keggerz Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 (edited) and anyone else with an opinion(we got lots of those round these parts) I just got around to uploading some pictures and look forward to some feedback...either public or private My Flickr fwiw: Many of the photos are shot in Colonial Williamsburg and everything was shot with a Canon EOS Rebel XT Lenses used: EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III & EF-S 18-55mm Edit: for those that won't/don't look at all the pictures: Excuse me, have you seen Spain? Edited October 7, 2008 by keggerz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wolf Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 (edited) I'm no ekspurt but here goes: #4 is my favorite. #2 could have been brilliant had the bridge been more in the foreground than in the background. The colors pop off the page on this pic. Trying to talk Mrs. Wolf in letting me buy a digital Rebel...using the "we spend too much on film and to develop pictures we don't even like" argument! Edited June 10, 2008 by The Wolf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Good stuff! Try a macro lens for the close ups. You won't believe the results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 cool, thanks for posting. I'm not really hugh into black & white, but my favorites of yours are all b&w. like the bird landing silhouette and this one. spain's sheep is pretty good too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonorator Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 some nice shots keg. a couple of small points ... if you are seriously getting into photography, you need to be familiar with the rule of thirds. one thing i noticed in a lot of your shots is that you have the subject dead center. the rule of thirds can help you add much more interest to your shots. also, some of them could be punched up a bit with some post processing. just a little time in photoshop or photoshop elements could help bring your colors alive a bit and add just a bit of contrast/sharpness for some pop (without overdoing it). for your flower shots, and other close-ups, consider picking up a macro lens. above all, keep shootin' tex! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keggerz Posted June 10, 2008 Author Share Posted June 10, 2008 Good stuff! Try a macro lens for the close ups. You won't believe the results. not in my budget right now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Boom3 Zoom is my favorite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 (edited) not in my budget right now I don't know if there's an equivalent for canon, but for minolta/sony lens mount I picked up a lens that its fans call "the plastic fantastic"...it is a 100mm f3.5 macro lens that has been branded by different lens makers (promaster, cosina, phoenix -- exact same lens with the same design each time, mine is promaster). you can probably pick it up for 100 bucks or less. considering "good" macros go for several hundred up into the thousands, it is a heck of a lens for the money and allows you to have some fun dabbling in real macro photography. it has its negatives -- the build is cheap and kinda flimsy (hence the "plastic"), and the autofocus is ridiculously slow and aimless, at least on my sony body. but it is super sharp (especially for under 100 bucks) and the colors are vivid. here are some reviews here are some shots I took recently with the lens in my backyard: one, two, three edit to add: found one for canon on ebay. no bids yet with a low price but there's still a lot of time. I would put a bid on that sucker (after some quick research to verify how the canon version is). Edited June 10, 2008 by Azazello1313 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donutrun Jellies Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Hey, fun stuff here -- nice work, Keg. You've got a strong eye to build on -- the tag play at third, the line of the golf carts, the three cannons are all things others might have missed and turned out to be strong images. The tip to look into some photography artistic rules is good -- the law of thirds, etc ... learn those rules, shoot them, and then stretch your creative muscles by intentionally violating them. I think the humorous titles add a lot ... My rule? Shoot 200, post 20, print 2 -- and declare artistic victory!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 i take good pictures ..i can send you some of me if you want Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 The rule of thirds is a nice technique, but it isn't universal in all shots. The bridge w/ the fence is a perfect example, as the bridge maybe centered, but the fence trailing out of frame makes the shot as it leads your eyes off canter. The "headless bird" makes the viewer look twice and the almost smile on spain....I mean the sheep is good centered. The head stocks are a good example of thirds. The one leg pitcher and slide are also good thirds pics. A tighter crop is arguable. The cannons are perfect! All in all as Jellies said and many other people I know "Shoot 200, post 20, print 2" is not too far off base. A 10% of all shots being worthy is about par. Extra last comments.... 