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General => General discussion => Topic started by: LowlifeDubber on 05 June 2012, 11:10
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Just a few pics from yesterdays classic car show and from friday and saturdays day out on my sisters Mastercraft Speedboat.
Would really like a bit of criticism on the shots please.
Its my 1st time doing both types of photography using a dslr so would like to better myself as i dont think they are up to scratch.
Be brutal as you like please.
I edited them in Lightroom4 which i am just getting used to myself(hence playing with the half b&w half colour pics)
I think my composure sucks.
Even though i keep still,some of them come out a little blurry.
I cant seem to get the nice shots of car emblems in focus and the rest blurred out even on 200iso and f22.Not sure what i was doing wrong there.
Using a Canon EOS1100D with a 18-55mm canon is lens.
Heres a few pics of the car show.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7103/7337841738_15dd0eabf4_c.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7083/7337876114_e5dd789398_c.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7099/7338692748_de06a8beda_c.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7223/7338463226_2fc966143b_c.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7227/7339124984_9a0fa2e193_c.jpg)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lowlifedubber/sets/72157630055616612/
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7220/7155548883_557c149edc_c.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7082/7340750186_1ab14b96f1_c.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7105/7340722832_33d88bd3b3_c.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7239/7340702688_57098e5743_c.jpg)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lowlifedubber/sets/72157630056430090/
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Just realised i need a low Fstop not a high one when taking close up DOF shots.
What a thingy :cry:
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Or do i?
A balls i reckon i will take up knitting. :grin:
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Yes, get to f1.8 with the 50mm you bought? (You did, didn't you?) The car ones look fine and well exposed. The smaller the number, the larger the aperture size, the shallower the depth of field.
But in my opinion if you're going to edit something, spend time and do it properly. The pic of the blue hot rod is ruined by the bad editing. Colour on the grass on the right etc...cropped as well?
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Im in a bit of a battle with the seller of the 50mm atm as i still havnt received it. :sad:
Ive just realised about the f stop as i assumed the smaller the aperture the more pronounced the DOF would be.My schoolboy error on that one.
I dont think i did crop the one of the Ford Pop but i see the poor editing of the grass now you mention it.After having a look at the settings and things ive only just found how to choose a different size brush. :rolleyes:
Im also having a bit of trouble regarding cropping as id like to keep the same picture shape and size but it just comes out at the bit left over from the cropped image.
Probably something simple im doing wrong but i havnt sussed it yet. :grin:
Thanks for the advice.
P.s loving the pics of Rochester with your new film camera. :cool:
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Im in a bit of a battle with the seller of the 50mm atm as i still havnt received it. :sad:
Ive just realised about the f stop as i assumed the smaller the aperture the more pronounced the DOF would be.My schoolboy error on that one.
I dont think i did crop the one of the Ford Pop but i see the poor editing of the grass now you mention it.After having a look at the settings and things ive only just found how to choose a different size brush. :rolleyes:
Im also having a bit of trouble regarding cropping as id like to keep the same picture shape and size but it just comes out at the bit left over from the cropped image.
Probably something simple im doing wrong but i havnt sussed it yet. :grin:
Thanks for the advice.
P.s loving the pics of Rochester with your new film camera. :cool:
The LOWER the number, the LARGER the aperture = SHALLOWER DoF.
I'm not quite sure what you're doing regarding the cropping, what software are you using? On lightroom you can lock it to keep the same picture format (or indeed use a totally different one)
And Thanks for the comment!
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Cheers mate.Just found the constrain to original size box i should have ticked when cropping.
Im using Lightroom 4 as im not venturing into CS5 until im a bit more clued up using the less technical stuff.
Currently taking pics of the missus big toe using different f stops to see which one works the best.
Shes having a power nap so its all good. :grin:
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To be fair I only use Lightroom. Hardly ever take my photos into PS.
When and if you receive your 50mm f1.8 then you'll love playing with the aperture.
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Thanks mate.Next purchase after this one will be a wide angle.I really fancy a fish eye too.
Im slowly getting to grips with Lightroom but since i sold my watercooled pc set up im only using the laptop so i will be getting a decent mouse to plug in and then hook it up to the tv.
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I fancy something wider than 18mm, but need to upgrade the kit lens as well. Which will all have to wait until I can afford to!
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Thanks mate.Next purchase after this one will be a wide angle.I really fancy a fish eye too.
Im slowly getting to grips with Lightroom but since i sold my watercooled pc set up im only using the laptop so i will be getting a decent mouse to plug in and then hook it up to the tv.
