I've had my camera a week

[mrs singlecoil]

You're never too old to learn. Bought first decent camera and my husband is teaching me the computer stuff -he's very patient! Haven't taken that many pics yet thought this one wasn't too bad. Any comments would be helpful.




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[rottie102]

Hi,

one thing I would recommend is to try some post processing. Taking a photo is just a first part, PP can make it much better.

You don't have to spend any money to start with, freeware Picassa is very good for amateur shooting.

[mrs singlecoil]

rottie102 said:

Hi,

one thing I would recommend is to try some post processing. Taking a photo is just a first part, PP can make it much better.

You don't have to spend any money to start with, freeware Picassa is very good for amateur shooting.

Thanks.I did crop it and darkened it very slightly in Photoscape. I think I need to retake the shot not a problem as the busts -there are two- are just around the corner from where I live. I also think I should use a shorter lens? as I don't have room to go back very far.

[rottie102]

mrs singlecoil said:

rottie102 said:

Hi,

one thing I would recommend is to try some post processing. Taking a photo is just a first part, PP can make it much better.

You don't have to spend any money to start with, freeware Picassa is very good for amateur shooting.

Thanks.I did crop it and darkened it very slightly in Photoscape. I think I need to retake the shot not a problem as the busts -there are two- are just around the corner from where I live. I also think I should use a shorter lens? as I don't have room to go back very far.

Well, the length of the lens depends entirely on what did you want in the frame.
Since you're using 1000D I'd definitely recommend investing in 50mm 1.8 prime - the nifty fifty. 2nd hand one will not cost you more than £60, new ones are around £80.
It will be shorter than your 70mm and much faster at F1.8.

Also if you like this sort of photography a 2nd hand flash with some cheap off the camera system would open many possibilities. Again we're not talking a lot of money here.

[flat-planedCrank]

mrs singlecoil said:

You're never too old to learn. Bought first decent camera and my husband is teaching me the computer stuff -he's very patient! Haven't taken that many pics yet thought this one wasn't too bad. Any comments would be helpful.




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Congrats on the new camera

As has been suggested, something like a cheap 50mm f1.8 lens would allow you to 'separate' the subject from its background wall by using a 'fast' (wide) aperture.
Also, using on-camera flash has given very uniform lighting across the image - perhaps there are other lights or lightsources (the sun will do fine ) that could add further definition to your photo.

There are many resources for learning about photography online, one good (and free!) resource are the collection of articles by Ron Bigelow - http://ronbigelow.com/articles/articles.htm
What is particularly good about these articles is that they don't just describe the technical challenges but also talk about the (often forgotten) importance of composition.


Hope this helps

[Lambochick]

Working in IT I love playing around with computers, and I've learnt so much more by experimenting with my own pictures in Photoshop. Your image looks fairly flat as posted, but a couple of minutes in post processing can make quite a difference.

A lot of photo purists will try and insist that you should get it right in camera. It's a noble aim, but I don't think I have seen a digital image straight out of camera that couldn't benefit from a little bit of tweaking.

See what you think.

[rottie102]

Lambochick said:

Working in IT I love playing around with computers, and I've learnt so much more by experimenting with my own pictures in Photoshop. Your image looks fairly flat as posted, but a couple of minutes in post processing can make quite a difference.

A lot of photo purists will try and insist that you should get it right in camera. It's a noble aim, but I don't think I have seen a digital image straight out of camera that couldn't benefit from a little bit of tweaking.

See what you think.

Just straighten it up a bit so the lines on the wall are horizontal (pet hate of mine )

[singlecoil]

Lambochick said:

Working in IT I love playing around with computers, and I've learnt so much more by experimenting with my own pictures in Photoshop. Your image looks fairly flat as posted, but a couple of minutes in post processing can make quite a difference.

A lot of photo purists will try and insist that you should get it right in camera. It's a noble aim, but I don't think I have seen a digital image straight out of camera that couldn't benefit from a little bit of tweaking.

See what you think.

I will draw that to her ladyship's attention, I am sure she will be impressed and will want to know how you did it?

[tank slapper]

rottie102 said:

Hi,

one thing I would recommend is to try some post processing. Taking a photo is just a first part, PP can make it much better.

You don't have to spend any money to start with, freeware Picassa is very good for amateur shooting.

Can I make a suggestion? Try to get it right with the camera first. If you start with the attitude that you can fix everything in software, then you tend to spend less time thinking about what it is you are doing, and trying to achieve when you actually take the shot.

