Advice and Critique corner
 

As members are getting new cameras and experimenting with their photography I thought maybe we could have a constructive critique corner where you could post your pictures with any relevant info, time of day, camera settings etc and get constructive advice on anything that may make the photo even better.
This can help peeps into learning to take control over their cameras and compositions ;)
Anyone else think this might be a good idea, if so post your photos and info here:}

Can we have the swear guard removed for this thread then.

You'll need it to describe where I'm going wrong :duh:

You'll be fine, it works well on the photography forums and can really help Graham;)
Here's one of mine, feel free to say what may improve it etc.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/u...5/IMG_5358.jpg

Exif data I haven't got but from memory this was late summer time around 21.30 in the evening and the camera would have been on my tripod, bulb setting but can't remember the exact exposure time and aperture .

I love the colours and the silkiness of the water, soothing.

To make any changes that 'may' improve it, I would clone out (or if using the Photoshop, heal tool) the three flare spots, then crop the 'dead' top and left hand side. the image seems weighted to the right. The two brightest lights I do find distracting too, but I dont think you could do anything about them (try covering them with your thumb).

Your EXIF data is
Canon 7D (great camera by the way - I used to work for a well known national camera chain ;))
105mm
15secs
F11
Aperture Priority
19:38 17/08/2011 ;)

Thanks for the critique.
I'm on my phone and couldn't grab the exif!

I'm guessing Jessops then?
That was a JPEG of a series of images I shot at Langard point, straight off the card and un edited.
I saved the photoshop for the Raw files;)
But this is exactly what we need, it will really help peeps out.
I agree with all your comments on improving the shot by the way.
As you know, the 7d is a crop body which I use really for my main love.....
Motorsport:D
I'll post another one for peeps to critique, this time in my comfort zone.
Come on guys and girls, share your shots, especially ones where you think it could be better and maybe we can a help each other improve;)

Here's something in my comfort zone.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/u...oct2011050.jpg

Comments please;)

Your panning technique is spot on! Exposure too is great, especially with the strong sun from the left. If I would wish for something is a little more space in front of the car. Someone once told me, if shooting moving subjects, have a little space in the direction of where the subject is moving. (try it, with a wider angle shot, using a moving car as an example. Crop tight in the back of the car leaving space in front, then same image crop tight at the front of the car leaving space behind - the difference visually, is amazing!).

Yes, it was Jessops ;) , 10years, pre administration and post administration.

I do worry sometimes giving critique, I hope if I do, no one is offended. I do wish to help improve others technique, and improve my own too.

Macro, manipulated and landscapes are my favourite subjects. Some early ones are HERE

Intentional tight crop but correct, always leave space for the subject to drive into;)
No need to worry about offence, that is the point of critique after all.
Some stuff is subjective but getting others viewpoints and ideas makes us all better togs.
Btw if you can pull the exif from that as I can't remember what lens I shot it with. That's the problem with posting when on your phone without all the photo stuff on it!
Probably my 120-300 2.8 Sigma looking at the tight crop and where it is at Brands Hatch, exit of Druids, SouthBank for anyone that knows the circuit ;)

Some great work there, I'm going to do it more credit by looking on the computer tomorrow so I can see it properly, an iPhone doesn't do it justice:}
That last photo with the chopping board and the hand:eek:
You need to post some up on here, very impressive :bowdown:
Didn't ask what you shoot with btw ?

Here's a more open car shot!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/u...2/IMG_3961.jpg

I shoot with mainly a 50D and
90mm Tamron
Canon 17-85mm
Canon 50mm
Canon 70-200mm f4
adapted 135mm Cosina 2.8 and Juptier 8 50mm ;)

Also Samsung NX1000 and WB250 as pocket cameras (and adapter for Canon lens for the NX) - I used to write off Samsungs, but selling them over past few years opened my eyes to these latest generations.

(I do have a collection of cameras too, from the twenties, most work too)

by the way, i welcome critique on mine too. I will gather some to put up when opportunity allows.

(I was once asked, ''what is your best image?'' and the answer I was given, is now something I apply to my photography, ''I haven't taken it yet'' )

These were my first proper attempt to pan with my new 70-200mm lens.

Just for a Laugh, here goes.

These were taken when I'd just got the Camera, The Mountain in the distance is about 20 miles away from the garden, as the crow flies, zoom was entirely lens.

http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...9_graham/A.jpg

http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...9_graham/B.jpg

http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...9_graham/D.jpg

http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...m/DSCF3603.jpg

http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...9_graham/G.jpg

http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...9_graham/F.jpg

http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...9_graham/E.jpg

http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...9_graham/5.jpg

http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...9_graham/C.jpg

http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...e0eaad5b56.jpg

Re Coolcat 1st pic, getting there in daylight so we could see better would be a help innit... :D :D :D
...

