Imagination - I seem to lack it
Discussion
ill add,
Dont be afraid of converting a dull daytime image into a black and white one
Not all pretty views make good photographs, enjoy the views and just take a snap of you and your companion instead
Always consider what the focus of the photo is/ what caught your eye in the first place, then work the composition around that with leading lines where possible
Ultimately are you after memories, wall art or a video? Chose maybe 2, not all 3 it will be too much
Restrict your gear as much as possible, however if your bring a dedicated camera (not iphone) then your need a tripod, all the best photos are dusk, night and dawn, especially true in the US with all the neon signs in towns, epic landscape sunsets and sun rises in the country as well as starry nights
Put your journey first and photos/ snaps/ video second imo
Enjoy the experience and don't worry that you didnt get the shot!
Dont be afraid of converting a dull daytime image into a black and white one
Not all pretty views make good photographs, enjoy the views and just take a snap of you and your companion instead
Always consider what the focus of the photo is/ what caught your eye in the first place, then work the composition around that with leading lines where possible
Ultimately are you after memories, wall art or a video? Chose maybe 2, not all 3 it will be too much
Restrict your gear as much as possible, however if your bring a dedicated camera (not iphone) then your need a tripod, all the best photos are dusk, night and dawn, especially true in the US with all the neon signs in towns, epic landscape sunsets and sun rises in the country as well as starry nights
Put your journey first and photos/ snaps/ video second imo
Enjoy the experience and don't worry that you didnt get the shot!
Don't worry too much about editing. I did a similar trip last year and whilst I did have a DSLR with me, the majority of pics were with my Galaxy A52 phone which I made no effort to edit at all. I shot about 600 pics on the DSLR and edited 100 of them.
The vast majority of what I shot was just simple moments, a bowl of food, a view from a hotel balcony, loads of selfies and just simple candid shots of the missus standing in a landscape. An important point here as well is to teach whoever you are with to take pictures of you. As photographers, we are able to create fabulous memories of our travels which don't include a single picture of ourselves.
It took a little coaxing but eventually Mrs Jurbie would remember to snap candid pictures of me as I clambered around on some rocky outcrop overlooking the Grand Canyon trying to find the perfect angle for my own shot. Those were some of my favourites from the trip. We also have a standing joke about needing a human for scale and interest. This came about after she got drenched next to a waterfall in Iceland, but the point stands.
Regarding your actual picture taking, just get to grips with the basics of composition and lighting as already mentioned. Rule of thirds, lead in lines, foreground interest will all help. Try and change your viewpoint, we all experience the world from between 5 and 6 feet up, Shoot something from 2 feet up and you'll have an entirely different picture. Obviously this doesn't work so well with landscapes and big things but then chuck in some foreground interest or other composition trick and it'll come together.
The vast majority of what I shot was just simple moments, a bowl of food, a view from a hotel balcony, loads of selfies and just simple candid shots of the missus standing in a landscape. An important point here as well is to teach whoever you are with to take pictures of you. As photographers, we are able to create fabulous memories of our travels which don't include a single picture of ourselves.
It took a little coaxing but eventually Mrs Jurbie would remember to snap candid pictures of me as I clambered around on some rocky outcrop overlooking the Grand Canyon trying to find the perfect angle for my own shot. Those were some of my favourites from the trip. We also have a standing joke about needing a human for scale and interest. This came about after she got drenched next to a waterfall in Iceland, but the point stands.
Regarding your actual picture taking, just get to grips with the basics of composition and lighting as already mentioned. Rule of thirds, lead in lines, foreground interest will all help. Try and change your viewpoint, we all experience the world from between 5 and 6 feet up, Shoot something from 2 feet up and you'll have an entirely different picture. Obviously this doesn't work so well with landscapes and big things but then chuck in some foreground interest or other composition trick and it'll come together.
Edited by jurbie on Monday 6th May 14:08
Just take your time.
