usvi-on-line
Since you all seem to be great photographers...
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HawkeyeChick
- Posts: 76
- Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2007 11:59 am
Since you all seem to be great photographers...
how about a little advice.
All the trip reports here include amazing photographs. I have a Canon Rebel SLR and a dinky Cannon digital (if it matters). Are there some tricks to getting such great photos? I saw a thread with some hints a few months ago...things like always make sure there's a palm tree in the foreground...but now I can't find it.
Thanks.
All the trip reports here include amazing photographs. I have a Canon Rebel SLR and a dinky Cannon digital (if it matters). Are there some tricks to getting such great photos? I saw a thread with some hints a few months ago...things like always make sure there's a palm tree in the foreground...but now I can't find it.
Thanks.
Take alot of pics It is not un heard of for me to take 6 t0 7 hundred pics in a week try different settings and angles for thinks that look good to you with digital you can go thru them when you get home and fix what you want and chuck the rest even though I never get rid of any just burn them to cd. but will only print out what I want
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Dave-a-roni
- Posts: 299
- Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 1:43 am
- Location: Western NY
I don't have much advice for a non digital camera...
I think it's important to have your horizon around the middle of the photo (if there is one), and when there is a tree I usually try to incorperate it some how on the edge of the photo, or some overhanging leaves or branches coming down onto the top of a beach/water shot (for example). Open water shots I try to get objects on the sides (boat, island, tree) so you have a "better perspective".
As for digital... WaterGuy is absolutaly right. I'll rehash some of what he said, kind of. Just take a crap load of pictures, especially if you don't know what your doing, you can go through them later and choose the best. I'm like waterguy, I'll keep everything and burn it on a cd for storage. In the meantime, if the camera uses a memory card (SD card) or the same sort of thing, buy a few 1 or 2 gig cards and take hundreds of pics! You don't have to be so conservative with "film", you can't go wrong with digital in that respect. The main thing with digital I have noticed, is you have to be EXTREMELY STILL. Watch that you don't push down the camera as you click the button. Picture taking isn't rocket science, but being still is important.
I just posted my pics under "I've posted my pictures" under Dave-a-roni. I used a 4 mega pixel casio exslim for those pics (our st.john honeymoon) and it took great pics. You'll notice that some of my trunk bay pics were blurry because I wasn't still enough. I blame it on the wind and me
Now I have a 7.2 and I love that too.
Good luck.
I think it's important to have your horizon around the middle of the photo (if there is one), and when there is a tree I usually try to incorperate it some how on the edge of the photo, or some overhanging leaves or branches coming down onto the top of a beach/water shot (for example). Open water shots I try to get objects on the sides (boat, island, tree) so you have a "better perspective".
As for digital... WaterGuy is absolutaly right. I'll rehash some of what he said, kind of. Just take a crap load of pictures, especially if you don't know what your doing, you can go through them later and choose the best. I'm like waterguy, I'll keep everything and burn it on a cd for storage. In the meantime, if the camera uses a memory card (SD card) or the same sort of thing, buy a few 1 or 2 gig cards and take hundreds of pics! You don't have to be so conservative with "film", you can't go wrong with digital in that respect. The main thing with digital I have noticed, is you have to be EXTREMELY STILL. Watch that you don't push down the camera as you click the button. Picture taking isn't rocket science, but being still is important.
I just posted my pics under "I've posted my pictures" under Dave-a-roni. I used a 4 mega pixel casio exslim for those pics (our st.john honeymoon) and it took great pics. You'll notice that some of my trunk bay pics were blurry because I wasn't still enough. I blame it on the wind and me
Now I have a 7.2 and I love that too.Good luck.
I don’t want to make this too long, but here are some of the things I think about when I look through the viewfinder:
The best instruction I got from my photojournalism professor was to first create the photo in your mind’s eye and then use the camera to recreate what you just imagined. There are some rules for composition that help most pictures. Divide the image up into nine boxes – three across and three down (that’s right it’s tic tac toe.). Then look through the viewfinder and think about where your eye is drawn. A tree to the side of the picture or a branch across the top does help to frame the subject.
