The Photography Thread

[Alistair]

^^^^ Awesome moon shots guys

Thank you! Nice work on flowers, I don't know how you do it. I can't do that type of work at all, it's to bland for me. Hahaha. I don't know how else to say it.

Don't know how my sensor got so dirty. My cleaning kit is coming this week; miss taking shots

Gotta be careful. Proper changing of lens and such goes a long way along with a Giottos Rocket. =) Love that little hand blower, it's saved me a few pieces of something got onto the mirror.


Here is one of my son after a shoot for a soccer team, and this was priceless, IMO. Despite he is wearing everything that is wrong with this picture. =)

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

Gotta be careful. Proper changing of lens and such goes a long way along with a Giottos Rocket. =) Love that little hand blower, it's saved me a few pieces of something got onto the mirror.


Here is one of my son after a shoot for a soccer team, and this was priceless, IMO. Despite he is wearing everything that is wrong with this picture. =)

Hoping the cleaning gear will arrive this week. Got the hand blower with a pack. Very expensive in the camera store, but pretty cheap on ebay. Never cleaned a sensor, so fingers crossed

Very nice show btw

 

[Alistair]

Lunar,

Yes, they are expensive but sometimes your local store is cheaper! We really don't even have one around here, and if I did I have go to El Paso. Bleh. Not worth the hassle to be honest.

Either way, thank you for the comment!

I got a new modifier, and I've only taken two shots with it in reflective mode. I don't mind the mess since the kid was busy today, but the other one gives you an idea of what I do, and how I do it. The modifier is a Softlighter II.

1)

2)

ISO: 400
Shutter: 250
Stop: 4.0
Lens: Tamron 28 - 75
Flash: YN - 560 w/ Cowboy Triggers
Flash Power & Flash Zoom: 1/4 - 28mm
Brella: Softlighter II in Reflective Mode (46'')
White Balance (In Camera): Cloudy

 

[thalidomide]

 

[Midnyte_Sun]

Great shots guys. Alistair, when you take pictures of your son at the park, what kind of equipment do you bring? BTW, I had a chance last weekend to try my neutral density filter and got these two shots here:

Unfortunately my ND filter only fits on a 77mm body and I have only one wide angle Tamron with that size. I had to crop both those pics because I was standing so far away. On top of that, it was raining and drizzling all day and was struggling to keep my lens clean, hold an umbrella, and compose a shot.

I noticed that if you use more steps, and zoom out all the way, you will get some color distortion using this Singh Ray Vari n Trio filter. I can't wait to try this sucker on a beach, a sunset, and sunrise. Also, to get rid of that dark distortion, you have to zoom in just a little bit, and simply don't need to go over 10-15 seconds in your exposure times.


Some other shots I took this weekend and past few days:

 

[thalidomide]

Nicely done on the first pic Midnyte_Sun! I'm still new at this photography thingy and that one particular picture is one of my dream shots, I just can't find a nice stream or falls where I can take pictures like that because most of them are far from where I live.

Thank you! Nice work on flowers, I don't know how you do it. I can't do that type of work at all, it's to bland for me. Hahaha. I don't know how else to say it.

Thanks, I like your portrait shots, that is my weakness I just can't find the proper angle and it's kind of frustrating.

 

[Dr Lee]

Distant sea


Buttercups


Buttercups

 

[Alistair]

Great shots guys. Alistair, when you take pictures of your son at the park, what kind of equipment do you bring? BTW, I had a chance last weekend to try my neutral density filter and got these two shots here:

All I used was at the time Umbrella with my flash and triggers. I don't recall how many feet from him, but it was in shoot through mode. It was him at a angle to the sun. Then I had another flash, bare at the widest it could go for fill on another stand. That's pretty much it!

Unfortunately my ND filter only fits on a 77mm body and I have only one wide angle Tamron with that size. I had to crop both those pics because I was standing so far away. On top of that, it was raining and drizzling all day and was struggling to keep my lens clean, hold an umbrella, and compose a shot.