Unless you are racing the light changing, or need to capture something that's happening RIGHT NOW, then don't let yourself raise the camera to your eye for a good long spell after you arrive somewhere.
Instead just breathe the place in a bit - walk around, think about what's interesting to look at, think about what bits of the scene would look like in a 4:3 frame. Notice how much more or less interesting the scenery (or people) look depending on where you stand - your perspective will make a big difference to how backgrounds fall into place, how colours / shapes / light & shade etc etc relate to each other.
Once you've done all that for a while (& forgotten about the hassle you had parking, or the 3 hour dead straight road you've just driven down, or the bit of your breakfast that's still stuck between your teeth, or whatever) start taking some photos, IF any of what you're now seeing seems like it might be worth looking at again at a later date.
Unless you are racing the light changing, or need to capture something that's happening RIGHT NOW, then don't let yourself raise the camera to your eye for a good long spell after you arrive somewhere.
Instead just breathe the place in a bit - walk around, think about what's interesting to look at, think about what bits of the scene would look like in a 4:3 frame. Notice how much more or less interesting the scenery (or people) look depending on where you stand - your perspective will make a big difference to how backgrounds fall into place, how colours / shapes / light & shade etc etc relate to each other.
Once you've done all that for a while (& forgotten about the hassle you had parking, or the 3 hour dead straight road you've just driven down, or the bit of your breakfast that's still stuck between your teeth, or whatever) start taking some photos, IF any of what you're now seeing seems like it might be worth looking at again at a later date.
Craikeybaby said:
First of all, you need to work out if it is a "photography" trip or not, as traveling companions may not be as keen as you on the "faffing" needed to get good photos and itineraries may not always match with the best light etc.
A very good point. I was fortunate to spend a month in NZ. I borrowed an Andris Apse book and had the ambition of matching his shots. This was when I discovered I'm not a landscape tog. His shot of Nugget Point - lovely. But when I got there it was overcast and raining. As a tourist you're just not in the right place at the right time with the right weather - you have to make do with the opportunities you find and wring the best out of them.But when you're not going for the coffee-table shot, just record the trip - what you do, where you are, everyday stuff. It will be a great reminder of the holiday.
satans worm said:
Dont be afraid of converting a dull daytime image into a black and white one
Yes indeed; we're used to having colour as part of an image. A red flower, lovely. A grey flower, not really. But some scenes work on tones not colour. With practice you'll learn to see in tones and think 'Will this shot work in b/w?' Some shots need monochrome to work, others need colour to work. Sometimes colour can be a distraction.(Maybe this is less specific to the OP’s upcoming trip but more how you might want to think to unleash your creative side longer term!!)
I do think everyone is, and can be creative. Believe me, practising and training the eye takes a lot of time, but you’ll get there’. You might be spending hours on YouTube learning? But are you spending 10x that taking photos? I don’t mean just ‘spray and pray’, but getting your head in the moment to think about what it is you enjoy about the particular view / moment?
Take photos of what you enjoy. Work out what turns you on : Moments, places, pattern, action? Follow what you enjoy, you will find comes more naturally.
Ask yourself with every photo - what is it you are trying to say or show? Use that to add or cut out things that are distracting or superfluous to the story.
Also when you take a photo, imagine It was shown on national TV as part of a documentary? What would the voiceover be? And here is the castle which I think has a tower or turrets and a bit of a unkempt front garden? Or would it be….. the majesty of the main tower dominates the sky towering above the crumbling 500yr old walls.
If it was the latter you might want to get closer, point the camera upwards slightly to exaggerate the perspective of the tower and show a bit of detail of the main walls below it, ignoring the boring front garden area.
Photography is hard. Sometimes it is very challenging to see anything!
And finally ? Hope you have a wonderful trip - and don’t stress about the photos
I do think everyone is, and can be creative. Believe me, practising and training the eye takes a lot of time, but you’ll get there’. You might be spending hours on YouTube learning? But are you spending 10x that taking photos? I don’t mean just ‘spray and pray’, but getting your head in the moment to think about what it is you enjoy about the particular view / moment?