Then there is the more technical part. When you are about to push the shutter down look all around the picture. You are looking for something odd like a flagpole apparently growing out of the top of someone’s head. If you are looking into the Sun it will be difficult to see the subject because of the glare. If the Sun is over your shoulder, the subject will be well lighted on the side you are trying to capture. Most cameras meter from a point in the center of the image. If you are shooting a darker subject, like the rocks at the Baths you need to trick the camera into setting the exposure for the dark rocks rather than the bright sky. Point the center of the viewfinder at the rock, hold the shutter down half way, recompose the picture you want, and push the shutter down the rest of the way.
It looks like you have a film version of the Rebel. Both VickiH and I bought the Rebel digital camera last month. As previously noted it allows you to see if you got the picture you wanted instantly and there is no film to buy or processing to wait for. There are still two camera stores on Main St in CA. I got a good deal (about 75% of the US price) for this one and the EOS film camera we bought about eight years ago. The lenses from the Rebel will work on the newer digital Canons.
The most important thing is to shoot lots of picture. I shoot hundreds of pictures also. I think I brought home 10 or 12 rolls of film when we went many years ago. Quantity will lead to quality.
JIM
The best instruction I got from my photojournalism professor was to first create the photo in your mind’s eye and then use the camera to recreate what you just imagined. There are some rules for composition that help most pictures. Divide the image up into nine boxes – three across and three down (that’s right it’s tic tac toe.). Then look through the viewfinder and think about where your eye is drawn. A tree to the side of the picture or a branch across the top does help to frame the subject.
Then there is the more technical part. When you are about to push the shutter down look all around the picture. You are looking for something odd like a flagpole apparently growing out of the top of someone’s head. If you are looking into the Sun it will be difficult to see the subject because of the glare. If the Sun is over your shoulder, the subject will be well lighted on the side you are trying to capture. Most cameras meter from a point in the center of the image. If you are shooting a darker subject, like the rocks at the Baths you need to trick the camera into setting the exposure for the dark rocks rather than the bright sky. Point the center of the viewfinder at the rock, hold the shutter down half way, recompose the picture you want, and push the shutter down the rest of the way.
It looks like you have a film version of the Rebel. Both VickiH and I bought the Rebel digital camera last month. As previously noted it allows you to see if you got the picture you wanted instantly and there is no film to buy or processing to wait for. There are still two camera stores on Main St in CA. I got a good deal (about 75% of the US price) for this one and the EOS film camera we bought about eight years ago. The lenses from the Rebel will work on the newer digital Canons.
The most important thing is to shoot lots of picture. I shoot hundreds of pictures also. I think I brought home 10 or 12 rolls of film when we went many years ago. Quantity will lead to quality.
JIM
Man it's like some dream we live down here....
Framing what is in the shot is important. With all due respect to Dave’s suggestion, try NOT putting the horizon (or people for that matter) smack dab in the middle of the frame. Try using the classic "rule of thirds" which has always done me well when framing a landscape shot, even more do-able now with ability to crop digitals. Rule of Thirds = divide the frame of the shot into thirds either vertically or horizontally and have something visually interesting happening in each third of the frame. Also helps if like Vicki you have an eye for the colors and patterns of objects like she shows in some of her shots. Dave does make good points about having stuff in foreground or corners of frame for perspective.
Likewise, when shooting people, don’t put their heads in the middle of the frame. Note on TV how a newscaster or interview subject is framed –with the top of the head near the top of the frame so that the eyes are 2/3 to 3/4 the way up the frame, just like the where eyes are placed on a human face. Pay attention to what is behind the people in the frame so it doesn’t look like a palm tree is growing out of their head for example.
Sounds simple, but not enough people take pictures with the camera held vertically. Always try taking your shots with camera held both ways, and with wide and tight zooms.
