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I have just welcomed myself to the world of DSLR, and wanted to share a couple of the (better?) photos I have taken for constructive criticism.





They are both taken around Canberra, with a Sigma 55-200.

Cheers,
Tristan

Like the second Tristan

Tristan

I'll start with the good. The second shot is a good shot. You've done something I have yet to master since I don't have a tripod The silkiness of the waterfall is nice, but not overdone.

So how could these be made better? the waterfall shot is a little dull colourwise and the foreground rocks distract from the water. I'd lighten the image a little in PP and crop a little tighter, especially the foreground rocks.

The first image is more problematic. Sunset shots grab the viewer because of things like their incredible colours or the way the sun lights the clouds or the interesting geometries of horizon elements like trees, mountains and buildings thrown into silhouette. In the image there are pieces of these present, but none screams out at you. The image would probably have been better with the sun a little lower. The blown highlights where the sun is would be gone and you'd probably have a more orange sky. There are great clouds and the sun would probably have picked them up nicely too. Getting lower to the ground and moving angle of view slightly to silhouette the trees more would also be an idea.

Once thing I do when taking sunset photos is to start early, with my EV set down by 1 to 1.5 (hence darkening the image). This gives me an idea of what things will be like as the sun gets lower. Sometimes shots like this work very well. As the sun sinks, adjust the EV back up and experiment.

Here's a suggestion, in Canberra you get lovely autumn tones. Find a location easy to get to. Rug up & take your camera. Over a week or so go there a few times and take the same sunset shot. If there are some trees nearby, think about including them in the shot before things get really dark so we can see the late afternoon sky tones as well as the colour of the leaves. As the sun sinks, eExperiment with angle of view and camera settings. Do nothing else. Comparing your results will refine your technique and give some great shots to post.

I look forward to more from you. Welcom to the forum.

Hi

Welcome to the world of digital photography. Very good attempts. I like #2. Just to add a few suggestions.

#1. Use a smaller aperture (f16 - 22). Bring the horizon lower down to get more of the sky. You may want to focus on the trees to get them in sharp focus.

#2. Use a slower shutter speed and put camera on tripod. You got the concept correct there - just need to blurr the water more to create a silky effect.

regards,

Arthur

Gday Tristan,
Welcome to the forum

I agree to lower the horizon in #1, there seems to be a lot of emphasis on the black foreground, everyone's different , try to consume the bulk of the image area with the part of the image that provides the most interest for the viewer , in this one I'd lower the horizon and emphasise(?) the more interesting sky. If you're going for the contrast between the trees in silhouette (spelling again?), maybe try focussing on them so their edges are really sharp as they'll grab the viewers attention. Hey, just a thought, try a crop for a pano effect (cropping mainly the bottom of the foreground, keeping the horizon) and it might transform the image

#2 I really like. Good foreground interest with the rocks. If you're after that creamy blurred water effect, you'll need a longer exposure which means a tripod. The tripods a good thing with landscapes though because it makes you slow down and really take in the composition. In this one, I wonder about taking one step to the right and having the waterfall off centre. If that was hand-held at .25 second exposure then you've got more steady hands than I have

Cheers and keep on postin'

Thanks for all the tips!

I had been told by another poster that it was a good forum to get involved in. They were certainly correct.

The 2nd photograph was most certainly taken on a (excuse for a) tripod. I do not have a full tripod here (i don't like living in college some times), but a 20cm tall bendy legged thing that is good enough to sit the camera on rocks.

Some of the comments about the sunset encouraged me to open up this image for feedback:



Thanks,
You really are a great bunch of people!

That last one is a real winner! Maybe crop the bit of sky above the clouds, but other than that, it just works. The dark hill doesn't detract, and the lines are brilliant. Nice one!

I thought that I should also add:

As many of you have probably guessed, these images are direct from the camera. I have still yet to work out what is the best way to edit them, and what alterations to make.

Tristan

Hi Tristan, and welcome.

Most of the comments and observations have already been made, so I'll take a slightly different approach and enquire about your workflow. What settings are you using on the camera, and are you shooting jpg or raw?

