My pics are garbage! Why?

**brightseal** · 09-21-2016, 09:17 PM

Originally posted by jpzk

Then perhaps I was mistaken

No you are correct I did buy one but only recently not like back when it first came out but I never used it.

---------- Post added 09-22-16 at 00:18 ----------

Thanks everyone!

E-man · 09-21-2016, 09:36 PM - **1 Like**

This tutorial on the basics of exposure is a quick read that does a good job of concisely explaining the complex relationship between aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Mastering that, which is something I'm still working on myself, will help you get more out of your camera. Beyond the technical stuff, a lot of it is really just sort of a 'Zen' thing, becoming one with your camera and seeing the image you want in your mind's eye before you click the shutter. I know that sounds pretty hokey, but the more you shoot, the more it becomes a part of how you see the world. I lost that for several years when I stopped shooting regularly for 10 or 15 years when film was dying and I wasn't ready to make the jump to digital. Picking up my first Pentax DSLR helped bring it all back.

**brightseal** · 09-21-2016, 11:28 PM - **2 Likes**

So in the meantime after the great advice here I went and found a pic from the other day that I like. It was out of focus and useless I thought but ran it through Lr and I think its a keeper? Any thoughts?. Sorry I don't know how to make the files smaller.

Dante the Giant Belgian Horse

**clackers** · 09-22-2016, 01:12 AM - **1 Like**

Now you're talking, Donlass!

A staple of architectural photography, the fragment.

Now you've got a concept you're happy with, your next two pics can be:

1. Going back to Dante and get the keeper by nailing the focus. Bonus points if you can get a catch light in the right eye either with a lit area in that direction or an off-camera flash.

2. Do the same thing with a person.

Last edited by clackers; 09-22-2016 at 01:22 AM.

**Rondec** · 09-22-2016, 02:53 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by donlass

So in the meantime after the great advice here I went and found a pic from the other day that I like. It was out of focus and useless I thought but ran it through Lr and I think its a keeper? Any thoughts?. Sorry I don't know how to make the files smaller.

Dante the Giant Belgian Horse

I like it.

I think the most important thing is to look for light. I used to think good photographers were just good at photoshopping (which most of them are), but the reality is that if you look at a scene that is poorly lit and has low contrast, you are going to have to get creative to get good images out of it.

From a post processing standpoint, I think Nik Effects from Google is a nice add on to Lightroom and it is free -- definitely worth down loading and playing around with.

In addition, look carefully at your deleted images and figure out what went wrong and what you could do better next time. It will get better and it is an awful lot of fun learning.

Edit: The biggest thing that I think gives digital an advantage over film when it comes to improving photos is the fact that you have an EXIF. I could never remember what lens I had used when shooting film, but with digital you can see all of your settings and realize what things didn't work out.

D1N0 · 09-22-2016, 03:06 AM

You are using a macro lens for non macro shots and at high apertures. Macro lenses are too sharp for portraiture (even when it is a horse) and have boring rendering (in my opinion). Play with your depth of field. You can change aperture in p-mode with the back control wheel.

Smoke665 · 09-22-2016, 05:35 AM - **1 Like**

One thing that helped me on the K3 II, was to go into the menu and turn off all the camera extras that influence the image like highlight and shadow correction. Then to take practice shots with each one turned on, so I could actually determine what each did. Like any tool, extra features are useless unless you know how, when, and where to use them

Sagitta · 09-22-2016, 09:16 AM

As far as the advice to practice goes, I agree 110%.

As a personal example, I have somewhere around 2500 photos on my flickr stream, taken with various cameras since around 2008 or so. I tend to (usually) only post my best shots there, but ave cheated on occasion meaning probably 200 to 300 of those shots don't count.

Thats an average of about 300 per year, or a maybe one shot a week, maybe less.

Last time I checked, I cracked the 100,000 *known* impression mark in that same time period sometime last year if my math is correct. That means, I have somewhere north of 100,000 shots taken with Pentax cameras, prior to that I used a few point and shoots of various ilk and probably came close to the same total with those.