Regarding lighting, shoot more at the “magic hours” of morning or evening when the light is “warmer”. And Hawkeye, if you’ve gone to the trouble and expense of getting a Rebel SLR, then using filters shouldn’t be too much of a leap. A polarizing filter works wonders in the Caribbean, especially in midday sun. Also try using the viewfinder of your SLR instead of the LCD to more accurately frame your shots.
Waterguy, no offense to you or others, but I see too many people just taking too many shots with digitals without thinking and just hoping that they’ll get something great. Take some time to think about and compose the shot and you’ll hit pay dirt more frequently. When younger, had limited money for slide film, so had to make each shot count. This made me “develop” some of these habits, as did taking a film and photography course.
Also look at great photos in National Geographic or some of the stunning work common folk post on sites like flickr.com as if you were behind the lens and ask the questions noted above: how framed? When taken? What is in foreground? what is in background? How was the camera being held to gain that perspective? etc.
Digital cameras have really leveled the playing field. With film cameras, you had to have decent equipment to get great results. Now you can get pretty great stuff using $200-300 point n shoots. National Geographic Traveler did an issue where they took away the pros fancy film cameras and gave them common point n shoots and the results were amazing, so it is less about the equipment now and more about the eye for composition.
And Dave, something must’ve been funky with your camera setting to get camera movement blurs in daylight or you have a very “heavy” shutter finger. Maybe it was on some kind of shutter priority auto setting with the speed set too low, because the program/automatic settings that set both speed and aperture (at least on the Canon cameras I’m familiar with) are way smart enough to choose a fast enough shutter speed (at the expense of the aperture setting and depth of field) under most daylight conditions so that doesn’t happen, even when zoomed all the way out.
Likewise, when shooting people, don’t put their heads in the middle of the frame. Note on TV how a newscaster or interview subject is framed –with the top of the head near the top of the frame so that the eyes are 2/3 to 3/4 the way up the frame, just like the where eyes are placed on a human face. Pay attention to what is behind the people in the frame so it doesn’t look like a palm tree is growing out of their head for example.
Sounds simple, but not enough people take pictures with the camera held vertically. Always try taking your shots with camera held both ways, and with wide and tight zooms.
Regarding lighting, shoot more at the “magic hours” of morning or evening when the light is “warmer”. And Hawkeye, if you’ve gone to the trouble and expense of getting a Rebel SLR, then using filters shouldn’t be too much of a leap. A polarizing filter works wonders in the Caribbean, especially in midday sun. Also try using the viewfinder of your SLR instead of the LCD to more accurately frame your shots.
Waterguy, no offense to you or others, but I see too many people just taking too many shots with digitals without thinking and just hoping that they’ll get something great. Take some time to think about and compose the shot and you’ll hit pay dirt more frequently. When younger, had limited money for slide film, so had to make each shot count. This made me “develop” some of these habits, as did taking a film and photography course.
Also look at great photos in National Geographic or some of the stunning work common folk post on sites like flickr.com as if you were behind the lens and ask the questions noted above: how framed? When taken? What is in foreground? what is in background? How was the camera being held to gain that perspective? etc.
Digital cameras have really leveled the playing field. With film cameras, you had to have decent equipment to get great results. Now you can get pretty great stuff using $200-300 point n shoots. National Geographic Traveler did an issue where they took away the pros fancy film cameras and gave them common point n shoots and the results were amazing, so it is less about the equipment now and more about the eye for composition.
And Dave, something must’ve been funky with your camera setting to get camera movement blurs in daylight or you have a very “heavy” shutter finger. Maybe it was on some kind of shutter priority auto setting with the speed set too low, because the program/automatic settings that set both speed and aperture (at least on the Canon cameras I’m familiar with) are way smart enough to choose a fast enough shutter speed (at the expense of the aperture setting and depth of field) under most daylight conditions so that doesn’t happen, even when zoomed all the way out.