1) taking a class in film photography can teach you the thirds rule or when to center plus other composition techniques. It also forces you to Burn/dodge a negative to get the perfect b/w ratio. BTW way b/w is all a DSLR REALLY sees. It's all based on shades of gray. The s/w in the camera does the rest. And it makes you appreciate how easy editing in a digi world is compared to film. 2) try shooting in RAW format. RAW gives you an image that is virtually a photo negative where you do not just lighten/darken a pic, but actually change it's exposure/lighting, etc.! Believe me it's a different world, and eventhough it eats up a memory card, I rarely shoot in JPG anymore. JPG is compressed and throws pixels away. RAW captures it all! 3) Never re-save a file in JPG! It compresses each time (and you lose pixels w/ every save). Always "save as" and save different versions of the file. 4) Never just delete files. Eventually the card can get corrupted. In process...OK, but over the long haul you're asking for trouble! 5) Format the card ONLY in the camera! Format is better than delete. 6) Don't up load from the camera directly. It's rare (about a 2% chance) but the USB can surge the camera, and render it useless. Get a reader or use the reader off your printer. If anything goes wrong, you only lose the card, not the camera. 7) Tripods and mono pods are gold! 20 years ago I could hold still at 1/15 exp. Not any more. I'm lucky if I can hold 1/60 anymore (synced flash) due to my surgerys. 8) ENJOY! Good pics/Bad Pics. If you enjoy them F' everyone else! Photos are a capture of time regardless of all the BS. If you like it, that is all that matters! Where is CL???? He has great stuff! Would love to see his critique! Lastly, Keg,very nice pics, keep shooting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonorator Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 great points rr. the rule of thirds is only a guideline and many times it is not needed or should not be followed. i agree with you on the cannon shot - it was my favorite of keg's. also agree on RAW, just beware that shooting in RAW can add some significant time to your post processing workflow. i shoot in RAW as well because I love having complete control over the image, as if it was still pre-shot in the camera. it is easy with RAW, however, to not be as concerned with the camera settings and the lighting because of the power of the post processing software. the challenge can be getting to all those RAW files to tweak them so that your shots can be shared, printed, etc. some great advice i got in one of the workshops was to do everything you can to get the shot right when you shoot it and if you do, you can shoot in JPG, save time on the back end, and spend more time composing the shot vs. post processing. great advice, but i'm no expert composer, so i try to do all i can to compose the shot and then still use the power of the RAW editing software. i have several shoots on the mac that i still need to get to and process. looks like you love photography as much as i do! a day in a strange new place with my camera is one of my favorite things to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 great points rr. the rule of thirds is only a guideline and many times it is not needed or should not be followed. i agree with you on the cannon shot - it was my favorite of keg's. also agree on RAW, just beware that shooting in RAW can add some significant time to your post processing workflow. i shoot in RAW as well because I love having complete control over the image, as if it was still pre-shot in the camera. it is easy with RAW, however, to not be as concerned with the camera settings and the lighting because of the power of the post processing software. the challenge can be getting to all those RAW files to tweak them so that your shots can be shared, printed, etc. some great advice i got in one of the workshops was to do everything you can to get the shot right when you shoot it and if you do, you can shoot in JPG, save time on the back end, and spend more time composing the shot vs. post processing. great advice, but i'm no expert composer, so i try to do all i can to compose the shot and then still use the power of the RAW editing software. i have several shoots on the mac that i still need to get to and process. looks like you love photography as much as i do! a day in a strange new place with my camera is one of my favorite things to do. I love photo ops! I curb my vacations around them! Good info, Tone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keggerz Posted June 11, 2008 Author Share Posted June 11, 2008 (edited) The rule of thirds is a nice technique, but it isn't universal in all shots. The bridge w/ the fence is a perfect example, as the bridge maybe centered, but the fence trailing out of frame makes the shot as it leads your eyes off canter. The "headless bird" makes the viewer look twice and the almost smile on spain....I mean the sheep is good centered. The head stocks are a good example of thirds. The one leg pitcher and slide are also good thirds pics. A tighter crop is arguable. The cannons are perfect!All in all as Jellies said and many other people I know "Shoot 200, post 20, print 2" is not too far off base. A 10% of all shots being worthy is about par. Extra last comments.... 