TLDR; I have about a 2% 'keeper' rate of shots I personal wowed myself with, the other 98% are either crap or just meh to me. I'm sure my *actual* keeper rate would be a lot higher if someone else were to go in and look at my stuff over the years, because I've been surprised at times when a shot I thought was so-so wound up getting raved over by people.

cpobuttons · 09-22-2016, 10:20 AM - **1 Like**

no really...and this proves bears really do...

But here are a couple of big concept items.

1. and I noticed another poster commented on flat Florida and you commented on crappy Jersey and I think to myself Connecticut is boring but we have to figure out interesting things to photograph. You have the Jersey shore...cityscapes...street...etc. also take a look at what is a couple hour drive.

2. You dont take a picture...you make a picture...some famous photographer said that and I am starting to get it...you find a subject you find interesting and then work it for the right lighting...best angle,,,elements in the composition...think out your photo.

**pepperberry farm** · 09-22-2016, 10:44 AM - **1 Like**

boring, flat, uninteresting..... good thing nobody lives out on the Midwest's prairies where there's nothing to shoot, day in/day out.....

(:

**pres589** · 09-22-2016, 11:17 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by D1N0

You are using a macro lens for non macro shots and at high apertures. Macro lenses are too sharp for portraiture (even when it is a horse) and have boring rendering (in my opinion). Play with your depth of field. You can change aperture in p-mode with the back control wheel.

I've really tried to break my thinking that my photography would be fixed with a different lens. So, while your statement has merit, what if he ran the D-FA 100WR out to f2.8 for shots like that? Should be a little more soft (okay, very slightly less like a razor) and would provide a bit of depth of field effect.

it would also allow for a minimal ISO setting. Thoughts?

**Alex645** · 09-22-2016, 11:22 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by pres589

I've really tried to break my thinking that my photography would be fixed with a different lens. So, while your statement has merit, what if he ran the D-FA 100WR out to f2.8 for shots like that? Should be a little more soft (okay, very slightly less like a razor) and would provide a bit of depth of field effect.

it would also allow for a minimal ISO setting. Thoughts?

I think finding the ideal lens in the horse example is splitting hairs (on the horse). +1 Clackers that an eye light (white reflection in the horse's eye from flash, white card, etc,) would be a nice touch and I'd also suggest a vertical orientation for a vertical object like a horse's head.

stein · 09-22-2016, 12:42 PM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by donlass

Sorry I don't know how to make the files smaller.

Download and install Fast Stone Image Viewer. It's free, really fast on any hardware even on my obsolete laptop from 2005. Follow the instructions as described:

You Tube

DeadJohn · 09-22-2016, 01:15 PM - **2 Likes**

Regarding "boring" NJ. NJ is a small enough state to get just about anywhere with a day trip (assuming you can drive). Cape May has a lighthouse, ferries, remnants of WW2 defense structures, a shipwreck. Wildwood looks like it's stuck in a time warp of 1950s hotels. Atlantic City. Newark's Branch Brook Park is great during cherry blossom season. Central NJ has a large hot air balloon festival. Bayonne to Fort Led has many good spots for sunrise/sunset photos of NYC skyline and bridges. Palisades cliffs as you head north. If you run out of places in NJ, take a trip to neighboring Philly or NYC.

**yucatanPentax** · 09-22-2016, 02:55 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by donlass

wiki article material or maybe in some catalog. Oversaturated. Would've been better maybe as a backdrop for something.

Yes, it seems oversaturated, but that's "a look" and for pop art, it is a popular look.
If you like, you could turn down the saturation a bit in LR or PS or something else.
But, honestly, it's got great colors and graphics. I'd hang it on the wall if it were mine.

(everyone has different standards - maybe I'm too low-brow? - I think it is cool. Wish I'd taken it. Don't be too hard on yourself.)

