random outdoors shots from the weekend

[skurge]

a dam dam

http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v337/219/20/626757129/n626757129_1241129_1678.jpg


leaky roof?

http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v337/219/20/626757129/n626757129_1241131_2561.jpg


these flowers were neat as hell
http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v337/219/20/626757129/n626757129_1241127_843.jpg

http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v337/219/20/626757129/n626757129_1241128_1270.jpg

http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v337/219/20/626757129/n626757129_1241130_2132.jpg


i might upload some more but for now thats what you get......

[DamonS]

Are you looking for input on these or just showing off the beautiful scenes to which you happened upon.

[skurge]

either or, i just post them for people to see

i'm no professional, and i dont have a great camera so whatever you feel like saying, go for it

[DamonS]

either or, i just post them for people to see

i'm no professional, and i dont have a great camera so whatever you feel like saying, go for it


Are you interested in improving? You don't need to be a professional to have great looking photo's.. I see potential here that could possibly be fixed in camera or with a little touchups in photochop..


Tell me what you've got for a camera and i'll give you some hints on punching these up a little.

I'm not here to flame, i'm more than happy helping out people who want to produce a better photo :cool:

[skurge]

Are you interested in improving? You don't need to be a professional to have great looking photo's.. I see potential here that could possibly be fixed in camera or with a little touchups in photochop..


Tell me what you've got for a camera and i'll give you some hints on punching these up a little.

I'm not here to flame, i'm more than happy helping out people who want to produce a better photo :cool:

yea thats fine, i dont mind a little help heh


a lot of people tell me i have an eye for it or whatever, should have went to school for it etc.....i get lost in the settings sometimes lol


camera is a fuji S5000 6mp....was using a .45 wide angle w/macro on these shots

none of these photos have been edited at all, they come right from the camera

[advan]

server down?

[skurge]

server down?


posted from my facebook, cause i'm too lazy to upload them to more places

[DamonS]

a dam dam

http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v337/219/20/626757129/n626757129_1241129_1678.jpg


leaky roof?

http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v337/219/20/626757129/n626757129_1241131_2561.jpg


these flowers were neat as hell
http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v337/219/20/626757129/n626757129_1241127_843.jpg

http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v337/219/20/626757129/n626757129_1241128_1270.jpg

http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v337/219/20/626757129/n626757129_1241130_2132.jpg


i might upload some more but for now thats what you get......


All of them are very dark.. If you see them in preview in camera, you should see that they are muted.. Without knowing too much about the settings you used when the shot was taken, for these photos, I'd have considered changing the white balance from Auto to Overcast (most camera's look like a little cloud icon). Auto just sucks for determining it, which is why so many people choose to shoot raw. I personally don't want Raw all the time, so i'll simply take my gray card and do a custom balance, but i'm anal that way :D

Anyhow.. Just changing the WB on these could punch them up considerably..

Secondly, you could try to over expose a bit when it's gloomy..
I also can't tell if you were on a tripod or if you are handheld, if you are on a tripod, consider a little longer shutter time to soften the water a bit. Water is very visually appealing when its super soft.. Play with it.. Set it up on a tripod and set the camera to ISO100 and say a shutter speed of 1/2 second. If too overexposed try slowly changing the shutter to a little faster until you get to one that looks just right..

I could go into more detail, but that should punch it up a bit without too much thinking :)

Oh.. and don't shoot in the Fully Automatic mode.. the camera does too much averaging and the pictures tend to be way off and require too much to fix.. If you have a Program mode (or P mode on some cameras), this is the same as Fully Automatic, but allows you to override the choices.. The choices typically are better and uses a different metering method.


Try it out and let me know.. Take a few more and experiment and post back.. and furthermore.. have fun!

[skurge]

All of them are very dark.. If you see them in preview in camera, you should see that they are muted.. Without knowing too much about the settings you used when the shot was taken, for these photos, I'd have considered changing the white balance from Auto to Overcast (most camera's look like a little cloud icon). Auto just sucks for determining it, which is why so many people choose to shoot raw. I personally don't want Raw all the time, so i'll simply take my gray card and do a custom balance, but i'm anal that way :D

Anyhow.. Just changing the WB on these could punch them up considerably..