1) taking a class in film photography can teach you the thirds rule or when to center plus other composition techniques. It also forces you to Burn/dodge a negative to get the perfect b/w ratio. BTW way b/w is all a DSLR REALLY sees. It's all based on shades of gray. The s/w in the camera does the rest. And it makes you appreciate how easy editing in a digi world is compared to film. 2) try shooting in RAW format. RAW gives you an image that is virtually a photo negative where you do not just lighten/darken a pic, but actually change it's exposure/lighting, etc.! Believe me it's a different world, and eventhough it eats up a memory card, I rarely shoot in JPG anymore. JPG is compressed and throws pixels away. RAW captures it all! I know you said to try RAW once before too....just not sure I am ready to do that yet....Also my only editing software is what came with the camera(Digital Photo Professional, Zoom Browser & EOS Utility) and I currently have no clue how to do anything other then just crop images. 3) Never re-save a file in JPG! It compresses each time (and you lose pixels w/ every save). Always "save as" and save different versions of the file. I always re-name if a JPEG. 4) Never just delete files. Eventually the card can get corrupted. In process...OK, but over the long haul you're asking for trouble! I usually delete pictures then reformat....should I just reformat? 5) Format the card ONLY in the camera! Format is better than delete. I only ever delete & format in the camera but see my above question. 6) Don't up load from the camera directly. It's rare (about a 2% chance) but the USB can surge the camera, and render it useless. Get a reader or use the reader off your printer. If anything goes wrong, you only lose the card, not the camera. I have always uploaded directly from the camera but I won't from now on. I have a reader so thats how I will do it from now on. 7) Tripods and mono pods are gold! 20 years ago I could hold still at 1/15 exp. Not any more. I'm lucky if I can hold 1/60 anymore (synced flash) due to my surgerys. None of those pics were taken with a tripod but I do own one and have used it in the past. 8) ENJOY! Digital makes it much easier to enjoy then when I wasted money on film and took an entire roll of crappy pics. Good pics/Bad Pics. If you enjoy them F' everyone else! Photos are a capture of time regardless of all the BS. If you like it, that is all that matters! Where is CL???? He has great stuff! Would love to see his critique! Lastly, Keg,very nice pics, keep shooting. Thanks great points rr. the rule of thirds is only a guideline and many times it is not needed or should not be followed. i agree with you on the cannon shot - it was my favorite of keg's. also agree on RAW, just beware that shooting in RAW can add some significant time to your post processing workflow. i shoot in RAW as well because I love having complete control over the image, as if it was still pre-shot in the camera. it is easy with RAW, however, to not be as concerned with the camera settings and the lighting because of the power of the post processing software. the challenge can be getting to all those RAW files to tweak them so that your shots can be shared, printed, etc. some great advice i got in one of the workshops was to do everything you can to get the shot right when you shoot it and if you do, you can shoot in JPG, save time on the back end, and spend more time composing the shot vs. post processing. great advice, but i'm no expert composer, so i try to do all i can to compose the shot and then still use the power of the RAW editing software. i have several shoots on the mac that i still need to get to and process. looks like you love photography as much as i do! a day in a strange new place with my camera is one of my favorite things to do. just curious but which cannon pic? Boom3 Zoom or the Boom3? Also, what processing software do you guys recommend and what does it run? If it is expensive is there a "budget" software that you would recommend. I used to have Photoshop 6 on one of my PCs that I F Disked but now when I try to D/L it on any of my PCs/Laptop it won't D/L (can't remember exactly why but I think it says the serial number or something isn't correct). and thanks again to everyone edit: fwiw, all of those pics are exactly as they were shot...except for cropping 4 pics (the blow me dandelion, the praying squirrel, yellow dandelion & the killdeer sitting on her nest.) Edited June 11, 2008 by keggerz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonorator Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 just curious but which cannon pic? Boom3 Zoom or the Boom3? Also, what processing software do you guys recommend and what does it run? If it is expensive is there a "budget" software that you would recommend. I used to have Photoshop 6 on one of my PCs that I F Disked but now when I try to D/L it on any of my PCs/Laptop it won't D/L (can't remember exactly why but I think it says the serial number or something isn't correct). and thanks again to everyone edit: fwiw, all of those pics are exactly as they were shot...except for cropping 4 pics (the blow me dandelion, the praying squirrel, yellow dandelion & the killdeer sitting on her nest.) boom3 zoom for me. much more interesting perspective when you are up close. i use the adobe suite of stuff. adobe camera raw for raw editing, photoshop for post proc, and adobe bridge for managing all the shots. it all comes with photoshop when you buy it, but at $500-$600 it is pretty steep. if you shoot jpgs, photoshop elements ($99 i think) is a great buy and can handle most of the everyday post processing needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 I know you said to try RAW once before