Take photos of what you enjoy. Work out what turns you on : Moments, places, pattern, action? Follow what you enjoy, you will find comes more naturally.
Ask yourself with every photo - what is it you are trying to say or show? Use that to add or cut out things that are distracting or superfluous to the story.
Also when you take a photo, imagine It was shown on national TV as part of a documentary? What would the voiceover be? And here is the castle which I think has a tower or turrets and a bit of a unkempt front garden? Or would it be….. the majesty of the main tower dominates the sky towering above the crumbling 500yr old walls.
If it was the latter you might want to get closer, point the camera upwards slightly to exaggerate the perspective of the tower and show a bit of detail of the main walls below it, ignoring the boring front garden area.
Photography is hard. Sometimes it is very challenging to see anything!
And finally ? Hope you have a wonderful trip - and don’t stress about the photos
Some great advice above.
I'm (like Craikey) technically competent but creatively more limited - I know when something looks good afterwards, but seeing the potential in a landscape or event is still tough. For me, practice and more practice has been the key, plus going to some very inspirational places.
If I was doing what you're doing (having done much the same when we started travelling the world 20 years ago, albeit with a lot less advice and not-as-good kit), I would:-
- Buy or borrow "Understanding Exposure", and have that as your bedtime reading. You could get lost in book after book of advice, but this distils stuff down better than anything else I've read. (you can get 3rd Ed. second hand quite cheaply)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Exposure-Fo...
- Practice as much as you can with your camera beforehand so adjusting the controls is instinctive.
- Be confident in understanding the key points of where to use e.g. Shutter Priority / Aperture Priority, when/where/how to adjust depth-of-field, and the rule-of-thumb relationship between shutter speed and focal length for 'sharp' photos. Get these right and you'll increase the % of 'keepers'.
- Look at your itinerary - see if you can work out ahead of time where you'll be for the early/late daylight hours and whether that ties-in to any photogenic locations. Some of them may really benefit from this (Death Valley, as above), some may be more flexible with light (Monument Valley springs to mind - long-shadows from the mesa's would be great and a sunrise/sunset shot would probably be spectacular, but equally the "big landscape / big blue sky" shot would also work well because you'll still have foreground interest).
- Remember it's a holiday first and foremost - have the camera to hand as much as possible, but (a few key points probably excepted) try not to let it drive the trip.
- Think about photo opportunities outside of the landscape and sights. Random wildlife, evenings out, quirky shops or signs or people. The memories from the holiday are often as much about this.
- Don't ignore video, even if it's just off someone's phone. Driving through somewhere like Monument Valley or Yosemite deserves some video.
I was out in CA last September - did Yosemite and PCH.
- Sunsets in both areas can be disappointing - PCH because there's often a haze over the Pacific, Yosemite because you start losing light over the foreground early, there's no horizon to start from and because it's at altitude - even when I set a stupid-o-clock alarm and drove up to Glacier Point pre-sunrise, the actual event wasn't what you'd get in the Med or the tropics.
- Make time for a whale-watching cruise (out of Moss Landing if possible) - I did a 3-4 hour trip one morning and it was amazing - one of the highlights.
- Check ahead of time if PCH has reopened between Carmel and Santa Barbara - it was closed all last year.
* If you can, head back into the park after dark IF there's been a clear sky - it's a proper dark-sky location and even with a mini-tripod you could probably get some great star shots. Death Valley potentially also. I failed 3 nights running last September as each afternoon a haze of light clouds blew over!
I'm (like Craikey) technically competent but creatively more limited - I know when something looks good afterwards, but seeing the potential in a landscape or event is still tough. For me, practice and more practice has been the key, plus going to some very inspirational places.
If I was doing what you're doing (having done much the same when we started travelling the world 20 years ago, albeit with a lot less advice and not-as-good kit), I would:-
- Buy or borrow "Understanding Exposure", and have that as your bedtime reading. You could get lost in book after book of advice, but this distils stuff down better than anything else I've read. (you can get 3rd Ed. second hand quite cheaply)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Exposure-Fo...