I noticed that if you use more steps, and zoom out all the way, you will get some color distortion using this Singh Ray Vari n Trio filter. I can't wait to try this sucker on a beach, a sunset, and sunrise. Also, to get rid of that dark distortion, you have to zoom in just a little bit, and simply don't need to go over 10-15 seconds in your exposure times.

Step down rings! Step down rings! Keep in mind, want to buy good ones so you don't trash your threads! I'm not sure of these, just first thing that came up.

Some other shots I took this weekend and past few days:

I can see the distortion but if your shooting in RAW, and even if in light room vibrancy should bring it back. Good shots other wise! Really, really love the water fall. My first attempts sucked at it.

Nicely done on the first pic Midnyte_Sun! I'm still new at this photography thingy and that one particular picture is one of my dream shots, I just can't find a nice stream or falls where I can take pictures like that because most of them are far from where I live.

I need go to Rudiso again and attempt a few waterfalls again, soon as I get a ND Filters again!

Thanks, I like your portrait shots, that is my weakness I just can't find the proper angle and it's kind of frustrating.

Thank you! Just love the sharpness and the colour on your stuff. It's fantastic! Keep in mind, this took me almost a year to learn all of this with non stop and I did have the fundamental's already down. The trick is find someone what is willing to model for you, or get a remote trigger (Me had to go this way), but it takes longer. It works, tho!


Dr. Lee -

Nice on the first one! I wish stuff was that green here, and I guess I better start watering, eh?



1)

This one is just show you the new modifier in softbox mode, and everything was about 3 feet away. Technically a pretty bad shot, but he was moving all around. Still, thought show you there is no spread of light.

2)

When behaving.

Also, at the camera club they are starting to call me Capt'n Flash. Hahaha. I'll start to remember start taking "behind the scenes" shots and need to do that anyways so others can see what I'm using, and doing.

 

[Dr Lee]

Thanks Alistair.... it was quite a trek to get to that spot, so i'm glad the photos came out as well as they did.

 

[thalidomide]

Thank you! Just love the sharpness and the colour on your stuff. It's fantastic! Keep in mind, this took me almost a year to learn all of this with non stop and I did have the fundamental's already down. The trick is find someone what is willing to model for you, or get a remote trigger (Me had to go this way), but it takes longer. It works, tho!

Thanks It's been a year since I got my dslr and I've been practicing ever since and I think I'm addicted

 

[Midnyte_Sun]

This place is by far my favorite place to visit on the Hype now. So much knowledge I can gain from you guys. Alistair, SaF, Red Mask, Ultimate Evil, thalidomide, Dr. Lee, Lunar Wolf, you guys help me a lot in ways you don't even realize. Like Thalidomide, I'm getting close to my first year anniversary with my DSLR, and I can't wait to see how far I can take this little hobby of mine.

Alistair, I'm going to order two step down rings, one that goes from 77->58mm, and 77->67mm. There's a couple other creeks and rivers I need to visit this summer and will do for sure since they're only between 1 and 2 hrs away. I also am thinking of buying Light Room. For some reason, my Photoshop CS3 does not recognize RAW images, so I haven't been able to edit things in RAW. I used to convert a RAW to a TIFF, then going from there. Eventually I just got sick of RAW in general, so I've been taking everything in JPEG, which I'm not happy with.

Other things I need to look into:

Flash and Triggers (still haven't bought any) not sure when I'll need them.
Intervalometer
LightRoom
Adobe LIghtroom and Photoshop workshop
Joining a local photography club


Probably the cheapest investment I'm going to make for my hobby is getting a little notebook to save all my techniques for shooting. I'm going to save these techniques and keep practicing until I'm ready to switch to a full frame camera.

