topic Re: Any tips on what I can do better? in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Any tips on what I can do better?

Sjl755 — Sat, 19 Nov 2016 16:04:10 GMT

So over the summer I got into photography, I went to a wedding down in Georgia and used my aunts Canon 70D. I feel like some of these pictures came out good. I am going to be getting the canon rebel t6 for Christmas. Anyways I was wondering if I could get any feedback to see how I can improve my photography skills. Here's a link to the pictures:
http://m.imgur.com/a/1Qalo

Re: Any tips on what I can do better?

TCampbell — Sat, 19 Nov 2016 16:43:49 GMT

What we cannot see is what settings you used to capture the images.

As a sort of universal starting point... it helps to learn about "exposure". I usually do not shoot with my camera in 'manual' mode most of the time... but forcing yourself to learn to shoot in that mode is one of the best ways to learn. I'd suggest picking up a good book on the topic such as Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure".

Exposure doesn't just control how bright or dark an image looks... it controls whether or not you can 'freeze action' ... or cause a deliberately blur (often handy when you're trying to "imply" motion in a still image). It controls whether or not everything seems to be in focus (such as a landscape photo where the overall scene is generally pretty sharp) or whether you selectively make just one part of the image sharp with a deliberately blurred background (common for portraits.)

As you learn about "exposure" and what you can do with it, you quickly realize that it's an artistic tool for creativity. If you use the camera in automatic mode you will general get pictures that look like what you might get with a point & shoot camera (nice snapshots, but lacking an artistic look.)

There is more... there's the topic of "composition" and the topic of "lighting"... but I'd start with the basics of exposure and work from there (one thing at a time.)

The camera is a powerful tool ... but like a musical instrument, it takes some work to learn how to use it to it's potential.

Re: Any tips on what I can do better?

ScottyP — Sat, 19 Nov 2016 16:50:39 GMT

Some nice ones in there. Nice spot too.

Some general observations:

Watch busy or cluttered backgrounds. This can be a challenge of course. You have to work to frame the shots and maybe time the shots so there are no distracting things like passers-by or junk in the shot.

Use shallow depth of field field to isolate your subject from the background and foreground. Make everything in the photo blurry except for your subject. This helps eliminate the distractions as above, and goes a step further to draw attention to your subject. You do this by using a large lens opening (aperture), which is denoted by the lowest possible f/number. Shooting in AV (aperture priority) lets you do this. Using P mode is a sort of "training wheels" way of doing it too.

Avoid shooting in direct overhead midday sun. Overhead sun casts ugly shadows on people's faces. Noses, lips, eyebrows cast shadows on the face below. "Raccoon eyes" is the term you hear a lot. Note how your best shots are the ones where your subject or scene is in "open shade" under a tree or something. Try to shoot in the "golden hour" before sundown or after sunrise when the sun is low in the sky.

Watch out for huge white objects like that big house big house messing up your exposure. The house is blown out with overexposure in some shots because it is so reflective in the sun. Use spot metering instead of the default evaluative metering. The camera will then expose for the house in particular. The house will be properly exposed and the surroundings will have to be a little underexposed but that is ok. Look at the images and tweak as you go. Read about exposure compensation and use it to force the camera to go darker (or brighter) than its meter is telling it to go if that is necessary.

Your composition is good in many of them. Balancing things in the photo. Balancing positive and negative space. Using leading lines like those paths to give 3-d depth and to draw the eye into the shot is nice. You did these things well in lots of the shots.

Re: Any tips on what I can do better?

ScottyP — Sat, 19 Nov 2016 16:56:33 GMT

Tim is right about starting with the basic concept of exposure, and Bryan Petersen's book really is great for that.

I'd also suggest watching 3 or 4 short tutorial videos on the internet explaining the "exposure triangle". It is literally the central concept in photography and if you get it down you are instantly about 1/2 way there. There are dozens of free videos that are from 5 minutes to 10 minutes long. Seeing several gives you a fuller understanding, and also makes up for anything any particular presenter omits or fails to make clear.

Re: Any tips on what I can do better?

ebiggs1 — Sat, 19 Nov 2016 19:35:25 GMT

OK, remember you asked for it.

The above advice is nice because a basic understanding of the camera and photography in general is a good thing.

The cold hard facts are your photos don't tell me a story. I have no idea what the point is. You say it is a wedding and I see what looks like a bride and groom. Photography is like music. If a musician has to think about the notes on the page, they won't be a very good musician. If a photographer has to think about all the situations gong on, he's not going to get 'that' shot.

You just have to see it. Some, no most, people don't. That is why there are good photographers and poor ones. We all use the same equipment and use the same Sunshine!