Oh James, you are a one aren't you ;):D:getmecoat:

Looks like those nutters were driving in a public car park :eek:
What sort of speed was your shutter?
Looks like you had it nailed down nice and slow;)
Some of the backgrounds are slightly distracting but not sure you could do much about that given where the photos were taken.
Really like the first one with the Caterham Super 7 or is it a Westfield the best.
Your focus appears to have been on the bonnet just below the windscreen of the car, I would have probably tried to nail it to the front of the car maybe.
If those were your first attempts at panning they are very good.
It is not the easiest of things to do.

With your landscape shots I can see you already have an eye for composition and you are using the rule of thirds well and not just plopping the horizon in the middle.
For me the mountain photos work best without the foreground tree in them.
It can be good to have foreground interest especially if it leads you into the scene but that tree doesn't do it for me.
The photo of the mountain in isolation is my favourite and I really like the desaturated colours, makes it look moody.
Hope these ideas help for you and remember they are only that, ideas.
Keep shooting and probably best to submit one photo at a time as it's easier to critique that way:}

Here you go,

Another picture taken of Felixstowe docks, taken recently this time and whilst the sun is still out......just!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/u...psf86f6f17.jpg

Couple of nice long distance shots of Roseberry Topping there - ;)

Totally amateur, untouched by Photoshop......

http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/...ps867ea928.jpg

....... taken with a Fuji Finepix S2980 bridge camera - auto exposure and shutter settings (set to "landscape")

Well executed shot Rod,
Good strong foreground interest sits well within the landscape.
Maybe a polariser would have brought out the sky and grass colours a little more but other than that I can't fault it;)

Thanks Jeff - in the old days of my Praktica manual SLR, I had skylight 1B filters on all my lenses - is that the type of thing you're referring to?

Ive never really been a fan of critique threads, mainly because an image is either judged for it's photographic merit and because one persons "WOW" is another persons "UGGHH"....so the only way to judge an image properly is to say yay or nay to the composition and use of the rules.

Personally...rules are meant to be broken :D

That said, i'll join in for the craic! :D

Okay, those who are on Facebook may have seen me post these two from the weekend:

Both shot using very high ISO, I think the first one was about 800ISO and the second was 3200ISO.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7381/...39b6da82_c.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7393/...746a0f7b_c.jpg

Filter yes but polariser is a bit different to a uv or skylight filter;)

Brilliant shots Alan,
Did you clean them up with noise Ninja or is that just the level of control your camera body has at high iso's, if so:bowdown:
Nothing to critique that I can see, beautifully composed and great use of the available light:bowdown:

Jeff, coming from the old 20D, 30D,40D, 50D stable I was apprehensive at the 'downgrade' to a XXXD model but i've been blown away by the level of detail with this sensor. The above were JPEG too.
Just checked the EXIF, the first pic was 1/30th @f5.6 and ISO640
The second pic is 1/100th @f4 and ISO3200.
I have reduced noise in CS5 but not too much as it removes detail too and softens it like Guassain Blur.

You can see the noise present in the blues of the ceiling.
Original JPEG here at 1600px: https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7298/...0455b5af_h.jpg

I agree that one mans meat is another mans poison.
Thought it may help with some peeps just starting out though, give them some tips and hints to pursue their hobby further;)

Patiently waiting for the 7D mk2 or equivalent to land and if it deals with noise as well as your body at high iso's I'll be in heaven:D

Upgrading to the 7D replacement may well be a trade off....as you could go for a 5D MkII for similar cash and the FF pixels are lovely to work with.

Full frame is not for me, I need speed and the crop sensor gives me more reach on the telephotos.
The 5d mk2 is a lovely camera but most of my stuff is sport orientated so it will be the 7d's replacement.
The 5D mk3 is fast enough but I still want the crop body.
The only time I could be persuaded would be for a 1DX, need to win the lottery though!
To be honest apart from noise control when pushing the iso I love the 7d as is.
The only other thing I would really love is wifi connectivity which would speed up getting photos uploaded.....Oops, moving off topic, back to critique ;)

[QUOTE=A19_Graham;1590077]Just for a Laugh, here goes.



http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...9_graham/B.jpg

this is my favourite. Macro, always catches my eye.

When I was selling cameras, I used to try to encourage (sometimes demand them to lol) people to get out of auto and play with the settings of the camera. If you were not confident reading the meter (or were in a hurry) try 'P' mode. That way shutter speeds are automatic, but it allows you to tweak options like white balance etc. The Daff image warmed up using 'cloudy' or 'shade' mode, would have been the only thing I would do with it. Alternatively in Photoshop, or your preferred editing software, a little 'warm' filter applied. (in Photoshop -> Image -> adjustments -> photo filter)

Also, dont be frightened to use the flash outdoors. Especially (and particularly) with portraits. In bright lighting, it can really lift the eyes and the shadows created by the eye socket.

