PHOTOGRAPHY

[+KD7MXI]

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHY TRICKS?

 

i like setting my mode to raw and color etc to full to get as close to national geographic quality as possible then adjust the settings in my raw image editor - save edited as new file and say no to saving changes to original

 

i start with 11 and 1/500 on my settings no matter what the iso and bracket as needed and change iso as needed

 

100=vivid landscape

400=good in between

800=faster shots

 

UV AND POLARIZER FILTERS

 

ASSORTED LENSES

 

CANON DIGITAL REBEL XTI

 

sorry if i posted in the wrong category

Edited November 16, 2008 by KD7MXI

[+Kit Fox]

My wife and I are working harder at shooting in manual mode with are Nikon D-50. One of the constant disadvantages that I get when I go hiking / geocaching during midday is the terrible midday glare. I've tried the UV and polarizing filter, and i've messed with photos using Photoshop CS2. I much prefer to take good pictures with zero editing. The best time to do this is during the times of "sweet light."

 

Evening light

 

Midday

 

Midday (got lucky with the automatic mode)

 

Sunset without a tripod, in my backyard.

 

[+KD7MXI]

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHY TRICKS?

 

i like setting my mode to raw and color etc to full to get as close to national geographic quality as possible then adjust the settings in my raw image editor - save edited as new file and say no to saving changes to original

 

i start with 11 and 1/500 on my settings no matter what the iso and bracket as needed and change iso as needed

 

100=vivid landscape

400=good in between

800=faster shots

 

UV AND POLARIZER FILTERS

 

ASSORTED LENSES

 

CANON DIGITAL REBEL XTI

 

sorry if i posted in the wrong category

 

color blindness makes editing etc tough at times - especially when trying to do extremely vivid pics which is what national geographic likes

[+dcrep]

I have the same camera as you (Rebel XTI), and while I'm no pro, I've developed these rules of thumb for myself.

 

I set ISO first, 100 or 200 if bright sunlight, 800 or 1600 if very low light. Then I put the camera in aperture priority (Av mode), where I select f/8 or f/11 if doing landscape, or f/5.6 if doing a single subject. Then I look at what shutter speed the camera is giving me. If it's less than 100 (1/100 sec), and I don't have a tripod, I then tweak the ISO or aperture to fix the shutter speed. If I want a longer shutter speed (eg., taking pictures of waterfalls) I've found 1/15 sec is pretty good. I personally love the 'landscape' mode with the XTI, and use it for all pictures. It adjusts the saturation and contrast to bring out the blues and greens.

 

Maybe one day I'll take a class and really learn this stuff...

Edited November 16, 2008 by dcrep

[+KD7MXI]

I have the same camera as you (Rebel XTI), and while I'm no pro, I've developed these rules of thumb for myself.

 

I set ISO first, 100 or 200 if bright sunlight, 800 or 1600 if very low light. Then I put the camera in aperture priority (Av mode), where I select f/8 or f/11 if doing landscape, or f/5.6 if doing a single subject. Then I look at what shutter speed the camera is giving me. If it's less than 100 (1/100 sec), and I don't have a tripod, I then tweak the ISO or aperture to fix the shutter speed. If I want a longer shutter speed (eg., taking pictures of waterfalls) I've found 1/15 sec is pretty good. I personally love the 'landscape' mode with the XTI, and use it for all pictures. It adjusts the saturation and contrast to bring out the blues and greens.

 

Maybe one day I'll take a class and really learn this stuff...

 

i use nothing but manuel - take a look at http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/myshot/gallery/62948 to see some of my best shots some of them where taken with a lesser canon rebel that had only 6mp that was stolen - also look at http://www.panoramio.com/user/2280119 for more of my pics

[+Too Tall John]

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/myshot/gallery/62948

OMG!

 

Do you see the face in pic #37?

[+KD7MXI]

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/myshot/gallery/62948

OMG!

 

Do you see the face in pic #37?

 

THANKS

 

camp fire pic? - there are also creatures in the background to the left - looks like pixies and ferries doing battle with dragon creatures - also log looks like snake

 

also look at #6 - the cliff looks like a face also

Edited November 16, 2008 by KD7MXI

[Mag Magician]

If you ask a pro, the real answer is in using as much PPing as needed to make your shot the best it can be. The camera records what it thinks you want, and from there, it's up to you to turn that saved image into what you saw at that point. I use Ulead PhotoImpact 10, tweak the curves, adjust the contrast and saturation until the final pic is exactly what I want.

 

Edit: PPing is Post processing, for the uninitiated. Sorry for using short forms.

Edited November 16, 2008 by Mag Magician

[+Iowa Tom]

I worked as a professional photographer in industry for six years and a camera equipment salesman for 6 years before that. As a hobby I've been recording natural history, mostly close-ups, since 1969.