 

[Alistair]

This place is by far my favorite place to visit on the Hype now. So much knowledge I can gain from you guys. Alistair, SaF, Red Mask, Ultimate Evil, thalidomide, Dr. Lee, Lunar Wolf, you guys help me a lot in ways you don't even realize. Like Thalidomide, I'm getting close to my first year anniversary with my DSLR, and I can't wait to see how far I can take this little hobby of mine.

Your very welcome! I'm glad I could help out! Granted, this is total of 4 years of learning, but seriously learning about lighting for about a year and half first while having the fundamentals down from film days (metering, and how it works).

Alistair, I'm going to order two step down rings, one that goes from 77->58mm, and 77->67mm. There's a couple other creeks and rivers I need to visit this summer and will do for sure since they're only between 1 and 2 hrs away. I also am thinking of buying Light Room. For some reason, my Photoshop CS3 does not recognize RAW images, so I haven't been able to edit things in RAW. I used to convert a RAW to a TIFF, then going from there. Eventually I just got sick of RAW in general, so I've been taking everything in JPEG, which I'm not happy with.

I LOVE LIGHTROOM! I have 3 right now, but in the near future getting the upgrade for Lightroom 4 and it is worth the money, and very good work flow. I'm currently using Elements 10 in tangent, but a buddy of mine (See if he is good for it, tho) is going to give me Photoshop CS 5.5 when he upgrades to 6. Just waiting for the deals, tho. I got Lightroom and Elements for 100 dollars straight down.

Yes, that's what step down rings for, and I'm in the same boat as you to be honest. That's what I'll be doing when I get my filters! Also, shoot in RAW and when you get Lightroom convert into DNG. I had a Pro tell me this (He knows a lot of people, and Canon gave him a 5DM3 outta pocket) since RAW is always changing and DNG is open format.

Other things I need to look into:

Flash and Triggers (still haven't bought any) not sure when I'll need them.
Intervalometer
LightRoom
Adobe LIghtroom and Photoshop workshop
Joining a local photography club

Intervalometer? COunt time? Learn the basic's technical stuff and you can do the math. Of if you have a smart phone look up photo tools. =) I'm sure that will come in handy!

Overall, I'm really glad your learning! That's the best thing, and I'm still learning too. It's time to hang up the hat if you know everything about photography, which would be a big lie. =) Oh, this is my fave thread too! Haha.

Probably the cheapest investment I'm going to make for my hobby is getting a little notebook to save all my techniques for shooting. I'm going to save these techniques and keep practicing until I'm ready to switch to a full frame camera.

Good idea! I do it too!

 

[thalidomide]

This place is by far my favorite place to visit on the Hype now. So much knowledge I can gain from you guys. Alistair, SaF, Red Mask, Ultimate Evil, thalidomide, Dr. Lee, Lunar Wolf, you guys help me a lot in ways you don't even realize. Like Thalidomide, I'm getting close to my first year anniversary with my DSLR, and I can't wait to see how far I can take this little hobby of mine.

Same here! I often visit this thread because I really enjoy looking at everyone's photos
It's my stress reliever and It's very motivating especially for me since I'm still an amateur.

By the way, do you guys have a tumblr acount?

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

ok guys bit of discussion we all post our images online, how do you feel about water marks. are they right/wrong, how should they be used and what style should they be

 

[Dr Lee]

Depends what the image is being used for..... i generally don't use them... unless i wanna use the images for anything specific

 

[thalidomide]

I use to put watermarks on my photos but sometimes when I put them on my shots I feel like I ruined the photo and it looks crappy.

 

[Midnyte_Sun]

I thought about doing it after I saw my photos being copied by people on facebook that I didn't know. The person who copied the photos asked me to show proof that I had taken them lol. Luckily I had witnesses who were there at the said event and they vouched for me, including a facebook group who asked permission and gave me credit before the other person copied them.

 

[Alistair]

ok guys bit of discussion we all post our images online, how do you feel about water marks. are they right/wrong, how should they be used and what style should they be

I would say it depends, snap shots? No, I wouldn't put a water mark on it, actual business stuff I've sold, done, or plan to use? Yes, I would. This also is a form of advertisement as well. It just depends how it's going to be used in the long run.