Post processing does have a place, but I find the less sodding around I have to do with software, the more satisfied I am with the end result.

[mrs singlecoil]

Lambochick said:

Working in IT I love playing around with computers, and I've learnt so much more by experimenting with my own pictures in Photoshop. Your image looks fairly flat as posted, but a couple of minutes in post processing can make quite a difference.

A lot of photo purists will try and insist that you should get it right in camera. It's a noble aim, but I don't think I have seen a digital image straight out of camera that couldn't benefit from a little bit of tweaking.

See what you think.

I think it looks great, thanks. How did you do it? I am a beginner at all this - including posting on forums! So thanks also for everyones tips.

[Lambochick]

What photo editing software do you have? I use Photoshop, but don't know how to translate the changes I made to other software programs if you are using something different.

In Photoshop I :-

Tweaked the levels. Viewing the levels graph, both the black point and the white point fell short of the extremities, so I moved both points towards where the levels graph actually starts.

Slight boost to contrast. I did this using the curves adjustmnet by changing the curve from a straight line to a very gentle S. This makes the dark tones slightly darker and the bright tones slightly brighter, without clogging the blacks or blowing any highlights.

Minimal boost to vibrance, just to bring the colours out a bit more.

Finally added the smallest amount of extra sharpening.

That was it and, as I said in my previous post, took all of 2 minutes or so; much quicker than trying to describe it! lol

[flat-planedCrank]

I would agree with the idea of getting the image as 'right' in-camera as possible.

Post processing work can improve a photo - its an extremely valuable tool (used for many years even in non-digital times) - but it shouldn't habitually be relied on to 'save' images.



If you are new to photography then one book often recommended is 'Understanding Exposure' by Bryan Peterson
(You can look inside the book on Amazon)


Hope this helps

[tinman0]

mrs singlecoil said:

You're never too old to learn. Bought first decent camera and my husband is teaching me the computer stuff -he's very patient! Haven't taken that many pics yet thought this one wasn't too bad. Any comments would be helpful.

Find a local composition class for photography. (Not critiquing your picture btw).

I did it earlier this year (just a single evening course) and it certainly gives you something to think about when you are framing the shot. eg thirds rule, repeating patterns, etc. Definitely worth spending a bit of money on.

[kirsty-s2k]

tinman0 said:

mrs singlecoil said:

You're never too old to learn. Bought first decent camera and my husband is teaching me the computer stuff -he's very patient! Haven't taken that many pics yet thought this one wasn't too bad. Any comments would be helpful.

Find a local composition class for photography. (Not critiquing your picture btw).

I did it earlier this year (just a single evening course) and it certainly gives you something to think about when you are framing the shot. eg thirds rule, repeating patterns, etc. Definitely worth spending a bit of money on.

+1 I did a day course for £70 - basics of how to use the cameras features, and understanding the basics of composition - really was well worth the money. Gave me the confidence to play with the settings rather than rely on pre set functions.

[mrs singlecoil]

Thanks for more info everyone. I have Photoscape and am learning how to use that. I’m only on the basics at the moment but very keen to get better. Will suss out the local classes.

[clonmult]

rottie102 said:

Lambochick said:

Working in IT I love playing around with computers, and I've learnt so much more by experimenting with my own pictures in Photoshop. Your image looks fairly flat as posted, but a couple of minutes in post processing can make quite a difference.

A lot of photo purists will try and insist that you should get it right in camera. It's a noble aim, but I don't think I have seen a digital image straight out of camera that couldn't benefit from a little bit of tweaking.

See what you think.

Just straighten it up a bit so the lines on the wall are horizontal (pet hate of mine )

Mine too - I love getting shots level where possible/applicable.

And I'm a part-time purist, believing that it should be got as right as possible in camera. But then I realised that when starting shooting in raw, you just concentrate on composition rather than in-camera colour effects.

Now if feels more like 35mm photography, but with the different chemicals and papers replaced with photoshop/picasa/gimp/etc.

Reckon if he'd still be alive, my dad would have absolutely loved sitting for hours in front of the PC editing images, getting them just right.

[Quaint]

FWIW I found Michael Freeman's book "The Photographer's Eye" extremely helpful in helping me think about composition - evening classes really weren't an option for me due to work patterns and generally being time-poor. I think it's about £15 from Amazon, and it's probably done more for my results than any of the shiny kit I've bought in the past 2 years...!

[flat-planedCrank]

Quaint said:

Michael Freeman's book "The Photographer's Eye"

+1
Its a good book