The Official Photography Thread - Vol. 3

[w3atherman]

I had no idea so much went into picking the right tripod for your camera needs.

 

Why did you choose a CF tripod as opposed to aluminum? Are they more stable? I'm looking for a decent setup, really not trying to break the bank though. I'm leaning towards this right here:
Amazon product ASIN B002SXMRUI
Or possibly the AT 413 for some extra height, since I don't think I'd be using the centerpole. I was really hoping I wouldn't have to spend that much on JUST the legs, but I don't want to buy anything that'll break on me within the next couple years either.

As far as a ballhead, the one you posted seems like a relatively decent price, would you be able to shed some light on the performance of it?

Yup, I definitely did some research on tripods. CF is supposed to handle vibrations better. The main reason I went with CF is the difference in weight. If I might be traveling all day, I wanted something  as light as possible. Better to have a tripod that's taller than you as opposed to shorter since you can adjust anyways. Take a look at Benro and Vanguard as well. 

I just got it yesterday, it is easy to use. Knobs turn nicely and the head rotates smoothly. Definitely get one with a quick release plate.

Not sure how far B&H is from you, but I would go there to test some tripods out in person.

 

[Nawzlew]

I've been wondering about something .. I'm assuming most of you shoot in RAW and upload photos as a jpg .

If you shoot in raw, and upload as a jpg, then what would be the point in shooting in raw? Would uploading as a jpeg eliminate all the extra "stuff" you get with RAW?

or is it just really late and I'm thinking about this all wrong

 

[locobaby]

I've been wondering about something .. I'm assuming most of you shoot in RAW and upload photos as a jpg .

If you shoot in raw, and upload as a jpg, then what would be the point in shooting in raw? Would uploading as a jpeg eliminate all the extra "stuff" you get with RAW?

or is it just really late and I'm thinking about this all wrong

Yeah, you got it all wrong. LOL. Jpeg in camera compresses the image for you and gives you what it thinks is best. When editing it is best to use RAW format as well because there is more information in the picture like in the shadow and highlight detail that can manipulated. When you are finished with your RAW you convert it to Jpeg but it is your version. With all that being said, if you are only shooting and want to post without doing any or much retouching then JPEG would be the way to go. I wish I had some sample images to show you but the guys over @ SLRlounge have way more info if you wanna read up on it http://www.slrlounge.com/school/raw-vs-jpeg-jpg-the-ultimate-visual-guide/ .

 

[Nawzlew]

Yeah that's what I thought

 

[forgot about jae]

...............

 

[benssick]

Leak by Benssick_, on Flickr


Art by Benssick_, on Flickr


RIP by Benssick_, on Flickr


Break by Benssick_, on Flickr

 

[Fong$tarr]

Playing with masks in New Orleans this past weekend.

 

[dunksrnice]

^Sick!

From today.

More on the blog,

IG - @dunksrnice
www.dunksrnice.net

 

[Gill Baka Esq. LLC.]

I know this question has been asked before, but could someone give me maybe a linear progression of post processing software that worked for more experienced photographers in this thread?

Right now I wanted something along the lines of ..... say....free so I have Picasa right now.

Is there any other free PP programs posters have used that let them get their feet wet before moving to lightroom or a nikon/sony PP program?

Thanks.

 

[Fong$tarr]

^^^^Oh yeah...very true. You can get apps on your phone that are pretty damn good at editing. It might be somewhat of a process to do and depending on your phone, your screen could project some odd colors but you can just email the photo to yourself, open up in your phone, edit, and then email back and open to your computer. VSCO is a good starting point and Snapseed as well. I crapped on VSCO before a bit as I was a die hard Snapseed guy but I find myself using VSCO first and then just Instagram for the rest. Those two photos I posted above were done on VSCO first on my phone and then Photoshop on my computer.

 

[timelessflight]

Playing with masks in New Orleans this past weekend.

what lens did you use?

 

[Nawzlew]

^^^^Oh yeah...very true. You can get apps on your phone that are pretty damn good at editing. It might be somewhat of a process to do and depending on your phone, your screen could project some odd colors but you can just email the photo to yourself, open up in your phone, edit, and then email back and open to your computer. VSCO is a good starting point and Snapseed as well. I crapped on VSCO before a bit as I was a die hard Snapseed guy but I find myself using VSCO first and then just Instagram for the rest. Those two photos I posted above were done on VSCO first on my phone and then Photoshop on my computer.

