I took some bad photos, can anyone help me learn how to fix them?

Dirquist

Ok, so Im a hack. Just starting to get the ball rolling. Ive taken what I consider nice photos on automatic jpeg settings but have been working on my manual ability. Ive taken some good shots on manual mode also, but I also mess up a lot.

Im not sure if Im in the right place, or if anyone is interested in educating an amateur in the way Im asking. What Im hoping is that I can post a photo I took that didnt come out right. I already took that photo and tried to save it myself in both DPP and a tiny bit of photoshop. Could someone also take that photo and save it themselves so I can learn what I should have done trying to save it instead of what Ive done. It will also help me train my eye a little.

If Im crazy for asking this please just tell me.

Oh, Im just using flickr for the time being. If anyone is interested, how would I post the RAW file for someone to potentially play around with?

What Ive learned so far is that I need a Grey card, and also to follow some outdoor portrait rules I had not been aware of but now am.

#1 - Kinda grey, not a good pic I dont think. Maybe Im wrong and this is as good as I can actually get it.


_MG_3362 by pseudohippy, on Flickr

#2 - I changed some settings in DPP for RAW.


_MG_3362 canonized by pseudohippy, on Flickr

#3 - Then I photoshoped using this technique.
http://dgrin.smugmug.com/Tutorials/Photoshop-Start-Here/Make-Your-Image-Pop/2292454_mjGJs/1


_MG_3362 photoshopped by pseudohippy, on Flickr

#4 - Just a shot I took that I think looks more "real"


IMG_3510 by pseudohippy, on Flickr

Please C&C away and dont hesitate to let me know what I can do to help you help me. Any help you guys can give will be much appreciated.

Ethan/Dirquist

pathfinder

Learning to use a digital camera entails understanding how to get proper exposure, focus, and to do it quickly, with with a sensitivity to esthetics as well.

Once one has learned to operate a camera modestly, they find they still need to understand and use a digital image editing program to really utilize the full potential of modern digital photography, if only because even the best digital cameras do not see things like the human eye sees them.



I wrote a thread about color balance tools, like the grey card here - http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=90438

Your third image has much better color balance and contrast, which you apparently got to by setting black and white points which is a basic beginning step for digital editing. Setting black and white points is now done in Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom via a couple quick slider moves.

Shooting RAW gives one much more head room for image editing, including color balance, after shooting.

When you shoot people in the shade in the grass, it is always surprising how blue green the files look, but that is the color of the light being reflected back to the subjects from shaded grass. White wedding dresses look green when standing on a golf course, - DAMHIK. Custom color balance - whether with a custom jpg at the time of shooting, or a grey card to do color balancing at the time of RAW processing solves an awful lot of difficulties.

I think you will get more answers by asking more distinct, more limited questions.

Getting RAW files sent over the WEB is easy now with Dropbox - dropbox.com

Dirquist

Thanks for the post, it was very helpful. I went back and looked at my exif and realized I made many mistakes to start. Im starting to understand that my questions were far to broad as there is no one way to solve the problem. Initially I was thinking I just wanted to know what shot type and color balance looked best in DPP so that I could check and see if my opinion matched or was close. Now I see there is so much more to it I need to learn with more custom settings such as color temp and on and on. The good thing is Im having big learning moments every day. Ive held back questions because I dont want to have to look back one day and wonder what I was thinking asking such a lame question. Well unfortunately I think this whole post is an example of just that. That being said if anyone wants to post any advice I would make good use of it. It wont be falling on deaf ears and im not a sensitive guy that will get his feeling hurt. That isnt what learning is about. Ill read every thread or article that is posted. Ug, there is just an infinite amount to learn with photography which is why Im so interested in it, but at times I feel so overwhelmed.

pathfinder

One of the things I learned when doing the shooting for my thread about color balance tools, mentioned above, is how very little latitude there is for correct exposure for jpgs, if your are really concerned about proper color. Ultimately, color balance is an esthetic voice made by the artistv( unless you are a documentary photog shooting artwork for a museum, or articles for a catalog, say)

Learning the aspects of exposure can be challenging, but despite it's greater difficulty at first, I recommend trying to learn to shoot in Manual Mode at first and avoid the auto program modes, until you understand proper exposure. The metering systems in modern DSLRs are very sensitive, but have no real idea about what is the important area of the image and hence sometimes is out of bounds on proper exposure. One you learn to set aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, you will find your exposures much more consistent from frame to frame.

I do not use DPP, but there are readers here who do and may have suggestions about it's use.

Digital image processing was a very steep learning curve for the folks who shot film, and still requires some time and dedication to master. You are off to a good start, and lots to learn and play with. Welcome aboard.

Peano

Dirquist wrote: »

how would I post the RAW file for someone to potentially play around with?

Upload the raw file to www.yousendit.com and post the download link here.

#1 - Kinda grey, not a good pic I dont think. Maybe Im wrong and this is as good as I can actually get it.

