/s.

But as it has been said, your settings don't matter if you have bad composition. A perfectly exposed shot of a couple with their heads cut off won't sell very well

 

[vladimir dinero]

i just got a dslr a few months ago and have shooting in manual, but i've been getting frustrated because i'm not happy with how most of my pics are coming out. i really enjoy doing landscapes, but i'm deleting damn near everything i shoot

 hopefully you guys can help me out.

my settings for this pic:

ISO 100

35mm

f/16

1/125 sec

t4i with 18-135mm kit lens

i think i metered for the water, but i can't exactly remember. i don't know how to explain it in photo terminology, but i just hate how the water and clouds look. how would you guys shoot this differently? this was shot around noon btw. should i shoot it again at a different time?

i also just started learning lightroom so if you guys have any tips on how to salvage this that would be appreciated also

 

[arsenalgunner1]

New edits of oldies:

 

[irpstakid]

Question for those with Eye-Fi's.... I remember reading before but can't find it... Can you manually select which photos to upload? Or does it upload all? From what I heard this was a possibility on older models but not new ones? Anyone?

 

[Fong$tarr]

I think you are supposed to lock the image in your camera. I still haven't even tested it but this is from their site: https://x2help.eyefi.com/hc/en-us/articles/200051666-Manage-File-Transfer-Modes

i just got a dslr a few months ago and have shooting in manual, but i've been getting frustrated because i'm not happy with how most of my pics are coming out. i really enjoy doing landscapes, but i'm deleting damn near everything i shoot  hopefully you guys can help me out.

my settings for this pic:

ISO 100
35mm
f/16
1/125 sec

t4i with 18-135mm kit lens

i think i metered for the water, but i can't exactly remember. i don't know how to explain it in photo terminology, but i just hate how the water and clouds look. how would you guys shoot this differently? this was shot around noon btw. should i shoot it again at a different time?




i also just started learning lightroom so if you guys have any tips on how to salvage this that would be appreciated also

I think it's really editing. Landscapes like this can be pushed pretty far as far as color, contrast, etc. You can try bracketing some shots but I would just edit it a little better. You can also change the settings in your camera body. There are landscapes modes but you should be able to adjust things like the menu below:

For that photo, maybe boost saturation and even contrast or do it in post.

 

[tokes99]

i just got a dslr a few months ago and have shooting in manual, but i've been getting frustrated because i'm not happy with how most of my pics are coming out. i really enjoy doing landscapes, but i'm deleting damn near everything i shoot  hopefully you guys can help me out.

my settings for this pic:

ISO 100
35mm
f/16
1/125 sec

t4i with 18-135mm kit lens

i think i metered for the water, but i can't exactly remember. i don't know how to explain it in photo terminology, but i just hate how the water and clouds look. how would you guys shoot this differently? this was shot around noon btw. should i shoot it again at a different time?




i also just started learning lightroom so if you guys have any tips on how to salvage this that would be appreciated also

generally that what you are undertaking when you start anything, alternating being inspired & being disappointed, you will likely take many more shots that you won't like to get the one you do; its good to ask yourself "why am i taking this picture?"

so specifically for this pic you could play with decreasing the exposure & upping the clarity, contrast, & details in the shadows in editing; that could at least make it pop a lil more (this will probably adversely affect the water though, making it look choppy, so you may want to decrease the clarity for the water?) but compositionally there really isn't much going on...what is it you want people to be looking at here? it looks like if you took a few steps back & maybe go even wider (the distortion might give it some punch) you might have been able to use the trees as more of a framing device, but what would be the subject? if it is the graffiti maybe you could get lower or higher?

for lightroom (or any editor in general) playing with the all the options (the filters can be good too, for reverse engineering) are a good idea, and making virtual copies for the version(s) that you like, eventually you'll figure out what you like

 

[vladimir dinero]

appreciate the help guys. will def try what you have suggested. repped.

so specifically for this pic you could play with decreasing the exposure & upping the clarity, contrast, & details in the shadows in editing; that could at least make it pop a lil more (this will probably adversely affect the water though, making it look choppy, so you may want to decrease the clarity for the water?) but compositionally there really isn't much going on...what is it you want people to be looking at here? it looks like if you took a few steps back & maybe go even wider (the distortion might give it some punch) you might have been able to use the trees as more of a framing device, but what would be the subject? if it is the graffiti maybe you could get lower or higher?

