I do the breathe out and click which is the same thing you do when firing a rifle. One thing he didn't mention is that I think you are supposed to do the *click* a little bit before you run out of breath and have to breathe in. This isn't a forceful breathing out just a very shallow calm exhale. I have another technique I use which will probably only work for skinny people but i basically rest my right elbow on my right hip* and bring my arm up against my chest with my hand going up from the hip to my face so the camera is right there. I find I can shoot about 1/20-1/30th with my 50mm with this technique pretty well.
Edit:
*I am actually pushing my elbow in so I'm moving some muscle/fat what have you above the hip bone so I can get something solid for my eblow to rest on.
Also if you are able to sit down you can use your knees as a tripod and rest your camera on top of that and get some more speed out of it. Another helpful tip is to put the camera on multishot instead of single shot so if you hold down the shutter button it keeps taking pictures till you let up. The reason for this is the motion of pressing the shutter button moves the camera a little bit and if you take 2-3 pictures the 2nd and 3rd picture will almost always be sharper than the 1st. This technique is called "chirping" IIRC.
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
muninn: That shot is awesome. It feels like a real place... if that means anything. It also reminds me of Condemned for some reason... man, anyone remember those games?
and uncle long: Oh, man, have I wanted to shoot daylight with long exposures. What's it like? I've heard (apart from rivers/running water) that the best subjects to go for with a ND filter in daylight are fields of wheat, or similar things. It makes them look really cool... I can't remember where I saw it, but I remember seeing a picture of a busted tractor in the middle of a wheat field that was taken with and ND and it was brilliant.
Seriously, great use of available light. Good comp. too, don't think it would have hurt to have her a little more centered but that's being really picky. Great shot.
I went to my friends wedding on the weekend. There were actually a number of pros there just from friends (lucky couple!). I took some too. I haven't had time to do any post yet, but here is one of my favorite shots from MUCH later in the night (very happy I could even take a straight shot at that point!)
Seriously, great use of available light. Good comp. too, don't think it would have hurt to have her a little more centered but that's being really picky. Great shot.
I love that photo. I don't think she needs to be any more centered, but it would help if it was a bit smaller and didn't break my h-scroll at home. It is a bit grainy/ iso noisy but that is to be expected in that kind of light.
Kajed: well she just looks like a little hussy with her straw...and crown.....and fruit drink.
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
Reflection of a glass on a glass coffee table. I love macro photography! So many everyday objects you wouldn't really think of can be a subject to photograph, and get interesting results from.
Rohan on
...and I thought of how all those people died, and what a good death that is. That nobody can blame you for it, because everyone else died along with you, and it is the fault of none, save those who did the killing.
I wouldn't call that interesting I would call it cluttered. If you really like the reflection you should try and seperate it from all the other stuff in the photo. For example you should probably move the object that is being reflected so it isn't near that bar or the wood edge. Then you could throw a black sheet or poster underneath the table so you get more contrast between the reflection and the ground / carpet. As it stands now the rest of the scene is too bright compared to the reflection and there is just so much superfluous stuff that adds nothing to the intended subject.
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
Jake I like the 1st and 3rd photo but they both suffer from the usual pollution problem. It is a matter of preference but I would probably bump the contrast through curves or levels on those portions of the photo and use a mask. On second thought I'm not sure if that would benefit the 3rd photo as much since the tree stands out more against the hazy background.
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
Jake I like the 1st and 3rd photo but they both suffer from the usual pollution problem. It is a matter of preference but I would probably bump the contrast through curves or levels on those portions of the photo and use a mask. On second thought I'm not sure if that would benefit the 3rd photo as much since the tree stands out more against the hazy background.
While I definitely agree with you on #3, it looks like he's already boosted #1. That and I honestly really like the sorta washed out look of #1 anyways, any more washed out and I probably wouldn't. But I think it would look to wonky boosted more. I'unno... I'm lovin' #1.
Thanks dudes. Also, the reason why the light post had to be in frame was because it was my only light source. Had we moved over a little ways, it would have been entirely backlit, and I didn't want to crank the iso any higher. I love night shots, and the 5D2 is letting me take more of them. I apologize if the flash is too noticeable in the second one, but it was the only way I was able to get decent definition with her, I hate how it separates her so blatantly, though. Best viewed large, too.
fake edit: I know the first one is blurry. It was the only good one out of the set, so I used it.
Rohan: I agree with cow, even though he's being blunt as usual
Oh, I agree with both of you. It's too cluttered and could be great if I shot it again under the conditions Cow spoke about, but I'm not very interested in doing that. I was just playing around with my camera as usual and it was one of the more interesting shots from my perspective.
Rohan on
...and I thought of how all those people died, and what a good death that is. That nobody can blame you for it, because everyone else died along with you, and it is the fault of none, save those who did the killing.
So right now I have a Nikon D40 with an SB-600 and a clear Lightsphere II diffuser.
Anyone want to recommend an inexpensive lighting setup for doing occasional portraits? Should I use the Cactus V4's, or an optical slave?
cactus....I haven't heard very many good things about the "peanut" optical slaves.
So which flashes should I get to go on the triggers?
If you are going cheap I would see if you could find an sb-24 for 100-120 dollars but that isn't likely so I would try the lumpro flash from mpex.com. I bought one of those to replace my vivtar 285hv which is a piece of shit.
The sb-24 is somewhere between a stop and 2 stops more powerful than the lumpro but the lumpro has SIMPLE connections on it like both the pc-sync and 3.5mm and an optical slave built in.
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
rat: the composition and colour of the top one is at least a league above the other two imo.