- Practice as much as you can with your camera beforehand so adjusting the controls is instinctive.
- Be confident in understanding the key points of where to use e.g. Shutter Priority / Aperture Priority, when/where/how to adjust depth-of-field, and the rule-of-thumb relationship between shutter speed and focal length for 'sharp' photos. Get these right and you'll increase the % of 'keepers'.
- Look at your itinerary - see if you can work out ahead of time where you'll be for the early/late daylight hours and whether that ties-in to any photogenic locations. Some of them may really benefit from this (Death Valley, as above), some may be more flexible with light (Monument Valley springs to mind - long-shadows from the mesa's would be great and a sunrise/sunset shot would probably be spectacular, but equally the "big landscape / big blue sky" shot would also work well because you'll still have foreground interest).
- Remember it's a holiday first and foremost - have the camera to hand as much as possible, but (a few key points probably excepted) try not to let it drive the trip.
- Think about photo opportunities outside of the landscape and sights. Random wildlife, evenings out, quirky shops or signs or people. The memories from the holiday are often as much about this.
- Don't ignore video, even if it's just off someone's phone. Driving through somewhere like Monument Valley or Yosemite deserves some video.
I was out in CA last September - did Yosemite and PCH.
- Sunsets in both areas can be disappointing - PCH because there's often a haze over the Pacific, Yosemite because you start losing light over the foreground early, there's no horizon to start from and because it's at altitude - even when I set a stupid-o-clock alarm and drove up to Glacier Point pre-sunrise, the actual event wasn't what you'd get in the Med or the tropics.
- Make time for a whale-watching cruise (out of Moss Landing if possible) - I did a 3-4 hour trip one morning and it was amazing - one of the highlights.
- Check ahead of time if PCH has reopened between Carmel and Santa Barbara - it was closed all last year.
* If you can, head back into the park after dark IF there's been a clear sky - it's a proper dark-sky location and even with a mini-tripod you could probably get some great star shots. Death Valley potentially also. I failed 3 nights running last September as each afternoon a haze of light clouds blew over!
havoc said:
- Practice as much as you can with your camera beforehand so adjusting the controls is instinctive.
- Be confident in understanding the key points of where to use e.g. Shutter Priority / Aperture Priority, when/where/how to adjust depth-of-field, and the rule-of-thumb relationship between shutter speed and focal length for 'sharp' photos. Get these right and you'll increase the % of 'keepers'.
And before that... I see the photo I want in the scene in front of me, then adjust the camera and my position to achieve it. With the instant feedback provided by digital cameras you quickly get to learn what works and what doesn't - so you get more keepers and less time wasted. Of course, you have to see the photo you want first, and that might be the issue here.- Be confident in understanding the key points of where to use e.g. Shutter Priority / Aperture Priority, when/where/how to adjust depth-of-field, and the rule-of-thumb relationship between shutter speed and focal length for 'sharp' photos. Get these right and you'll increase the % of 'keepers'.
Additional time with the camera is always a great thing.
Speed read the thread and most has already been covered (apologies if I missed parts that I will go on to repeat).
I'd make sure most of your photos have a defined subject, something in the frame that your eye is immediately drawn to and then think how you can shift the composition to help lead the viewer to that point (goes back to the YouTube educational vids). Without a subject / main item then photos can be a bit "so what"
You can add layers into the photo by adding some foreground interest, something that's either out of focus, or builds as you walk your eye through the frame. Also means the viewer is likley to spend more time on your pic and not just skip through as wallpaper.
I find overseas light to be much better than ours (daft thing to say), but looking at the shadows cast by an item / person / building can give you a rich playground for ideas and new compositions. Sean Tucker and Roman Fox are very good at things like this - they could be worth a look if you haven't already.
