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09-28-2007, 03:37 PM   #31
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I suck, was Robert Cappa not Frank (although who knows, maybe he had a brother called Frank who gave him that advice

09-28-2007, 10:24 PM   #32
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See... this is what I love about Aussies :)

Hi Grant. I might be coming to QLD soon (my employer's relocating me to Oz). I certainly hope all Queenslanders are as open as you are. Thank you so much for the useful information in your post.

QuoteOriginally posted by GWP Quote
pay attention to focus, a number of your shots are just a little off with focus. Check that your diopter is set to your eye sight and be sure what is your point of focus when composing your shot. Learn about depth of field.
I'm going to look closely at my shots again. Can you maybe point out which shot seems out of focus? Wonder if I might have inadvertently played around with the diopter setting.

QuoteOriginally posted by GWP Quote
When I started out I initially would set the camera to 'P' to get a light reading and then experiment from that point.
I have stayed away from P myself... but maybe I ought to experiment with it. I started out doing everything in Av mode, but now find that M is more versatile.

QuoteOriginally posted by GWP Quote
My father-in-law IS a pro (and a damned good one) and he gave me a very simple 'rule of thumb' years ago...he maintained that the 'best shot' would come from f8 & 1/125 to 1/250...so I try and keep as close to this as possible. His reasoning was that any lens is at its best at f8, something often repeated on this forum by other pro's, and that anything slower than 1/125 required a tripod.
This sounds like awesome advice. I'm definitely going to give this a shot.

QuoteOriginally posted by GWP Quote
Composition is something I can not help you with, as every person will see something differently, what you may see as appealing and interesting... the person alongside you yawns at.
What is important, in my humble opinion, is that you capture what YOU see, if you can make yourself happy, the rest of 'em can go jump.


QuoteOriginally posted by GWP Quote
A good learning reference is the book that came with camera, sit down on a quiet morning with the book and the camera, and go through it page by page, referring immediately to the camera.
Well, after I fell asleep reading the manual on day 1 (woke up at 2am and found myself still sitting at the kitchen table), I went out and bought the Magic Lantern Guide for the K100D. Put all the camera's features into perspective for me.

Thanks again.
09-29-2007, 06:21 AM   #33
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QuoteOriginally posted by Bramela Quote
I
Only thing I would add, and of course, I dont know the circumstances at the time, but taking photos through the windscreen of the car is very restrictive. Every mark etc on the windscreen shows up as well. I wouldn't recommend this too often.
Would you believe that the vast majority of my photos are shot through a windshield? Not the vast majority of what I make public, perhaps, but of the total. Almost all of my shots were taken from the driver's seat of my truck. When possible, I prefer shooting out the open window, but that isn't always possible.

With that style of shooting, as you indicate it is very restrictive and it is very important to keep the windshield clean. At certain times of day and driving in certain directions relative to the sunlight, it can become practically impossible, no matter how clean the glass is. Of course, if one merely wishes to grab a shot to document a scene, it is always possible. But if going for a nice photograph, sometimes you just have to lose the opportunity due to glare and reflections on the glass. I have learned to maximize my opportunities by being careful about my positioning as I pull to a stop. Trying to stop with the front of my truck in the shadow of another truck to the front of me, or in the shadow of a building, billboard, or any other such thing is all it takes to perfectly kill the reflections and glare. Not always available, of course, but if one proposes to do much shooting from a vehicle then one has to at all times be aware of positioning to maximize opportunities. Another very important thing is to be aware of how items inside a vehicle reflect in the windshield. I have had to move some items around so that their reflection is very low on the glass and therefore out of the way of shooting. And sometimes I find it helpful to spread a dark colored hand towel over items that negatively reflect in the glass and can't be relocated. There is lots one can do to maximize the chances of success for shooting while inside a vehicle, but like any other aspect of our hobby, the more forethought and preparation one puts into it the greater will be the degree of success.
09-29-2007, 07:25 PM   #34
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You know what I love about this forum? It is so supportive - I have just been reading this whole thread, having been off for several days PP-ing seventeen zillion pictures taken of my daughter's Graduation week (didn't realise how damn spotty so many of her friends are!!! :-) ) and I haven't anything extra to add to what has been said above, but I do want to say that I really just love the way everyone is able to offer suggestions in a positive and affirming manner. You guys are just great.