When we come to place where the sea and the sky collide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
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Dave-a-roni
- Posts: 299
- Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 1:43 am
- Location: Western NY
jmq and jimg20, nice points... especially on the technical stuff that I don't now about, hell I'm still learning. I am more of the point and shoot-digital type. The thirds rule is good, yes... and the quick scan before you snap is a good one I do too, forgot to mention those.
Yes we could probably have this thread go on for ever if we wanted to, right?
Curious jmq:
"National Geographic Traveler did an issue where they took away the pros fancy film cameras and gave them common point n shoots and the results were amazing"
Have any idea what issue that was? I would love to read that.
Yes we could probably have this thread go on for ever if we wanted to, right?
Curious jmq:
"National Geographic Traveler did an issue where they took away the pros fancy film cameras and gave them common point n shoots and the results were amazing"
Have any idea what issue that was? I would love to read that.
I can't really give any good technical advice. What's already been given here sounds like these guys have it covered anyway. I'm one of those people that really doesn't know much about the technical aspects of photography, what I do is just innate.
I can tell you that I don't take any photos from the typical angle or perspective. I think lots of people see what they want a photo of and stick it right in the middle of the frame and shoot. That's not very interesting. Most photos I take, I am lying on the ground, climbing a tree, hanging off the side of a building, squatting beside a shrub, (running from a donkey), etc. You get the idea. Find a unique angle and perspective and it adds a new wrinkle to the shot.
With portraits of people, I prefer candids and photos where the subject is off center. I think it gives it something more interesting than if folks are right in the middle smiling at the camera.
Just my uninformed 2 cents!
I can tell you that I don't take any photos from the typical angle or perspective. I think lots of people see what they want a photo of and stick it right in the middle of the frame and shoot. That's not very interesting. Most photos I take, I am lying on the ground, climbing a tree, hanging off the side of a building, squatting beside a shrub, (running from a donkey), etc. You get the idea. Find a unique angle and perspective and it adds a new wrinkle to the shot.
With portraits of people, I prefer candids and photos where the subject is off center. I think it gives it something more interesting than if folks are right in the middle smiling at the camera.
Just my uninformed 2 cents!
Thanks Dave-a-roni. We are all learning. One of the things that prof liked to say is, "When you start out in photography, it is very hard. After a while it becomes easy. If you keep trying to perfect your work and learn, it becomes hard again and it never gets easy after that." Study lots of photos from publications with good reputations for journalism. Look at Time, Newsweek, NY Times, National Geographics, Sports Illustrated and the many others out there and find the pictures that you like. Then ask why you like them. Then try to figure out how they did something you like.
As for VickiH, she's sandbagging all of you. Because she claims to have no formal education in photography, she has to be one of those rare gems that we call "naturals." Her understanding of color, composition, point-of-view, and the technical aspects of capturing the image come from some other experience or from within. It is inate. The rest of us have to rely on plain old hard work to acheive what she does.
As for quantity, jmq is right in some ways. Shooting lots of bullets in hopes of hitting the target is not always the solution. Ready, fire, aim is not the sequence of events we want to strive to do. Stopping and thinking about what we are trying to do with the picture before shooting a single frame is a good idea. That relates back to composing the picture in your mind's eye. The other side of the coin is that the photographers generally shoot thousands of frames for the SI swim suit issue. Sports photographers will shoot an incredible number of shots. With action shots that may be the only way to catch the shot you conceived. Of the five that are shot of a particular group, there may be only one where they are all looking the right way, the hair did not blow across the face and the background is exactly as your mind's eye saw it.
It is an art not a science. There is no formula.
JIM
As for VickiH, she's sandbagging all of you. Because she claims to have no formal education in photography, she has to be one of those rare gems that we call "naturals." Her understanding of color, composition, point-of-view, and the technical aspects of capturing the image come from some other experience or from within. It is inate. The rest of us have to rely on plain old hard work to acheive what she does.