A decent mouse is essential (I think). I use my laptop for everything (PC had to go to make space for baby 2) so I have a Logitech wireless laser mouse.
I wouldn't bother with using the TV because a) it's not as high resolution as a computer screen, and b) you'd have to sit about 1metre from it to edit properly which would probably mean sitting on the floor.
I would only resort to using a TV if the laptop screen was terrible and you didn't have space for a decent monitor.
As for your shots: I like the first Escort, angle and colours are good. I also like the blue Ford (even though it's got a dodgy bit of grass, which I didn't spot straight away).
The ones of the water skiier are too far away, you needed to get in close with a zoom to see what the skier is doing. You've caught him in mid air twice, but he's so small there's no drama to it.
And the shot of the power station is rather boring, nothing particularly draws the eye in, and there's no drama.
When there is no movement, you need something to draw the viewer in, either using sight lines (eg a fence or railway going into the distance) or depth of field or light or some singular dramatic object.
This is what I would do with the power station (although I would probably have moved and taken another photo from another angle):
(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h202/anotherdubfan/powerstation-sm.jpg)
Anyway, that's my thoughts they are your photos.
Oh and definitely get that 50mm asap. When it arrives, leave it on the camera for a couple of weeks and get used to it. Because you can't zoom, you're forced to think more about your composition, your position and angle. Plus you can get lovely depth of field with f1.8 (although I tend to only go as low as f2.8 these days).
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Thats some sound advice,thanks for the criticism.
I agree about the power station pic.I was looking for a leading line somewhere but where you see that little pond/lake it is actually an old ash slurry pit and its like quicksand(few lives been lost there too) so i just took a couple of pics and carried on with the walk.
Funnily enough i tried editing on the tv last night and your right,it sucks ha ha.Ive got a 17" monitor on the laptop and it has a decent graphics card so i will carry on like i am doing all be it with a better mouse.I do have a gaming mouse left over a Vaerbatim Rapier3 and i can program different functions to different buttons so i will have a crack at that after i finish work tomorrow.
As for the skier i found because i was so far away as i couldnt get any closer if i zoomed in too much i only got the skier and not the boat or vice versa.I was trying to get both in instead of concentrating on one or the other which in hindsight should have been the way to go.
Really looking forward to getting the 50mm as im hoping it will help me improve a lot more.
Thanks again for your advice.
Currently looking through talk photography forum too which seems quite handy for tips etc.Any more yopu can recommend?
Gary
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Read whatever you can, and watch YouTube vids.
I think once you have a prime lens you focus a lot more on composition.
I find it's better to come away with one wow shot rather than a bunch of average ones. Sometimes I end up with none (like today's effort!)
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Im doing a lot of reading but no vids so far,although ive been buying a lot of magazines lately and they have free dvd workshops ive been looking at.
Just out of interest,how long does it take you to set up per shot?
90% of my photos will be of cars but im just interested how long it would take the more professional photographers to set the camera up per shot?
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It depends what I'm shooting. For a car it could be 10 secs to adjust settings and compose. But when I'm using the 10 stop filter it can be about 5 minutes.
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*Googles 10 stop filter....... :grin:
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It will depend on what light you're using. If you're using just natural light during the day, you're not likely to need to set up much (unless you're using a "10 stop" ND filter which enables you to use a larger aperture and get a shallow DoF).
If however you're shooting a car in the evening or indoors and you want to light it up with a flash etc, then that takes time to set up and get right.
Are you talking mainly about taking photos of cars at shows or getting into doing a propper photoshoot of a car?
Stuff at car shows is always going to be a little limited due to time, crowds, setting, etc.
If you're interested in doing photoshoots of a single car, then you have much more control of it.
This shot below will have taken a fair bit to set up with extra lights/flash.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/7312104946_74c1df8a90_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronaldo86/7312104946/)
Back Alley Game (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronaldo86/7312104946/) by Ronaldo.S (http://www.flickr.com/people/ronaldo86/), on Flickr
This one is good even though the background building could be a local supermarket.
(http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6135/5963100377_7c601ac85f_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/spasticdwarf/5963100377/)
JeremyHRE1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/spasticdwarf/5963100377/) by Mike Burroughs (http://www.flickr.com/people/spasticdwarf/), on Flickr
Oh and for advice, search flickr for some car related groups, and look at the discussions, you'll find info there and post your photos to the groups to see what people think.
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Love them 2 pictures. :cool:
It will mainly be at car shows and meets i take photos i have a big American car show i go to every year at Newark showground coming up in a month so want to hone my skills a bit more for then.If i dont get this 50mm off this guy i think i will buy another one in time for it.
