Official Photography Thread: Vol. ICan'tFindTheLastOne

[elboricua 6]

well i haven't seen you do much C&C up in here so if you have any knowledge whether good or bad you need to step up and voice your opinion .. one thinkthat I have learn in life .. no one is perfect and no one will improve if they are being told everything is good or find .. someone can find a flawed or statetheir dislike/opinions/improvements on anything and everything .. that right there will help more than anything ...

 

[yarrh]

I'm not trying to talk $%*# to anyone; it's just an observation I made while following this thread.

And I can't agree more with you about the benefits of C&C. That being said, I think you need to work on your grammar.

 

[rap sizzle]

Woooow...let's take it easy in here.

Originally Posted by yarrh

I agree but their swap in dominance is pretty apparent.

However ebay is more critique oriented and has them deep, oldschool(film), artsy, philosophical knowledge, while you can easily find online most of what Rap Sizzle drops- which i think is more relevant/helpful for NT cuz we have a bunch of nubs here.

I'm not here taking anyone's place. I've just been posting a lot because I'm on winter break and I'm more than happy to sharesome of the knowledge or opinions I have. Like most of the guys on here, I never went to school to study photography. I never took any courses or workshops.Most of what I've learned has come from reading stuff on online photography forums. I never really asked questions here when I first got into photography.I just read, observed and learned through trial and error.

I'm currently just a hobbyist and by no-means a pro. Just because I've recently been getting some quality gear doesn't mean I have it all figuredout. I'm still trying to learn photography as art so I don't critique other people's work much. Photography shouldn't just be about perfectlysharp photos or cool HDR images. It should be something you should enjoy doing and just have fun. I try to provide a little comic relief in this thread eitherby captioning my photos or simply by posting photography related material that can lighten the mood. While there is a good amount of knowledge beginners canlearn in the thread, you guys should realize that this is not a classroom and you can't expect one person to be in charge and know it all. Everyone shouldshare whatever knowledge they have, share their opinions or critique a photo if they feel the need to, and post photos that they feel is worthy to show otherpeople.

Originally Posted by elboricua 6

so with that said .. if the camera is telling you 0 you most of the time go to the left or the right to get the exposure that you want? Or do you use the recommended exposure setting?

Your main focused subject is what you try to expose properly, so its exposure bias should be at zero. If you want to properly expose a fairly darksubject surrounded bright lights (like a person in the shade in the foreground and a bright sunny sky as a background), focus on your subject, press theexposure lock button (the "*" on Canon bodies), and recompose. Unless of course you're trying to ask something else...

 

[elboricua 6]

Originally Posted by yarrh

I'm not trying to talk $%*# to anyone; it's just an observation I made while following this thread.

And I can't agree more with you about the benefits of C&C. That being said, I think you need to work on your grammar.

If you taking things the wrong way that's on you ..

Thanks - I'll work on my grammar one of these days!!!!!

Now, post some pictures ..

 

[mh76]

camera on my phone.

 

[elboricua 6]

Originally Posted by Rap Sizzle

Woooow...let's take it easy in here.

yarrh wrote:

---

I agree but their swap in dominance is pretty apparent.

However ebay is more critique oriented and has them deep, oldschool(film), artsy, philosophical knowledge, while you can easily find online most of what Rap Sizzle drops- which i think is more relevant/helpful for NT cuz we have a bunch of nubs here.

I'm not here taking anyone's place. I've just been posting a lot because I'm on winter break and I'm more than happy to share some of the knowledge or opinions I have. Like most of the guys on here, I never went to school to study photography. I never took any courses or workshops. Most of what I've learned has come from reading stuff on online photography forums. I never really asked questions here when I first got into photography. I just read, observed and learned through trial and error.

I'm currently just a hobbyist and by no-means a pro. Just because I've recently been getting some quality gear doesn't mean I have it all figured out. I'm still trying to learn photography as art so I don't critique other people's work much. Photography shouldn't just be about perfectly sharp photos or cool HDR images. It should be something you should enjoy doing and just have fun. I try to provide a little comic relief in this thread either by captioning my photos or simply by posting photography related material that can lighten the mood. While there is a good amount of knowledge beginners can learn in the thread, you guys should realize that this is not a classroom and you can't expect one person to be in charge and know it all. Everyone should share whatever knowledge they have, share their opinions or critique a photo if they feel the need to, and post photos that they feel is worthy to show other people.
I'm glad your grammar is on point because I couldn't compose that any better, but exactly what I was trying to relay ..