Just a point to note, with most compact and bridge cameras, if using 'P' mode (or the ASM for that matter) the auto focus may struggle in close situations. If it does struggle, activate the macro mode (small flower symbol) - Fuji cameras tend to have amazing close up ability :D

I think the shutter speed was around 1/25th. they were auto testing in a public car park. A very small one only partially closed too! This side unfortunately was the only side I could get a full view as I panned.

I was actually trying to get the focus on the expressions of the guys driving. And was manual focusing lol. Well, I locked focus, because I was willing to accept one shot from maybe 5 or 10, because the continuous focus was too slow.

The clubman shots are my favourite from that night. the colours were mainly as they came from the camera!

-----------------------

You mentioned the 1Dx and 5DmkIII. I was fortunate enough to be sent on safari by canon in May '12. (Sounds very lah di dah? hehe, it was to Woburn Safari Park :p: ) . There were at the time, 7 of these cameras in Europe, and we had them! :D . We were asked not to damage them as they were being handed to preferential Canon customers at the Olympics after us. I believe we were giving them a shake down before they did lol. My 1Dx actually locked up! But was fixed by removing the battery. It was a really nice camera. I mean reallllllllly nice! Too much spec for my use though, but wow, it was clean. I will hunt out soem of them and upload to my other Flickr account. The majority of outside shots were with the 1Dx and 70-200 f4. The close up shots were 5DmkIII with at the time new, 100mm L macro :drool4:

The modern cropped sensors are fantastic. And most of the recent the xxxD range sensors, as an example, although the processors are may be different, they use the same sensor as the 7D. It is build strength (I am reluctant to use the term build quality as I believe they are all built to an equally high standard) and feature set, that sets them apart. I would be more than happy to use the 5DmkIII for sports use, although it is a little slower than the 7D, I would crop the image after if I needed, but the cleanness (?) of the image at higher isos is superb! (remember you will be cropping to roughly the pixel quantity and size of the cropped sensor anyway but would be able to obtain higher shutter speeds, with cleaner higher ISO ;) ) - in saying all that, I would advise waiting for the 7DmkII for now - then wait for another 6months for the price to settle.

I am guessing a little HDR was used, either in camera or edited after? HDR is one of those Marmite type of things. I am not a fan, HOWEVER, IF if was used here I love it. I love how the subtle use of it. IF it wasnt used, then WOW!

I agree about your comment about critique, Alan, art (I believe photography is an art form) is subjective, but people can learn and develop their skills from critique. My comments above about the possible use of HDR if not used, would show the pitfall of critique and be insulting to your ability. Please dont be offended if I am wrong, I am happy to be corrected, and learn from my critique too. :D

Use a decent card reader, it is faster than wifi, and doesnt drain your battery ;). Plus if mobile, you can carry on shooting whilst they upload ;)

As this is the most current and apt thread this has now been stuck. Older stuck threads have been removed as they are now 5+ years out of date and were stuck..... We do not want too many "Stickies" taking up room from all of the pages on this forum (or any other). :}

Enjoy :D

Kind words, thankyou.
I hate the term HDR as I think it is no longer a tool for the purpose of its name, and I suspect a lot of people don't even understand what it really means.
I think it's just something people do without understanding light, and it is just simply overcooked with feeble software and tweaked far too much. I also think people do set out to "take some HDR images" rather than setting out to just make a good image so the compositional skills are out the window. I blame students :D

So yeah, the above two images are 3 multiple exposures of -1, 0 and +1 EV. When i've shot in this Cathedral before I had my Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 but i've now got the 10-22mm, and I was handheld so I decided to to just capture what detail I could as the harsh contrast between internal lighting, sunlight through the windows and dark areas of the building would need bringing out.

A trained eye would have maybe noticed the murky greyness of the hymn book pages and the tones of the organ pipes and the wood in the second pic?
The subject matter has to lend itself to any kind of tonemapping and I think old buildings do. I like to try and get the best composition and build on that to get what I want. My trusty EOS 3 can shoot upto 9 exposures on one frame while not advancing the film....so recording higher dynamic range has been done for years, I just feel it's a little bit trigger happy and used without thinking. Or people think.. "oh that image is rubbish...i'll HDR it"

Dyou know what I mean?

Yes I know what you mean totally. I also get annoyed with people who say photoshopping images is wrong and not photography. Manipulation of inches has gone on since photography began. Even selecting a particular film stock over another would be a manipulation. Hdr is I think too,is abused for laziness. But each to their own. I like if time and subject permits to do it your way too. If I can't I will edit the raw files for 3 exposures and blend them that way.

I have a Udma card reader, wifi enables individual files to be uploaded to my iPad without tethering which can be useful.
My 7d is gripped with two batteries and I have two spare in my bag.
Have yet to ever run out of juice on the one set even after shooting two 8gb cards to capacity;)
For me Wifi is a bonus;)

Great thread Jeff, unfortunately I won't be posting as I'm no photographer but the images are great to look at!

Keep them coming in folks!:bowdown::D

Me neither Mark, but thought it was worth a shot with the wealth of talent on here.

