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Just got into photography looking for feedback
Hello everybody. I am new to the forums and just started getting into photography. I have been taking pictures for about 6 months and have learned alot but I want to learn so much more. I have a coolpix 5700 camera. I am happy with it because I have never had a different camera and I don't know what I am missing. Anyway, enjoy some of my pictures and let me you know what you think. Please give suggestions so I can continue to improve.
When I went to visit my mother I found these flowers in the backyard after a rainstorm.
I am a pilot for the airlines and I took this shot out my window somewhere around Mississippi or Alabama. I find it very hard taking pictures out an aircraft window. Tried to do touchups with Arcsoft Photostudio. I like the program but it seems everybody likes Photo shop. Is this something I should invest in or is Arcsoft just as good?
Very first day I got my camera when I took this shot on Sanibel Island near Ft. Myers Florida. I was proud of it that day but I think I have gotten better.
When I went to visit my mother I found these flowers in the backyard after a rainstorm.
I am a pilot for the airlines and I took this shot out my window somewhere around Mississippi or Alabama. I find it very hard taking pictures out an aircraft window. Tried to do touchups with Arcsoft Photostudio. I like the program but it seems everybody likes Photo shop. Is this something I should invest in or is Arcsoft just as good?
Very first day I got my camera when I took this shot on Sanibel Island near Ft. Myers Florida. I was proud of it that day but I think I have gotten better.
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I've used other editing programs, and they can do a nice job but there's a reason PS is the defacto standard. It does just about anything you want, and since it's the 800lb gorilla there's tons of books and wedsites out there to help you figure out all the bells and whistles. Dgrin's own Cletus is a master, and very helpful to us noobs.
Have fun!
Lynn
Awww what the heck.
The first one is nice but I think it would have been nicer without the out of focus flower in the background, it is the same color as the others and I think its distracting.
The second is much nicer, I would blur the fence in the upper left a little more so it doesn't look like... well.. a fence. I would also clone out some of the bright spots below the flowers, they are brighter than the subject and pull the eye away.
The third one is awesome. A little more detail in the ground might be nice but I dont know how to tell you to get it, a little more contrast maybe? The veiw and the shot are something most of use dont get to see. The windows up front must be cleaner than the ones I always get to look out of because I would never be able to get that shot from the cheap seats.
The fourth on is a nice composition but is in SERIOUS need of a polarizing filter, this would greatly reduce the bright reflected glare, give it more color and make the backlighting on the bird much more effective. If there is only one filter you buy for each of your lenses, I think it should be a polarizor.
Just humble opinions from a non-expert.
TML Photography
tmlphoto.com
Milwaukee
The picture says it all
The Falls looking toward Canada
The original picture people liked
The attempt at a fix. Thanks for the advice.
It came out different. I'm not sure it is better or worse than the original or if I even like it. But it was fun to work with.
I really like the original.
Hutch
Just my extremely humble opinion.
As I have said before I am using Arcsoft Photostudio for touchup. I probably can't do any of that with that progam. I am looking to buy something though. I looked at consumer reports and the Microsoft photo editing program got good reviews. Would that program be able to do what you are talking about or am I better off getting Photo Shop Element. I can not afford the good Photo Shop. I might get frustrated as well because I read it has an extremely high learning curve.
Lynn
As Lynn said, unsharp mask is a filter that sharpens images. It's my favorite toy! There are 3 settings, can't remember the names at the moment, but I read somewhere that 30,60,1 are good settings to remove haze.
Nice shot, but hazy and blue. So here's the effect of unsharp mask at 30, 60, and 1, which I read does wonders for haze:
That's pretty cool! So then I changed the levels; red, green, blue individually since the histograms were very different for each. That produced this:
And then just a little more contrast makes this:
R&R, don't worry about the jargon, you'll pick that up easily. What you should know is that this took me, a 3 month once-in-a-while Photoshop user, 3 minutes to do. It took twice as long just to make this post! The experts could make it even better, but this gives you an idea of what is possible.
Soooo...wanna pick up some software and start playing with your photos???
Love the Falls shots, and also the reflection of the Arch. Very cool.
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
I can't decide if I like this one black and white or color. Actually I like both. I was thinking one of these might be a good shot for the contest this week. I could use it as together. What do you think?
My favorite black and white shot
I loved this one because I was able to get the image, reflection, and shadow. This could also be used in the competition as together.
I always read walking away from a photo shoot don't forget to look around you might just find your best shot. I don't know if it is the best but it is interesting.
Nice shots you have. I'm brand new here myself. I'm also using the 5700 and I like it a lot - it has some issues and can be a pain to use in real low light situations. Try to shoot in RAW as much as you can - I just started and wish i had doen more earlier. As good as your pictures are from the cockpit, I really hope the autopilot is even better! - just kidding (flight sim enthusiast here....)
Steve
I almost like it, your photos of it are really good.
Photoshop Elements is what I started out with. That is not the good news. The best news is that you came along at just the right time, they just came out with a new version. Some of the best stuff on it from those overpriced programs (I have them now and I am not saying how I got them, but good lord, they are expensive.) I actually bought Elements on sale a couple years ago for $30.00. Then I must have spent about $100.00 right away on books. I have never seen it that cheap again, and you want the new version, trust me, you want the new version. And some books, hehe, but you can get them slowly. Everyone here seems to like the Kelby books. I don't know if he writes for Elements or not.