Shooting raw gives you the greatest flexibility for later PP, and the things that you can pull out of the image file, to bring out detail in deep shadows (such as the hill in the last image) or what seems like blown areas (the sky in the first) during your post processing will often amaze you.

Gary,

The first 2 images were captured as jpeg, however, the last one was originally captured as RAW.

What other settings do you want to know? The first 2 images have EXIF data embedded in them, if you are interested.

Tristan

Welcome Tristan,

Take plenty of Pics and Post here often it is a freindly place with all willing to help.

Note for Stubbsy, The advice you first offered is invaluable, replies like this are exactly why I love this place. You are a Champ.


Tristan great second post sunset love it

MATT

Tristan,

The Exif data is indeed interesting.

I was goping to suggest that you install Nikon Capture and then further suggest a couple of things to do ....

However, I'm unfamilar with the equivalent Canon software (all, please welcome another Canon user ... 300D this time) so it's a bit harder for me to guide you.

That said, I would be looking to install and use the Canon software as a starting point, and just play with some of the settings to see how they can change the way your image looks. Curves, contrast, wb and colour adjustments are all fair game.

Remember to keep saving copies of your work as either raw or tiff, rather than jpeg, to avoid losing detail during the save process. Use the "Save As" feature and give each version a different name, so that you can examine and compare the way that different settings can effect your outcomes.

Which lens(es) do you have for your camera?

At this stage I have the kit 18-55, as well as a Sigma 55-200 DC F4-5.6.

I am yet to sit down and "play" with the Canon software.

I was told by MHD that Canon users are "tolerated" on the forum, so please - tolerate me.

Thanks
Tristan

Also, the EXIF from the last image:

-------
Camera Model Name
Canon EOS 300D DIGITAL
Shooting Date/Time
20/05/2005 4:50:28 PM
Shooting Mode
Manual
Tv( Shutter Speed )
1/640
Av( Aperture Value )
10
Metering Mode
Center-weighted averaging
ISO Speed
200
Lens
55.0 - 200.0mm
Focal Length
67.0mm
Image Size
3072x2048
Image Quality
RAW
Flash
Off
White Balance
Auto
AF Mode
Manual Focus
Parameters
Contrast +1
Sharpness +1
Color saturation +1
Color tone Normal
Color Space
sRGB

ozonejunkie wrote:At this stage I have the kit 18-55, as well as a Sigma 55-200 DC F4-5.6.

I am yet to sit down and "play" with the Canon software.

I was told by MHD that Canon users are "tolerated" on the forum, so please - tolerate me.

Hell, I'm "tolerated", but we welcome DSLR users (and non-DSLR users) of all hues here, so please make yourself at home.

What is your photographic background? I'm going to step out on a limb here and ask if you bought your camera and lenses as perhaps a package kit from someone like Ted's or Hardly Normal?

What you have is, I feel, a great starting point, and I suspect that you'll be able to turn in some really great looking images in just a very short time, once you start to understand the capabilities of the tool that you have, and how you can make it work for you.

What modes are you shooting in? PHD? Fully manual? Tv or Av ?

Tristan

The newer sunset shot you posted is a good example of what I was talking about in my first post. While the sun still has some blown highlights, this image has more colour in the sky and the strong focal point of the tower (long while since I've been to Canberra - Black Mountain or something - telstra tower). The shot is further enhanced by the glint of water in the foreground which you would not have got once the sun set lower. This is an excellent capture and also shows how timing is everything when it comes to sunsets. Thanks for posting.

ozonejunkie wrote:Thanks for all the tips!

Some of the comments about the sunset encouraged me to open up this image for feedback:

This is a very cool shot. Good color and composition. I'm curious about the spire on the right. It looks like it has a sharpening halo, but the rest of the image doesn't seem to show too much sharpening. Have you got the camera set on high for sharpening?

Photographic Background:
Nil
This camera was bought as a package from Teds as an upgrade to a Canon PowerShot A70. I wanted the freedom of an SLR, but could never live using film. (Trial & Error learner).

Most of the time i use the fully manual setting, not fully acquainted with other alternatives. I will confess to using point and shoot for the "non creative" photos as well.

Any recommendations?

Cheers,
Tristan