Its easy to feel a little intimidated by the quality of the pictures on here, lol.

If you take pictures, your a photographer Mark, just depends how far you want to take it;)

Nothing to feel intimidated by Graham, the more you use your camera the more confident you will become.
Use others photos on here to draw inspiration from and learn how they achieved 'the look':}
Keep it up Sir and don't forget to experiment with those settings;)

Gonna play about with settings as much as I can while resting, and get out once fighting fit Jeff.

Just got my first decent camera off my father, a Canon EOS 400. Total novice do it's I automatic for now. I can only aspire to your guys quality of pictures.

Even the professional photographers were novices once guys.
I'll go dig some of my first photos from the grim depths of my image archive, may help see the rubbish I used to take :D

So, this is from Castle Howard...I took this on an old Nikon S500 compact camera in September 2007. Camera fully automatic, composed it purely for the symmetry, point and click in typical fashion. Anyone could have taken this.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4018/...32f80f8d_z.jpg

..and on the subject of HDR check this bad boy out. I'm actually embarrassed by this if i'm honest. This was shot in 2008 on the second SLR I ever bought new, a Canon 40D and 17-85mm costing me over £800 at the time...and this is all I could do with it...
Get your sunglasses ready...
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3049/...c201de23_o.jpg

I agree with the above and add thst the photos Alan are spot on. I commented in full about them on Facebook.

2 critiques posted up ages ago regarding a couple of photos I put, well one of the comments made me feel useless at photography and the other I learned from.

:mad: aargh! Get that out of auto now! ;) use P,at least, and play with the settings. It isn't costing you anything,and if it all goes wrong,and you can't get the settings back you can there is always the reset option ;) and if it goes right,you will have learned something new :D


That is if you want to of course. I understand that some people simply want to take camera out shoot a decent quality image and the put it back after. If that's so,don't forget the nonflash auto mode too ;) it is the square box with the line through the lightning bolt.

Here is one I posted up recently where it was alleged it had been photoshopped. It had been taken using this iPhone 3GS I am writing on. A simple beach shot :) Attachment 31076

Is it a selfy or did Jessica take it Phil?
The composition is pleasing with the horizon at one third down the frame and yourself off to one side.
Obviously the camera sensor etc has its limitations but the shot makes me want to be going for a dip so it hits the right buttons for me!

Can I just say thanks to the moderators for making this a sticky as well:bowdown:

It was a self-shot Jeff as Jessica could not wait to get into the water and said so! lol

One of the problems I am struggling with, I will post up. I am not sure if it is the limitations of the camera or what. I will have to look for a few photos and you will see what I mean. The camera is a Canon 40SX HS bridge. I welcome comments ;)

Here are 2 photos. I am hoping you will be able to spot what is wrong with them. The top one is of a Starling and the bottom one is of Bustard. Thanks again :}

http://i978.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps731832b3.jpg

http://i978.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps765632dc.jpg

Nothing jumps out Phil. Both very nice shots, i'm not sure what focal length you were shooting at and having owned numerous SX superzooms I know they can suffer from noise, fringing and softness at longer focal lengths.
Could do with a little more space to the right of the Starling so it looks like he's going somewhere, there's nice depth of field so i'm assuming because of the background blur its shot at the long end of the zoom at f7.1 or f8.

The first thing I do when editing is to tweak the framing by cropping it to being more pleasing to the eye.

What is it you think is wrong with them mate?

Much appreciated Alan. Thanks for jumping in, your advice has been taken on board. I like the idea of the Starling going somewhere. I will use this next time :)

I think the photos lack clarity and I would like them to be able to pick up more details in the feathers and not too much noise. I had uploaded them from Adobe Light Room 4 without doing too much post editing.

Behind all of this, is this question. Is it the limitations of the sensor, or is the 12.1 mp range adequate for what I am expecting? I was not close to the little birdies when I took the shots.

The Bustard was shot at ISO 1600, f/5.8, 1/200 sec, 150.5mm, at just after 6pm

I dont think you should be too disheartened Phil, they're very good. The problem is, as with all superzooms is basically cramming so much of a usable zoom range into such a small lens body, and the information it captures being processed through a tiny tiny sensor.
The SX40 can record a 35mm equivalent maximum zoom of 840mm....the Canon 800mm f5.6 lens is a beast, and comes with a £10,000 price tag.
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/images-85/mr-800.jpg

How do Canon cram the capabilities of a £10k lens into a camera that costs £400...it's simple...they cant. So compromises have to be made.

I hope you don't mind, I have done a quick edit of the Starling, basically a crop...contrast tweak, saturation and a bit of sharpening.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3716/...91c7b6cb_c.jpg
http://i978.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps731832b3.jpg

A few small tweaks can make a big difference.

12.1 mp is more than plenty, that's way more than I have :) Lightroom is a fantastic editing programme!