If you want to find your photography mojo then it could be worth going out and snapping your fave subjects. Cars tend to work for me and I'll play around with angles, light and focal lengths to see what works and doesn't. If you're honing your skills with a subject you love then it doesn't feel like hard work.
Finally, I rarely take my camera on our holidays as I like enjoying the moments - we don't get too many of them as a family and I don't want to make them suffer whilst I try to get that perfect shot. Phones usually suffice without sacrificing too much quality nowadays. I have a photo of a beach path in Cornwall, taken on my iphone 12, that has been blown up to A2 on my wall and it looks so sharp that people can't tell that it wasnt taken with my mirrorless.
Do you have anyone that you can get out with to bounce ideas off and challenge each other?
Speed read the thread and most has already been covered (apologies if I missed parts that I will go on to repeat).
I'd make sure most of your photos have a defined subject, something in the frame that your eye is immediately drawn to and then think how you can shift the composition to help lead the viewer to that point (goes back to the YouTube educational vids). Without a subject / main item then photos can be a bit "so what"
You can add layers into the photo by adding some foreground interest, something that's either out of focus, or builds as you walk your eye through the frame. Also means the viewer is likley to spend more time on your pic and not just skip through as wallpaper.
I find overseas light to be much better than ours (daft thing to say), but looking at the shadows cast by an item / person / building can give you a rich playground for ideas and new compositions. Sean Tucker and Roman Fox are very good at things like this - they could be worth a look if you haven't already.
If you want to find your photography mojo then it could be worth going out and snapping your fave subjects. Cars tend to work for me and I'll play around with angles, light and focal lengths to see what works and doesn't. If you're honing your skills with a subject you love then it doesn't feel like hard work.
Finally, I rarely take my camera on our holidays as I like enjoying the moments - we don't get too many of them as a family and I don't want to make them suffer whilst I try to get that perfect shot. Phones usually suffice without sacrificing too much quality nowadays. I have a photo of a beach path in Cornwall, taken on my iphone 12, that has been blown up to A2 on my wall and it looks so sharp that people can't tell that it wasnt taken with my mirrorless.
Do you have anyone that you can get out with to bounce ideas off and challenge each other?
I was at art college. I discovered I had, and have, no talent in art. It's the most irritating weakness I have, even worse than being deaf in one ear, and that's a pain. I can look at art, particularly graphic art, and recognise quality and genius, so I'm a bit like the bloke in Amadeus. However, I gained a distinction, one of three. I was inordinately proud of my award. My 'trick', if it was a trick, I prefer to call it my genius move, was to study others, and copy their design features. I came up with some great stuff, and I know whereof I speak. When I went for end of course feedback, as it would be called now, from the lecturer, I coughed to being utterly, and totally, unoriginal. He said he knew that, but he marked what he saw.
My appreciation of graphic art in particular, and other forms, has stayed with me all my life. I've got dozens of books on the subject, and would have had more if we hadn't downsized. The fact that the OP, or anyone come to that, might lack certain abilities to be great at whatever they want to do is of no consequence. Just do what you can and enjoy doing so. Study others, learn from them. And copy them. From the books I've read, that's what most do.
My appreciation of graphic art in particular, and other forms, has stayed with me all my life. I've got dozens of books on the subject, and would have had more if we hadn't downsized. The fact that the OP, or anyone come to that, might lack certain abilities to be great at whatever they want to do is of no consequence. Just do what you can and enjoy doing so. Study others, learn from them. And copy them. From the books I've read, that's what most do.
It just takes time and experience.
My photography was crap for probably 3 years or more when I first started taking it seriously for a hobby and bought a DLSR. It took me 5 years or more, of casual shooting whist on walks or holidays, to start to get some nice shots.
In total, it took me about 10 years, and a full change of gear, until I could knock out photos that would easily be printed and hung on the wall of my house (or a gallery) that looked interesting, well shot, and 'pro'.