09-22-2016, 02:53 AM - 1 Like	#65
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,650	Originally posted by donlass So in the meantime after the great advice here I went and found a pic from the other day that I like. It was out of focus and useless I thought but ran it through Lr and I think its a keeper? Any thoughts?. Sorry I don't know how to make the files smaller. Dante the Giant Belgian Horse I like it. I think the most important thing is to look for light. I used to think good photographers were just good at photoshopping (which most of them are), but the reality is that if you look at a scene that is poorly lit and has low contrast, you are going to have to get creative to get good images out of it. From a post processing standpoint, I think Nik Effects from Google is a nice add on to Lightroom and it is free -- definitely worth down loading and playing around with. In addition, look carefully at your deleted images and figure out what went wrong and what you could do better next time. It will get better and it is an awful lot of fun learning. Edit: The biggest thing that I think gives digital an advantage over film when it comes to improving photos is the fact that you have an EXIF. I could never remember what lens I had used when shooting film, but with digital you can see all of your settings and realize what things didn't work out. Last edited by Rondec; 09-22-2016 at 06:18 AM.

09-22-2016, 10:20 AM - 1 Like	#69
cpobuttons Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Norwich, Ct Posts: 139	Your pictures are garbage...mine are crap... no really...and this proves bears really do... But here are a couple of big concept items. 1. and I noticed another poster commented on flat Florida and you commented on crappy Jersey and I think to myself Connecticut is boring but we have to figure out interesting things to photograph. You have the Jersey shore...cityscapes...street...etc. also take a look at what is a couple hour drive. 2. You dont take a picture...you make a picture...some famous photographer said that and I am starting to get it...you find a subject you find interesting and then work it for the right lighting...best angle,,,elements in the composition...think out your photo. Attached Images

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09-21-2016, 09:17 PM	#61
brightseal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2015 Photos: Albums Posts: 629 Original Poster	Originally posted by jpzk Then perhaps I was mistaken No you are correct I did buy one but only recently not like back when it first came out but I never used it. ---------- Post added 09-22-16 at 00:18 ---------- Thanks everyone!

09-21-2016, 09:36 PM - 1 Like	#62
E-man Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 678	This tutorial on the basics of exposure is a quick read that does a good job of concisely explaining the complex relationship between aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Mastering that, which is something I'm still working on myself, will help you get more out of your camera. Beyond the technical stuff, a lot of it is really just sort of a 'Zen' thing, becoming one with your camera and seeing the image you want in your mind's eye before you click the shutter. I know that sounds pretty hokey, but the more you shoot, the more it becomes a part of how you see the world. I lost that for several years when I stopped shooting regularly for 10 or 15 years when film was dying and I wasn't ready to make the jump to digital. Picking up my first Pentax DSLR helped bring it all back.

09-22-2016, 01:12 AM - 1 Like	#64
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	Now you're talking, Donlass! A staple of architectural photography, the fragment. Now you've got a concept you're happy with, your next two pics can be: 1. Going back to Dante and get the keeper by nailing the focus. Bonus points if you can get a catch light in the right eye either with a lit area in that direction or an off-camera flash. 2. Do the same thing with a person. Last edited by clackers; 09-22-2016 at 01:22 AM.

09-22-2016, 03:06 AM	#66
D1N0 Pentaxian Join Date: May 2012 Location: --- Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,802	You are using a macro lens for non macro shots and at high apertures. Macro lenses are too sharp for portraiture (even when it is a horse) and have boring rendering (in my opinion). Play with your depth of field. You can change aperture in p-mode with the back control wheel.

