stu-truman.. are my pics getting better??

[Beedub]

ok stu well its been a while since i picked up my first DSLR and have been practising.... photo bucket is really killing the quality of these but.... you get the idea, any further tips to kinda get that really super clear crisp almost "fake" look... had a lovely drive out beforehand but was quite pleased with the pics, they looks very good viewed straight from my mac... Stu your the one that GAVe me the initial pointers on what to do so welcome your opinion on these, be harsh, and tell me how to better these.... is their a better site than photo bucket to upload to as they are killing 60% of their quality imo...

Edit... these were taken using 3 different lenses, uv filter ( think thats what its called) , shot in mode A, playing with different settings ( not really having a clue what each setting does) when its really light would i benefit bumping shutter speed up to let less light in?? what effect will this have on my pics??

 

[RJS-Z4]

Beedub, not too bad, but (no offence) you can tell you don't know what you're doing yet.

There's a few nice shots there but some could be improved with not a lot of effort.

First off, do you know anything about the rule of thirds? If not, look it up, it's a great rule to adhere too but can also be broken effectively.

Now, you're looking for super sharp, if you're shooting in "a" this allows you to control the f.stop so basically, you can control the focus depth, BUT the capabilities of your lens can hold you back here.

For example, I have a 50mm f 1.8, at 1.8 it will take a super sharp photo, with nothing other than the subject in focus. Where as my 15-55 has a far higher f-stop so can't take the same level of images.

What lenses do you have?

Thirdly, do you have a tripod? If not I'd consider investing in one, for those super sharp, long shutter type shots.

In general, your photos of the whole car don't have great composition, i.e where the car is positioned within the shot,



Take this one for exmple, it's a real shame you managed to cut off the exhaust, as it should be the whole car in frame, or if you do want to cut a bit off, it needs to look more deliberate.

I'm no pro, I'm no where near as good as many on here, but hopefully that helps.

Maybe one sunny afternoon if I'm in Luton we could meet halfway and I could go over a few bits?

 

[ab7]

I'd agree with RJS-Z4, I think he's hit the nail on the head about composition. A lot of those photos are cutting bits off rather than being a finished proportioned composition.

Personally think this is one of the better ones:

 

[tomscott]

Think you've not made a bad job mate nice one! Car looks great.

Like this one!


Quick tip tho, wait for nice light. At mid day the sun is at its highest point and is at its harshest, early morning and late afternoon gives a much softer light and you get a nicer contrast. Especially if there is a bit of colour in the sky. You can see in the pic above how sharp that shadow is, because the sun is high.

Doesn't come quickly taken me 10 years

 

[Sae]

I know this thread is talking photography, but wholey moley content is awesome

You need to redo the above shot so it can get into next years calender

 

[Beedub]

ok guys... very critical but tbh... thats exactly what I'm after...


where to start, yes very inexperienced behind the camera, i have this awesome cam and basically have no clue what I'm doing....

i DO have a tripod but haven't used it as yet, on that rear aspect pic i didn't even realise i was cutting off the exhaust, and now that its mentioned looking at the pics the cars position is actually s**t.

ill look up the lense info and post up shortly.

ill also Re-take the pics in low light conditions this evening is possible.

also TOM i agree that pic that i dismissed early on is clearly the best pic of the bunch really and it shows the least of the car :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown:

 

[RJS-Z4]

Sorry to be critical beedub, but that is what you asked for

So, you have a tripod. What you want to do is set the camera to a two second timer, so when you press the shutter button it has a chance to take away any shake you'll get from the action of pressing the button.

Also, if you're going to low light, go to "t" I think it is, not "a" this will allow you to control the shutter speed and automatically adjust the f.stop.

So if you have low light, you can have the shutter speed as long/short as is required to get the right look.

As said though, at the beginning it's all about composition. It took me months to stop "just taking a photo of my car" to actually think about where in the frame I'm positioning it and where I want the focal point to be.

Take this photo I took the other day for example:

Last of Winter Mode by Rob Strode, on Flickr

It's nothing decent in photography terms, but going by the rule of thirds, what I wanted in terms of focus (which was the bmw badge/front end) is right on the bottom left cross section, so, even though it's not a great photo, it looks "right".

I hope that helps.

 

[Beedub]

Sorry to be critical beedub, but that is what you asked for

So, you have a tripod. What you want to do is set the camera to a two second timer, so when you press the shutter button it has a chance to take away any shake you'll get from the action of pressing the button.

Also, if you're going to low light, go to "t" I think it is, not "a" this will allow you to control the shutter speed and automatically adjust the f.stop.

So if you have low light, you can have the shutter speed as long/short as is required to get the right look.

As said though, at the beginning it's all about composition. It took me months to stop "just taking a photo of my car" to actually think about where in the frame I'm positioning it and where I want the focal point to be.

Take this photo I took the other day for example:

Last of Winter Mode by Rob Strode, on Flickr

It's nothing decent in photography terms, but going by the rule of thirds, what I wanted in terms of focus (which was the bmw badge/front end) is right on the bottom left cross section, so, even though it's not a great photo, it looks "right".

I hope that helps.

yes this pic really summarises the look I'm after, should i stop unloading to photo bucket too??? ok ill try again later today..... the lights better so...... lets have a go!!

 

[tomscott]

Use flickr

 

[Stuart Truman]

Wow, I didn't need to say anything!

The pic across the engine is nice, as pointed out already. The one of the supercharger would be awesome if the engine was turning so you had motion in there.

Maybe we need a forum photo meet somewhere where we can swap knowledge and try out other peoples kit. I've got some nice glass (canon) I'm ok with letting people try on the "you break it you buy it" principle. I'm sure others have too.