What I can add to zoomzoomfan is a suggestion that you post your original shot and/or some others for some constructive criticism. You've seen from the above that the people on this forum will not say negative, nasty things, (and, frankly, I think your "buddy's" comment comes pretty close to that!) and if they can give you real, useful pointers for ways you might try to improve your work, they will. They'll bend over backwards to do it, too. WMPB might be a speed typist but it still must have taken him some time, thought and effort to post his thoughtful, helpful comment. Use the expertise available on this forum to help you develop and grow - I have found what's been said in this and other threads very useful.

So thank you all... and, zoomzoom... what about that post??

Later: sorry, I didn't read the second page! I have now found your link and I agree, there is nothing wrong with your photographic technique (AND you have a really cute family!!) But the good things is, you're going to get even better as you practise. Enjoy the shots you're taking now, and keep them safe somewhere (at least the ones of your family!) and have fun while you learn to take even better shots. Incidentally, I really like the wet car idea.

My piece of advice as regards composition is something that I read or heard ages ago: ask yourself before you press the shutter, "WHAT EXACTLY am I photographing?" and make sure you just photograph THAT. Don't try to squeeze anything else in as well. Not that I think you particularly need that advice - you do a pretty good job of getting in close to your subject.


Last edited by Mandi; 09-29-2007 at 07:36 PM. Reason: Didn't read second page of thread
09-29-2007, 08:04 PM   #35
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Hi Zoomzoom,
Thankyou.......you are welcome.

If you get to Qld drop me a line at grantleyp@hotmail.com and we will organise a meeting.

Guess we will have to teach you about Aussie Rules Footy, meat pies and Holdens.

You mentioned about shooting towards the sun, one thing i found useful was using P mode, check your light values / readings by pointing your camera at the brightest points in the shot and then the dullest, note carefully what is going on with shutter speed and aperture.....then you got to think about exactly what it is you are photographing (to quote Mandi, who is spot on), and make some judgements yourself on what settings you will use.

Remember, I primarily use P as a "light meter" and then make my own call....with my father-in-law's advice in mind....doesn't always work, but its a starting point.
Cheers
Grant

PS: Focus: Nothing actually "out of focus" as such. In some shots I found I was searching for the focus point, it was always there, but perhaps not where you would expect at a first glance. May have more to do with depth of field than anything.

Last edited by Mallee Boy; 09-29-2007 at 08:11 PM. Reason: see PS
09-30-2007, 01:21 AM   #36
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QuoteOriginally posted by GWP Quote
Hi Zoomzoom,
Thankyou.......you are welcome.

If you get to Qld drop me a line at grantleyp@hotmail.com and we will organise a meeting.

Guess we will have to teach you about Aussie Rules Footy, meat pies and Holdens.
Thanks Grant. I've stored your email address in my contact list. I'll definitely try to get in touch once I'm in your neck of the woods.

Thanks again.

Haroon
09-30-2007, 03:14 AM   #37
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Hi,

Everyone does when they start. then you see even those you thought was good early on, aren't that good

but plenty of pros dont have high keeper rates. I was told (dont know if true) ansel adams was pleased if got 1-2 great shots a month. I met a guy who professionally specialised in macro, he said he worked on getting less than 5% keepers and only a few % as pro quality. Yuri Acurs (in the top few % of micro stock shooters worldwide and earning over US$250k+ per year stated the other day he works only 3-4% of shots being suitable and high enough quality for stock)

Also depends on what you are after, I have some (note: some) very special shots that photographically are hard to critise. My 'favourites' though are often garbage photographically but I love them because they remind of special times and people.

Phil


Last edited by philmorley; 09-30-2007 at 03:31 AM.
09-30-2007, 03:26 AM   #38
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I have a look at some of the photos, is it me or did I detected that in IMGP0619 shows that the red-pillar thingy outside the airfield seem to be more in focus as compared to the airplane? Some of the fences in other shots seem to be also more in focus as well?

U might want to zoom into the picture (not pixel peeping) to see if the object you are focusing are in fact sharp. The photos on flickr are 1024x768 and it is kinda difficult to tell.

I hope I am wrong. I also hope this is not a case of front-focusing problem as currently experienced by my k100D. Pentax service confirmed so and is fixing it now.

p.s. from what I can see in your photo album, i think your shots are fine! I wouldn't call them sucks in any way.

Last edited by raider; 09-30-2007 at 05:06 AM.
09-30-2007, 09:29 AM   #39
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QuoteOriginally posted by zoomzoomfan Quote

gdoan... yes, M6C member for 3 years now with 3000 useless posts on record

Are you over there too?

Thanks again for the comments.

Yesh, i'm a noob on that site, with the same user account. I had made a comment in your DSLR thread and posted alink to this forum haha
09-30-2007, 10:55 AM   #40
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You suck? Ha - I suck! I just picked up a roll of B&W film I shot through my ME Super and out of the 36 pictures there are 2 usable pictures!