Does anyone have a fast lens around 28-35mm? I'm looking to pick one up for a 5D. I've seen good reviews of a few sigma lenses, and of course there's the 35mmL.
I am convinced that the 35mm f/1.4L can not take a bad photo.
Well, I know, of course it can, but it's ridiculously good. I know someone who uses it pretty much exclusively on their 5D. It's brilliant.
Preview photo from the wedding I did this past weekend.
I think you may have benefited from a lower aperture. The bride's face is slightly out of focus, but not enough to make it look like you're doing it on purpose, and the dress overexposed, losing detail. The angle and composition is also a little off putting, but I'm not sure why.
Believe me, if I could have used a lower aperture I would have. Kit zoom lens ftl. But yeah I tried to fake not having the aperture I wanted. I like it either way.
projectmayhem: I think I can see what you were trying to do, but the out-of-focus areas lead the viewer's eye straight toward the focused areas, which, in this situation, is the bride's chest. The color in those flowers is beautiful though!
I've been reading these boards for years, but never really post anything. Recently bought my first dSLR and started playing around with it. Like so many others before me, I have found our cats to be good accessible models to get me started on my learning curve...
Posts
Edit:
*I am actually pushing my elbow in so I'm moving some muscle/fat what have you above the hip bone so I can get something solid for my eblow to rest on.
Also if you are able to sit down you can use your knees as a tripod and rest your camera on top of that and get some more speed out of it. Another helpful tip is to put the camera on multishot instead of single shot so if you hold down the shutter button it keeps taking pictures till you let up. The reason for this is the motion of pressing the shutter button moves the camera a little bit and if you take 2-3 pictures the 2nd and 3rd picture will almost always be sharper than the 1st. This technique is called "chirping" IIRC.
Don't worry, I won't float burned corpses onto the internet.
Here's some more pleasant material I captured while testing out my new ND filter.
Ryan M Long Photography
Buy my Prints!
Not a great photo, but I'm learning.
and uncle long: Oh, man, have I wanted to shoot daylight with long exposures. What's it like? I've heard (apart from rivers/running water) that the best subjects to go for with a ND filter in daylight are fields of wheat, or similar things. It makes them look really cool... I can't remember where I saw it, but I remember seeing a picture of a busted tractor in the middle of a wheat field that was taken with and ND and it was brilliant.
She misplaced it within five minutes, and we haven't seen it since.
Usagi: its probably slanty, I can't hold cameras straight
Jake!: it's not the lake distract, its southern france
Another one from Washington. Marymere Falls:
Seriously, great use of available light. Good comp. too, don't think it would have hurt to have her a little more centered but that's being really picky. Great shot.
My Portfolio Site
http://kaileyjoanette.co.nr
I love that photo. I don't think she needs to be any more centered, but it would help if it was a bit smaller and didn't break my h-scroll at home. It is a bit grainy/ iso noisy but that is to be expected in that kind of light.
Kajed: well she just looks like a little hussy with her straw...and crown.....and fruit drink.
Reflection of a glass on a glass coffee table. I love macro photography! So many everyday objects you wouldn't really think of can be a subject to photograph, and get interesting results from.
Nothing's forgotten, nothing is ever forgotten
Rohan: I agree with cow, even though he's being blunt as usual
While I definitely agree with you on #3, it looks like he's already boosted #1. That and I honestly really like the sorta washed out look of #1 anyways, any more washed out and I probably wouldn't. But I think it would look to wonky boosted more. I'unno... I'm lovin' #1.
My Portfolio Site
And a couple random ones (the last one taken with a lensbaby):
Jake, the tour you went on looks awesome, makes me want to get out more. Great shots.
nO and UncleLong, you guys always amaze me at what you capture, seriously, I'm almost always in awe at what you post.
Here are some from Cape Vincent, NY (grandparents have a little house up there):
fake edit: I know the first one is blurry. It was the only good one out of the set, so I used it.
Oh, I agree with both of you. It's too cluttered and could be great if I shot it again under the conditions Cow spoke about, but I'm not very interested in doing that. I was just playing around with my camera as usual and it was one of the more interesting shots from my perspective.
Nothing's forgotten, nothing is ever forgotten
Anyone want to recommend an inexpensive lighting setup for doing occasional portraits? Should I use the Cactus V4's, or an optical slave?
cactus....I haven't heard very many good things about the "peanut" optical slaves.
Third one isn't particularly interesting, but the color was just amazing.
So which flashes should I get to go on the triggers?
If you are going cheap I would see if you could find an sb-24 for 100-120 dollars but that isn't likely so I would try the lumpro flash from mpex.com. I bought one of those to replace my vivtar 285hv which is a piece of shit.
The sb-24 is somewhere between a stop and 2 stops more powerful than the lumpro but the lumpro has SIMPLE connections on it like both the pc-sync and 3.5mm and an optical slave built in.
Does anyone have a fast lens around 28-35mm? I'm looking to pick one up for a 5D. I've seen good reviews of a few sigma lenses, and of course there's the 35mmL.
Well, I know, of course it can, but it's ridiculously good. I know someone who uses it pretty much exclusively on their 5D. It's brilliant.
If you have more money you could probably get something better but that lens is pretty cheap, something like $250.
I think you may have benefited from a lower aperture. The bride's face is slightly out of focus, but not enough to make it look like you're doing it on purpose, and the dress overexposed, losing detail. The angle and composition is also a little off putting, but I'm not sure why.
I've been reading these boards for years, but never really post anything. Recently bought my first dSLR and started playing around with it. Like so many others before me, I have found our cats to be good accessible models to get me started on my learning curve...
edit: Eh, decided to remove the third image.