I think there are any expert in here, one or two at most .. but us n00bs and some of you hobbyist try to share what you have learned thus far .. my point allthis time was that you aren't trying to be a guru but just give some tips that you have learned by trial and error ...

elboricua 6 wrote:

---

so with that said .. if the camera is telling you 0 you most of the time go to the left or the right to get the exposure that you want? Or do you use the recommended exposure setting?
Your main focused subject is what you try to expose properly, so its exposure bias should be at zero. If you want to properly expose a fairly dark subject surrounded bright lights (like a person in the shade in the foreground and a bright sunny sky as a background), focus on your subject, press the exposure lock button (the "*" on Canon bodies), and recompose. Unless of course you're trying to ask something else...

Nope exactly what I was asking .. Actually I wanted to know if you deviate from what the computer is recommending to us ..

I learn what you said about two days ago .. when I aimed high and my shutter was 1/400 and when I was aiming lower it kept getting slower .. however I justlooked up the lock and I was in desperate need of that .. what I was doing was focusing on something in the same range and then going half locking it andmoving up and down .. so, yes a lot of blur .. thanks for that tip

now I have to learn the meter settings on the camera ....

 

[rap sizzle]

As much as possible, I try to meter it at 0. If I really want a shot at a dark place without ruining it with high-ISO noise, I'll be ok with a slightlyunderexposed (metered to the left) image. While I try to stick to 0 as often as I can, I'd rather have a fairly underexposed shot than one that is overbecause I can always touch it up by altering the curves on Photoshop.

It's personal preference. Some people meter negatively for slightly underexposed images while some prefer otherwise. It really doesn't hurt to exposecorrectly though.

 

[abstract success]

from riding around dena. sorry if repost from a long time ago.

​

 

[airjordanjack]

Sup everyone I had a quick question. I currently have a canon rebel xti. I am very interested in buying the canon 17-40mm f/4L lens. I have done research on itand it looks like the right lens for me. I already have a portrait lens and telephoto lens but I wanted a good lens to just mess around with everyday. I guessmy main question is would you guys recommend it and do you know anything about it i should know before i purchase it? Another question is since the rebel xtimagnifies it x1.6 will i still be able to get wide angle shots? If so, how much distortion with there be at 17mm. My last question is, a review i read saidthat it had heavy vignetting for wide shots and some for even 40mm shots. I am considering upgrading to full frame maybe in a year or so, will the vignettingbe a big problem? Thanks for the help.

Here are a few pic I can contribute. Any C/C is welcome.

 

[raginl3ull]

Quoted from E46Fanatics.com




1. Light Management Part I: First thing you should know is that there are optimal light conditions you should strive for when taking a photo(outside of a studio that is). The best light is early in the morning or late in the evening. Its generally referred to as "magic light". Colors arebetter, contrast is not as intense and shadows are softer as opposed to the light at high noon. Here is an excellent example of this:

Good Light: Warm colors, with smooth soft shadows

Bad Light: Light way too intense and colors are washed out

2. Light Management Part II: Another ideal condition to take photos is an overcast day, where the light is naturally soft, is not coming fromany one direction and there is little to no shadow.

Good Light: This is my car BTW. Very little editing required, because the light was very good to begin with.

3. Light Management Part III: As much as possible...have the light BEHIND you. You want the colors of your car to come out soyou need the light on the car, not against it. If you take a photo with the light in front of you, you'll have to use a flash. Otherwise, you'll getshadows instead.

Good Angle: Here the blue color seems normal

Bad Angle 1: At a different angle, the same color is now lighter and washed out

Bad Angle 2: The blue is muted because you're taking a picture of the car's shadow instead

Do not just park the car and walk around it to take photos. At some point, you will be facing the light and taking a picture of the car's shadow.
WORK WITH THE LIGHT, NOT AGAINST IT.