As for quantity, jmq is right in some ways. Shooting lots of bullets in hopes of hitting the target is not always the solution. Ready, fire, aim is not the sequence of events we want to strive to do. Stopping and thinking about what we are trying to do with the picture before shooting a single frame is a good idea. That relates back to composing the picture in your mind's eye. The other side of the coin is that the photographers generally shoot thousands of frames for the SI swim suit issue. Sports photographers will shoot an incredible number of shots. With action shots that may be the only way to catch the shot you conceived. Of the five that are shot of a particular group, there may be only one where they are all looking the right way, the hair did not blow across the face and the background is exactly as your mind's eye saw it.
It is an art not a science. There is no formula.
JIM
Man it's like some dream we live down here....
Great info guys lots of great points. I guess I'm alot like Vicki just have a knack for taking pics,although mine definetly aren't as great as Vicky's. Have had my Cannon S2 IS for about 8 months now and just love it. Takes great pics for a point and shoot With 12X optical zoom with image stabilazation. Can't be beat for the price, I'ts a great little camera for a beginner.
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obsessedmuch
I can't really give advice. I'm one of those that takes a lot is happy with about 30% and satisfied with about 60% of what I come home with. Digital has saved me money-wise. I used to spend so much on film and development it was scary.
This last trip was my first real travel time with a digital SLR so it was very experiemental. I've found getting a feel for a place and how the light, etc. is really helps. Even if it's just your backyard, the pics you take the third or fourth time out there are going to be better than the first. (Excellent reason to return to a place again- hehe
)
One thing I always remember my college photography professor saying is to pay attention to photography styles around you (definitely easy to do around this forum) and then decide what you're looking for in a photgraph. For instance, if you're photographing people not every light or angle has to be right if you've captured a "feeling" in a photo. Some of the most famous photography in history is blurry and oddly lit.
Anyway, just my two cents. I have lots of photography mentors and just hope that I get better at it as time goes by.
Oh yeah, and I'm not going to lie, digital photography manipulation (photoshop, picasa, etc.) has brought every-day amatuers to an entirely new level, which I see nothing wrong with. There are some "purists" out there that don't believe in it but to me, it's just another tool like a lens or filter. Anyway, enough out of me!
Happy shooting!
This last trip was my first real travel time with a digital SLR so it was very experiemental. I've found getting a feel for a place and how the light, etc. is really helps. Even if it's just your backyard, the pics you take the third or fourth time out there are going to be better than the first. (Excellent reason to return to a place again- hehe
)One thing I always remember my college photography professor saying is to pay attention to photography styles around you (definitely easy to do around this forum) and then decide what you're looking for in a photgraph. For instance, if you're photographing people not every light or angle has to be right if you've captured a "feeling" in a photo. Some of the most famous photography in history is blurry and oddly lit.
Anyway, just my two cents. I have lots of photography mentors and just hope that I get better at it as time goes by.
Oh yeah, and I'm not going to lie, digital photography manipulation (photoshop, picasa, etc.) has brought every-day amatuers to an entirely new level, which I see nothing wrong with. There are some "purists" out there that don't believe in it but to me, it's just another tool like a lens or filter. Anyway, enough out of me!
Happy shooting!
Speaking of looking at other peoples work to learn, this guy Matt on flickr at below link is one of my favs. I think he lives on PEI (Prince Edward Island) in Atlantic Canada and does amazing things with reflections.
http://flickr.com/photos/i2i/
P.S. PEI is totally worth the drive for a low key late summer vacation in a place of great beauty (2 day drive from most places in the northeast below Maine). Sorta a Maine kind of vibe, but with beautiful farmland that rolls down to red sandstone cliffs and beaches.
http://flickr.com/photos/i2i/
P.S. PEI is totally worth the drive for a low key late summer vacation in a place of great beauty (2 day drive from most places in the northeast below Maine). Sorta a Maine kind of vibe, but with beautiful farmland that rolls down to red sandstone cliffs and beaches.
When we come to place where the sea and the sky collide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Oh yeah forgot about Ken who contributes here. Check out his work to learn a thing or two.