 

The one thing that makes my pictures what they are is, I use a tripod, I shoot at aperture priority and set the f-stop high (usually), I wait for a break in the wind and prefer hazy days over bright sunny ones, unless the sky is in the picture. If you use a polarizing filter, consider not making the colors as intense as you can make them. Turn it part way, instead of all the way to maximum effect. Super saturated color with too little shine looks fake.

 

When shooting kodachrome 64 I always underexposed 1/3 stop, unless I was using a polaizer, then I shot at 64. My close-up pictures were almost always at least 1 second exposures - hence the need to wait for the wind to stop. I learned to know the behavior of the wind by listening to it in the trees then seeing the subject matter move a few seconds later. It comes in waves and is usually quite predictable.

 

-it

[+wkmccall]

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHY TRICKS?

 

i like setting my mode to raw and color etc to full to get as close to national geographic quality as possible then adjust the settings in my raw image editor - save edited as new file and say no to saving changes to original

 

i start with 11 and 1/500 on my settings no matter what the iso and bracket as needed and change iso as needed

 

100=vivid landscape

400=good in between

800=faster shots

 

UV AND POLARIZER FILTERS

 

ASSORTED LENSES

 

CANON DIGITAL REBEL XTI

 

sorry if i posted in the wrong category

 

I use a Nikon D100 and a custom curve with several different lenses and filters and normally keep my camera at ISO 200 (the lowest) and usually keep the F/stop around 8 or more. I'll let the exposure to the rest.

For night shots; I'll use a tripod or something stationary with a trigger cable.

For JPG's I use sRGB

For raw (NEF) I use adobe RGB.

 

Post processing in Adobe PhotoShop and Nikon Capture

[+J-Way]

For the vast majority of users of these forums, the most important advice you can give for better quality pictures is to not wiggle the camera while pressing the shutter release. My wife still hasn't mastered that trick. It doesn't matter if you're using a point-and-shoot or an F1, if the camera moves when you take the picture it will be fuzzy and look out of focus.

 

Up until this trick is mastered, just keep your camera on the "green" setting (usually a square or triangle or the word "Auto"). AFTER you master this trick, then you can start worrying about F-stops and ISO and shutter speeds and RAW and the other complicated things mentioned here.

[+dakboy]

For the vast majority of users of these forums, the most important advice you can give for better quality pictures is to not wiggle the camera while pressing the shutter release.

Or after. My mother can't seem to stop from moving the camera after pressing the shutter. She has it in her head that if she pushes, that's the shot. Not understanding that the camera has to focus, fire the flash, then actually trigger the shutter.

 

Press the shutter release, count to 3, THEN move the camera.

 

The other thing to understand is that you will not get the "perfect" picture by waiting for it, or on your first attempt. Take TONS of pictures (hey, it's all digital, so it doesn't cost anything), learn what works and doesn't, and don't forget that there is sometimes a bit of luck involved with getting the timing just right.

[+J-Way]

The other thing to understand is that you will not get the "perfect" picture by waiting for it, or on your first attempt. Take TONS of pictures (hey, it's all digital, so it doesn't cost anything), learn what works and doesn't, and don't forget that there is sometimes a bit of luck involved with getting the timing just right.

Exactly! Memory cards are cheap, go buy a big one (or several). I have a Nikon D40x; if I'm taking pictures involving my son I keep it on rapid fire (max of 2.5 shots/second, one of the slowest DSLRs). I usually immediately "throw away" (delete) about 10-25% of my shots and keep the rest. But that perfect picture of him jumping a wave at the beach or catching a bug or sitting on a fishing pier with his paw-paw might be shot 3 of a 6-shot group.

 

Also, Mag Magician is right. For truly "pro" like images your post-processing software is almost as important as your camera, at least it is until you learn how to make your camera do exactly what you want it to do.

 

Another trick is to not use the maximum "megapixels" setting on your camera. Using the extreme setting sometimes creates extra noise in the picture.

[+KD7MXI]

always take your pics in raw to avoid losing image information

[+EScout]

For the vast majority of users of these forums, the most important advice you can give for better quality pictures is to not wiggle the camera while pressing the shutter release. My wife still hasn't mastered that trick. It doesn't matter if you're using a point-and-shoot or an F1, if the camera moves when you take the picture it will be fuzzy and look out of focus.

Good tip. My tip is a way to keep the camera still.

Use the timer delay. On my camera, a button on top lets you select 2 or 10 second delay. I use the 2 second when hand holding especially on a distance shot. Compose, push shutter button part way to focus and use auto settings. Then push shutter button and relax for 2 seconds.

[+Proud Soccer Mom]

I worked as a professional photographer in industry for six years and a camera equipment salesman for 6 years before that. As a hobby I've been recording natural history, mostly close-ups, since 1969.

