The Photography Thread 2

[Yakumo]

Must say though, there must be something really wrong when a mobile phone's camera is producing better shots than a DSLR (no offense Yakumo).

The reason why you are getting better results with your phone (colour wise) is because the phone basically holds your hand and does everything for you. A good DSLR will want you to make the choices unless you are using the A.I. mode. Take a look at this picture I just took right now with my phone. No photoshop work or anything has been done to it except for resizing the shots. No effort was made either and the light is very low in this office. The phone did all the work. All I did was press the shutter. The software I use will save the raw picture and the enhanced picture. As you can see the original looks dull, washed out and lifeless like your photo. The HDR shot that the phone did looks much better.

ORIGINAL


PHONES HDR SOFTWARE


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

When using a DSLR you should always shoot in RAW for the best quality and full frame if you can. Also using software such as lightroom is better than photoshop IMO. I own both but always go to lightroom for my photos.

My photos aren't fantastic but they're not total crap either. You learn as you use. You'll find different styles and ways to take good pictures the more you use the camera. Read about simple stuff such as AP, ISO and so on. Knowing what each does will help in making quality shots.

[MartyG]

Daragon: The shot above looks exposed properly to me.

If you're shooting RAW then you will need to post process your pics, RAW files always look dull compared to JPGs which get processed in camera - RAW files don't. Set the pic quality mode to RAW+JPG and colour mode to vivid and compare the two files you get. The advantage with using RAW is you have a lot more detail to play with post process.

[fishbowlhead]

A couple from my run yesterday evening, it had just rained heavily and the sun then shone through creating some lovely scenes and colours, only had the iphone5 on me but better than nothing.

[Daragon]

Only had an iPhone on him he says. if I could get shots like that with my Nikon I'd be happy!

[Yakumo]

Don't worry man. you'll get in to it in the end. people don't start pulling off fantastic shots no matter what camera they have untill they've had a lot of practice nd playing around with settings. Took me about 6 months before I could take anything worth while.

Here's my flickr stream link. You'll see many crappy shots here as well as some nice ones - http://www.flickr.com/photos/yakum0/

[Daragon]

You'll need to point the crap ones out to me there, I'm only seeing quality ones

[Brad]

IMO other people's photos will already have the upper hand because you're seeing something for the first time (you weren't there). I didn't consider that I had ever taken a single decent photo but when I revisited some from many years ago I really liked them.

[fishbowlhead]

I had the same problem with my d7000 when i got it, i was like whats this dull rubbish coming out of my camera, i didn't take that? Then i starting upping the vividness and contrast in Lightroom and the pictures popped right out as i wanted them too.


The best way of describing using raw and a dslr was thus.
Think of a point and shoot in jpg as taking your roll of film to your local kodak center to be all sorted for you.
Think of using a dslr in raw with Lightroom as having your own darkroom and processing all your film yourself, it might be harder at first but you'll learn a darn sight quicker and be better off for it in the long run.


Of course as you get more equipment and learn more you soon discover photography is about being in the right place at the right time, composition plus lighting, once those little rules click you forget all about the stuff your holding. Look at Martys pics, he buys cheap often defunct stuff of eBay and is always posting awesome pics of stuff he's mucked about with.

[MartyG]

It helps to have a well exposed and well composed shot to start with but it's all a learning experience. I try to get the best I can from the camera first and foremost, the post process I do is as minimal as I can unless I'm being frivolous. However, with RAW as I said before, you have to make the adjustments post process to get the most out of them because the camera hasn't done that for you.

From that point of view, it might be more advantageous for Daragon to forget RAW for now and shoot JPEG with the various colour modes in camera - that way it's a case of concentrating on the composition rather than the post process stuff. Learn to walk before running as is said.

[MartyG]

Talking about using old kit, that Paragon 28mm lens I got recently, I got an adapter for the Nikon V1 to use it with. That makes it 75mm macro - I call this one Solar Flares.



Okay, yes we've gone abstract.

[Garf]

Some good advice here, it's all a big learning experience - I am still learning after several years, and although I look back at my first efforts and think I have improved, I still think I have a long way to go.

Using a film camera now as well as my digital stuff, and that is a proper learning curve for me - no chance to review a shot once taken and no machine gunning a load of shots in the hope that one works - well, I guess you can machine gun with film, but it's going to be expensive ! Thats a real benefit of digital - you can try and try again, with no real cost associated with it (unless you keep buying memory cards..

Messing about with my phone again, must get out and get some proper stuff soon..


Untitled by GarySmith70, on Flickr

[MartyG]

I grew up using film from Kodak 126 to 35mm - there's something pure about it. I'd say if you really want to hone your skills then shooting film is something to try. Sadly film is getting so expensive to process or even self process as getting the chemicals is getting harder and harder that it makes it for the dedicated only

[MartyG]

Another one from the V1 using the M42 converter and Paragon 28mm f2.8 macro lens.



Perhaps a touch over sharpened actually.

[fishbowlhead]

I grew up using film from Kodak 126 to 35mm - there's something pure about it. I'd say if you really want to hone your skills then shooting film is something to try. Sadly film is getting so expensive to process or even self process as getting the chemicals is getting harder and harder that it makes it for the dedicated only

I remember shooting rolls of product shots on film back in the day and them all coming out garbage. Throw all away, start again, bite lip before exploding into a rage fit.

Thanks to digital I can take stuff on a whim now, edit, re-take, edit again and have online or in a brochure within hours. I miss certain aspects of film but certainly not that part.

[MartyG]

It's a plus and minus - yes you can just fire off shot after shot, but on the other hand you don't have to think about what you're doing because it's only costing you wear on the shutter.

Another from the V1 M42 Paragon combo:



Given the bokeh, I think this lens will make it fab for portrait with the V1.