Secondly, you could try to over expose a bit when it's gloomy..
I also can't tell if you were on a tripod or if you are handheld, if you are on a tripod, consider a little longer shutter time to soften the water a bit. Water is very visually appealing when its super soft.. Play with it.. Set it up on a tripod and set the camera to ISO100 and say a shutter speed of 1/2 second. If too overexposed try slowly changing the shutter to a little faster until you get to one that looks just right..

I could go into more detail, but that should punch it up a bit without too much thinking :)

Oh.. and don't shoot in the Fully Automatic mode.. the camera does too much averaging and the pictures tend to be way off and require too much to fix.. If you have a Program mode (or P mode on some cameras), this is the same as Fully Automatic, but allows you to override the choices.. The choices typically are better and uses a different metering method.


Try it out and let me know.. Take a few more and experiment and post back.. and furthermore.. have fun!

thanks for the info, I shoot on manual, and was playing with the f-stop on all of these, They are a bit dark, i was just off on the settings and my main lcd is broken on the camera, so the little viewfinder is all i have to work with....

some of them i was using a 2.8-3.2 fstop and some were more around 5.6 i think it was.....

I think for the WB on my camera its just a +/- i've never messed with it when in manual mode, I usually just adjust the shutter speed......would plus or minus make for a brighter picture? i can never really tell a difference when i adjust it at all

as far as ISO goes, i have two choices, 200/400, so i'm kind of limited there, I usually leave it on 200 to cut down on the noise......


as for modes on the camera, I have M/A/S/P and auto which i never use, then movie and the 4 preset modes(sport and such)

as far as shooting RAW, i'd love to, and my camera can do it....but i dont have an editing program that is worth a crap to even bother using it(plus the one i have cant open raw files) camera saves it in RTF format i think it is, whatever fuji uses....and the fuji site doesn't have the software available on the site that came with my camera to open the raw files....so i'm kinda fucked there..... oh well


I was shooting handheld on all of these shots, I do have a tripod but did not have it with me on this day

[DamonS]

some of them i was using a 2.8-3.2 fstop and some were more around 5.6 i think it was.....

I think for the WB on my camera its just a +/- i've never messed with it when in manual mode, I usually just adjust the shutter speed......would plus or minus make for a brighter picture? i can never really tell a difference when i adjust it at all

as far as ISO goes, i have two choices, 200/400, so i'm kind of limited there, I usually leave it on 200 to cut down on the noise......


as for modes on the camera, I have M/A/S/P and auto which i never use, then movie and the 4 preset modes(sport and such)

as far as shooting RAW, i'd love to, and my camera can do it....but i dont have an editing program that is worth a crap to even bother using it(plus the one i have cant open raw files) camera saves it in RTF format i think it is, whatever fuji uses....and the fuji site doesn't have the software available on the site that came with my camera to open the raw files....so i'm kinda fucked there..... oh well


I was shooting handheld on all of these shots, I do have a tripod but did not have it with me on this day


I've not seen a white balance setting as +/- as I couldn't imagine what that would signify. I've seen them as different preset options (flourescent, cloudy, shade, sunlight, warm, cold, custom, etc). Each option having pretty vastly different effects on the finished image.

I'd almost hazard that the +/- you are seeing is the exposure compensation, and if that is the case, then you should have stop indicators (like 1/2 stop, full stop which is usually represented with long and short vertical bars) which simply open the shutter to allow more light in.

If you are going full manual and your pictures are this dark, then your ISO and shutter settings are mismatched. With the overcast that I see in these pictures, I'd say you could have afforded to open the shutter a smidge longer and still protect the image from handshake. I find if I am not certain what settings I should be in, I put in P mode and allow the camera to meter, then I take that and make adjustments to what I think I would have chose and then do exposure brackets (which takes 3 pictures, one at your settings, one + exposure compensation, and one - exposure compensation). Then when you get home you can see which one was the best and basically learn from your experience.