Another example, a picture of my old E39 M5:

4. Depth of Field. There are two main factors that enable you to control the depth of field in a photograph - the focal length of a lens and the aperture (measured in f-stops/f-numbers). The longer the focal length and the wider the aperture (lower f-numbers),the less depth of field (shallow DOF) you'll end up with. Wide aperture makes the background to blur and drawing the attention to the subject.
Here's an example:

5. Shutter Speed. Use slower shutter speed if you want to capture movement or if you're shooting in a low light environment.
I use a 1/5 second shutter speed for this picture:

6. Composition. A photo with the perfect lighting can look like crap with bad composition. Photography is art, so alot of it is imaginativeand subjective, but some key things to remember are:

- Balance. If you have an element on one side, try to duplicate that or complement it on the other side. Here is a good example of that. Thecar is a little off centered, but you get the idea. The lighting here is excellent:

- Background. Make the effort to find a nice background for your photo.
Its very difficult to manage a background after the fact (unless you're a PS wizard), so its better to find a good location.
Avoid taking photos in common areas like your garage or driveway. Go out and look.
Keep it tidy. Do your best to avoid distracting elements in a shot. If you can't help it, they can be photoshopped out later.
For example, I photoshopped the light pole above the car and the one on the left and ended up with a cleaner picture:

Before:

After:

Also, an ideal background should have some colors that contrast the color of the car.
The green grass in this pic is a perfect contrast to a black car.

Here's another example of my M3:

- Rule of Thirds. By far the most widely used approach to composition is where the frame is divided into nine equally sized boxes using twovertical and two horizontal lines. The strongest four points in the frame are where the intersections of the lines occur, and any subject placed at thesepoints will always have a strong visual appeal.
Here are some examples:

- Angles. As far as what angles of the car are good to take, you should browse through various car pics you can find. If you find an anglethat appeals to you, then try to copy it. You can also use various lens types to achieve different effects.


7. Post-Processing. It's easy to take a photo and then manipulate it with Photoshop. Image editing with Photoshop is a whole other thing.Here are just couple basic tips:

- Use Photoshop to edit out distracting elements. That would include things in the background like trash cans, light poles, etc. Also, if you are taking picson a parking lot, you can remove the parking lines. Edit out things on your car too, like paint chips and scuffs.

- Crop for perfect composition (reframe). To crop more subtly (when shooting), use your zoom lens to move in a little closer to the subject, removingdistracting matter from peripheral areas of the photo.

- Use a noise-reduction program (third-party filter) like NoiseNinja to get much smoother surfaces or after shooting with high ISO (ISO 800 or more).

- Use Smart Sharpen filter for better result sharpening the subject. This should be the last step on image post-processing.

- Adjust Contrast or Levels for deeper dark colors and Saturation to bring out bright ones.

- And the most important: DO NOT put too much contrast on a picture.
Remember to AVOID blown-out highlights (whites) and loss of details (blacks).

For example, there's too much contrast in this picture, you can not see the details on the tires at all and also blown highlights - only whites appear onthe sky:

Loss of details in blacks:

 

[jrdnsrnss]

Originally Posted by airjordanjack

Sup everyone I had a quick question. I currently have a canon rebel xti. I am very interested in buying the canon 17-40mm f/4L lens. I have done research on it and it looks like the right lens for me. I already have a portrait lens and telephoto lens but I wanted a good lens to just mess around with everyday. I guess my main question is would you guys recommend it and do you know anything about it i should know before i purchase it? Another question is since the rebel xti magnifies it x1.6 will i still be able to get wide angle shots? If so, how much distortion with there be at 17mm. My last question is, a review i read said that it had heavy vignetting for wide shots and some for even 40mm shots. I am considering upgrading to full frame maybe in a year or so, will the vignetting be a big problem? Thanks for the help.

Here are a few pic I can contribute. Any C/C is welcome.

