Any advice?

[allen schaugaard]

I got my first SLR about 4.5 months ago and have had a great time learning how to use it in manual. I’m starting to get a few pictures that I’m happy with. Most of what I shoot is crap but I have been working off the theory that if you push the button enough you’ll end up with a couple you like. Just wondering if you guy’s have any advise for me on what I should work on.

Here is a couple I have been happy with.

Thanks for the help

[Don Thompson]

I’m probably not the most qualified to give advice, especially on this particular subject, but since no one else is and I do know what I like and what I don’t, here goes.

no. 1, Overall I like although I find the blown out highlights too much. I know it is difficult to control both the highlights and shadows especially in a backlit situation but this is too much for my taste. I do like the mist on the water and the way the ripple in the water leads to the subject.

no. 2, I like but I think I would like it better if you had the nice even background at the top rather than the dark and light areas.

That’s a start. Maybe others will join in with additional comments.

[John Bennett]

What Don said with regards to blown highlights. Sometimes you have to make difficult choices. While you want to push to the right, you dont want to blow the highlights as a general rule.

[allen schaugaard]

Thanks for the advice. I’ll work on it. I didn’t know photography could be so addicting.

[J A Y M O R R]

Nice to have you over here Allen.  I would just say…

have fun, shoot what you enjoy, look for opportunities to improve.  The “Spray & Pray” method is something I would steer away from 😉

If you are serious about improving, “study the game” and I promise your imagery will continue to improve.  You are well on your way.

By the way, you should have prints in your mailbox tomorrow

[allen schaugaard]

Thanks Jay. I’m working on figuring out things better and limiting the number of shots I take to get the one I like. I took a couple of the kid yesterday that I wasent happy with at all. Everything seemd blown out and out of focus. I was starting to think it was the lense. Then I fliped the camera over to auto and the shot came out fine. It was kind of a kick in the teeth.

[Anonymous]

No advice from me as I have been playing around with it for almost 5 years now with little improvement.

[John Bennett]

I’m not sure I can articulate how or when I “blow” highlights intentionally. Sometimes it’s not so much an artistic choice as it is choosing the lessor of two evils. Others Im perfectly ok with blowing and do it, even though I don’t have to.

Rules are meant to be broken.
For me its more about when seeing something in front me…and I say I want to photograph that..Next step is “how”…Which lens or focal length, what DoF, what composition, what obstacles if any do I need to account for/overcome. Sometimes the image works, sometimes it doesnt. Long winded way of saying without the “something” in front of me I dont know how to answer the question.

I will say if Im faced with a sky I have to blow or don’t like because its flat I compose

[willmilne]

Hi

Realistically – you have some nice images in the group . Overall you have some very balanced and strong composition in every image.  However I get the sense you know that:))) and your concerns are related to  #1 in particular.

A polarizing filter in #3/5/6 might have tamed some of the highlights and strengthened  the midtone values

#2 and #4 look fine to me :)))))

#1 is basically a very nasty situation for any photographer, please let the light change!!!, screw taking pics!!!!!, I’m sitting down and smoking my pipe situation!!!!!!!:))))

Next time you could try – a polarizing filter that would cut down on flare and give you a bit more saturation and highlight info

Next time you could try – a Graduated Neutral Density Filter  to hold back the excessive amount of camera perceived light  emanating from the sky/fog

Next time you could try- compositing under and overexposed images of the scene

I think what would be the most benificial is looking at the sequence of images you have and saying hey- that worked!!!! ok I have something that works in that kinda light with my cam/lens setup !!!!!!! ok I will remember this and when I see that kinda light I am good to go!!!!

I have huge respect for John so I won’t try and paraphrase him – ok maybe I will cos he’s a nice guy and won’t mind :)))

When you get outside the “press button/rely on camera ” .  Experience and a personal vision of what you feel does or doesn’t create balance becomes the guiding principle . So “is this overexposed” becomes less of a technical issue and more of an aesthetic one . There are times   it works in your favour and there are times it simply never will – sucks but that’s life :))) Any photographer that tells you do this/do that and you are always good to go is full of shit!!!!!

The only way to gain experience in those kinds of situations  is to experiment with modification techniques in different circumstances and decide on your own – what works and what doesn’t in relation to your vision .

Polarizing and Neutral Density Filters are a great place to start with the kind of images you posted IMHO

hope that helps

Will

[allen schaugaard]

Thanks again everyone for all the help. I’ve got some real useful advice.