Nice edit Alan

I have to say, I prefer your interpretation of the Starling to mine, with certainty it is more dramatic. Thank you Sir! :drool4:

I accept your points about the £10,000 lens and must remember, I should not expect the same quality from a lower spec camera. Makes sense thinking about it :} I must close here Alan as it is way past my bed time. Bye for now.

The physical size of the sensor comes into play if you compare a dslr to a bridge/compact. The dslr is approximately 6 times larger. 6 times larger pixels 6 times more light gathering ability ;-) . Lower noise generally too at higher iso. Depth of field is also affected by this size difference. A rule of thumb I use,is f2.8 is similar to f8 on dslr.

After this zoom will affect the dof, which is why your images really pop. :D I think both images are striking and aside from the space already mentioned I wouldn't change anything.

I forget what the name of the technology canon use for their low light control. They really were class leading. Tone and noise so well controlled. I did buy a canon as my 'night out' to replace my old Fuji. And that at the time was saying something.! :D

Thank you Clf for helping here and for your insights - valued positively. I will revisit again after looking at some more photos. In the meantime, hopefully others will post up their photos. Have a peaceful night :}

Art is in the eye of the beholder get it out with optrex 😊

As it's gone a bit quiet in here and I'm not at the races until later this month thought I would submit this for you which is a shot of one of our new arrivals at the cat rescue centre;)

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/u...psqgwloxyd.jpg

What a lovely photo, the detail is amazing!

Could the sides be cropped out to just leave the head ( the bit in focus) or at least the right hand side where it looks like the edge of the basket?

All the eye colour and clarity is beautiful.

It could be cropped Mark but we generally take full photos of the cats as that's what people want to see if they are looking to adopt;)
What I'm looking for in promotional shots of the cats is facial expression and making best use of available light and fill in light where needed.
The pens the cats are in are only about three foot wide and six foot deep and have such nice things as food areas and litter trays to try and keep out of shot,
It can be quiet challenging sometimes:D

Quick edit for you just as an example;)

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/u...psgtya4fiq.jpg

I see what you are saying, and it makes sense, but that is a great crop! :bowdown:

I did a subtle adjustment on the levels as well;)

What a beautiful cat! :}

It's 6 months tomorrow, since we last saw one of ours! :(

Don't give up hope Mark, we have reunited two with their owners in the last few months.

Thanks mate! :}

I'm OK as long as I don't think about him, but Mrs D is still up the wall about him and his brother misses him terribly! :(

Sorry to hear about your cat Mark :-( hope you get reunited with him.

Sadly, it's one of the "joys" of cat ownership Mark! :(

He was chipped, chopped and had a collar with ID on and never used to stray far! :(

The worst bit is, that he was mine and the current Mrs D's 1st cat together and she's not taken it well, as we don't have kids they are our surrogate family! :(

We've done everything we can, we've leafleted locally, put up notices on lamp posts, contacted every Vet and kennel in the area, Cats Protection, RSPCA, Police, Council (as he was chipped) every on-line lost pet site and it's it's like he's been beamed up by aliens! :(

We even travelled to the other side of Kings Lynn to look at a cat that a lady had found, as we couldn't tell 100% that it wasn't him in the photo's she sent us! :(

We could cope if he'd been run over, as you do at least know what's happened to them, but the not knowing, is the worst bit! :(

Thanks for your kind words though mate! :}

It must be awful, like you say it's the not knowing, and I know what you mean about them bring family, i have a dog and think of her as a daughter :o... You never know mate, something could crop up, a bit of info, a sighting etc, I hope it does, for yours and your Mrs sake.

Sorry to hijack the thread and send it off topic Jeff :duh:

Dont lose hope Mark, one of mine dissapeared for over 6 months, he was handed in to a vets 32 miles from home!!!

Want more cat piccies!!!!!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.n...57207148_o.jpg

https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/..._3580286_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.n...76196268_n.jpg

One photo at a time for critique Anthony;):D

The first photo is a really nice family album type shot, maybe a little underexposed at the bottom of the picture.

The second photo is well lit and exposed and captures Maricel's natural and relaxed pose well, maybe cropped a bit to tightly as the top of her head is missing :eek::}

The third shot.........Snow!!!
Can't of been this year, nice composition but I think the cameras auto white balance has gone a bit wrong;)
Get that camera out of auto if you can and set the white balance and exposure yourself:}

Nice photo of Maricel with the skin tones captured looking natural.

The reason the winter shot is orange is because of the street lighting from the dual carriageway we live next to.

You can still change the way light has affected the scene by adjusting the white balance, although if that is how the scene looked then some would say that is how it should stay;):}
Love the house over the road,very nice:drool4:

That was January 2013, all the new builds look very picturesque at night time when they are covered in snow no flash was used when i took that. :} The one of Maricel with her hair blowing up was in newquay, day after a storm passed over us. It was still very windy and taken in the shade with no flash.