Beautiful stuff with wide angles.
http://www.pbase.com/rcplanefan/root
Beautiful stuff with wide angles.
http://www.pbase.com/rcplanefan/root
When we come to place where the sea and the sky collide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
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Dave-a-roni
- Posts: 299
- Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 1:43 am
- Location: Western NY
I have a few more cents to add about digital.
jmq wrote:
"Waterguy, no offense to you or others, but I see too many people just taking too many shots with digitals without thinking and just hoping that they’ll get something great. Take some time to think about and compose the shot and you’ll hit pay dirt more frequently. When younger, had limited money for slide film, so had to make each shot count. This made me “develop” some of these habits, as did taking a film and photography course."
I agree of course, and I don't want to give the idea that just because you have a digital with a memory card that can hold hundereds of photos, doesn't mean you should recklessly take photos. So I don't want to undermine your advice, but either way one looks at it, digital is good on both ends of the spectrum of the amateur and "pro". It's good for the serious people who know how to take a few moments to look at the shot and do whats nessesary to make it better, then they can take A LOT of photos, thats great... hands down! On the other side of the coin, it's just as good for people who just "point and shoot" or what you want to call them, because they don't have to worry, it simple and kind of worryless. You can take A LOT of photo's and learn as you go. If your not sure about a photo, take a few more of the same thing as your experimenting.
No doubt digital is awesome. I couldn't wait till I got mine, regular photography is too expensive. I bicycled yellowstone in 2003 and took a regular camera, and took a lot of shots. I spent over a 100 bucks on developing, yikes
And was quite disappointed with a lot of shots that I really wanted to turn out good. This is where I wished I had a digital.
I like digitals simplicity of seeing what you took and taking another (or more) if your not sure. Because you can take so many, thats why it's nice for amateurs. And as the years go by, you get better.
Anyway you look at it, it's all good.
Maybe that was more than a few cents
Peace!
jmq wrote:
"Waterguy, no offense to you or others, but I see too many people just taking too many shots with digitals without thinking and just hoping that they’ll get something great. Take some time to think about and compose the shot and you’ll hit pay dirt more frequently. When younger, had limited money for slide film, so had to make each shot count. This made me “develop” some of these habits, as did taking a film and photography course."
I agree of course, and I don't want to give the idea that just because you have a digital with a memory card that can hold hundereds of photos, doesn't mean you should recklessly take photos. So I don't want to undermine your advice, but either way one looks at it, digital is good on both ends of the spectrum of the amateur and "pro". It's good for the serious people who know how to take a few moments to look at the shot and do whats nessesary to make it better, then they can take A LOT of photos, thats great... hands down! On the other side of the coin, it's just as good for people who just "point and shoot" or what you want to call them, because they don't have to worry, it simple and kind of worryless. You can take A LOT of photo's and learn as you go. If your not sure about a photo, take a few more of the same thing as your experimenting.
No doubt digital is awesome. I couldn't wait till I got mine, regular photography is too expensive. I bicycled yellowstone in 2003 and took a regular camera, and took a lot of shots. I spent over a 100 bucks on developing, yikes
And was quite disappointed with a lot of shots that I really wanted to turn out good. This is where I wished I had a digital. I like digitals simplicity of seeing what you took and taking another (or more) if your not sure. Because you can take so many, thats why it's nice for amateurs. And as the years go by, you get better.
Anyway you look at it, it's all good.
Maybe that was more than a few cents
Peace!
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HawkeyeChick
- Posts: 76
- Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2007 11:59 am
Wow, thanks guys. That's a ton of info to digest. I'll be cutting my frame into mutiples of threes! LOL. My brother and my dad have that natural ability to capture the perfect photo. I keep trying but I fall short of some of the amazing stuff I've seen here. I'm off to print this thread and go over it again on the plane. I'm going to look into that new lens too.
Thanks so much to all of you for taking the time!
Thanks so much to all of you for taking the time!