09-22-2016, 05:35 AM - 1 Like	#67
Smoke665 Senior Member Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 249	One thing that helped me on the K3 II, was to go into the menu and turn off all the camera extras that influence the image like highlight and shadow correction. Then to take practice shots with each one turned on, so I could actually determine what each did. Like any tool, extra features are useless unless you know how, when, and where to use them

09-22-2016, 09:16 AM	#68
Sagitta Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Maine Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,081	As far as the advice to practice goes, I agree 110%. As a personal example, I have somewhere around 2500 photos on my flickr stream, taken with various cameras since around 2008 or so. I tend to (usually) only post my best shots there, but ave cheated on occasion meaning probably 200 to 300 of those shots don't count. Thats an average of about 300 per year, or a maybe one shot a week, maybe less. Last time I checked, I cracked the 100,000 known impression mark in that same time period sometime last year if my math is correct. That means, I have somewhere north of 100,000 shots taken with Pentax cameras, prior to that I used a few point and shoots of various ilk and probably came close to the same total with those. TLDR; I have about a 2% 'keeper' rate of shots I personal wowed myself with, the other 98% are either crap or just meh to me. I'm sure my actual keeper rate would be a lot higher if someone else were to go in and look at my stuff over the years, because I've been surprised at times when a shot I thought was so-so wound up getting raved over by people.

09-22-2016, 10:44 AM - 1 Like	#70
pepperberry farm amateur dirt farmer Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: probably out in a field somewhere... Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 41,656	boring, flat, uninteresting..... good thing nobody lives out on the Midwest's prairies where there's nothing to shoot, day in/day out..... (:

09-22-2016, 11:17 AM - 1 Like	#71
pres589 Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Wichita, KS Photos: Albums Posts: 4,529	Originally posted by D1N0 You are using a macro lens for non macro shots and at high apertures. Macro lenses are too sharp for portraiture (even when it is a horse) and have boring rendering (in my opinion). Play with your depth of field. You can change aperture in p-mode with the back control wheel. I've really tried to break my thinking that my photography would be fixed with a different lens. So, while your statement has merit, what if he ran the D-FA 100WR out to f2.8 for shots like that? Should be a little more soft (okay, very slightly less like a razor) and would provide a bit of depth of field effect. it would also allow for a minimal ISO setting. Thoughts?

09-22-2016, 11:22 AM - 1 Like	#72
Alex645 Site Supporter Join Date: May 2015 Location: Kaneohe, HI Photos: Albums Posts: 3,526	Originally posted by pres589 I've really tried to break my thinking that my photography would be fixed with a different lens. So, while your statement has merit, what if he ran the D-FA 100WR out to f2.8 for shots like that? Should be a little more soft (okay, very slightly less like a razor) and would provide a bit of depth of field effect. it would also allow for a minimal ISO setting. Thoughts? I think finding the ideal lens in the horse example is splitting hairs (on the horse). +1 Clackers that an eye light (white reflection in the horse's eye from flash, white card, etc,) would be a nice touch and I'd also suggest a vertical orientation for a vertical object like a horse's head.

09-22-2016, 01:15 PM - 2 Likes	#74
DeadJohn Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: New York Posts: 4,833	Regarding "boring" NJ. NJ is a small enough state to get just about anywhere with a day trip (assuming you can drive). Cape May has a lighthouse, ferries, remnants of WW2 defense structures, a shipwreck. Wildwood looks like it's stuck in a time warp of 1950s hotels. Atlantic City. Newark's Branch Brook Park is great during cherry blossom season. Central NJ has a large hot air balloon festival. Bayonne to Fort Led has many good spots for sunrise/sunset photos of NYC skyline and bridges. Palisades cliffs as you head north. If you run out of places in NJ, take a trip to neighboring Philly or NYC.

09-22-2016, 02:55 PM - 1 Like	#75
yucatanPentax Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Dallas / Yucatan Posts: 1,839	Originally posted by donlass wiki article material or maybe in some catalog. Oversaturated. Would've been better maybe as a backdrop for something. Yes, it seems oversaturated, but that's "a look" and for pop art, it is a popular look. If you like, you could turn down the saturation a bit in LR or PS or something else. But, honestly, it's got great colors and graphics. I'd hang it on the wall if it were mine. (everyone has different standards - maybe I'm too low-brow? - I think it is cool. Wish I'd taken it. Don't be too hard on yourself.)

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