The 17-40 L is a great lens but is usually great on full frame cameras. I'm not saying it sucks on a 1.6 crop cam like the Rebel line or xxdseries. The Tamron 17-50 f2.8 for example is a lens that has the same focal length at the wide end with an extra 10mm at the long end. it's got full 2.8throughout the range unlike the 17-40 which only has 4.0 throughout the range. One thing Canon has over the Tamron is build quality, it's obviously an Llens so you'll get the typical tank like build quality that all L lenses have along with the weather sealing. Just get a filter and you've got yourselfa weather sealed lens.

Like you said though if you know your gonna go full frame in the future then by all means go for it cause i hear its a great lens on full frame. Another goodlens to consider is the Canon 17-55 F2.8 IS. More expensive but pretty much L like optics but it's an EF-S lens so it will not work on a full frame.

 

[airjordanjack]

Originally Posted by jrdnsrnss

Originally Posted by airjordanjack

Sup everyone I had a quick question. I currently have a canon rebel xti. I am very interested in buying the canon 17-40mm f/4L lens. I have done research on it and it looks like the right lens for me. I already have a portrait lens and telephoto lens but I wanted a good lens to just mess around with everyday. I guess my main question is would you guys recommend it and do you know anything about it i should know before i purchase it? Another question is since the rebel xti magnifies it x1.6 will i still be able to get wide angle shots? If so, how much distortion with there be at 17mm. My last question is, a review i read said that it had heavy vignetting for wide shots and some for even 40mm shots. I am considering upgrading to full frame maybe in a year or so, will the vignetting be a big problem? Thanks for the help.

Here are a few pic I can contribute. Any C/C is welcome.

The 17-40 L is a great lens but is usually great on full frame cameras. I'm not saying it sucks on a 1.6 crop cam like the Rebel line or xxd series. The Tamron 17-50 f2.8 for example is a lens that has the same focal length at the wide end with an extra 10mm at the long end. it's got full 2.8 throughout the range unlike the 17-40 which only has 4.0 throughout the range. One thing Canon has over the Tamron is build quality, it's obviously an L lens so you'll get the typical tank like build quality that all L lenses have along with the weather sealing. Just get a filter and you've got yourself a weather sealed lens.

Like you said though if you know your gonna go full frame in the future then by all means go for it cause i hear its a great lens on full frame. Another good lens to consider is the Canon 17-55 F2.8 IS. More expensive but pretty much L like optics but it's an EF-S lens so it will not work on a full frame.

Thanks for the help. I think I am going to stick with a canon lens for this purchase just because i feel they always have the best quality and produce sharppictures. I have read many reviews that said this was actually a good lens for 1.6 crop cams. Do you know any disadvantages to this lens in general or just onthe 1.6 crop? Thanks again.

 

[rap sizzle]

You're getting the 17-40 to replace the kit lens right? While the 17-40 is an excellent lens, the fixed f4 aperture won't be too useful as awalk-around lens since it will perform poorly under low light. It was made as a landscape lens for full-frame but because of it's relatively affordableprice as an L lens, a lot of cropped body users have considered it to replace their kit lens. I admittedly considered to pair it up with my 40D but wiselydecided to get the EF-S 17-55 instead. I can understand that you want a lens that you can use when you move to full-frame but a year from now is a lot of time.Take into consideration what you're working with right now and just sell and replace when you upgrade. Do not fall into the trap of buying a lens forcompatibility when upgrading in the future. I completely agree with jrdnsrnss suggestion of the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 if you're on a budget. Another one youcan consider is the Sigma 18-50 f/2.8. If you really want to stick with Canon though the EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS is the cream of the crop for cropped bodies. Whileit may not work with a full-frame body, it's the best versatile lens Canon offers for the Rebel and XXD series. Because of this it retains a fairly highresale value.

Again, look at what you're working with now and not what you plan to work with in the future. Also, you might find the 40mm maximum focal length a littletoo short...so unless you don't plan on shooting no flash under low-light, I don't recommend that you get the 17-40. When you do get to full-frame, the17-40 isn't an ideal walk-around lens anyway. That's the job of "The Tank"...the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L.

 

[rap sizzle]

Oh and one more thing...the lens hood that comes with the 17-40 is pretty much useless for cropped sensors. You would need to get a hood like the one for the17-55 which retails at about $50. Just something you might consider into your budget.