I suspect that this was saved as a jpeg in something other than sRGB ... probably Adobe RGB. Check and see what color profile you used as your working space.

Pupator

Pathfinder is offering excellent photography help, so let me simply give a tip from one dad to another: buy your kid some grey clothes. Seriously. A shirt with grey on it, shorts - something. I take my grey card to the children's clothing store and find the closest grey I can to it. No, it's not perfect or even as good as a card. But it goes a long way toward helping you establish a pretty close white balance that you can tweak to suit.

Dirquist

Testing if this works.

_MG_3362.CR2

Yup, Ill be shooting in RAW exclusively and manual mode for now on. I was just using the auto mode so that I could make sure to at least get a couple workable photos. Now that I have a tiny clue I can shoot RAW and manual and at least get a pic or two that will work out.

Thanks for the great idea with the grey shirt. If you dont have a card at the moment you want to shoot the grey shirt is a great idea. Gotta go get some grey clothes so I can try out the Pupator method!

Peano

Dirquist wrote: »

Testing if this works.

_MG_3362.CR2

A lot of noise because of your camera settings.

In this light, 1/2500 and ISO 3200 is way off. Start with ISO 100 and increase it only if necessary to get a fast enough shutter speed. I also wonder why your focal length was 225 mm. If you can get closer to the subject, you can shorten the focal length, which will allow you to slow your shutter down.

Pupator

You don't need to always shoot in full manual. That can be a pain in the neck when shooting children. I shoot a mix of manual, A-priority, and S-priority. Occasionally I even use Auto. Remember that when you're shooting in RAW you'll have a lot more flexibility in post processing. You can't fix bad focus or terrible exposure, but you've got more latitude than a jpeg for sure.

Dirquist

Peano wrote: »

A lot of noise because of your camera settings.

In this light, 1/2500 and ISO 3200 is way off. Start with ISO 100 and increase it only if necessary to get a fast enough shutter speed. I also wonder why your focal length was 225 mm. If you can get closer to the subject, you can shorten the focal length, which will allow you to slow your shutter down.

Yeah I know, I couldnt believe what I was looking at when I checked the exif. I do know better than that, I think I was playing around with it in the house early that morning and forgot to lower the iso back down. All my other photos taken with better settings are in JPEG. I wont do that again though. Only RAW for now on.

I was using the long focal length because I get that bokeh. My lens doesnt have a very wide aperture so I was making up for it with the long focal length. Im still planning on a new portrait lens pretty soon.

Ug, Im such a hack and probably have no business posting here. The good thing is Im having fun learning and someday Ill be back with much improved results that are at least worth some C&C. With my busy life I just need some patience is all, it will come eventually.

pathfinder

I fully agree that shooting kids in Manual Mode can be trying, but using and understanding Manual Mode is really essential to using Av or Tv effectively.

I use Av a lot for shooting kids, but I monitor the shutter speed the camera is choosing, AND I watch each of the RBG channels in my camera's histogram. I choose the lowest ISO that will offer me acceptable shutter speeds.

I agree with the grey shirt trick - mine was a black and white striped blouse - I called it a WhiBal blouse

pathfinder

While I fully support using RAW format, there is no reason to not shoot jpgs for snapshots either. If your exposure is correct ( within 1/3rd stop ) and you have a custom white balance done in the camera, jpgs can look very, very nice and need little refinement.

One task I recommend to all new shooters. Get a Kodak 16 step grey scale, or make one in PS, and see how accurate your exposure must be to capture the full range of blacks and whites in a single exposure.

Pupator

I fully agree that shooting kids in Manual Mode can be trying, but using and understanding Manual Mode is really essential to using Av or Tv effectively.

I use Av a lot for shooting kids, but I monitor the shutter speed the camera is choosing, AND I watch each of the RBG channels in my camera's histogram. I choose the lowest ISO that will offer me acceptable shutter speeds.

I couldn't agree more with this. You've got to understand the relationship between ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. On any of the camera modes that make choices for you, you've got to know when to disagree with its choice and how to override it. Now that I have a D7000 I'm not so concerned with higher ISOs but it's always best to keep them as low as possible.

I don't ever shoot JPEG. Since I'm going to post-process every image anyway (even if just to evaluate/crop in Lightroom) and since space (SD card and HDD) is not a consideration, why not always shoot raw? The conversion to jpeg prior to Smugmug upload is automatic.

jhefti

pathfinder wrote: »

I fully agree that shooting kids in Manual Mode can be trying, but using and understanding Manual Mode is really essential to using Av or Tv effectively.

I was told by a pro photog/friend to use manual mode exclusively for my first 50K shots, just to learn the basics of aperture, SS, and ISO. Once mastered, of course, the other modes are perfectly fine to use under the right circumstances. In any case, it was some of the best advice I ever received. Now I almost always shoot manual; and more importantly, I am much better at setting the exposure under difficult lighting conditions.

I also spent a lot of time shooting non-moving subjects under difficult lighting, just to get the hang of it. Practice is key, and I find that each new camera takes time to dial in.