too....just not sure I am ready to do that yet....Also my only editing software is what came with the camera(Digital Photo Professional, Zoom Browser & EOS Utility) and I currently have no clue how to do anything other then just crop images. if nothing else you oughta just download picasa from google, free program, very easy to use, and actually has a lot of good simple editing features. contrast, brightness, color balance, etc. works very well for organizing and storing stuff as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 “I know you said to try RAW once before too....just not sure I am ready to do that yet....Also my only editing software is what came with the camera(Digital Photo Professional, Zoom Browser & EOS Utility) and I currently have no clue how to do anything other then just crop images.” You may need an upgrade. The RAW import for the s/w is a different type of edit. Exposure, lighting, etc. are all adjustable. Once you finish with those settings, you take it to your normal editing s/w and save as a JPG,TIFF, etc. The beauty is the original RAW is never compressed so no pixel loss. But as tone mentioned it does slow down drive shots (rapid fire), processing time (time between shots is longer), and the files are hugh! http://www.dpreview.com/news/0707/07071302canondpp302.asp “usually delete pictures then reformat....should I just reformat?” Deleting is fine as long as you reformat every so often. I usually format after the 2nd-3rd use of the card. You just don’t want to never format, as that is how corrupted files can happen. I have always uploaded directly from the camera but I won't from now on. I have a reader so thats how I will do it from now on.” As I said it’s rare but can happen, especially if the camera batteries die during upload. “Also, what processing software do you guys recommend and what does it run?” Photoshop Elements is a fine piece of s/w, but the learning curve can be as steep as PS X. Stay away from some of the autofixes. I personally don’t like some of the stock settings. PSE... Picassa is ok, but I prefer PSE or PS. Plus if yo do video you can buy the bundled Photoshop Premier for about $50 more. The stuff tone is using is great, but does have a learning curve. PSE also has a pretty slick organizer, not as good as Bridge, but it has a lot of features. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 (edited) You may need an upgrade. The RAW import for the s/w is a different type of edit. Exposure, lighting, etc. are all adjustable. Once you finish with those settings, you take it to your normal editing s/w and save as a JPG,TIFF, etc. The beauty is the original RAW is never compressed so no pixel loss. But as tone mentioned it does slow down drive shots (rapid fire), processing time (time between shots is longer), and the files are hugh! these things (exposure, contrast, etc) are editable in jpeg as well but the more you tweak it the more the artifacts become easily apparent. so you obviously have less range as far as what you can accomplish. RAW is a good idea if you have a good editor and you take it at all seriously, but you can still accomplish a lot working with jpegs. Edited June 11, 2008 by Azazello1313 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 these things (exposure, contrast, etc) are editable in jpeg as well but the more you tweak it the more the artifacts become easily apparent. so you obviously have less range as far as what you can accomplish. RAW is a good idea if you have a good editor and you take it at all seriously, but you can still accomplish a lot working with jpegs. Not looking for an argument, but.... In JPG you cannot adjust exposure. Brightness/contrast, shadows, etc. Yes, but it's not the same as exposure. The exposure adjustment in RAW is like re-setting the camera's Fstop/exp. time. Totally different. White balance can be controlled in JPG, but it requires removing reds, yellows, etc.. In RAW you just change the lighting, that is incandescent, florescent, sunlight, etc.. I maybe wrong, as I haven't looked at new s/w in awhile! Did I mention Metatdata??? Really cool chit! It gives F stops, exposure, date, and more. Dam, I luv photography! CL....where are you????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cunning Linguist Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 (edited) Not looking for an argument, but....In JPG you cannot adjust exposure. Brightness/contrast, shadows, etc. Yes, but it's not the same as exposure. The exposure adjustment in RAW is like re-setting the camera's Fstop/exp. time. Totally different. White balance can be controlled in JPG, but it requires removing reds, yellows, etc.. In RAW you just change the lighting, that is incandescent, florescent, sunlight, etc.. I maybe wrong, as I haven't looked at new s/w in awhile! Did I mention Metatdata??? Really cool chit! It gives F stops, exposure, date, and more. Dam, I luv photography! CL....where are you????? Sorry RR, buried under deadlines... Keg- you have some nice shots here With more time behind the lens, the subtle tricks will be second nature. A macro lens is a good idea if you're into close-up stuff. You'll need a good tri-pod and shutter release cord. You can do a ton with what you have--don't be afraid to experiment. I normally don't like to critique others work, -but because you asked I'll comment on a few you posted. First, i would try to adjust your depth of field on your shots