Some people have a real eye for it, and combine that with shooting A LOT of photos, and they will learn really quickly. I've seen some people go from a total beginner to a really talented wedding photographer in 2-3 years if they have a natural artistic flair and put the work in.
But for us ordinary mortals without a supernatural creative gift, it really is practice, practice, practice until you can successfully max out your cameras in terms of technical ability and control, and learn what shots will work and why, which light works and why, which angles, the colours, and so on.
The most important tip I can give, is don't force it. Just shoot what you enjoy. Don't bother shooting stuff that doesn't interest you. You won't enjoy it.
When I first started, I tried photographing all the stuff that I thought people wanted to see, especially when travelling/holiday, such as landscapes. Then I realised I f
king hate landscapes, so I never even raise my camera when I see a nice one now.
My photography was crap for probably 3 years or more when I first started taking it seriously for a hobby and bought a DLSR. It took me 5 years or more, of casual shooting whist on walks or holidays, to start to get some nice shots.
In total, it took me about 10 years, and a full change of gear, until I could knock out photos that would easily be printed and hung on the wall of my house (or a gallery) that looked interesting, well shot, and 'pro'.
Some people have a real eye for it, and combine that with shooting A LOT of photos, and they will learn really quickly. I've seen some people go from a total beginner to a really talented wedding photographer in 2-3 years if they have a natural artistic flair and put the work in.
But for us ordinary mortals without a supernatural creative gift, it really is practice, practice, practice until you can successfully max out your cameras in terms of technical ability and control, and learn what shots will work and why, which light works and why, which angles, the colours, and so on.
The most important tip I can give, is don't force it. Just shoot what you enjoy. Don't bother shooting stuff that doesn't interest you. You won't enjoy it.
When I first started, I tried photographing all the stuff that I thought people wanted to see, especially when travelling/holiday, such as landscapes. Then I realised I f
king hate landscapes, so I never even raise my camera when I see a nice one now.Edited by Mont Blanc on Thursday 23 May 16:16
Tony1963 said:
One thing to bear in mind is that for most of the day, and for most of the year, locations all around the world are boring looking. After dawn, and before dusk, everything often looks flat and boring. You could park a classic Lotus F1 car on the edge of the Grand Canyon, and it’d look boring. It is ALL about the light.
So, with decent weather across much of the U.K. this weekend, people need to be out and about VERY early to catch the light. Composition etc follows from that.
Also… most of us aren’t a Litchfield or a Bailey. We are not renowned visual artists. We struggle. Don’t put pressure on yourself to create masterpieces. Create memories, and if the opportunity arises, try for a special photo.
So, with decent weather across much of the U.K. this weekend, people need to be out and about VERY early to catch the light. Composition etc follows from that.
Also… most of us aren’t a Litchfield or a Bailey. We are not renowned visual artists. We struggle. Don’t put pressure on yourself to create masterpieces. Create memories, and if the opportunity arises, try for a special photo.
The thing is, imagination can play a part in it but as in the post above with excellent advice, lighting plays a massive part in it. I mess about with a drone and finding interesting things to take pictures of is difficult, most of them are either on SSSI or land that is difficult to get to - there is a boat wreck on the edge of the beach at Pembrey but to get to it, requires walking through a MOD beach and i bet they won't let me fly to take pics.
But also, just a few little changes can make all the difference.
I was flying in a field not far from me and there are some flowers growing, - think they are weeds if i am honest or wild flowers - and i thought it would make a cool video to zoom across the top of them maybe 2 inches higher up.
Posted it in on reddit and someone said to me, go up about 3 inches, angle the camera down 15 degrees and then post it again as it will be more dramatic.
They were right.
Simple little tricks that you don't necessarily think of can make all the difference but for an example of good lighting, this was at about 7am Bank Holiday Monday just gone, i was about 90 mts up and used the zoom to get closer
Anyway, good luck OP
Bill said:
Is the rule of thirds* still a thing? Just looking at the OP's (lovely...) snaps and thinking horizons need shifting down and focal points across slightly.