I rarely shoot full manual nowadays with my camera.. It gets pretty damned close and if I don't completely agree it's a quick flick of the finger to correct it.. It has saved me many a lost shot.

[skurge]

maybe i'll try out the P mode next time, so just let it setup to the setting and tweak them if i need to? wonder if I can still mess with the fstop in there?

[DamonS]

In P Mode you should be able to override both the Aperture and the Shutter speeds chosen by the camera.

If its just the F Stop you like to play with, put it in "A" mode (which stands for Aperture Priority) and that sets up the camera but requires you to tell the camera what F Stop you want to have the camera setup with.

I like the P Mode personally, because I can go from "Point and Shoot" photographer to "Professional Photographer" without having to change my camera's shooting buttons. (mind you, when I do professional stuff, I fiddle with all the buttons, but I still let the camera do 90% of the setup for me :) )

[skurge]

In P Mode you should be able to override both the Aperture and the Shutter speeds chosen by the camera.

If its just the F Stop you like to play with, put it in "A" mode (which stands for Aperture Priority) and that sets up the camera but requires you to tell the camera what F Stop you want to have the camera setup with.

I like the P Mode personally, because I can go from "Point and Shoot" photographer to "Professional Photographer" without having to change my camera's shooting buttons. (mind you, when I do professional stuff, I fiddle with all the buttons, but I still let the camera do 90% of the setup for me :) )


yea i'll try out P mode then, seems more what i like to do......sometimes i like to get a little blur by upping the shutter and such......


http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v240/219/20/626757129/n626757129_814992_6007.jpg

[skurge]

so i tried to play around with P mode last night


it wont let me change the fstop or shutter when in "P" just auto sets the fstop/shutter

only thing i can adjust is the exposure compensation, which in reality does not much of anything

[DRAIGON]

They look fine, just need to work on exposure. Try to PP them

[DRAIGON]

http://upshizzle.com/temp/D12-843.jpghttp://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v337/219/20/626757129/n626757129_1241127_843.jpg

[DRAIGON]

http://upshizzle.com/temp/D12-1270.jpghttp://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v337/219/20/626757129/n626757129_1241128_1270.jpg

[DRAIGON]

http://upshizzle.com/temp/D12-1678.jpghttp://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v337/219/20/626757129/n626757129_1241129_1678.jpg

[DRAIGON]

http://upshizzle.com/temp/D12-2132.jpghttp://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v337/219/20/626757129/n626757129_1241130_2132.jpg

[DRAIGON]

http://upshizzle.com/temp/D12-2561.jpghttp://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v337/219/20/626757129/n626757129_1241131_2561.jpg

[DRAIGON]

http://upshizzle.com/temp/D12-6007.jpghttp://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v240/219/20/626757129/n626757129_814992_6007.jpg

[DRAIGON]

Just a few minutes in light room and I did them all.

[DamonS]

so i tried to play around with P mode last night


it wont let me change the fstop or shutter when in "P" just auto sets the fstop/shutter

only thing i can adjust is the exposure compensation, which in reality does not much of anything



That's odd :( All of the camera's i've seen allow you to readjust the chosen settings... I guess this one is the exception :mad:

I guess to work around it, you could meter in P mode then set it to Manual and work with the settings chosen :dunno:

Keep up the good fight..

[skurge]

http://upshizzle.com/temp/D12-1678.jpg


ewww sky is all washed out........

[skurge]

http://upshizzle.com/temp/D12-6007.jpg

dont think this pic needed any changes.....

[skurge]

the only one out of those i like is the one you turned B&W

[DamonS]

Just a few minutes in light room and I did them all.


I agree. The pics can be punched up very easily.. There is plenty of detail that can be used to bring out the best in each image..

However, personally I hate to post process images too much.. I usually take so many photo's that I need them to be as close as I can make them in camera (i know, i know a pipe dream :rofl: ) and then just try to get away with a little correction. The average person doesn't have the monitor setup to do proper correction or have spent the time matching their monitor to their printer and knowing what overcorrections are necessary to make it work.