I would like to do photoshoots on my own car and with other local lads too purely to see what it looks like.
Ive started using it for my build thread and have come up with a couple but im still needing to get my composure and location right.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7091/7261930506_586bf71d8b_c.jpg)
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7262479368_f804744af6_c.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7212/7261886466_d907a1c8a4_c.jpg)
Also got a couple of my mates mk1 Escort.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/7289405458_8c7dffc8e3_c.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7243/7289349080_26122f6f0d_c.jpg)
But ive been trying to get to grips with outdoor wildlife type stuff playing with settings even though i find it incredibly boring.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7100/7218126322_7c7fb3ab7a_c.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/7218135828_f76a0f0187_c.jpg)
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8018/7218166194_0cc8f30bdc_c.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7080/7218378436_1af9c8bac5_c.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/7218447640_c7e25c1cc5_c.jpg)
But again i need vast improvement and i realise this will only come with practice and asking you guys for advice but im really enjoying it and it makes a refreshing change for one of my hobbies to not involve spannering. :smiley:
Will take a look at the car groups tonight,thanks.
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To be honest if you want a whole car in shot 50mm may be too long depending on setting.
Maybe try taking your car to a nice location seeing what you can come up with :)
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Here's a nifty tutorial for how to get a car in motion. It doesn't use an expensive rig or even require the car going at speed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyLMtY4BDg4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyLMtY4BDg4)
Must have Start kit:
http://www.carphototutorials.com/must_have_base_equipment.html (http://www.carphototutorials.com/must_have_base_equipment.html)
Here's a good article on what sort of kit you could get after you've bought your first DSLR:
http://www.carphototutorials.com/your_second_shopping_list.html (http://www.carphototutorials.com/your_second_shopping_list.html)
Tips for an outdoor car shoot:
http://www.carphototutorials.com/10_tips_for_your_first_outdoor_car_shoot.html (http://www.carphototutorials.com/10_tips_for_your_first_outdoor_car_shoot.html)
Actually there's lots of good articles on that website, I would read all of them, but here's a couple more:
Mistakes to avoid:
http://www.carphototutorials.com/common_mistakes_when_shooting_a_car.html (http://www.carphototutorials.com/common_mistakes_when_shooting_a_car.html)
Shooting an indoor show:
http://www.carphototutorials.com/photographing_an_indoor_car_show_like_a_pro.html (http://www.carphototutorials.com/photographing_an_indoor_car_show_like_a_pro.html)
Secrets of a good car photo:
http://www.carphototutorials.com/the_secrets_behind_a_great_car_photo.html (http://www.carphototutorials.com/the_secrets_behind_a_great_car_photo.html)
Using Depth of Field:
http://www.carphototutorials.com/dof_depth_of_field.html (http://www.carphototutorials.com/dof_depth_of_field.html)
This is probably my best car shot, on the street with my 50mm lens, I used f4 but if I'd have gone for a wider aperture like f2.8 then more of the background would be blurred.
(http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6086/6050622514_473d3609d1.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/alistairbeavis/6050622514/)
Lambo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/alistairbeavis/6050622514/) by AlistairBeavis (http://www.flickr.com/people/alistairbeavis/), on Flickr
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Some really top links There DubFan!
My favourite car shot I've taken:
(http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6172/6204441038_7d9fe78ae0_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/t_j_g/6204441038/)
Ginetta 2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/t_j_g/6204441038/) by T_J_G (http://www.flickr.com/people/t_j_g/), on Flickr
Timing/lighting is crucial:
(http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6199/6119385423_a3888c0e9b_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/t_j_g/6119385423/)
Volkswagen (http://www.flickr.com/photos/t_j_g/6119385423/) by T_J_G (http://www.flickr.com/people/t_j_g/), on Flickr
This was taken at a car show, not long after I bought my first DLSR with a 50mm f1.8, I don't think I cropped this but had to miles away to get it all in with the fifty. Then you run the chance of people walking into the shot/not being able to get far enough back.
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2062/5747975996_cbf330b4c8_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/t_j_g/5747975996/)
Ford (http://www.flickr.com/photos/t_j_g/5747975996/) by T_J_G (http://www.flickr.com/people/t_j_g/), on Flickr
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Cant thank you enough for them links mate.Ive scoured the internet looking for car shooting advice/tutorials but came up with bugger all!Im usually very good at finding stuff via google too!
Love the idea of pushing the car in reverse by hand in the vid with the stag.
Currently reading through that site too.
Thanks again.
