Why are there so few car photographs?
Discussion
Jetl3on said:
Apart from the fact most of you are professional lensmen, is it fair to say that in order for amateurs to produce reasonable results, they must also know some form of photoshop, as most of these images have been altered in some way?
I am strictly an amateur, I'll let others decide whether my post on page 3 qualifies as 'reasonable results' or not, but yes, it is fairly clear on this thread which pics have benefited from some work in post. Once you have got the hang of what the camera is capable, editing your images on the PC is the next logical step. Whether you limit yourself to basic 'brightness, contrast and colour' type adjustments, or full-on re-making the image, adding or removing elements, or combining multiple shots, is up to you - I started a few years back with basic adjustments, using free software (Picasa) then gradually started exploring what Paintshop Pro could do. I grew up using a film SLR, where pressing the shutter was the end of my input and the film went off to the chemist and the results came back in an envelope, printed and final. Now I have so much more control to fine-tune what an image looks like after the shutter is pressed, be it tiny final tweaks, rescuing a poor shot or complete re-imaginings - Fire up your computer and have a play!
Silver Smudger said:
Once you have got the hang of what the camera is capable, editing your images on the PC is the next logical step. Whether you limit yourself to basic 'brightness, contrast and colour' type adjustments, or full-on re-making the image, adding or removing elements, or combining multiple shots, is up to you - I started a few years back with basic adjustments, using free software (Picasa) then gradually started exploring what Paintshop Pro could do. I grew up using a film SLR, where pressing the shutter was the end of my input and the film went off to the chemist and the results came back in an envelope, printed and final. Now I have so much more control to fine-tune what an image looks like after the shutter is pressed, be it tiny final tweaks, rescuing a poor shot or complete re-imaginings - Fire up your computer and have a play!
K12beano said:
Altered as in changing the scene (cloning, depicting movement) or as in changing levels, contrast, colours, sharpening?
This is my concern, postproduction overtakes creativity, rather than do the cold nights, days on end peering through the viewfinder, hundreds of photos to get one good shot, as a novice I may take the shortcut, bypass the creative process to recreate some of these stunning images, not quite knowing when you have reached the limits before tinkering.Most on here I think have been through that learning curve, so PP is an addition to, not a replacement for their skills.
Edited by Jetl3on on Wednesday 7th November 21:17
Jetl3on said:
Most on here I think have been through that learning curve, so PP is an addition to, not a replacement for their skills.
I'd like to think there's a purity to a photo that is unaltered by computer - I tend to avoid it. I believe a photo that works well straight off the camera is a mark of a good photographer. But that's not to say someone who does [lots of] post-pro isn't. You could argue it is far more efficient to combine exposures and tweak, and give results well beyond what a can be achieved with just the camera. Of course, it could be that I'm utterly inept at both using a camera and post-pro, and I merely present this conjecture to disguise my own failings.
Jetl3on said:
Most on here I think have been through that learning curve, so PP is an addition to, not a replacement for their skills.
Well, as Simpo is very fond of pointing out, "you can't polish a turd" - and looking down the other end of the barrel, those talented artists, the Williams' and the Carters' out there, start with a diamond and are simply skilled enough to cut it correctly. Diamonds take an awful lot of effort and time to create, but you still need a certain little skill to get the best shine.Quite a lot of my work actually gets used untouched, but for the stuff I want to be known by I'm going to edit it to how I want it. I think it boils down to what I want to show and what the client wants to use are often different so I have to adapt to suit. The stuff seen online though that I post will be my vision not my client's vision
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