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10/18/2002 01:17:18 PM · #1 |
I'm very much a newbie to DP. I think it would be very helpful for me and other newbies if all you experts out there could use this thread to put together a list of quick tips and tricks that everyone should know... the little things that can make the difference in a photo. For me, learning about the rule of thirds on this side has made a big difference in my photos.
So, what do you think... what should everyone know? It can be composing tricks, editing tricks, whatever. Eplanations (or links to explainions) so us newbies can learn these things would be very helpful as well. |
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10/18/2002 01:18:51 PM · #2 |
I'll start...
Rule of Thirds - Very helpful when composing a photo... can be done at the time of the photo or in the editing phase. OK, I guess I can't get the link to work, so here it is manually...
//dpchallenge.com/tutorial.php?TUTORIAL_ID=5
* This message has been edited by the author on 10/18/2002 1:22:11 PM. |
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10/18/2002 01:25:49 PM · #3 |
Expert? Me? No, not hardly, but something that I have found that works wonders with a lot of photos is saturation and contrast. By tweaking those two elements, a flat picture can get some *zing.* I think the resident expert of post-processing is Gordon (there are others, he is just the first to come to mind). Might want to ask him!
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10/18/2002 03:10:32 PM · #4 |
Always use unsharp mask just before you compress your jpg to 150k.
Always work on a copy in PSP or PS.
avoid resizing when ever posible.
In most cases your subject should cover at least 2/3 of photo space. ie get in close.
Watch your depth of field. you will likely get comments if it is the least bit off.
Be sure your monitor is calibrated correctly so your work doesn't look too dark or too light to the rest of us.
avoid using flash. get a tripod.
Well that's what I've learned so far.
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10/18/2002 03:28:43 PM · #5 |
All rules exist for one reason only. To be broken under the right
circumstances. Know why they generally hold true and don't be afraid
to go against them when it suits. Knowing what they are helps you
know how and why to 'break' them.
Sharpen after resizing.
Wear sunscreen.
Always work on copies, keep the originals safe.
Back-up often. Your computer will fail when you least expect it and when it will
cause the most anquish.
Over-expose white scenes +1, and under expose dark scenes -1
Press the shutter slowly, don't stab. let your camera focus before you
take the shot.
Don't try to handhold slower than 1/60s unless you like blur.
Keep your lenses clean and your batteries charged.
Move closer than you currently are to your subjects. You are too far away.
Take more pictures. It's the best way to learn. Look at them and work
out what you like or what mistakes you made. Don't make them again but
learn from them.
Visit galleries and look at great photographs. Understand what you
like or don't like about them.
There is tons of information on web sites - several good tutorials
are linked under the 'Learn' menu on this page - check out the 'Tutorials'
section.
Enjoy yourself.
Look at things - really look at them. The shapes, the colours, the patterns,
the textures, how they inter-relate. |
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10/18/2002 03:49:30 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by Gordon:
Over-expose white scenes +1, and under expose dark scenes -1
Do you mean set your camera to EV+1 for bright scenes, EV-1 for dark? Or do you do this by changing shutter speed/aperture?
Not sure if that EV reference is universal, but there is a setting on my camera that says that and I never had a clue when or why to use it :)
~ My tip = Don't listen to me... Listen to someone that knows instead :) |
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10/18/2002 04:05:21 PM · #7 |
What they said.
And be patient and methodical.
If something didn't seem right about a photo, reshoot it. It's often better to focus a lot on a few subjects than to simply take a few photos of lots of subjects.
Verbally tell yourself specifically what attracted you to a particular subject and then first concentrate on that. After that, experiment with other ideas.
Take your first photo in full Auto-everything mode, including Auto-focus, to make sure that you get the photo. then switch to Manual-mode and get creative.
Write down important places and times where your subject looks it's best. A large wall calendar can work well for this.
Learn to pre-focus and anticipate an event.
always keep a tripod in your car. Try to carry, at least, a small camera wherever you go. You won't miss an important shot and you can often go back later with better gear to get a better shot. The small shot will serve as a reminder.
Be your own most critical critic. Be brutal in your own judgments of your photos.
I could go on and on but I will stop here : )
T
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10/18/2002 04:46:25 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by myqyl:
Originally posted by Gordon:
[i]Over-expose white scenes +1, and under expose dark scenes -1
Do you mean set your camera to EV+1 for bright scenes, EV-1 for dark? Or do you do this by changing shutter speed/aperture?
Not sure if that EV reference is universal, but there is a setting on my camera that says that and I never had a clue when or why to use it :)
~ My tip = Don't listen to me... Listen to someone that knows instead :)[/i]
I'll try to explain and not screw this up.
Auto exposure meters work on the idea that the 'typical' scene is on
average about the same brightness as an '18% grey' card. The exposure
is set for that 'average' scene when you use your exposure meter.