using you're cameras aperture settings. Also, the best light is in the am or late in the day. Much more interesting shadows, textures and depth. While Tone's rule of thirds is a good thing to keep in mind, it's not set in stone. Rules are meant to be broken! Edit to add: for sharp subjects/blurred backgrounds, use f2.8 f4 range. For everything in the same depth or focus, use a higher number f-stop like f16 to f22. here goes: Follow me - nice subject and angles, but a bit of depth blur in the background would help the viewer focus on the carts more. Head down - same here, with aperture settings you can adjust the depth of field to focus on the player. Both your Bird pics illustrate this. Bridge - another nice shot, not bad framing but could be a bit different to remove things on the right. This is where time of day is crucial. You'll always, always get your best light early in the am or at before dark. Middle of the day, everything is flat. Horses A$$ - this one has a bit too many things going on at once: the shadows, window shutters and background shapes all confuse the shot. Honestly, the most interesting thing in the shot is the shadows on the bricks! Textures baby, Textures!! Stockades - here, i would get on the ground, use the widest setting on my lens adn make the subject look as scary and overpower the shot with distress points in the corners of the frame. Remember, less is always more! The building, windows and 3-posts just confuse the scene. (these would be nice shots to play with ISO settings as well. Most of the time you prolly shooting in ISO 100 or 200. The higher the ISO, the more grainy the shot and more sensitive to light) Boom3 zoom - this has potential too. Getting closer with a different angle would help, also depth of field down the line. In your image editor, i would add some contrast to the image, too many things with the same values make the shot flat overall. Grindstone - another nice subject that would help by moving around in space to isolate it a bit more. Things in the background distract when they're right behind the point of interest. For images, i always shoot in RAW. You have all the data in your shots to work with. They are much larger, but worth the space. JPG: Rockin' Robin is correct, you don't have the same Hue/Saturation/lightness/brightness control that you have in RAW. You can do it, but its on a different level altogether. It's like buying a novel and cliff notes for the same book. The gist is there in the cliff notes, but the real "meat" isn't. JPG is ok, but keep in mind, its a Lossy format. This means every time you open the jpg and close it, the file reduces itself. Its also a 10:1 compression ratio. It was originally written as a compression/storage/arichive app for large photos, not a working platform. Back in the day, we used to scan transparancies for production and the files were HUGH. JPEG was created for people like us to save the images as a smaller file size to move around. Its fine for archiving on CD, but never ever use a jpg to open, tweak, save and close it. Over time the quality will diminish!! for editors: If Photoshop is a bit to $$, then Photoshop Elements is decent and around $100. Another great tool that ive been using is Adobe Lightroom. Its about $200 and is excellent for photographers. Tons of tools and built in catalog/database features, plus a bunch of web/flash slideshow type tools to throw a quick album online. I friggin love Lightroom Keep shooting! You'll start to see things around you that never jumped out at you. Edited June 12, 2008 by Cunning Linguist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Good stuff CL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keggerz Posted June 12, 2008 Author Share Posted June 12, 2008 thanks for the feedback, CL...oh and fwiw the golf carts were moving and as they went by i was like Hmmmm and started shooting ....also the Colonial pictures and golf course pics were taken between 4-5 pm when it was getting dark around 6-6:30(I think) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 thanks for the feedback, CL...oh and fwiw the golf carts were moving and as they went by i was like Hmmmm and started shooting ....also the Colonial pictures and golf course pics were taken between 4-5 pm when it was getting dark around 6-6:30(I think) I think many of us fashion ourselves as photographers, but CL is the best! CL...post some of your stuff. It's very,VERY, good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keggerz Posted June 13, 2008 Author Share Posted June 13, 2008 I think many of us fashion ourselves as photographers, but CL is the best! CL...post some of your stuff. It's very,VERY, good! i always tell people I am an Amateur, Amateur Photographer and then say, actually a Bad Amateur, Amateur Photographer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 i always tell people I am an Amateur, Amateur Photographer and then say, actually a Bad Amateur, Amateur Photographer Dam you! You have some great visions. A tweak here and there, and your gonna have some great pics. I have some good pics, but the 100/5 rule isn't too far off. No one takes a perfect pic everytime. Take 200 pics, if you have 10 keepers, you are ahead of the game! Learn about layers (most important)color correction, levels, metadata, and more. Enjoy! Keep shooting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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