I am an absolute perfectionist in my photography, so much so that I get complaints from my wife when i'm simply taking pics of the kids. My boss loves it because the extra 10 minutes I spend setting it up, saves hours of an image tech's time over the course of the photoshoot :)

skurge, i'm only a few hours from Niagara falls and I do frequent the area as I have family there, perhaps one day we can shoot together, I'd love to get some more intimate images of the falls.

[skurge]

I agree. The pics can be punched up very easily.. There is plenty of detail that can be used to bring out the best in each image..

However, personally I hate to post process images too much.. I usually take so many photo's that I need them to be as close as I can make them in camera (i know, i know a pipe dream :rofl: ) and then just try to get away with a little correction. The average person doesn't have the monitor setup to do proper correction or have spent the time matching their monitor to their printer and knowing what overcorrections are necessary to make it work.

I am an absolute perfectionist in my photography, so much so that I get complaints from my wife when i'm simply taking pics of the kids. My boss loves it because the extra 10 minutes I spend setting it up, saves hours of an image tech's time over the course of the photoshoot :)

skurge, i'm only a few hours from Niagara falls and I do frequent the area as I have family there, perhaps one day we can shoot together, I'd love to get some more intimate images of the falls.


for sure, whenver you come to the buffalo/NF area, i'll take you down in the gorge, like nothing you will ever see! love to go shoot with someone that i can learn from heh!

i need to get a good PP program, i have nothing thats any good anymore.....

[DamonS]

http://upshizzle.com/temp/D12-6007.jpghttp://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v240/219/20/626757129/n626757129_814992_6007.jpg

this one didn't need too much correction.. About all i'd do is lose the blank whites from the picture to shift the overall tonality to the centre.. (it would lighten it juuuust a smidge). For me this is overcorrected now.


edit: Look for the beauty in the photo and work from there. To me the focal point is the rushing water, the whispy brides vail you were able to capture in the centre.. Focus on that, it'll punch right up. In the post processed image, all the detail in the rushing water is gone.

[DamonS]

for sure, whenver you come to the buffalo/NF area, i'll take you down in the gorge, like nothing you will ever see! love to go shoot with someone that i can learn from heh!

i need to get a good PP program, i have nothing thats any good anymore.....



I'll be down in the area within the next month or so. If you have some time then, i'll ping you and arrange a meet up.. I don't mind if its on my side or yours, I cross into the US regularly.


I still use Photoshop as my main image program. If you take your images to a photo lab, talk with the image technician and if they care about their work they should be able to give you an idea about what color profile they use. If you use them regularly, you can setup your computer to match their printer and your pictures will come out as you see them on your screen. I use an old photo lab in my town that moved from doing 35mm to digital and have spent many hours with him setting up my personal computer rig to match his printing equipment.

[skurge]

I'll be down in the area within the next month or so. If you have some time then, i'll ping you and arrange a meet up.. I don't mind if its on my side or yours, I cross into the US regularly.


I still use Photoshop as my main image program. If you take your images to a photo lab, talk with the image technician and if they care about their work they should be able to give you an idea about what color profile they use. If you use them regularly, you can setup your computer to match their printer and your pictures will come out as you see them on your screen. I use an old photo lab in my town that moved from doing 35mm to digital and have spent many hours with him setting up my personal computer rig to match his printing equipment.

yea let me know, i have only been down there once on the canadian side, but either works for me, personall i think the US side has more to see buh eh, to each his own


i'll have to look into a printing place and see what i can do there

[DRAIGON]

How far is Pennsylvania from yall? Ill be moving there soon.

[skurge]

How far is Pennsylvania from yall? Ill be moving there soon.


erie pa is just a couple hours away, phili is about 6.5 hours or so

[skurge]

headed out hiking today, so i'll try metering with P mode and adjusting it in manual then :)

[DamonS]

How far is Pennsylvania from yall? Ill be moving there soon.


Pittsburgh, PA to Buffalo, NY is about 220 Miles.

[DRAIGON]

Now they said about 8 months. I have never been that far north. Someone will have to show me around when I get there. :)