If you photograph something light against a white background, or
something very dark like a black cat, the exposure meter doesn't know
anything about the fact that what you are pointing at is meant to be
very dark (taking the cat case)
So it will try to expose the cat picture so that on average the scene is
18% grey. This makes your cat look greyish black, rather than the true
jet black you are going for. To compensate for this exposure error,
you can tell your camera that you are pointing at a black scene on average,
but selecting a -1 EV. This will set the exposure one stop lower, either
by increasing the shutter or decreasing the aperture or a combination of
both. You can also do this manually - depends on the camera and the mode you
are using.
With the -1 compensation, you can take the picture of the black cat and
actually see it is black.
The same thing happens the opposite way if you were for example shooting
a snow scene. By default your camera would make the snow a nasty grey
colour. This is also true for fog or sand scenes. You can again
fix this by setting a +1 exposure compensation to brighten the scene
up.
You can practice this just shooting a white sheet of paper, or something
dark until you get the hang of it.
There is more complexity than just this, and you can do more or less
than a full stop (+- one stop) but in general it might help. |
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10/18/2002 05:26:37 PM · #9 |
Another way to do this is the good old manual mode.
Set your meter to spot meter mode, if your camera supports it, if not, then you'll really have to guess what the average scene is, and that's hard.
Point it at the subject of interest, say, a white snowy peak mountain.
The readings you get is 18% gray. Take that, add 2 F stops HIGHER than teh results it shows you and that should give you a bright snowy peak, otherwise the snow will be gray. But if you want to be absolutely sure, you need to spot meter different area of the scene. Point it at somewhere dark or near black, adjust to -2 F stops, and the two numbers you get SHOULD match.
Then if you want to get insane, turn on the autoexposure and see what it tells you. Most of the time it'll be pretty good.
I also tend to underexpose by 1/3 stop when i use autoexposure just to make sure even the scenes where the autoexposure does well, that i don't overexpose the scene and lose details. you can always adjust the contrast with photoshop/editing software later if it's darker than what you wanted.
The best way to test this thing is to get a graduated gray card, light it with a soft light. Take a few shots of it with autoexposure, if you like the results, you can practice the technique above by pointing the spot meter to one of the graduated gray, and adjust the aperature in manual mode, and the results should match the autoexposure reading.
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10/18/2002 05:48:56 PM · #10 |
| Gordon and Paganini explained quite well...congrats guys! :-) |
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10/18/2002 06:50:33 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by jacksonpt:
I'm very much a newbie to DP. I think it would be very helpful for me and other newbies if all you experts out there could use this thread to put together a list of quick tips and tricks that everyone should know... the little things that can make the difference in a photo. For me, learning about the rule of thirds on this side has made a big difference in my photos.
So, what do you think... what should everyone know? It can be composing tricks, editing tricks, whatever. Eplanations (or links to explainions) so us newbies can learn these things would be very helpful as well.
Shoot first and ask questions later! (Joking)
Do what the professionals do, shoot a tonne of pictures at different settings and select the best ones and learn from them. |
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10/18/2002 10:52:24 PM · #12 |
| One very important thing; liberals are more dangerous than guns. |
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10/18/2002 10:54:49 PM · #13 |
I am by no means an expert, but I do have two cents, so I can offer it to you...
I have learned the most here from the comments I receive. I have learned even more by giving comments. It teaches you to be critical. Being critical is not a bad thing, if you do it nicely (people, tell me if I don't do it nicely).
Above all, critique your own work before you submit. One thing I am guilty of is submitting a picture that is below what I wanted, just to be in the challenge. If you submit, look at the photo critically before submit. Expect criticism - see if you can guess it before someone offers it. As you get better at it, you will learn your strength and weakness, and learn to play to them.
Read often, but shoot more often. It is said that the only way to learn to draw is to draw. The same way with photography. Get out there, find something you want to shoot, and shoot a photo that tells the story of what you are shooting. Stories make a photo intersting more often than technique.
Have I gone over the budgeted two cents? Oh well, get over it. It is free advice, you get what you pay for!
Mark
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10/18/2002 10:56:19 PM · #14 |
This is a can be a good idea, but use your eyes, and look at the LCD, if your camera has a spot meter, the background will not affect the exposure as much.
Originally posted by Gordon:
Originally posted by myqyl:
[i]Originally posted by Gordon:
[i]Over-expose white scenes +1, and under expose dark scenes -1
Do you mean set your camera to EV+1 for bright scenes, EV-1 for dark? Or do you do this by changing shutter speed/aperture?
Not sure if that EV reference is universal, but there is a setting on my camera that says that and I never had a clue when or why to use it :)
~ My tip = Don't listen to me... Listen to someone that knows instead :)[/i]
I'll try to explain and not screw this up.