Thanks for sharing the memories with us Anthony. It is true that every photo tells a story and adding in the facts in the way you have done, completes the picture :}

Beautiful photo Jeff. If you ever came out to Kenya, I would take you on safari and we would go camping out in the bush so that you could get some shots of the bigger cats, the Lions and the Leopards. Some close ups would be challenging yes and fun to do ;)

Ok gents some examples of my misspent past she was a delightful young new zealand girl and all taken on film digital was just a dream then but feel free to coment

Lovely looking girl, it's a wonder you didn't suffer camera shake Mike;):D

maybe it was on a tripod jeff :D

Here's one I took Earlier..
 

I took this one on a Samsung 35mm snapshot Camera, it was outside thessalonika Airport, Dec 16th 1994, I never saw a Sky so full or so vivid before or since. I know the quality has suffered over the years but I'm happy to share the memory of that morning.

That is one beautiful sky and the rest of the scene is nicely silhouetted;)

Beautifull sky indeed! Actually i like the images of older camera's, they bring something extra!

As we haven't had any for a while thought I'd add this one..

It is my youngest puddy tat 'Cubby' sitting still for a change that allowed me a quickly grabbed photo opportunity :}

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/u...pstagdhzh4.jpg

The photo is stunning Jeff. You could blow it up and have it framed for the other cats to peruse and admire ;)

Thanks Phil,

Cubby is a bit of a poser isn't he:}

after reading all the posts on this thread
god I have a lot to learn :getmecoat:

Just looked on your website on your signature, looks like your doing a pretty good job so far Steve :};)

Thanks jeff but im a long way from what I have seen problem is time.
same as a lot of us allways something else to do.
Must take some of our cats one of these days.
Have been going though the hoilday snaps. Was only away for 16 days got around 3500 photos to sort out.
I use a d700 with sometimes a 300mm or the 200mm zoom lens.
My problem with the old d700 is sky. Alot of times its grey. But this seems to be a fault with a lot of nikons

steve

Are you sure that's not a fault of the British weather rather than the camera?:D
What metering do you have your camera set to?
Maybe worth changing and seeing if you can get less washed out sky's that way;)

Right, I'm off to find a photo to post on here for critique, we haven't had one for a while;)

Here you go.

This is an abandoned church in a village called Arlesford a few miles from Clacton;)
It had a fire in the seventies and was left as a ruin but is maintained as the grave yard is still in use.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/u...h/IMG_4788.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/u...h/IMG_4779.jpg

These were taken in the evening with a bit of strobe flash to light it as it was pitch black.

Did you have any filters on your lens for the photos.

Only the uv filters that are permanently attached to my lenses ;)
Cheaper to scratch one of those than a new lens.
I keep a selection of grads, nd's and polarisers in my bag as well.

Uv filters are on all mine for the same reson
Just was thinking on your last two photos the church photo a nd grad may have helped out a bit

Steve

Here we go - comments and critiques happily accepted !

http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/...pse2e2cc98.jpg

Previously, I've tended to use my camera in auto mode - this one I took with me dictating the settings (I didn't realise I'd caught a seagull in the shot until afterwards :o):
f/5.6
1/350 sec
ISO 64

I was trying to capture the mix of rolling green countryside and almost Mediterranean blue sea & sky. Maybe I should revert to auto ?

Hi Rod,

Lovely looking spot is that.
A few things I would have suggested would be to move the horizon downwards slightly to take it off centre and to lose a bit of the sea.
Maybe a slight crop of the left hand side to cut out the boat completely on that side;)
Something a bit like this...

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/u...pstgddsxi0.jpg

A few to discuss / critique.
 

Im not a true photo enthusiast to be honest.I bought the camera to try and take decent pics with little knowhow...all were taken with olympus sz-31mr camera.auto setting with zoom for close up shot on the flowers and partial zoom on the squirrel. Not up to the standard of you experienced guys but I am merely trying to take what might pass for interesting pics.Cheers.


http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...attach/jpg.gif P1190063.jpg (140.2 KB)

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...attach/jpg.gif P3250157.jpg (117.8 KB)

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...attach/jpg.gif P5060225.jpg (128.0 KB)

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...attach/jpg.gif P5060226.jpg (129.1 KB)

Good morning Steve, can you post up some photos please where you feel the Nikon is giving the image a grey sky. I spend some time out in the bush and in the tropics where the light can be intense with red skies at sunset, deep blues, fluffy or sultry clouds :drool4: and the weather hot ++ brings different challenges :} I use a polariser on my Nikon D5000 with good effect and as you know it, it protects the main lenses from sand and dust.

Good morning Nigel. Thanks for posting these up. They are beautiful looking :bowdown:

As stated i bought the camera to try and better my photography skills.They are pics of plants in my garden, the red flower heads are an house ornament bulb with one time flowering and a squirrel at centre parcs in Nottingham.Obviously because they were taken with auto switched on , there was little skill involved,:o.I now need to try and get used to the other settings and terminology used by writers of threads such as these and improve further.Thanks for taking time to look .