Did you use a vsco filter for the second?

 

[HankHill]

^^^^Oh yeah...very true. You can get apps on your phone that are pretty damn good at editing. It might be somewhat of a process to do and depending on your phone, your screen could project some odd colors but you can just email the photo to yourself, open up in your phone, edit, and then email back and open to your computer. VSCO is a good starting point and Snapseed as well. I crapped on VSCO before a bit as I was a die hard Snapseed guy but I find myself using VSCO first and then just Instagram for the rest. Those two photos I posted above were done on VSCO first on my phone and then Photoshop on my computer.

At least you're no longer in denial.

 

[Fong$tarr]

^^^^^^Haha. I bow down to the VSCO gods. They got a cool app and actually works well with Instagram. Like I don't like how VSCO can't make whites whiter but in IG, their slider for both highlights and shadows goes to positive and negative. So VSCO has it's strengths and weaknesses still. I give them a pass since I found out a couple of months ago they are based in Oakland, CA. Would be a cool place to work.


[COLOR=#red]@Nawzlew Yeah.[/COLOR]....forgot which one but it really just blew out the blacks a bit. The OG photo was pretty saturated and colored mostly in that magenta tone. I change most of the other things in VSCO anyways to accommodate each photo. So the filter might have been used as a starting point but by the end of it, it looks way different from the original.

[COLOR=#red]@TimelessFlight[/COLOR] Top one was the 24mm L and the bottom one was the 50mm L. It was shot relatively the same length even though one is closer than the other. The major difference is the background on the first has a subtle distortion (sucked in more) and the background on the second is more flat, if that makes sense. I wish I shot bette photos in N.O. Tons go great subject matter but just couldn't do both with drinking and shooting.

 

[khankussionz]

fong so whats your opinion on that 50mm now

 

[Fong$tarr]

^^^^It's ok. Seeing how I only have 2 lenses, I probably use it 30% of the time but I normally shoot just crap when I am out and street photography is till not easy for me to shoot and the wide lens helps more. But even if I had say the 85mm, I imagine I would use it only as much as well since I think it is so specialized. So I use the 50mm as my long lens for the most part. Probably would have used the 16-35mm more though but having the 50mm is still nice. It's the only lens that I have that can do a good bokeh.

 

[dunksrnice]

More from this past weekend.

A lot more on the blog

IG - @dunksrnice
www.dunksrnice.net

 

[monstar]

I use Lightroom and Photoshop and if you know where to go .... yeah.

If I'm lazy I'll just upload to my tablet and edit with VSCO or something. Sometimes a combination of LR/PS and VSCO.

Gill Baka Esq. LLC. if your not familiar with how to use lightroom or PS like me I highly recommend the lynda.com 10 day free trial they have some great vids and tutorials to help get you going

 

[Fong$tarr]

I think this is a pretty good deal for anyone starting to get into photography ($323 for the body). No one really has talk a lot about the SL1 but I think it's a great camera and it's practically a T5i/T6i but smaller. I think great for traveling if you don't want to lug tons of stuff. Only thing that's isn't that good is the video. But get this body and the new 24mm pancake and you have the one of the smallest but practical setups ever.





http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/c...-is-stm-lens-kit-refurbished?WT.mc_id=C126149

 

[TheGodFresco]

Has anyone purchased refurb cameras from Amazon? Any problems? A lot of them come with 1 year warranty from the manufacturers

 

[Fong$tarr]

One from today:

 

[dunksrnice]

Sick Fong!

--

Recent couple work, anniversary photoshoot.

More on the blog

IG - @dunksrnice
www.dunksrnice.net

 

[Fong$tarr]

^^^^Thanks buddy! How do you like that macro lens? I hated the Canon one for some reason but I'd like to get a long lens. The 135mm is a solid one.

 

[CHAOSE57]

Hey guys, I've been looking for a zoom lens as of late and I found a used Nikon 17-55 2.8 for $500 (used). It's been 5 yrs since the owner had it but he said that it's in great shape. Should I jump on it? Thanks in advance

 

[grizzlyboy]

Hey guys, I've been looking for a zoom lens as of late and I found a used Nikon 17-55 2.8 for $500 (used). It's been 5 yrs since the owner had it but he said that it's in great shape. Should I jump on it? Thanks in advance

I think used lenses are OK to buy. Especially with the protection you have. If its on eBay or where you can pay via Paypal I say do it. If its local have them meet you at a local police station or shop.