It just reaffirmed my continued commitment to digital SLR photography. At least I can delete the duds before anyone sees them. I still have fun in spite of my lack of ability.
10-01-2007, 04:45 AM   #41
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About framing shots and picking interesting points.

QuoteOriginally posted by zoomzoomfan Quote
I just don't understand what to place in a pic, or what to subtract. To me everything looks good, so I try to capture it all.
We all know the feeling. The problem really lies in that you, while being there in person, can see behind the shot, so to speak. Others look at one static frame, but at the time of shooting you see not only what's left out of the frame but you have seen what happened before and how the scene turned interesting. For example, when you show me a picture of a dog wagging its tail, it's just that for me - a dog in the grass. But for you it is your trusty old friend on beautiful meadow, who just performed an amazing trick you've been teaching him for past six months. Of course you want to share it with us, but we don't have the surroundings and the history of that shot for help. We can only form our opinion from what we see in the photo.

The trick is to compose the shot so that it contains that "something" which will convey the emotion. Since we can't see outside the borders, you have bring something in the picture to our attention and tell the story with the help of perspective, focus, lighting...

To illustrate the point, look at these two shots. These are not mine, these are random pics from Flickr. I link to their respective pages as well.

First, here is the dog and the grass. This is how most of us would shoot. Few moments before the dog was wading through grass, it must have been nice sight.



But, here's another dog in the grass. Same subject but very different photo.



Can you guess, which one speaks to me more? Which one makes me smile and say "I wish I would've taken that!"?

Of course, it is not always possible to spend time planning and framing, sometimes you just have to take the snap before the situation passes. But with enough practice you start automatically placing yourself to get not only clean shot but also an interesting one. But the time you pick up the camera and turn it on, your brain has already calculated the best line of shooting, possible framing and your other hand has already turned zoom ring for approximate distance.

But you can't acquire all that just in one afternoon. Just start taking buckload of pics in various conditions and see what works best for you. Don't do just one snap of your dog, do six snaps. Stand, crouch, lie down on the ground with him. Do a wide angle, do a tele. Do landspace, do portrait. Try until you find that particular angle that works for that particular subject. To me majority of the boring photos I've ever seen have been taken from the eye level of a standing adult...

Last edited by aabram; 10-01-2007 at 06:19 AM.
10-01-2007, 05:31 AM   #42
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Great examples!!!! ....and of course now I am wishing the grass wasn't wet outside right now
10-01-2007, 06:07 AM   #43
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QuoteOriginally posted by zoomzoomfan Quote
Two weeks into owning my first DSLR... a K100D.

I've probably taken about 300 shots so far. I'd say about 80% of them suck. And I'm not being modest either.

I showed a shot to a buddy, that I thought was just awesome... the reaction: "So? Nothing spectacular about this pic..."

TIA
Only 80% of them suck? You're doing a lot better than I did when I got my first DSLR. About 95% of mine sucked.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What one person thinks to be not spectacular may have quite an "awe" factor to someone else.

A really good book that will help you is "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. Even with what you will learn from that book, or any other book, trial and error is the best method to sharpen your skills. After all, 6MP, shooting .jpeg, will get you in the neighborhood of 700 shots and since it doesn't cost you anything to experiment with exposure and compostion except your time.

I am an easily discouraged person and photography doesn't come easy but I figure if I take enough photos, I'm bound to get some good ones.

Hang in there.
10-01-2007, 10:56 AM   #44
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QuoteOriginally posted by EddyinGA Quote
A really good book that will help you is "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. Even with what you will learn from that book, or any other book, trial and error is the best method to sharpen your skills. After all, 6MP, shooting .jpeg, will get you in the neighborhood of 700 shots and since it doesn't cost you anything to experiment with exposure and compostion except your time.
I agree here, also practice makes perfect, but the best is to experiment and find the shots that YOU like.
your shots are not bad, but exploring different techniques will open up a whole world of different perspectives for you.

GL man
10-02-2007, 05:58 AM   #45
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QuoteOriginally posted by EddyinGA Quote
Only 80% of them suck? You're doing a lot better than I did when I got my first DSLR. About 95% of mine sucked.
Today I did some quick math and noticed that out of about 12,000 shots from the K100D so far, I have made public just under 200 of them. And with the benefit of hindsight I can look back and see that probably about 1/3 of them really shouldn't have been made public.

That means that about 1% were worth showing to anybody.

And, in all candor, that ain't bad.
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