Loving all them shots.Especially love the old VW TJG. :cool:
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Another option is to move the lighting you have around and use multiple exposures to create a composite image.
This shot is about 5-6 images together:
(http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6135/6009708133_af66056f72.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/43476789@N00/6009708133/)
You do need a tripod for that though and ideally a remote shutter release.
The only lighting on that was a pair of fluorescent tubes, on an extension, plugged into an inverter in my Passat.
Going back to the start of the thread if you want to have more fun with what you have, wind back the shutter speed on the waterskiers, down to around 1/60 (light dependent) and pan as you shoot - you should get some corking motion blur.
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Cheers DH,love that pic,cant weigh up what car it is though?
Ive been doing some reading up on layering images using software and i really fancy tackling it.Ive now got a good quality tripod and a remote shutter release so will have a play.
Regarding panning,i panned a lot of the pics in that set but they were all free hand as i forgot the head to the bloody tripod! :rolleyes:
Also i struggle a bit with the lens i have to get a nice shot of both the boat and the skier as i have to set up quite a way away from the middle of the river Trent up on the bank.
I have to sit on the jetty on the right to get my pics.(Not my pic btw)
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/225854_207084632665502_584883_n.jpg)
As soon as the weather gets a bit better i will be back and might brave taking some decent pics on the back of the boat to get some pics like this of my sister.
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/582255_373706262690744_773123449_n.jpg)
On a different note ive recently bought a lens hood but when i attach it,whenever the lens autofocus' the bloody thing turns round :grin: am i doing something very amaturish?Do i need to set it to manual focus or something?
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I don't use a tripod to pan, just servo focus a slow shutter speed and technique. That applies to the shot above of the Ginetta.
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I think thats where i was going wrong as i was using a faster shutter speed with the thinking it will all be blurred but thinking about it im essentially making the subject still by panning and want the background blurred so i will take that on board for next time.
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Definitely pan handheld and if those were paning drop the shutter speed even more.
The car's a VX220.
With the layering just dump the images on as layers and then scrub away the bits you don't want. If they're all lined up the good bits will start shining through as you hide/show the different layers. It's a pretty slow process, but gives really good results.
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Ah ok, i thought it would be more stable on the tripos as i dont have an is lens yet.Will keep it freehand then thanks.
Heres the exif details from this image (panning)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7223/7155540479_4ea1e53e7c_c.jpg)
Camera Canon EOS 1100D
Exposure 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture f/13.0
Focal Length 18 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire
X-Resolution 240 dpi
Y-Resolution 240 dpi
Software Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4.0 (Windows)
Date and Time (Modified) 2012:06:02 17:43:50
Exposure Program Shutter speed priority AE
Date and Time (Original) 2012:06:02 12:18:35
Date and Time (Digitized) 2012:06:02 12:18:35
Max Aperture Value 3.5
Metering Mode Multi-segment
Sub Sec Time Original 86
Sub Sec Time Digitized 86
Focal Plane X-Resolution 4720.441989 dpi
Focal Plane Y-Resolution 4786.554622 dpi
Custom Rendered Normal
Exposure Mode Auto
White Balance Manual
Scene Capture Type Standard
Compression JPEG (old-style)
Coded Character Set UTF8
Date Created 2012:06:02
Time Created 12:18:35
Digital Creation Date 2012:06:02
Digital Creation Time 12:18:35
Viewing Conditions Illuminant Type D50
Measurement Observer CIE 1931
Measurement Flare 0.999%
Measurement Illuminant D65
XMPToolkit Adobe XMP Core 5.3-c007 1.136881, 2010/06/10-18:11:35
Creator Tool Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4.0 (Windows)
Metadata Date 2012:06:02 17:43:50+01:00
Lens EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 III
Lens ID 53
Image Number 0
Approximate Focus Distance 0.93
Flash Compensation 0
So im guessing that wants to be dropped down to say 1/60?
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Lots of light there and boats generally move slower than cars - dump down to 1/60 - you may be able to go even further down than that.
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Great stuff,will give that a try thanks :)
Now,i have 2 filters i bought,a cpl filter and an nd filter.Would i be better using one of these so i lose the water reflections or is it not needed?
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You could use the CPL, also useful for car shots to cut refelctions.
Also don't use IS for panning. You may need to get closer, do you have a telephoto lens?
If you can get close to the skier then you could go with the quick exposure to freeze the person/water or go for panning.
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I dont have a telephoto lens yet as its not at the top of my list as i wont be taking too many of these kind of shots very often but wondered how i could get them looking with my kit lens and a few setting tweaks.
