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Through the Looking Glass [PHOTO THREAD]
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Pil, I really like that panorama. The sign in the foreground kind of clutters it up a bit, but I like how the streets on either side of the building give it a feel of symmetry.
Edit: Ooo, and I just noticed those mountains on the left side too. Nice.
Sorry, I don't know if these images will work. It's my first post.
Under 1000?
My Nikon D40 cost 500. Entry-level dSLRs are CHEAP compared to yesteryear.
And if you want to stay in the point and shoot range, then a new one that's not too expensive is easy to find as well.
Do tell. Please.
There wasn't much to that one, I just liked the textures.
A couple from a trip to NYC:
The last, "Imagine," is my favorite. Were the flowers done by you, or did you find them like that? My one comment is that the dynamic range is a bit narrow -- everything is a midtone, very few highlights or shadows.
Good work!
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Also,
I really enjoy this too, my only complaint would be that I would like to see the guy throwing the rock in focus as well. You may have been trying to get the audience to focus on the rock splashes (which are awesome), but for some reason I just feel like the shot would be better if you had the entire frame in focus...I dunno, for some reason I always feel that way with action shots.
tl;dr: Trying out this photography thing for the first time. I probably suck, so tell me why and hopefully I can learn from it!
my flickr
2: Nothing of interest
3: Getting Warmer
4: Very Nice, a good focus on a subject. A lot of your other work is showing me that you're looking for something to shoot. This one tells me that you've shot something.
5: Very interesting. I'd have liked a little more detail out of the black and white, but you'll be able to capture more as you progress. It works as it is.
6: Nothing
7: You're getting colder. It's a decent shot but I don't find it interesting. A lot of the texture and ruggedness and time-worn quality of the boxes is washed out by overexposure.
8: And we're back to nothing of interest.
Alright, a couple of things I noticed: you still need to work on exposing your shots properly. With film this will come in time, though it's going to be a bit of a slower climb seeing as how you'll have to stop and develop and look and shoot and stop and develop and look. This is one of those places where digital has an advantage, though most of the techniques you're working with right now in film will be applicable if you go digital, and will probably make you a better photographer, with a keener eye for lighting and a better grasp of careful composition, once you've got it down.
Nearly all of your photographs were taken from below the subject, and, if they were not, almost all of them make an effort to lead the eye from the bottom of the frame to the top of the frame. There's nothing inherently wrong with shooting from that perspective, but I'd encourage you to vary what you're doing and not get stuck in a rut.
Everything you've shown us is inanimate. There's no life in any of these pictures save for plants which, for all intents and purposes presented in this little critique, are rather lifeless. Taking shots of objects is one thing that will only get you so far. Shooting animals, people, movement, vehicles, things with life and vibrance will force you to use the knowledge you've gained much more quickly and will present the next step in the logical progression of subject challenge. There's an incredible depth in light, even in shades of gray, make sure to take advantage of it.
This series of photographs leads me to believe (and this is speculation, though I feel I am not too far off target) that you're a very cautious photographer, unsure of yourself, and not entirely comfortable with the looks you get from people who notice that camera hanging around your neck. No one photograph makes me think this, but the series as a whole and the juxtaposition of the presentation certainly does.
So let me tell you something: You have every reason to have confidence. You're a good photographer. What you've shown us is promising and I think you're well on your way to doing very impressive things. So, get on with your photography boot camp, grasp the basics, have confidence, get out there and shoot life and show us something we may go our whole lives without ever seeing if you weren't there to capture it.
Ryan M Long Photography
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Thunder, I think number 5 is my favourite, but I also like number 6. It might benefit from a tighter crop though, maybe leaving out the building on the right. I'm very much a novice myself, however, so take that with a grain of salt.
Guys, if I save my poor student budget by buying the Canon 50mm 1.8 instead of the Sigma 30mm 1.4 will it make me a terrible person who will never take a single decent picture as I travel across Europe or will it be okay? Because I actually feel terrible for not feeling able to spend the money, I had my heart set on it previously... All low light and fast focus and such... I mean, I could afford it, but at the expense of a lot... ARGH I'm just venting here ignore me
No! You can take fine pictures with any lens. You can take great pictures with any lens that has decent optics. The 50/1.8 has terrific optics. It's sharp and the colors are rich. It doesn't suffer from color aberration or vignetting.
The 50mm focal length will give you different options than the 30mm and that's true whether you're shooting on a crop body or a full-frame sensor. It's going to put you closer to your subjects. In an urban setting that could be frustrating (hard to get a wide angle shot inside a pub, for instance). But for street shooting it would mean standing a bit further back to get effectively the same shot as the 30mm. And in the countryside it might even be to your advantage depending on what your subject is.