On your dial you should have various settings, the first one to try would be Av (think it may be just A on a Nikon, not sure what the Olympus setting is!) which stands for Aperture Priority/value.
This setting basically controls how much of your image is in focus by adjusting the F stop value.
For example if you wished to take a landscape Vista you would generally want the whole scene to be in focus so would choose a high F stop number of say F11 or above.

If you wanted to take a picture of a subject and to make it stand out from the background then you would use a low F stop number such as F5.6 or lower.
The range of Aperture control is dependent on the Lens itself.
There are many other variables when changing these settings as changing one setting will have a knock effect to another.
For instance a large F number will slow the shutter down so in low light conditions you may need to support the camera to stop any camera shake affecting the image.

Get creative and try taking a series of the same shot changing the settings.
Make a note of the settings and when you look back at them see what one pleases you.
You will then know to try this again;)

gatekeeper
 

Will try later tonight.
Thanks steve

Thanks for that Jeff , will have a play over the weekend ,and report my findings in due course.regards Nige

Been going through some older images and reworking them as you do.
Here's a few macros, one of my favourite subjects due in part to loving the fieldcraft and being so up close and personal with things you dont see in this way normally:

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3842/...61240657_z.jpg

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3902/...37d72c03_z.jpg

Nothing to add other than Stunning Alan:bowdown:

Not the easiest subject to take and at such a close range. How did Alan manage such a superb photo with so much detail?

This is a photo I took with an iphone whilst visiting the western cape last month
Attachment 37225

Lovely composition Phil
Almost looks like a painting:bowdown:
May I ask what post processing you used?:}

Cheers Jeff, I merged two images together of exactly the same file size and dimensions: one dark image and one light image, both in high resolution. The photo was taken at about 2 pm just as the heavens opened up. I was as close to the sea as I could get and so had to crop out some of the sky and sea to blow up the image.

A very nice HDR image then Phil:}

I shot the two macros with a pretty basic set up, on my old Canon SX30 with a close up lens screwed on the front. The depth of field is ridiculous so you have to be very precise.
It's a lot of fun though

Advice and Critique corner
 

Good morning Jeff, a very nice HDR image.

A photo which otherwise had started off as dull and uninteresting. I thought how could I change this, which would do justice to the seascape and capture the feeling of an impending storm in that moment :)

When I posted up the photo on Facebook it received many positive comments and likes from friends around the world, people who know what they like and who are not necessarily professional/amateur photographers themselves.

I have known some photographers to poo poo HDR and make snide comments dismissing it as a tool used to cover up mistakes. A kind of snobbery. Fortunately not everyone agrees :)
Attachment 37230

Hi Alan

Thanks for telling us how you managed to take such excellent photos using a close up lens on your old Canon SX30 - a great bridge camera in my opinion :) I am yet to experiment with macro photography and learn about it. I appreciate your experience and tips. :bowdown: :)

Nothing wrong with doing HDR Phil:}
It is just another tool to use to get the image you want.
It's no different to cloning out unwanted parts of a scene, adding a different sky,
Selective cropping etc etc.
They are all image manipulation, heck even adding different filters on the lens is manipulation ;)
What matters is whether you like the end result Sir, doesn't matter what the purist may think as it isn't sitting in their photo album!
I for one love the colours and vibrancy in the scene, as said before it looks like a painting and makes you want to be there:bowdown:

Thank you Jeff for saying that. Your comments are most welcomed and heart felt :) In the past 6 months, I have learned how to understand layering, something previously, I failed to get my head round. How to do a shoot at high speed is something I have seen you do, when we were at Brands Hatch at the end of March.

Taking photographs of cars going past you so fast with such accuracy is quite challenging to say the least :bowdown: I learnt much from you that day :)

I found the long walk due to normal car park full up the most challenging part of the day:eek::D
It was a lovely day and the weather was kind to us.
Was great to finally meet Derek and his two Grandsons as well:}

Speaking of that meet, here's a photo from the day for critique.....

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/u...pszm8lirbx.jpg

Good afternoon Paul (Rocket) I have missed seeing your photos and hope you will be doing us the pleasure of sharing them with us again here or on another thread :)

Thanks Phil, hope you are well.

I have not taken a single picture yet this year, I must try harder.