 

[elboricua 6]

Im lucky that I got the 17-55 with Canon Hood and Filter for 650 from a pro .. went to his shop and everything ...
Even luckier when I got the 10-22 for 350

I was a happy camper and if you ask what Im doing up - Well I cant sleep and went out for a walk with my camera .. crappy pictures but I will post some later.. it was too cold outside and didnt go far about 2 blocks ...

 

[jrdnsrnss]

Originally Posted by elboricua 6

Im lucky that I got the 17-55 with Canon Hood and Filter for 650 from a pro .. went to his shop and everything ...
Even luckier when I got the 10-22 for 350

I was a happy camper and if you ask what Im doing up - Well I cant sleep and went out for a walk with my camera .. crappy pictures but I will post some later .. it was too cold outside and didnt go far about 2 blocks ...

Wow, a 10-22 for $350. I'm eying this lens right now and that price is a steal.

 

[twosickjays]

 

[backtotheknown]

heres an edited version...i think it adds the pic alot. what do you guys think??

C&C welcome!

 

[akf0dy7]

what advice would you guys give to beginner?

should i be shooting on Maunal or Auto?

what file type should i save it as RAW or just a standard JPEG?

 

[treboro01]

Nice pix everyone. Here's a small contribution from me...

1. playing with the shutter speed.

2. Seattle Library...

C&C are much appreciated. thanks

 

[coosthedondini]

Originally Posted by Kicks R Me

Originally Posted by CoostheDonDini

I just got a n6006 (hand-me down)...does anybody else shoot wit this OG?!? lol
I think its from the 90s...and I was thinking about getting some new lenses ..hopefully a fish eye first...anybody have any suggestions?

lol i got one of these too! it worked fine until i tried to snap a pic and i got an error and now i dont know how to fix it.

effin A bro..me too..I just put some film in prep for a trip to MOMA in the am...I have the manual tho..got it from google..lemme kno if u need apdf copy.

 

[elboricua 6]

Originally Posted by jrdnsrnss

Originally Posted by elboricua 6

Im lucky that I got the 17-55 with Canon Hood and Filter for 650 from a pro .. went to his shop and everything ...
Even luckier when I got the 10-22 for 350

I was a happy camper and if you ask what Im doing up - Well I cant sleep and went out for a walk with my camera .. crappy pictures but I will post some later .. it was too cold outside and didnt go far about 2 blocks ...

Wow, a 10-22 for $350. I'm eying this lens right now and that price is a steal.

Tell me about it .. at 1st I thought it was a scam because the dude had a crazy voice mail talking about how to be successful, but he returned mycall and brought it to me ..

Here are a couple of pictures I took this morning about 1:30am with it (canon 10-22) ..

Just played with the dodge/burn tool a bit ...

The picture is not black and white - Just desaturated in some areas and over saturated in others ... some probably see it as black and white with certainareas colored ..

Another one - Shot in RAW - Adjusted W/B in LR and did minimun sharpening - Pretty much straight from the Camera

Welcome to C&C

 

[rap sizzle]

Originally Posted by akf0dy7

what advice would you guys give to beginner?

should i be shooting on Maunal or Auto?

what file type should i save it as RAW or just a standard JPEG?

Are you familiar with the basics; shutter speed, aperture, iso and white balance? I recommend you shoot manual after reading up on how thesedifferent properties affect your image. Manual lets you control all of them so you should have some sort of idea of what they are. Having a DSLR allows you toshoot, adjust and learn from your mistakes. Do some reading on understanding exposure and just keep shooting.

How proficient are you at photoediting programs like Photoshop? Would you be able to make adjustments or manipulate RAW images? If you don't want to orhave to work on post-processing, stick with JPEG. Also take into account the size of your CF or SD cards. RAW files will fill them up quick, so take that intoaccount.

 

[elboricua 6]

Last one for now promise ..

Not happy with how this one came out .. just wanted to share .. the moon was suppose to be at the top of the cross but there was this pestering street lightruining every single angle I could possibly achieve what I was looking for ....

 

[northparkblind]

Couple Shots.

c&c will be greatly appreciated.

It seems i can't get a clean crisp photo for some reason

Pick-ups from today/yesterday

Yea, im a noob.