A hint on those books. They are high priced, too. But at Amazon, check out the used books. Make sure they are cheaper than Amazon's, which are cheaper than a bookstore. Overstock.com is a good place to find some of them. But go to Amazon first and read all the reviews. The reason I said that is that someone recommended a book for Elements to someone else, and when I went to Amazon, I read some not very good reviews. And someone was quite specific where there were errors, so anyone who had, or wanted to buy that book, would know exactly where the book was wrong. You could then print that out, put it with the book, if you were to buy it and correct the text.
I always go to Amazon and read the reviews. I have a lot of Elements books, but I did not belong to a neat place like this then, so I did not really use them as I could have, so I would not recommend any specific one. Maybe someone else can. But go to Amazon, check the reviews, and check the used book prices. They are not usually used. You don't want to pay $40.00 for a paperback, not when you can pay something like $25.00.
And with this neat place, dgrin, just wallow in, ask questions, and you will get the jargon pretty fast. I didn't know what USM was either until I joined here, maybe in May. I have been doing Digital Photgraphy for 5 years or more. I have learned so much here.
I have photoshop CS, and I want the new version of Elements, kidding there, but oh my, they did put some good stuff on it. The healing brush comes to mind. I never use that, but it is a neat thing that I will use sometime. I didn't have access to it for a long time.
Oh, that stuff someone did, with the areal (sp?) shot of the arch. Something like
30 60 and something thing.
I didn't know you could sharpen different colors separately. Did I just not look hard enough?
Don't want to miss that. ONe more thing to learn.
ginger
Believe it or not I still like doing the computer flight simms. I haven't done much of it lately though because I have been so busy. Which ones do you like?
Rich
Rich
The area I live in is called Blue Sky Country because of all the sunshine we get. It's not often you get such a perfect colour sky. I guess that's why I like this photo ... Good job.
The silhouette is pretty good too. I might tried lightening the shadows and colour just to see how it looks.
Look forward to seeing more.
Regards,
Brad
www.digismile.ca
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
R&R, I think you got some great shots there of the arch. Are you sure you're a beginner??
Question:
If your camera is in shutter priority do you get more depth of field with a slower shutter speed or faster shutter speed. I always forget which aperture gives you better depth of field but I figure if I know how the shutter speed relates I won't forget. I think a lower number aperture is less depth of field and faster shutter speed because more light gets in. Higher number aperture is more depth of field but needs more light so longer shutter speed. I always mess this up because I know aperture is really a fraction and the lower number is actually a higher value. Is this correct or am I way off?
I love this sight. Everybody is so helpful. If Andy sees this my hat is off to you because I love your pictures and your contests make this so much more fun. I would never have been out taking pictures this week if it wasn't for this forum. Thank you everybody.
Rich
I have a picture I put in for my profile but I don't know hot to get it to display on my posts.
Rich
smile, ginger
All I ever learned, until it was instinct (and this was film) I learned that the higher the aperture the greater the depth of field. I learned this by memorizing that it was all screwed up and the opposite of the way I would have thought.
When I had that down, a bit of the whys and wherefores crept in, but not to the degree you want to know.
I also learned that the higher the number the more the action was stopped and the easier it was to hand hold the camera as related to shutter speed.
I did not have the priority thing which is now even messing with my head a bit.
But I, well my camera was broken, I didn't know it, AF didn't work, so I had to shoot in shutter priority, TF, I think.
However, it would depend on a lot of things, I am nothing if not practical and don't confuse me with more than I want to know, I am that type person.
I would go to shutter priority if a fast shutter speed were necessary. Or a slow one.
Now what that would do to the aperture, well, a faster shutter speed (higher number), it would make the aperture a lower number, and thereby reduce the depth of field.
On aperture priority, say on a tripod, or if depth of field is important, a lot of depth of field, the higher number, would give you a slower shutter speed.
See, if one goes up and takes priority, the other one is going to go down as it loses priority.
I usually set my camera before I leave the house. I even make notes to myself. I still mess up. Before I about a few weeks ago I used my Rebel, DSLR, on programmed modes, made it a point and shoot basically. Now I am learning this stuff again, too, I shot film for years, but even shot it in programmable mode towards the end. So about 20 years ago I knew this stuff, now I am trying to put it all together in digital with slightly different language.
Start out small, I would suggest. Just learn what works, then learn why it works. If you are one of those people who have to know it all........I cannot relate.
And all the info I gave you might be wrong, so I would ask someone else, too.
If it is all wrong, let me know, and I will delete this post and go hang my head.
ginger
I am going to go eat lunch and read books.
You are correct Sir. If depth of field is your main concern you might consider shooting in aperature priority and selecting the aperature you want. If stopping (or not stopping it) action is what you are after, then you might consider shutter priority.
Sorry one more question on this post. All of my shots needed the contrast bumped up about 15% the brightness down about 10% and the saturation up 20%. Is there a way to set my camera so my shots would be closer to this and not all need tweaking. The only one I found messing with made it bad was the silluette.
Thanks again. I hope I am not driving people crazy with all these questions.
Rich