 

The one thing that makes my pictures what they are is, I use a tripod, I shoot at aperture priority and set the f-stop high (usually), I wait for a break in the wind and prefer hazy days over bright sunny ones, unless the sky is in the picture. If you use a polarizing filter, consider not making the colors as intense as you can make them. Turn it part way, instead of all the way to maximum effect. Super saturated color with too little shine looks fake.

 

When shooting kodachrome 64 I always underexposed 1/3 stop, unless I was using a polaizer, then I shot at 64. My close-up pictures were almost always at least 1 second exposures - hence the need to wait for the wind to stop. I learned to know the behavior of the wind by listening to it in the trees then seeing the subject matter move a few seconds later. It comes in waves and is usually quite predictable.

 

-it

 

Here we go. Thanks, Iowa Tom for some pro advice!

 

- Elle

[+Iowa Tom]

One of my interests that affects all of us but is unknown to nearly everyone is how to view a picture so that it has the same perspective as the way you saw the scene in real life. It's a bit technical but if you are interested, I wrote about it here.

[team Zug-Zug!]

I have the same camera as you (Rebel XTI), and while I'm no pro, I've developed these rules of thumb for myself.

 

I set ISO first, 100 or 200 if bright sunlight, 800 or 1600 if very low light. Then I put the camera in aperture priority (Av mode), where I select f/8 or f/11 if doing landscape, or f/5.6 if doing a single subject. Then I look at what shutter speed the camera is giving me. If it's less than 100 (1/100 sec), and I don't have a tripod, I then tweak the ISO or aperture to fix the shutter speed. If I want a longer shutter speed (eg., taking pictures of waterfalls) I've found 1/15 sec is pretty good. I personally love the 'landscape' mode with the XTI, and use it for all pictures. It adjusts the saturation and contrast to bring out the blues and greens.

 

Maybe one day I'll take a class and really learn this stuff...

Very good pics I really like the one with the Apis mellifera.

[team Zug-Zug!]

I have the same camera as you (Rebel XTI), and while I'm no pro, I've developed these rules of thumb for myself.

 

I set ISO first, 100 or 200 if bright sunlight, 800 or 1600 if very low light. Then I put the camera in aperture priority (Av mode), where I select f/8 or f/11 if doing landscape, or f/5.6 if doing a single subject. Then I look at what shutter speed the camera is giving me. If it's less than 100 (1/100 sec), and I don't have a tripod, I then tweak the ISO or aperture to fix the shutter speed. If I want a longer shutter speed (eg., taking pictures of waterfalls) I've found 1/15 sec is pretty good. I personally love the 'landscape' mode with the XTI, and use it for all pictures. It adjusts the saturation and contrast to bring out the blues and greens.

 

Maybe one day I'll take a class and really learn this stuff...

Very good pics I really like the one with the Apis mellifera.

[+KD7MXI]

I have the same camera as you (Rebel XTI), and while I'm no pro, I've developed these rules of thumb for myself.

 

I set ISO first, 100 or 200 if bright sunlight, 800 or 1600 if very low light. Then I put the camera in aperture priority (Av mode), where I select f/8 or f/11 if doing landscape, or f/5.6 if doing a single subject. Then I look at what shutter speed the camera is giving me. If it's less than 100 (1/100 sec), and I don't have a tripod, I then tweak the ISO or aperture to fix the shutter speed. If I want a longer shutter speed (eg., taking pictures of waterfalls) I've found 1/15 sec is pretty good. I personally love the 'landscape' mode with the XTI, and use it for all pictures. It adjusts the saturation and contrast to bring out the blues and greens.

 

Maybe one day I'll take a class and really learn this stuff...

Very good pics I really like the one with the Apis mellifera.

 

it took nerves of steel to snap that shot

[+sbell111]

Generally, my primary purpose is not photography. If I see something that I want a picture of, I take the picture.

 

Nine times out of ten, I don't want to take the time to use manual mode and adjust my settings. I therefore typically just set my 20d to the appropriate custom setting and take the shot.

 

Curiously, I almost always get great pictures. Thanks Canon.

Edited November 18, 2008 by sbell111

[Skippermark]

Good composition and lighting help produce the best photos.

 

If you're taking a picture from a mountain top, it may be pretty, but look around and see if there's something you can add to the picture to make it better. Is your picture centered with the horizon in middle of the the frame? Edit to add that that's generally not good, just as putting a person's head directly in the center of the frame isn't usually recommended.

 

Consider the "rule of thirds." Can you move left or right and add an overhanging branch or something else to help frame the shot, or can you add some people to give a sense of scale?

 

Look for something that's unusual and no so common. Think about how 90% of the world would photograph that spot and then do something different to make your photo stand out.

 

Early morning and late afternoon lighting is softer and more flattering than mid-day light.

