 Greg D. Leeah |
Shooting outdoors Hello, im a newbie....I was wondering if anyone could take a look at the few photos I have in my gallery and see if anyone can spot some obvious problems. They definitely don't look as good as I think they should. I would love some advice. The photos in my gallery were shot with 400 speed film without a tripod, using the aperture guide in the viewfinder. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! this is an awesome website by the way!
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Rebecca K. Renz |
Greg, I looked at a few and left comments. Keep working on it. We are all learning all the time! Rebecca
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Mark Feldstein |
Well Greg, it certainly appears as though you've been bitten by the bug. My fave shot you've got there is Texas Canyon. As Rebecca said, keep working. Shoot lots of film, which is really basically cheap. Rather than using 400 ISO speed outdoors, switch to something slower, say 100 speed that has finer grain. Also, try a roll or two of professional grade 100 speed, like Fuji. I think you'll like the results better. My guess is that you shot on kodak consumer-grade 400 something, like Gold. Experiment a lot with composition. Your barn shot would have been better if you had gotten on the other side of that fence (which you could do by ringing a door bell and asking the owners for permission to photograph their building). Experiment with angles, perspective and lighting. For example, once you get an aperture reading, shoot at that and then bracket 1/2-1 stop in either direction. You can also bracket 1 full stop either direction by increasing or decreasing your shutter speed. The work in the gallery appears just a tad on the over exposed side, while the tree looks about 1- 1 1/2 stops under because there's not much detail in the limbs. This could also be the result of your scanning or uploading. Dunno. Add some people to your images, if you haven't already. It doesn't have to be people posing, just people doing anything. And, try using a tripod when you can. Even when working at faster shutter speeds, your work will benefit from a tripod, particularly when you can also use a level of some sort with it either on the pod or on the camera accessory shoe. Last for now, try using a warming filter like an 81B (an 81A is about useless except to protect lenses from fingerprints). Try some shots with and without the filter on the same roll, keep track of which ones had it and which ones didn't, and AND it's also a good idea to keep some exposure notes so you can see the effects of your efforts at improving. All-in-all, I'd say you're off to a flying start, newbie or not. And always feel free to ask questions around here. We're largely a friendly lot.
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Rebecca A. Steed |
Welcome to BetterPhoto Greg. I was a newbie less than a year ago, and BP members and teachers have really helped me come a long way, so I am confident you will be shooting like a pro in months! You are off to a great start, and I can tell you are in to landscape photography. If so, it is vital that you buy a neutral density graduated filter. I recommend looking at Cokin or Lee filter kits. This will make your sky more dramatic and properly exposed, not so washed out, in many landscape images. Don't buy the circular glass ND Grad filter though that you put on your lens like a polorizer. Get the kind that looks like a card. There's a lot to say on them, so I suggest doing some research on the subject. you have a good eye, just keep practicing. Try different angles, such as from your belly instead of standing. Also if you can manage it, sunrise and sunset landscape photos really 'pop' and add drama and mystic to the landscape. Oh yeah, and I highly recommend the courses offered here, they are worth every penny! I hope I helped; feel free to contact me if you have any questions! Becky
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BetterPhoto Member |
To add to what Becky was saying when she suggested the Cokin system, it can be adapted to all of your lenses using rings that thread into your lenses filter mounts. That means that if you have, say, lenses that use a 49mm filter for one, a 52mm for one and a 58mm for the third, you will need to buy one set of filters, and three adapter rings. This will save you money down the road. The only drawback to the Cokin system is that you need to be careful with the filters since they are plastic and scratch easily. Have fun and keep shooting,
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Rebecca A. Steed |
Thanks for adding that Mark, about the Cokin filters. I should have mentioned that! I just got mine in the mail about a week ago and am hoping to use it this weekend.
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BetterPhoto Member |
No problem Becky. Mine has seen plenty of action. I've had it for years. I Think I used the four point star on the shot I included. I've also got the six and eight point stars. I've got about 30 filters for my system. They're a great investment if you're careful with them. You'll really enjoy using the system. Have fun and keep shooting,
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Greg D. Leeah |
thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it.
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