I have put a new clutch master cylinder and a handbrake compensator in the car though.:}

Hi Paul,

The sun is shining and the sky is blue:}
Time to bolt that polariser on and get out there Sir, we miss your stunning landscape and wildlife photos:bowdown:

Good morning Jeff, you could have the angle going down the other way not do steep and if you had cropped less of image from the right hand side, it would have created a sense of direction of the cars moving on ahead from left to right and lastly, HDR would have brought out more details out of the metal, glass and some more of the drivers :)

It is great to hear back from you Paul, I was getting worried that your were poorly or someone had something negative as can happen. I am in the UK in a few weeks time and hope to take some photos at the meets and various locations: seaside, countryside. I hope the weather holds up :)

Morning Phil,

As you will have seen in other photos from Brands Hatch I play with the tilt angles in both directions and angle of attack as if you are taking from the same location it adds a bit of variety :}
Panning and getting both cars in shot the (in camera) crop has to be tight there as if you remember there's trees either side so theres not much scope for a more open shot unless you want some foliage in there as well:D

HDR is a complete no no with high speed panning really, it is a tool for non moving subjects;)
I could have edited the photo boosting levels and saturation and a bit of sharpness but that shot is an unmolested straight off the camera shot:}

No problem Jeff. I downloaded the image and edited it in HDR with the end result being that it does not look too different from your untouched photo :) I don't want you to think I was having a go at you or anything negative for the sake of it, but you did ask for a critique :) It is all part and parcel of being able to share a different view/opinion.

Not at all Phil, that's the whole point of the thread.
What I was doing was merely explaining the reasons behind the shot and how I took it.
By the way, when I said HDR isn't suitable, I was referring to the in camera method of a three stop exposure, usually taken with the metered value plus a stop above and a stop below exposure and then combined in post processing ;)
Not really an option for high speed panning:D

Advice and Critique corner
 

Fair comments Jeff :bowdown:

I can't imagine doing HDR in camera for a high speed panning shot. It is much easier in post editing.

Attachment 37298

I saved the two images, reducing the contrast on one, increasing saturation and sharpness, then reducing the noise. I hope you did not mind me being a tinker lol

No problems Sir,
You might want to host them on photobucket though as they are a bit small and lose pixels when expanded;)

Well I tried to take a few today but was not happy with them but here are three that got something right.


First one is quite good of the butterfly but the flower is over exposed and detail was lost.

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2912/...8d559e53_z.jpg
IMGP6869-2 by
Paul , on Flickr



Second one needs more depth of field to get all of the bee sharp, or needed to be focused exactly on bee and the flower could have drifted out of focus. I did like the composition.
Edit: looking again the bee may have been moving causing the lack of sharpness.

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2933/...e85a60b9_z.jpg
IMGP6890 by
Paul , on Flickr


Third one was to far away and is over cropped and over processed but I liked the way the insect was backlit and it's stance.

These little blighters do not give much time for you to adjust things and get into position so it is always a bit pot luck.

Other things could be better also but these are my main thoughts on the 3 pics:}


https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2915/...7b870ca9_z.jpg
IMGP6682 by
Paul , on Flickr

All 3 are stunners and sharp looking right down to the hair follicles Paul. How was your camera set up if I may ask?

Kind of you to say that Phil but all 3 could be better. I don't mind though it is all part of the hobby trying to nail one pic just how you want it.



For insects I set the aperture to give me a depth of field that will allow all the insect to be in focus. I allow the ISO to go as high as 1600 if the camera thinks it is needed. Then I go out on nice sunny days, this will allow the shutter to operate fast enough to capture the figity little blighters.


So to answer your question

Aperture priority.

You can of course follow the flickr link and read all the camera settings if you fancy an exciting evening. :}

Would that be aperture priority, high ISO as you said 1600 and a shutter speed of 1000 or more?

Well,

Aperture priority yes

ISO on auto. so between 200 and 1600 is what I set it as. I find over 1600 becomes a little noisy.

Shutter will set it's self but today it was approx 160 th sec

Click on links to flickr and you can read all info and settings from the pics.

Will do as advised. There was a glitch this end when I reading your reply. For some reason the screen on my phone locked up and I was kicked out from the forum. It seems okay again and I will visit your page on flickr

Paul many thanks :)

Of course this only the way I shoot and others may have a different approach that works for them just as well. There is an expression about different ways to do things to cats but this may not be the best place to use it.:}

Hi Paul, thanks for posting Sir.
As usual some lovely photos and they really give the sense of summer as well:bowdown:
Very impressive especially as it's your first time out for a while;)

Good morning Paul, I visited your photo gallery last evening on flickr and enjoyed looking through the album and noticed you had received many positive comments from the membership as well an award(s). Quite an achievement :bowdown: I hope you do not feel embarrassed that I have mentioned it.

Flickr is something I must make more use of :}

Thanks for that Phil. One good thing is if you look under the picture you can read all the details of the picture (shutter/ aperture also lens, camera and much more) I believe you get 1 TB of upload space also which is quite useful. I also enjoy looking at other peoples images for ideas and inspiration.

one of my top ten.
 

this is one of my top ten.
reason been took me a week to get this bird as every time got close to it would fly off.
other reason it was taken though a window .:D

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...055f8ab9ac.jpg

Looks like he's watching you intently ready to make a quick getaway:D

Don't see many Jays round here these days. They have great colours and make a good pic.

Jay is a member on here......He lives in Norwich;):D:getmecoat:

No wonder I get no pictures.

He looks more like a bald eagle though:eek::D