Edited November 18, 2008 by Skippermark

[+J-Way]

always take your pics in raw to avoid losing image information

Alright all you camera experts... what's a reasonably priced bit of software I can use to post-process Nikon D40x RAW images?

 

I have no interest in plopping down $700 for Photoshop.

[Mag Magician]

Alright all you camera experts... what's a reasonably priced bit of software I can use to post-process Nikon D40x RAW images?

 

I have no interest in plopping down $700 for Photoshop.

 

You could check out GIMP It's a free, open source photo manipulation program. I don't know about RAW, as I use my own camera software for that.

[+KD7MXI]

Alright all you camera experts... what's a reasonably priced bit of software I can use to post-process Nikon D40x RAW images?

 

I have no interest in plopping down $700 for Photoshop.

 

You could check out GIMP It's a free, open source photo manipulation program. I don't know about RAW, as I use my own camera software for that.

 

i have no idea what software nikons come with but - My CANON came with a raw image editor called Digital Photo Professional

[+J-Way]

Alright all you camera experts... what's a reasonably priced bit of software I can use to post-process Nikon D40x RAW images?I have no interest in plopping down $700 for Photoshop.

You could check out GIMP It's a free, open source photo manipulation program. I don't know about RAW, as I use my own camera software for that.

i have no idea what software nikons come with but - My CANON came with a raw image editor called Digital Photo Professional

It came with basically nothing. This is one of the big disadvanges with Nikon cameras, and is one that I took into account when trying to decide between a D40x and a Canon Rebel. I think the included software can convert RAW to jpg, and use it to organize pictures, and maybe a few minor edits, but that's about it. I don't think I ever bothered to install it on my computer.

 

I haven't researched this in a while, so I did some reading last night. Nikon's full RAW conversion software is about $180, and according to reviews does the best quality job with Nikon's NEF format of all the RAW converters, but is extremely slow (horrible batch processing) and is a memory hog. As I take LOTS of action-oriented pictures (mostly of my son), the speed issue is a deal killer for me. I don't have enough spare time to spend hours sitting in front of a computer just to be able to view the hundreds of pictures I took that day.

 

I downloaded Google Picaso last night (free), and it will convert Nikon RAW images to jpg, but I don't know what features are available for tweaking and editing. I need to play around with it more. I'll also dig around to see if I can locate the install disk for whatever software DID come with my camera.

 

But ultimately, at my level of photography, I'd rather invest that $180 (plus a few more bills) into slowly acquiring better quality lenses. Right now I'm using the kit 17-55 and a 55-200 VR, both fairly cheap lenses. Since I'm not into publishing poster-sized prints of landscapes or super cropping of hummingbirds at 100 yards or taking pictures at weddings, my main goal now is to concentrate on learning how to TAKE better pictures (framing, composition, light conditions, and camera settings). Later on I'll worry about figuring out how to post-process excellent pictures.

[+sbell111]

always take your pics in raw to avoid losing image information

Alright all you camera experts... what's a reasonably priced bit of software I can use to post-process Nikon D40x RAW images?

 

I have no interest in plopping down $700 for Photoshop.

You don't need to plop down $700 for the current version of Creative Suite. Photoshop Elements will get done what you need and lots more.

[GPS-Hermit]

for those of you not ready to go pro and want a piece of free very user friendly fast software - give this a try - irfanview - just google it and go to down on those photo and clean them up.

 

Removing Gamma gets rid of haze in summer pictures and richens the color at the same time

Enhance color brings colors out -great for the woods

Move contrast up or down improves the shot

Sharpen those shots with buildings or woods in them and wow the picture stands out.

 

Just that much adjustment and the pictures improve greatly!

 

Hold the camera still, still, still, practice that alot until you get it right.

Frame the distance shots with tree limbs for depth or rock edges nearby.

 

Cooler air is clearer and hazy days are better light than bright in the summer time.

In the fall and winter you can see forever.

 

I have never got a good picture with the snow falling ???? I would love to do it.

Still having trouble with the bright sun coming thru the trees and hitting the ground in the woods.

 

The software above has really got tons of features like mass renaming, croping, wallpaper. etc.

It also does not install into the registry in windows and you can copy it all round after install anywhere you want - I run mine off the flash drive. It starts up in a blink. It knows all the picture types, even phototshop and will let you change from anything to anything. Lot of batch features in there too.

Edited November 23, 2008 by GPS-Hermit

[+Iowa Tom]

I have never got a good picture with the snow falling ????

 

I found that using a flash and a time exposure taken during a heavy snowfall produced an interesting effect. The color gives away the fact that the streetlight uses high pressure sodium. My old Vivitar 283 flash was set at full power.

 

[+Dgwphotos]

The best tip I can give, is to learn to observe! Watch the light, look for interesting colors, and textures. Remember, everyone sees the world in a different light, and your camera is your vision.