As to framing, that is a matter for post editing. Make sure you leave enough room to edit later. Great photos are made in post, not in the camera. You do need to watch your backgrounds. Never cut people off or put them in odd places.

You can read all you want. Watch videos all you want. Get tips, whatever. But the best way is the get out and shoot. Use that camera, a lot! Come back home and critique yourself. I like that shot, it works for me or wow that one sucks. If I only had done......xxx...............? Then next time do it. The secret to being a good musician is the same as being good photographer or anything for that mater. It is called practice, practice, practice. Is that a real surprise?

Re: Any tips on what I can do better?

Waddizzle — Sun, 20 Nov 2016 15:29:36 GMT

Buy one of Canon's inexpensive prime lenses:

EF 50mm f/1.8 STM - look for the newer "f/1.8 STM" version, not old the "f/1.8 II" version with plastic connection to camera

EF 40mm f/2.8 STM - this is a very flat lens, this type of lens is often described as a "pancake lens"

EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM - this is another pancake lens, which has a wide angle and a fairly wide aperture.

Usng a prime lens can teach you a lot about the artistic side of photography, and framing shots. With a zoom lens, the initial impulse is to zoom down to everything, without putting much thought into framing a shot. You wind up taking a lot shots that lack context.

A prime lens forces you to think about what the photo will look like, because at least 9 times out of 10 when you raise the camera to your eye with a prime lens, you're not going to see what you might want to see. You're going to need to move closer or further away, or even move to different angle.. Sometimes you'll simply recompose your shot, shifting the subject from dead center to off-center.

Here are two shots i took yesterday of a giant ballon.

One has context, while the other photo is lacking. Inspired by the guy on the right edge of the above photo, I decided to try to capture a shot of the balloon from the perspective of the balloon tenders. I'm sure he got the shots he wanted.

While some might say the second photo is a better shot of the balloon. I prefer the first photo.

Re: Any tips on what I can do better?

RobertTheFat — Sun, 20 Nov 2016 17:55:27 GMT

@Waddizzle wrote:
Buy one of Canon's inexpensive prime lenses:
EF 50mm f/1.8 STM - look for the newer "f/1.8 STM" version, not old the "f/1.8 II" version with plastic connection to camera
EF 40mm f/2.8 STM - this is a very flat lens, this type of lens is often described as a "pancake lens"
EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM - this is another pancake lens, which has a wide angle and a fairly wide aperture.

Usng a prime lens can teach you a lot about the artistic side of photography, and framing shots. With a zoom lens, the initial impulse is to zoom down to everything, without putting much thought into framing a shot. You wind up taking a lot shots that lack context.

A prime lens forces you to think about what the photo will look like, because at least 9 times out of 10 when you raise the camera to your eye with a prime lens, you're not going to see what you might want to see. You're going to need to move closer or further away, or even move to different angle.. Sometimes you'll simply recompose your shot, shifting the subject from dead center to off-center.

Here are two shots i took yesterday of a giant ballon.

One has context, while the other photo is lacking. Inspired by the guy on the right edge of the above photo, I decided to try to capture a shot of the balloon from the perspective of the balloon tenders. I'm sure he got the shots he wanted.

While some might say the second photo is a better shot of the balloon. I prefer the first photo.

Of course the first shot is better (though I might have trimmed a bit off the top and bottom). But I don't for a minute accept the proposition that a prime lens is a better compositional vehicle, or even a better teaching vehicle, than a zoom. Indeed, I think it's precisely the opposite. A zoom lens allows (forces?) you to confront the available options of inclusion and perspective while actually taking the picture in a way that a prime lens can only approximate. Yes, with a prime you can include more than you probably need and finalize your composition via cropping in post. But that's sub-optimal. It's what we did in the old days when prime lenses were good and zooms were, at best, mediocre. But that's no longer true, and I simply can't see the artistic purpose of foregoing the power and ease of use of a zoom. If one's initial impulse is to zoom in too far, that says only that one doesn't know how to use a zoom. It doesn't say that a prime is a better tool because you can't zoom it in.

Re: Any tips on what I can do better?

ebiggs1 — Sun, 20 Nov 2016 18:02:18 GMT

B from B,

You are, again, absolutely correct. I was going to pass, however,...

"Inspired by the guy on the right edge of the above photo,..." This is just one of the thing s that ruins the top photo....for me.

Never cut a body off or at an unflattering place. The photo needs shifting to the left so the balloon has a place to go. Plus that would include, what I assume was the "inspiration" for the shot. It needs WB adjustment, too.

Re: Any tips on what I can do better?