i wanted to use the trees to frame everything, but there's a lot going on to the left and to the right of the trees which is why i cut it off. there was a dude smokin herb on the other side of tree on the left and there's ugly brush and a mound of dirt next to the tree on the right. to give you a better idea of where i was shooting, here's another pic:

i was crouching directly to the right of the tree on the very bottom left to take the shot i previously posted. i found it challenging to get a good vantage point because there was limited real estate, but i'm gonna go back and try a few things. composition wise, i had a cool vision in my head of what i wanted and it just didn't translate 

 i wanted to capture the graffiti on the sidewalk, the water, catalina island in the background, and the clear sky. maybe i'm trying to do too much in one picture? 

 

[yooolos]

the tunnel pic so dope 

 

recent adventures

(not sure what happened here lol)

some help needed! whats the best setting to shoot at night with. ive been trying to shoot in manual but when i shoot at night everything comes out really dark. something in the manual settings i need to change? i have a canon rebel t3

 

[dunksrnice]

^^^^^^I got one already but thanks.

And agree with using auto on DLSRs. You are only using a percentage of the power of a DSLR. You should have all the options to shoot whatever kind of photo in whatever setting whether it be action shot, long exposure, high iso shot, wide open, more closed aperture and so on. Plus in auto and shooting at night, a DLSR will always pop a flash and I hate shooting flash photos from the body of the camera.




So just a question for people that have done it. Shooting my friend's City Hall wedding Friday. Not your average full fledged wedding but still want to make it look nice. Any lens recommendations for it? I have the 24mm and a 50mm covered. I was thinking about getting the 135mm again but wondering it it'd be smarter to get a zoom so I am not restricted. Plus changing lenses for every shot might be a total pain and waste of time. I am doing some posed shots but some will be of the ceremony where I get one shot at it.

Yo Rolo................what did you use for this photo set? https://www.flickr.com/photos/dunksrnice/sets/72157645377759891/

It's literally what I am doing and same location.

All you need is the lens you have and if I had to use one, I would easily go with the 50mm. For the most part I used a 50mm and a 24-70mm worked well. 

 

[PRIME]

If all you got from what I said was go get a point and shoot then you missed my point being shooting in AUTO settings, not auto focus, is a waste of a DSLR's potential and you'd basically be reducing it to a p/s.

But as it has been said, your settings don't matter if you have bad composition. A perfectly exposed shot of a couple with their heads cut off won't sell very well

I agree that manual mode is overall better. It obviously gives you more control and opens up more possibilities for you.

I admit that at first I thought you were talking about auto focus.

But still the overall point I made can still be applied.


But yeah, composition is what can make or break an image in the end.

 

[Fong$tarr]

All you need is the lens you have and if I had to use one, I would easily go with the 50mm. For the most part I used a 50mm and a 24-70mm worked well. 

Nice. Thanks dude. I guess in tight quarters, a 135mm would be OD long. Was thinking of the 85mm but I guess a 24-70mm would cover that as well and give me versatility in not swapping lenses so much.

 

[walt thizzney]

lol you

 
Never shot a wedding but that 50mm is very versatile and would likely get the best range of shots. Using the 135mm would mean you'd need to have a good sized distance to get a waist up shot (estimating about 10 ft away) between you and them while that 50mm will allow you to be a 4-6 ft away.

 
the tunnel pic so dope 

 

recent adventures

(not sure what happened here lol)

some help needed! whats the best setting to shoot at night with. ive been trying to shoot in manual but when i shoot at night everything comes out really dark. something in the manual settings i need to change? i have a canon rebel t3

 in your post production..... bump up the exposure, kill the highlights and bump up the shadows. other than that just use a longer exposure in manual mode or use A-Mode which will make your life easier and make small adjustments to the exposure from there. Its better to underexpose an image than overexpose it though. Also only shoot in raw

 

[Fong$tarr]

^^^^^^^Haha. Well, he did shoot at City Hall. I'd still want to shoot in the 70-85mm range though. 50mm on a full frame is nice but do want something a little tighter. Just debating on the zoom or prime.