The 1.8 aperture is smaller than the 1.4, but both are pretty dang wide. The 1.4 will give you even faster shutter speeds in low-light conditions and will give you even more bokeh-blur on closeups than the 1.8. But the 1.8 is still wide.
I am sure the 30/1.4 is "superior" in that it's wider and faster and those differences will be most noteworthy indoors where light is low and subjects are close. But I love my 50/1.8.
I don't really go for urban/street shooting (mainly because I live far from downtown and never make the time, and the suburbs are SO uninteresting where I am), but here are some samples from my 50mm. I tried to keep them varied in subject and shooting distance.
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i105/e--p/Misc/_MG_2982.jpg
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i105/e--p/Misc/_MG_3133.jpg
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i105/e--p/Portraits/IMG_0346.jpg
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i105/e--p/Other%20Nature/IMG_2887.jpg
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i105/e--p/Other%20Nature/IMG_1884.jpg
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i105/e--p/365/IMG_4657.jpg
EDIT: Here are some flickr shots using 50mm focal length, this can show more urban style since my own shots lack that:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/moaan/238053059/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepretender/113701521/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaanclaveria/637050639/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/manganite/2070214515/meta/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/devtank/1124750994/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/carpeicthus/17796498/meta/
My Website | My "photo-a-day" 2010
I haven't used the Sigma but I own the Canon and must say that it is a hell of a lens for the small price tag it has.
I need to get on actually posting pictures for critique in this thread. I'm usually just admiring everyone's pictures as I'm at work and then forget to post something when I get home.
I am in need of some advice if someone wouldn't mind helping out since you all always seem to have some great advice. My mom's getting married this weekend and I must be crazy as I agreed to do the photography. The problem is, is that this is the most disorganized wedding ever. A friend of mine let me borrow:
- Nikon D70s, Nikon D2Xs, SB-800 speedlight, Lenses: Nikon 70-200MM f/2.8 VR, Nikon 17-35mm f/2.8, Nikon 50mm f/1.8. I have my XT as a backup if all else fails.
It's an outdoor wedding/reception, with a renaissance theme. The weather is going to be sunny, around 31C and of course at midday (Why does it ALWAYS have to be midday sun). They have an outdoor tent but I've read that can make matters worse as everyone ends up looking like they are in a big white cave in photos.
Since my mom hasn't given me any direction on what she is looking for despite being asked I'm thinking of just taking the wedding in a photojournalism style. Since I haven never shot a wedding before catching natural moments would be easier as I'm not sure how to get people to pose properly and all that other fun stuff of a traditional shoot. Would you guys say this is the best course of action?
I'm also aware they are going to want some group shots. Should I have them stand under some shade and use the flash as fill? I wanted to get some off flash strobist (stands, umbrellas and the like) stuff but wasn't given the needed time to be able to order and insure the stuff arrived in time. I found a way to make a fairly inexpensive reflector and stand and was thinking that might be better to use for more natural light. What do you guys think?
Sorry for just barging in with these questions. I'm just very nervous since it's her big day and want to make sure the photos come out nice.
1. Go to the site in advance at the same time of day and shoot a bunch of practice shots. Bring a friend with a white shirt and practice exposure, etc.
2. I've read that shade and fill (flash with diffuser ... use a papertowel rubber banded onto the flash maybe - or a white reflector instead of flash, a piece of white posterboard to get some fill light can work) is superior.
3. If it's midday then you're not gonna be able to cover the total tonal range, so try to not include the sky. That way you can expose the foreground and not have a blown-out white sky.
4. Practice both #2 and #3 in advance!
5. Shooting from a slightly upwards position (stand on a step stool?) makes people look up a little and that stretches their necks, this can remove double-chins and some wrinkles which can be helpful with the parents etc.
That's all the advice I've read that I can regurgitate. Good luck!
I know a couple peeps here have shot weddings (at least one in the last 3 or 4 months) so maybe they can chime in with their actual experiences.
My Website | My "photo-a-day" 2010
Thanks for the reply! I didn't even think of the 5th point there, that sounds like a really good idea. I really want to do point 1 as well, although I do not believe the dress is white, the having a friend come along with a white shirt is such a simple yet awesome idea to practice exposure.
Hopefully it's sunny tomorrow so I can practice 2 and 3 (it's been overcast all week). I hope my girlfriend doesn't get fed up with me using her as my test subject! ...That sounds much dirtier then intended.
pfffft.