The other idea is a photo thread with a theme. Take a pic to a suggested theme (let's keep it auto related) where constructive criticism is invited. Note the "constructive"! Not so much a "look how great I am at photoshop, Lightroom, aperture" etc, but more about what is achieved in camera.

Thoughts?

 

[exdos]

It's nothing decent in photography terms, but going by the rule of thirds, what I wanted in terms of focus (which was the bmw badge/front end) is right on the bottom left cross section, so, even though it's not a great photo, it looks "right".

If you are holding this photo out to be an example of decent composition, I'm afraid it doesn't look right to my eye. The car is positioned too far to the left in the shot, which means you're showing a greater amount of margin of the space behind the car (.i.e. the tree and the car a hundred yards behind the car) and too little margin in front of the car. Since the car is positioned with the NS wing as the most forward point of interest and the car is positioned in a 3/4 forward position, surely the composition would be better if the NS headlight occupied a central position at the same horizontal level so that there is more space in front of the car (i.e. a bit more of the fence) so that it leads your eye in the direction in which the car will pull away? In other words, you need more emphasis on the foreground and less on the background.

 

[inkey$]

Agree with all and great advice.

Like the shot composition through the doorway. If also recommend copying shots you like in terms of positioning, angle, camera height etc Beedub.

Keep being creative!

 

[inkey$]

Amateur example I took recently re: spacing, light and environment (so don't judge me!).

Low camera position, subject first third of picture, dramatic but suitable lighting and fence behind providing the eye 'journey'.

 

[Beedub]

Wow, I didn't need to say anything!

The pic across the engine is nice, as pointed out already. The one of the supercharger would be awesome if the engine was turning so you had motion in there.

Maybe we need a forum photo meet somewhere where we can swap knowledge and try out other peoples kit. I've got some nice glass (canon) I'm ok with letting people try on the "you break it you buy it" principle. I'm sure others have too.

The other idea is a photo thread with a theme. Take a pic to a suggested theme (let's keep it auto related) where constructive criticism is invited. Note the "constructive"! Not so much a "look how great I am at photoshop, Lightroom, aperture" etc, but more about what is achieved in camera.

Thoughts?

i know!! I'm quietly cowering licking my wounds BUT.... thats why i posted them to get opinion and views on improving... YES.... great idea on the photo meet, id be up for that, really need to learn some skills behind the camera. Know without bashing anyone ( sorry) but dubsed for example, he's photos look that crystal clear and processed the car looks basically unreal......... this isn't in the vein I'm after tbh as it doesn't represent real like, but their are HDR images that i really like..... maybe not so much on cars but they offer the "fake" look but with an edge.....

however its plain to stay.. I'm still s**t.

 

[Beedub]

It's nothing decent in photography terms, but going by the rule of thirds, what I wanted in terms of focus (which was the bmw badge/front end) is right on the bottom left cross section, so, even though it's not a great photo, it looks "right".

If you are holding this photo out to be an example of decent composition, I'm afraid it doesn't look right to my eye. The car is positioned too far to the left in the shot, which means you're showing a greater amount of margin of the space behind the car (.i.e. the tree and the car a hundred yards behind the car) and too little margin in front of the car. Since the car is positioned with the NS wing as the most forward point of interest and the car is positioned in a 3/4 forward position, surely the composition would be better if the NS headlight occupied a central position at the same horizontal level so that there is more space in front of the car (i.e. a bit more of the fence) so that it leads your eye in the direction in which the car will pull away? In other words, you need more emphasis on the foreground and less on the background.

i thought it looked great, jon i didnt realise your into pics as well but you clearly know what your taking about...... post up some pics please..

 

[Beedub]

Amateur example I took recently re: spacing, light and environment (so don't judge me!).

Low camera position, subject first third of picture, dramatic but suitable lighting and fence behind providing the eye 'journey'.

see now this image in HDR i think would look 10X better as it seems to bring out the detail in everything.... but again that could be my inexperience. This would be normally the type of image i see in HDR in your exact setting.

 

[exdos]

Inkey$,
The same comment that I made to RJS-Z4 about positioning I think applies to your photo. So I've just cropped it to demonstrate the point as below. To me the picture now looks far more "balanced".

 

[sp3ctre]

Make sure you keep an eye on the position of the sun too. In some of them you are taking a picture of the side of the car that is in the shade. Try and take pictures of the side that is well lit, even if it means moving the car.

Photography is always subjective but I always prefer a car to lead into the picture (more space in front of the car than behind). Not everyone agrees with that though.

I would also recommend framing the image in the viewfinder then zooming out a little while you are getting the hang of it. You can always crop in slightly in your image processing software, but you can't go the other way. The overall aim is always to get it right in-camera, but you'll get more keepers in the early days if you just zoom out a little more than you think you need.

 

[buzyg]

Lots of advice given. The two main things I would pick up on are, getting the most from the lighting & composition.

As Tom sugested, the natrual light is offten far better, when the sun is lower in the sky, as it has to push through more of the atmospher, so picks up more colour and softens. For close ups it's handy to use a flash to fill some of the shadowws too. But that can take a bit of practice to get right.

On the composition. Until you learn to spot a composition from 40 paces away. It's worth over compensating a little, by widening the shot, then tydying it up later in PS.

Good luck and enjoy learning.

 

[inkey$]

Inkey$,
The same comment that I made to RJS-Z4 about positioning I think applies to your photo. So I've just cropped it to demonstrate the point as below. To me the picture now looks far more "balanced".

Fair point. Its the graphic designer in me that probably ensures I have plenty of weighted side space to allow for support text boxes or headlines