Auto exposure meters work on the idea that the 'typical' scene is on
average about the same brightness as an '18% grey' card. The exposure
is set for that 'average' scene when you use your exposure meter.
If you photograph something light against a white background, or
something very dark like a black cat, the exposure meter doesn't know
anything about the fact that what you are pointing at is meant to be
very dark (taking the cat case)
So it will try to expose the cat picture so that on average the scene is
18% grey. This makes your cat look greyish black, rather than the true
jet black you are going for. To compensate for this exposure error,
you can tell your camera that you are pointing at a black scene on average,
but selecting a -1 EV. This will set the exposure one stop lower, either
by increasing the shutter or decreasing the aperture or a combination of
both. You can also do this manually - depends on the camera and the mode you
are using.
With the -1 compensation, you can take the picture of the black cat and
actually see it is black.
The same thing happens the opposite way if you were for example shooting
a snow scene. By default your camera would make the snow a nasty grey
colour. This is also true for fog or sand scenes. You can again
fix this by setting a +1 exposure compensation to brighten the scene
up.
You can practice this just shooting a white sheet of paper, or something
dark until you get the hang of it.
There is more complexity than just this, and you can do more or less
than a full stop (+- one stop) but in general it might help.[/i]
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10/19/2002 12:32:27 AM · #15 |
I'm down near the bottom of the "expert" list but I never let that stop me from having an opinion. ;)
The biggest thing I've learned is simplicity. Most of my favorite photos on here feature a single, simple, prominent subject, well lit and in focus. It sounds obvious, but look at the challenge results and see what's near the bottom. In most cases, the photos near the bottom (mine included) violate that rule
Mark |
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10/19/2002 06:12:53 AM · #16 |
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10/19/2002 09:47:55 AM · #17 |
Originally posted by Zeissman:
This is a can be a good idea, but use your eyes, and look at the LCD, if your camera has a spot meter, the background will not affect the exposure as much.
That is true, but even if you spot meter a black scene or a white scene, your
camera will still get the exposure wrong. It isn't so much about which
part of the scene you point at as an issue of the relative brightness of
the overall scene not working with the exposure system's attempt to make
what ever is metered 18% grey. The spot meter tries to do the same thing.
Meter modes is a different issue to exposure compensation, which could
take a whole thread as well for the various modes on cameras.
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10/19/2002 11:29:19 AM · #18 |
Im not the best photographer, but i learned the hardway, know where your lightmeter and infared depth measurement sensors are on your camera...
I managed to cover them and destroy about 25 photos that would have otherwise been amazing
Basically, by covering them, you "confuse" the sensors to thinking you are really close to your subject, or that you are in a really dark place...
It really destroys your shots |
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10/21/2002 11:52:11 AM · #19 |
Hi, I like a few others am new to DP and so far have done terribly, but then I am new to photography I also didn't initially understand the exposure thing and am not really sure that I do yet. My camera says that my metering is TTL 64-zone metering. What does this mean? My camera is a fuji finepix 2800Z I just bought it last week and am not sure that it is any good now as I can't manually do hardly anything on it so has anyone got any tips for taking pictures where something looks blurry in the background and in focus at the front (I think this is called depth of field) when your camera is almost totally automatic. Also does anyone think this camera is any good for a beginner
* This message has been edited by the author on 10/21/2002 11:51:11 AM. |
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10/21/2002 12:32:19 PM · #20 |
PC World just voted the FinePx 2800z the #1 "Best Value" so it can't be all bad.
My son's friend had one this weekend. They said "Mom, look at this cool camera, it can take movies". Then proceded to show me their most recent "film". They poured gasoline on the driveway in a five foot puddle, lit it, and took turns running thru it! My son was the camera man! Imitating Jack Ass can be dangerous!
Today I get to view the movies downloaded. I'll let you know if they turn out good. If not, I'll just email them to the local police. |
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10/21/2002 12:36:54 PM · #21 |
Fluffy, for what it worth. In my opinion there is no such thing as a "bad" camera for a beginner. Anything that lets you takes shots and learn is OK. A brownie in the hands of an expert can still result in beautiful photos while $3000 cameras in the hands of someone who doesn't care or know what they are doing is useless. Use your camera a lot. Learn what it can and cannot do and learn how it limits what you are trying to accomplish. This will give you a better idea of your needs in the future when you go to select your next camera. It will teach you where you need features and possibly teach you that you don't need much other than desire, a developed eye and a knowledge of your tools. Some of the most fantastic shots known in the world were do with simple Leica cameras that had "limited" capabilities. In the proper hands these "limited" cameras worked wonders. Give it time and take lots of shots to see what you can and cannot do with your camera. Half the fun is getting around the limitations or learning to use them to your advantage. Hope this helped a bit. Just shoot, learn and shoot some more.
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