Also, this is a good question and a lot of others ask this too!

I use to put watermarks on my photos but sometimes when I put them on my shots I feel like I ruined the photo and it looks crappy.

This also, and it relates to snap shots, or just photo's your going to be sharing.

I thought about doing it after I saw my photos being copied by people on facebook that I didn't know. The person who copied the photos asked me to show proof that I had taken them lol. Luckily I had witnesses who were there at the said event and they vouched for me, including a facebook group who asked permission and gave me credit before the other person copied them.

This is one of the other reasons why I shot RAW, despite that I copy to DNG now. This will really prove you took to photo since you'll be owner of the RAW file. You can in camera put your name and everything into EXIF files, and one of the reason why I don't really bother the water mark either since the camera will add it. Unless, it's like FB where it strips this information (Which pisses me off sometimes).

This is when they say pro's don't really do it, I've only seen it done on FB to be honest when they watermark so others don't take it, or what not. I know a lot of blogging sites they don't bother, but since they are popular everyone and their mother see's it and including their long distant lost cousin as well.

I guess it just depends.

Just something to chew on, and how I see it.

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

This place is by far my favorite place to visit on the Hype now. So much knowledge I can gain from you guys. Alistair, SaF, Red Mask, Ultimate Evil, thalidomide, Dr. Lee, Lunar Wolf, you guys help me a lot in ways you don't even realize. Like Thalidomide, I'm getting close to my first year anniversary with my DSLR, and I can't wait to see how far I can take this little hobby of mine.

Alistair, I'm going to order two step down rings, one that goes from 77->58mm, and 77->67mm. There's a couple other creeks and rivers I need to visit this summer and will do for sure since they're only between 1 and 2 hrs away. I also am thinking of buying Light Room. For some reason, my Photoshop CS3 does not recognize RAW images, so I haven't been able to edit things in RAW. I used to convert a RAW to a TIFF, then going from there. Eventually I just got sick of RAW in general, so I've been taking everything in JPEG, which I'm not happy with.

Other things I need to look into:

Flash and Triggers (still haven't bought any) not sure when I'll need them.
Intervalometer
LightRoom
Adobe LIghtroom and Photoshop workshop
Joining a local photography club


Probably the cheapest investment I'm going to make for my hobby is getting a little notebook to save all my techniques for shooting. I'm going to save these techniques and keep practicing until I'm ready to switch to a full frame camera.

Thankst:

Learning a lot from everyone in this thread too.

I need to take some photos asap, but my cleaning kid has not arrived.
Paid for it on the 8th, sent out on the 16 and still nothing.
Sent my d50 for a clean instead.

 

[thalidomide]

You can now put your name on EXIF files in PS CS5 even though you shot it in jpeg.

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

IMG_7752 by dean irvine, on Flickr


IMG_7801 by dean irvine, on Flickr


IMG_7762 by dean irvine, on Flickr


IMG_7772 by dean irvine, on Flickr

IMG_7893 by dean irvine, on Flickr


IMG_7901 by dean irvine, on Flickr


IMG_7901b by dean irvine, on Flickr


IMG_7813 by dean irvine, on Flickr


IMG_7856 by dean irvine, on Flickr


IMG_7865 by dean irvine, on Flickr

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

IMG_7870 by dean irvine, on Flickr

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

Nice shots, do you have your own studio?

 

[Alistair]

Evil,

Nice shots overall. The only two things I see that I don't like, personally is...

1) Is she that bronze? That's the first thing I noticed at any rate.
2) Some of them look like you've lost detail with some of her veil with the background (Had her to close to your backdrop when your blowing it out).

Those are the only two things that I see that stand out right away to me, other than that fantastic lighting, and nice catch lights. Fantastic PP work as well.

 

[thalidomide]

Good stuff the_ultimate_evil