With the mention of polarized filters I have a few questions. I have one but the only way I can tell whats going on is to look through the filter while wearing polarized glasses, before I put it on the lense, and pay attention to what direction makes the sky blue and gray and then try and match it up to get the result I want. I cant ever tell looking through the camera. What’s the best way to use a polarized filter?

[John Bennett]

Remove your polarized glasses, don’t try using a CP while wearing them.

[allen schaugaard]

Yeah… I know that’s the answer but I cant tell a difference when i turn the filter unless there on.

[John Bennett]

The opposite should be true :). Trying to guage what your filter is doing while wearing polarised glasses in nigh on impossible. I never, ever shoot with my glasses when I have a CP on unless I simply dont care what the CP is doing and dont want to remove it. Ask anyone that fishes with me. The moment I grab my camera, the glasses come off.

The problem your experiencing *could* be due to your angle relative to the postion of the sun. Not sure how to word this but here goes.
There are times/angles when it won’t seem as though your CP is having any effect at all. Conversely, it will have the strongest effect when your 90 degrees to the sun.

Easy way to find that is shape your hand like a gun. Your index finger pointing in the direction your lens would be, and your thumb points at the sun. Or simply place the sun over your right or left shoulder.Think sidelight. Most CPs have a indicating dot on them. If you want the strongest filtration spin the CP such that the dot is facing the light source. So if the suns at the “wrong” angle your CP will have marginal effect.

[willmilne]

Hi

A couple of questions-

– are you sure it is a Circular Polarizer ?

– does it have a double layer of polarizing material ie:

[allen schaugaard]

Thanks for the advise John. I just took the camera out in the front yard and put some of your advise to work. My filter is a Tiffen and does not have an indicating dot on it but there is writing on it and seemed to be roughly were a dot would be. The sun is still up but low in the sky and you were right. I could tell the biggest difference with it at a 90 to the sun. The first thing I noticed was the effect on the grass. I could see it looking into and at a 90 to the sun but I couldn’t tell much of a difference in the sky if I was looking into the sun. only at an angle.

[John Bennett]

Allen.
I love filters as they allow you get shots without having to make difficult choices with, regards to blowing skies. The other option is HDR. Though both have their place for me personally HDR is something I have fun with, if Im trying to be “serious” (get it right in camera) I employ my filters.

Depending on the CP you use, there will be varying amounts of light loss. That light loss is across the board. An ND will do the same, it reduces the light hitting the sensor evenly. However, a Graduated ND reduces light in a gradient. This allows you to “balance” the ambient in the foreground/background or if the gnd isn’t strong enough it reduces the difference and allows corrections in post that are more sublte than a heavy handed correction.

I frequently use GNDs in combination with CPs and will at times use
A GND
A ND
A CP

This shot was taken shortly after we launched, the sun was had just crested the horizon maybe 15 mins earlier. I had 3 problems to overcome to get it. Earlier I mentioned needing to “see” something and then I work out how to get what I’m seeing and overcome any obsticles

First priority was exposing for the reflection of the clouds on the water, that was my primary objective, my vision if you will. Doing that

[Colin M.]

John, can you give the stats for that image? ISO f stop shutterspeed, etc.?

[John Bennett]

Colin full techs, followed by a comment or two.

1Dmkiv with the 24-70mm at 24mm
Metering: Patial ( metered the clouds, then the reflections ahead of the boat)
Manual
ISO 1,000
F11 for depth of field
1/320th last adjustment made to render the exposure for the reflections on the water.

Every single image (scenario more accurate) you take will always want different settings. They are like a menu and every restaurant offers things differently or with slight variations. While those setting were used for this shot I could be in a similiar “scenario” but use wildly different settings.

I could have raised or lowered ISO by 1 or 2 thirds, which would have forced me to raise or lower an equal combination of f/stop and or SS.

Bascially in this case I wanted SS somewhere between 250 and 500 because we were moving (albeit very slowly) and I was standing in the bow handholding the body/gnd and firing 1 handed.

I wanted enough dof to capture my 2 friends so I set it at F11.

So to do those two things meant setting my ISO where ever it needed to be. Sometimes you set your ISO first, then f/stop and SS is whatever it needs to etc.

Dunno if Im explaining myself right. Most images are mini puzzles that need to be figured out and its up to use to determine what peices to use (sometimes thats filters, tripods, panning etc) and what order to assemble them in (ISO,f/stop/SS)

[Colin M.]

That explanation is very helpful.

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