Waddizzle — Sun, 20 Nov 2016 19:10:53 GMT

@ebiggs1 wrote:
B from B,
You are, again, absolutely correct. I was going to pass, however,...
"Inspired by the guy on the right edge of the above photo,..." This is just one of the thing s that ruins the top photo....for me.

Never cut a body off or at an unflattering place. The photo needs shifting to the left so the balloon has a place to go. Plus that would include, what I assume was the "inspiration" for the shot. It needs WB adjustment, too.

I admit to not cropping any of the photos from the shoot. There was no inspiration for the first photo, other to capture the ballon and the handlers. As far as WB adjustment goes, there is nothing wrong with the photo. The building in the background is beige, neither gray nor white.

Re: Any tips on what I can do better?

Waddizzle — Sun, 20 Nov 2016 19:57:12 GMT

"Of course the first shot is better (though I might have trimmed a bit off the top and bottom). But I don't for a minute accept the proposition that a prime lens is a better compositional vehicle, or even a better teaching vehicle, than a zoom. Indeed, I think it's precisely the opposite. A zoom lens allows (forces?) you to confront the available options of inclusion and perspective while actually taking the picture in a way that a prime lens can only approximate.

Yes, with a prime you can include more than you probably need and finalize your composition via cropping in post. But that's sub-optimal. It's what we did in the old days when prime lenses were good and zooms were, at best, mediocre. But that's no longer true, and I simply can't see the artistic purpose of foregoing the power and ease of use of a zoom. If one's initial impulse is to zoom in too far, that says only that one doesn't know how to use a zoom. It doesn't say that a prime is a better tool because you can't zoom it in."

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We are going to have to agree to disagree on the merits of learning photography with a zoom or a prime. When I use a prime lens I have to think a little more about what I am capturing. Not so with a zoom, not until I run up against the limit of the zoom range. If one has a habit of zooming in too far, that says you don't know how to compose a shot.

I crop most of my photos, but somehow misssed the guy on the edge with the camera. I do shoot photos with the intention of cropping them down slightly, most especially when I am not using a tripod.

Re: Any tips on what I can do better?

ebiggs1 — Mon, 21 Nov 2016 10:30:19 GMT

"As far as WB adjustment goes, there is nothing wrong with the photo."

What color was the street? When you put yourself up for critique or example, you must expect criticism. The WB is not just off, it is way off.

Re: Any tips on what I can do better?

RobertTheFat — Mon, 21 Nov 2016 12:06:53 GMT

@ebiggs1 wrote:
"As far as WB adjustment goes, there is nothing wrong with the photo."

What color was the street? When you put yourself up for critique or example, you must expect criticism. The WB is not just off, it is way off.

I dunno, Ernie. It's pretty late in the afternoon; look how long the shadows are. It's not implausible that the ambient light is that red. Yes, you could correct some of the redness out, with the justification that that's what the human eye tends to do anyway. But it's a perfectly valid artistic judgement not to.

Re: Any tips on what I can do better?

Waddizzle — Mon, 21 Nov 2016 13:57:02 GMT

@ebiggs1 wrote:
"As far as WB adjustment goes, there is nothing wrong with the photo."

What color was the street? When you put yourself up for critique or example, you must expect criticism. The WB is not just off, it is way off.

Brownish. There is a large construction site directly behind me. They've dug a 100x100 foot hole that's about 20 feet deep

Re: Any tips on what I can do better?

Waddizzle — Mon, 21 Nov 2016 15:13:18 GMT

@RobertTheFat wrote:
@ebiggs1 wrote:
"As far as WB adjustment goes, there is nothing wrong with the photo."

What color was the street? When you put yourself up for critique or example, you must expect criticism. The WB is not just off, it is way off.
I dunno, Ernie. It's pretty late in the afternoon; look how long the shadows are. It's not implausible that the ambient light is that red. Yes, you could correct some of the redness out, with the justification that that's what the human eye tends to do anyway. But it's a perfectly valid artistic judgement not to.

Good call. Actually, it was morning sun, and it still had not risen [7 AM] very high in the sky by around 9 AM when the photo was shot.

Re: Any tips on what I can do better?

ebiggs1 — Mon, 21 Nov 2016 17:54:04 GMT

B form B

"It's pretty late in the afternoon; look how long the shadows are."

Yeah, I saw that and I agree. I assumed it was early but that is not a good reason to not balance it out. You know my thoughts. Sometime real is not what you want, a good photo is. This one screams WB adjustment.

Beside needing some exposure adjustment and crop, it isn't that good for an example on how to do things. IMHO, graciously as always.