ETA and a bit less zoom/crop on the car and hut photos.
*Or whatever it is/was called...
What I have found is I have snags keeping the camera level, so have cropped to try to make level - but was nly a quick edit last night on those two.ETA and a bit less zoom/crop on the car and hut photos.
*Or whatever it is/was called...
The hut - was trying to convey its isolation in the vastness - so yeah I could have been zoomed out. The cars in DV - was a snap just to show our truck there - but it came out ok so thought i would post!
mattyn1 said:
So holiday done - it was fantastic and I had a great time taking loads of photos.
I know have the task of editing and sorting - but here are a few to be getting on with. So pleased and grateful for the advice - I think some have worked quite well.
For someone who said they had ‘no imagination’ these are great! Not your average holiday snaps, and I really like the boldness in each. And then there’s little nuances that whether luck or judgement work well - the white car has white clothed people next to it, the black car has black clothes people next to it all in a defined horizontal strip.I know have the task of editing and sorting - but here are a few to be getting on with. So pleased and grateful for the advice - I think some have worked quite well.
You should be proud of these
Hopefully you’ll discover more treasures when going through your catalogue from the holiday.mattyn1 said:
So holiday done - it was fantastic and I had a great time taking loads of photos.
I know have the task of editing and sorting - but here are a few to be getting on with. So pleased and grateful for the advice - I think some have worked quite well.
This is a standout one for me. Great tones and composition. I know have the task of editing and sorting - but here are a few to be getting on with. So pleased and grateful for the advice - I think some have worked quite well.
Was it taken behind glass? There's a reflection in the top right that could possibly be blended out in post processing, but further into the middle looks like light rays hitting the cabin.
thepritch said:
For someone who said they had ‘no imagination’ these are great! Not your average holiday snaps, and I really like the boldness in each. And then there’s little nuances that whether luck or judgement work well - the white car has white clothed people next to it, the black car has black clothes people next to it all in a defined horizontal strip.
You should be proud of these Hopefully you’ll discover more treasures when going through your catalogue from the holiday.
If you ever get to have a walk around Gosport you will probably understand where I was coming from - you know what it is like - spend all that cash on a top holiday, buy some top quality (for me) gear - one wants to exploit it to the max - and then the worry "what if they are crap?".You should be proud of these
Hopefully you’ll discover more treasures when going through your catalogue from the holiday.Thank you for the comments - encouraging to say the least. The car photo as you describe is purely accidental - and to think I was trying to work out how to delete the by-standers.
We did take loads but we were out and about all day every day for a month. Didn't always use the X-T3 - we often would use the iPhone, but I definitely can see a difference in the quality of images - so remain pleased with the camera purchase and pleased i went that way opposed to my original plan for a bridge camera. No regrets there.
I have also splurged on a subscription to an editing app - specifically Luminar Neo. It is definitely far easier to understand than photoshop which I have tried to use in the past - Neo seems aimed at those with little tech knowledge and with plenty of "how to" videos on YT - and am finding it simple to try the different adjustments and what they actually do - am definitely finding "less is more" but it app is definitely worth it if only for the ability to delete elements - the original Grand Canyon image has a handrail along the bottom left corner - a simple process to delete and it looks so good.
Horseshoe bend was definitely the most spectacular and the photo does not convey it adequately. The only edit on that is cropping to straighten - that place is simply breathtaking.
So thanks for those comments - I am suitably buzzing and enthused!
toasty said:
This is a standout one for me. Great tones and composition.
Was it taken behind glass? There's a reflection in the top right that could possibly be blended out in post processing, but further into the middle looks like light rays hitting the cabin.
If I recall correctly, it was taken by the wife through the windscreen - just needed a bit of straightening and have tweaked the colours to make it zing. But I agree - so far one of my favs - just wish it was taken a bit further out so convey the vastness of the area.Was it taken behind glass? There's a reflection in the top right that could possibly be blended out in post processing, but further into the middle looks like light rays hitting the cabin.
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