I just loves me my 50/1.8. I once argued (and lost?) that it's a fine lens for 'landscape' photography. It's just all around badass. And the pricetag!
My Website | My "photo-a-day" 2010
Remember that the SB-800 is going to be incredibly versatile due to being capable of off-camera usage. Also, what do you have in the way of filters? Some neutral density, circular polarizer, and maybe even a blue-yellow filter to warm up tones, might be a worthwhile tool. Filters tend to help make the most of bad lighting. Good lighting is better, but that's not exactly your choice.
Ryan M Long Photography
Buy my Prints!
Thanks so much for the feedback. You really hit the nail on the head as far as me being a tad uncomfortable walking around and shooting, so that's something that I just need to get over. I didn't even notice how pretty much all of my shots are taken at an upward angle, which I guess would be interesting if it wasn't in every picture.
As far as capturing motion goes, I'm a bit clueless as to how to go about it. I'm using a Nikon N80 with a 24-120mm lens. The shutter speed goes up to 4000, but would it not be somewhat bland looking to just have a freeze frame image? I tried setting my shutter speed to 100 and panning with some passing cars, but the results were definitely not something I'd show to anyone. Is there any ideal way to get started with capturing motion?
my flickr
All I have are a couple of Circular polarizers, good call in looking into different filters.
What exactly was wrong with the results? How long was your focal length? The rule of thumb with shutter speeds is that your shutter speed should match your focal length to avoid camera shake. I know there are exceptions, which is
why it's a rule of thumb.
If you're going to shoot a car in motion, I'd say you should ratchet up the shutter speed, use quick film (your choice really, but we want some speed here), basically a couple of shutter speed stops above your camera shake threshold without underexposing, and then try panning along as it drives; this should freeze the subject and blur the background, giving you motion in the picture. You're right, just freezing a subject is boring, but having too low of a shutter speed will cause you to wiggle while shooting and nothing will be in focus.
e: try shooting at 35 mm at a shutter speed of 80, 50 with a speed of 100, 75mm with speed of 200 and 120 at 500. I'm not sure what results you're looking for, but be sure to experiment.
Ryan M Long Photography
Buy my Prints!
Only the first one had to be a self portrait, But I didnt feel like securing models for the other shots (since its summer, and like everyone is gone)
Here's some shots I've done recently.
Two shots of St Nicholas, Greek Orthodox Church
Token Flower Shot
Nothing interesting about this shot, and it's crooked...reminded me of the film, and ironically was found on the door of a hospital.
Chevy BelAir, the car as a whole was pretty worn and beaten up, this corner of it showed the least of it.
The last one is pretty nice, but what is up with the dark halo around the flower?
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I'm out of town until the middle of next week so I don't have Lightroom in front of me, but there's some pretty good documentation on the Adobe site: Overview and Creating Web Gallaries. Let me know if you still need help after that.
Sublimus, I kinda like that third shot, but it feels slightly over photoshoped rather than old film which is think is the look you were going for. Also, the slanted horizon I don't think contributes anything to the shot.
Earl, I want to like that second shot but it just feels like a lot of empty space. Perhaps if it was taken closer to the tower? Token Flower Shot is just that: calm, smooth, but a bit over done. I like that you went sepia rather than black and white though. The smoking sign is kinda cool. I guess the "not" just rubbed off? Unfortunate that you couldn't let the picture tell that it was at a hospital. Now that would have been awesome. You did a pretty good job of hiding the "broken" with that Bel Air shot. I like it.
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Probably due to just not paying enough attention to the picture during post. Probably best not to juggle my shots with other stuff during my work day.
Anable - yeah, the smoking sign just happened to be at the hospital, but there were no identifying marks I could include in the shot that would give you that information.
MKR - That...is...nasty
Pilcrow - Nice shot, I think I would've liked it cropped so that the feather took up the majority of the shot
I was the other one arguing, and I'd still say the 1.8/4 are both great lenses. The 1.4 is the cheapest lens I own, but it probably spends more time on my camera than any other, and is my default walkabout lens.
just don't take it as your only lens, or you'll kick yourself when you want to capture a full landscape. Here's some shots on the 1.4, all taken whilst camping in the lake district.
Sublimus: everything is leaning on that last shot with the bike...
I disagree!
I think the composition is excellent, Pil.
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Yeah, I'm with Sheri on this. Excellent shot!
Two recent shots from me. Neither are among my favorites, but I like each. In the second one that's a bug's butt as it dug deeper and deeper into the cactus flower.
Feedback's always cool.
My Website | My "photo-a-day" 2010
The bug one...well. Eh. :P
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