Dizi learns photography!

I am learning to take photos on a 'grown up' camera (i.e. not my mobile phone) so the intention is to use this thread to post the resulting photos.

Your mision, should you choose to accept it is to offer constructive comments to help me learn :D

For those that are insterested, the camera is a Fuji S602Zoom

 

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[ 26. May 2007, 11:25 PM: Message edited by: Diziblonde ]

 

Let battle commence then Diz

EDIT, looks like your first shots are on target /EDIT

Seriously though any help you want just ask, that's what forums like this are for to help each other.

What photo programme(s) do you have on your PC? Do you want to learn how to "tweak" your pics after they get into the PC?
Do you upload your pics from the camera or do you remove the card and plug it into a card reader on the PC?

Most photo magazines seem to recommend Adobe Photoshop, all very well if you have a few hundred quid to chuck away and want to exhibit the results, but there are much cheaper and also some free programmes about that do nearly as well and perfectly adequate for posting pics here or making small to medium suize prints.

Cheers MIKE

 

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[ 26. May 2007, 11:25 PM: Message edited by: Diziblonde ]

 

Mike

I use a card reader. I have Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo XI, mainly because I have used an older version of Paint Shop Pro for years, so it made sense for me to upgrade to this version for my photo's rather than learn a new piece of software, however, I am still learning some of the new features and there are many of those!

 

Good shots Diz, you have the main subjects well in focus and the exposure is just about spot on, just a couple of minor criticisms, almost nit picking
things to keep in the back of your mind when taking pics, although with PCs we can sort out a lot of things but not focus errors.

Pic 1 damaged petals at the top, two ways round that,either remove the petals before taking the pic, or "repair" them in your PC.

Pic 2, technically the best of the three, the background is nicely out of focus so does not distract from the main subject

Pic 3 could you have taken this more "face on" to the flower? Also possibly when the sun was more in front than behind?
An alternative would be to place something reflective (preferably white or silver) so as to put a bit more light into the flower.
The stem on the right and other flower on the left are at the not quite in or out of focus state and distract a bit, maybe taking "face on" and getting a bit closer to the flower could lose them.

 

That's helpful, thanks for that especially the comments on pic 3.

I know what you mean about the petals on pic 1, however it seemed wrong to physically remove them and felt like cheating to remove them on the computer!

 

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The end result is what counts, photographers have been cheating for years, not just since digital manipulation came along, shading part of a pic being printed to change the contrast levels, maybe darkening a sky.
A lot depends on what you are trying to achieve, either a warts and all factual reportage shot or a pretty cleaned up catalogue shot. Both have their place, if you want to identify a bug or a diseased plant, then yes warts and all every time, apart from that you alone know what you want to show.

 

Thanks for that, I think I like the warts and all approach for nature pics, but it's nice to touch up other pics, for example, I took some pics at a friends wedding the other day and I edited out an ugly yellow plastic box that contains stuff for salting the road from the background in one of them!

 

Of the last set, the only one I would have done differently is the last N�º 11; the fading flower behind the main subject. Either choose a different subject flower or try and remove the fading one.
A handy tip to hold something out of shot is to have a clip or hook on a piece of string or thread, clip/hook it round the offending stem, leaf or whatever and pull it out of view, fasten the string/thread to another plant, a stone, tent peg you get the idea?

 

Ooh that's a good idea, I was trying to do a 3 arm thing with some of them, hold the plant out the way, hold the camera with finger on the button and focus

 

Hi Diz, this is my idea of a case of warts and all versus the cleaned up version

as it came form the camera


Cleaned up, twig removed and unwanted surroundings cropped.

 

As for the second set I like 1 & 2, trying to make up my mind on the third, it is striking, but not sure about the way the top of the cat's head disappears into the shadow.
The contrast levels make that a difficult shot, with the white being so strongly lit, the camera has exposed for that and lost the detail in the black.

 

Dizi,love your photo's especially the cat they are very good for your first attempt at taking photo's with an unfamiliar camera