 

[walt thizzney]

 
i just got a dslr a few months ago and have shooting in manual, but i've been getting frustrated because i'm not happy with how most of my pics are coming out. i really enjoy doing landscapes, but i'm deleting damn near everything i shoot

 hopefully you guys can help me out.

my settings for this pic:

ISO 100

35mm

f/16

1/125 sec

t4i with 18-135mm kit lens

i think i metered for the water, but i can't exactly remember. i don't know how to explain it in photo terminology, but i just hate how the water and clouds look. how would you guys shoot this differently? this was shot around noon btw. should i shoot it again at a different time?

i also just started learning lightroom so if you guys have any tips on how to salvage this that would be appreciated also

kill the highlights and watch the sky come alive

 

[iamdef]

 
(not sure what happened here lol)

some help needed! whats the best setting to shoot at night with. ive been trying to shoot in manual but when i shoot at night everything comes out really dark. something in the manual settings i need to change? i have a canon rebel t3

I had that happen before lol it still looks okay, its really difficult to ruin those kind of shots , if you were holding the camera by hand for this long exposure shot it's becuase you were shaking or moved. Long exposure shots need a tripod or you will get results like such

Shooting at night without a flash, open the apeture as much as possible and have a shutter speed of about 100 and ISO about 250-1000 (depending on your apeture setting) a apeture at 1.2-1.8 should get good results with a lower ISO but 3 and above may come out better with a higher ISO

 

[iamdef]

Originally Posted by Walt Thizzney  
 

lol you

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamDEF
Never shot a wedding but that 50mm is very versatile and would likely get the best range of shots. Using the 135mm would mean you'd need to have a good sized distance to get a waist up shot (estimating about 10 ft away) between you and them while that 50mm will allow you to be a 4-6 ft away.

Do you disagree?

 

[grizzlyboy]

Ive been using my 17-40L for weddings lately.

 

[goste187]

Man..just 2 more days til my D810 ships.. 

 

[monix23]

From yesterday at the beach

 

[dmoss22]

I'm just curious about something and was wondering if y'all could help me. Only have had a dslr for a few weeks and feel like I been progressing pretty well with learning photography. I got a nikon d3100 for $250 which I know isn't the best. When I take photos I notice that my photos don't look as clear and as high quality as y'all even though I have a good idea of how to tweak the settings for the pic I want. I figured eventually I need to upgrade cameras and that's why my photos aren't as good but you think it could just be that I'm very inexperienced?

 

[goste187]

What lenses are you using?

Could you post pictures for us to see?

 

[dmoss22]

 
What lenses are you using?

Could you post pictures for us to see?

Just the standard Nikkor 18-55mm that comes in the box, for right now. Here's some photos, been learning how to edit as well.

 

[dabottom305]

dmoss22 My first experience with a DSLR was the 3100 and the standard kit lens a few months ago. I wouldn't say you need to upgrade because even with that lens you are capable of taking sharp pics. I spent a lot of time on YouTube searching topics related to photography and I got better. One piece of equipment I recommend is a tripod if you don't already have one. If I know that need that shutter to stay open a little longer I'll just set it on a tripod, set my settings then set the timer to 10 seconds and just wait. I still consider myself to being closer to inexperienced than to expert but I'm practicing. And IMO the pics you posted looked sharp especially the one with the buildings.

Here's a few pics I took with the 3100 and kit lens:

This was with me sitting in a moving tour bus.


Emirates Palace by 305Flash, on Flickr

These were done with a tripod.


Holiday Inn by 305Flash, on Flickr.


Yaz Artbox by 305Flash, on Flickr

 

[dmoss22]

@DaBottom305  Yeah getting a tripod was my next step, preciate the tips. Your photos with the d3100 look alittle sharper compared to mine, but that lets me know its probably just me and the way I'm taking photos. Just need more time to learn and progress as a photographer I guess. Preciate it

 

[iamdef]

It may be the type of autofocus you are using. you could be using 5 or 9 points but acutally need to use all 11 points. try playing around with each focus mode in combination with each focus setting