I will use the cpl filter at the big American car show im going to in July and try it out.Am i ok with a Hama cpl filter as it wasnt the most expensive out there and i dont want it to effect the overall image quality?
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That what I have I think, to be honest I don't use it enough....
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Ah thats ok then. :smiley: Thanks
Any ideas on my previous comment?
On a different note ive recently bought a lens hood but when i attach it,whenever the lens autofocus' the bloody thing turns round am i doing something very amaturish?Do i need to set it to manual focus or something?
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Ah thats ok then. :smiley: Thanks
Any ideas on my previous comment?
On a different note ive recently bought a lens hood but when i attach it,whenever the lens autofocus' the bloody thing turns round am i doing something very amaturish?Do i need to set it to manual focus or something?
Is it a petal lens hood?
Like this:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Tulip_Lens_Hood.jpg/220px-Tulip_Lens_Hood.jpg)
If it is, it's next to useless if it turns with the focusing. With kit lenses the focus ring (the bit you turn to manual focus) tends to be at the front of the lens and has the thread for filters and hoods.
A lot of kit lenses come with a straight lens hood which is fine even if it turns with focusing.
As for the Hama filter; a lot of people say don't put cheap filters onto lenses, but on a kit lens I doubt you'd see much difference between a £10 filter and a £30 filter.
I have a cheap Sunpak CPL filter that I bought as a last resort on holiday that I use on my kit lens (but I rarely use my kit lens now) and it's fine. I have a better Hoya one for my 50mm, but I haven't bothered with one for my other lenses.
I've not really found a CPL useful for cutting down reflections as it only does that at certain angles, but I have used it nicely to expose the sky nicely on a bright day.
I would personally get your 50mm lens and then get a telephoto because otherwise you've got nothing longer than 55mm on your kit lens. You can easily pick up a decent 70-200 or 300mm Tamron or Sigma lens for less than £150. Even if you don't use it much, it's worth having something like this in the bag for the odd occasion when you need a zoom.
You could also upgrade your kit lens for a slightly better one with IS like the Canon 17-85mm EF-S IS USM: £180 on ebay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Canon-EF-S-USM-17-85mm-F-4-0-5-6-Hoya-67mm-UV-Filter-/190685066328?pt=UK_Lenses_Filters_Lenses&hash=item2c65b73458) and it gives you a bit more telephoto length.
And if you haven't watched these tips, do so now. (Note the bit about filters, expensive gear and lens hoods): http://youtu.be/D4HbWhri7Tc (http://youtu.be/D4HbWhri7Tc)
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Thanks mate.
Yes it is the petal type.If im honest i got it as i thought it looked good. :embarassed:
Ive not found a use for it yet but then again everytime i used it i kept getting the longer petals buzzing in and out of the view. :grin:
Im pleased the fact i didnt get a silly expensive filter hasnt hindered the pic quality.
Ive not seen that vid but i will have a squiz tonight.
Ive read that last website on car photography tips in its entirety and really enjoyed the info on there so cheers for that.
As for a telephoto,i think once ive had a play with the 50mm for a month or so i will get one after getting a few comparisons on the best one to get for around £2-250 so im not hindered by poor quality at long zoom lengths like ive read can happen.
Ive considered getting the is type kit lens but i wasnt sure how much of a difference it would make as i cant seem to find 2 pics the same taken with the different lens to compare.
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dpreview.com have a lens comparison tool: http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/lenses (http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/lenses)
Here's my example of a lens comparison:
Kit lens top left, 50mm f1.7 prime top right, Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 (which I use now instead of a kit lens) bottom left and Tamron 28-200 zoom bottom right.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/6862158928_0efdd34083.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/alistairbeavis/6862158928/)
Lens Comparison: Nifty-fifty versus... (http://www.flickr.com/photos/alistairbeavis/6862158928/) by AlistairBeavis (http://www.flickr.com/people/alistairbeavis/), on Flickr
And cropped at 100%
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7130/7008455701_432909e7b7.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/alistairbeavis/7008455701/)
Lens Comparison 100% crop (http://www.flickr.com/photos/alistairbeavis/7008455701/) by AlistairBeavis (http://www.flickr.com/people/alistairbeavis/), on Flickr
You can see that the 50mm prime and the Sigma 28-70 are sharper than the kit lens.
I'm sure there are other better examples.
Here's a comparison of the Canon 17-55mm lenses, the one you've got upto the super expensive f2.8 model.
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-S-18-55mm-f-3.5-5.6-IS-Lens-Review.aspx (http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-S-18-55mm-f-3.5-5.6-IS-Lens-Review.aspx)