I've been shooting for about 7 years now and I feel like I've taken a few decent photographs. But I also feel like I'm at a point where I'm a little stuck. I'm not sure if it's that I'm trying to find a style that I like, or I feel constrained by my tools, or I need some more post-processing knowledge. I have a few photos that I like, but I'm having trouble being fully satisfied.
I've never had any constructive criticism of my photos, so that's mainly why I joined the community.
I recently took a trip to Scotland, London, and Paris and took hundreds of photos. So I'll start with a few of those from Scotland if anyone wants to point out anything that I can improve upon. I'm open-minded to any suggestions.
Hi Seth, I really like your pictures. The only thing I have to say is that you need to improve your post processing and especially your exposure skills(the highlights)!!
That all!! Nicely done!! Ruudkuiper
Hey Seth, to elaborate upon Mr. Ruud's points:
"post-processing"- for example, most of your images here come off "flat." Now, what I mean is, that they could definitely use some 'post-processing,' i.e. maybe bring down the highlights a touch & pump up the shadows detail a tad, et cetera.
Also, most of the images could use a little white BAL! Try using the dropper tool (*In Lightroom) by finding that neutral (18% or so) gray in your image and clicking on it (w/ the dropper tool). Another way to do this is by carrying around a gray card. They're relatively inexspensive, but will pay off in the long run on teaching you proper-metering and exposures.
This brings me to my second reiteration from Mr. Rudd, "exposure skills." What I'm assuming he meant, is that you should try bracketing your exposure. What I mean is, try setting up your dslr for auto exposure bracketing. I prefer a half to 1 whole stop. *Refer to your user manual for help OR you can do this manually by making the proper adjustments of your SS (shutter speed) and your F-stop (aperture)...when I first started shooting, I bought a manual lens (leaf focal shutter) and went to town. It taught me to always get my exposures correct. Your camera has a reflective light meter, but you can also purchase an incident light meter at most major camera retailers.
Further, a few of the images could use some horizontal and vertical corrections. Do you have a steady tripod? If not, get one, and don't skimp $. Also, your compositions aren't bad either, judging by these images, it seems like you have a basic understanding of some compositions, i.e. rule of thirds, framing, diagonal lines, leading lines, s-curves, symmetry, asymmetry and so on and so forth...
Lastly, I'm a firm believer in continuing education, EVERYDAY, in the techniques and skills of photographic tech. SO, use YouTube, look up the invaluable, infamous "Phlearn" or Scot Kelby, etc for their tips.
Cheers,
Andrew F.
Thanks for your input. I looked at my photos after I read what you both said, and I can see what you mean. That really does help me.
I usually use aperture priority with matrix metering and let the camera do the work. Usually it's because I'm a little crunched on time, so I like the ability to focus more on composition. But after your input I think I'll start practicing again with center-weighted or spot metering and full manual mode. That's how I was trained, but I've shied away from it in recent years.
And yes, I understand what you mean with bracketing. I currently do it in some shots, but typically only if I want to practice with HDR in post. And I usually have it set 1.5 stops difference between shots. But given the issues I'm having with exposure, suffice to say my HDRs don't usually turn out very good.
Thanks for the advice about the grey card. I may look into getting one.
As for horizontal and vertical corrections, I'm not sure I know what you mean. If my horizon isn't level I always use the leveling tool in ACR to correct it (thus cropping the image). The only way I could see a tripod assisting this is if it had a built in level "bubble."
I do have a tripod, but I don't always use it. It's a small Manfrotto that I originally bought for use with my D40, so it's a little lightweight for my current camera, but I like it for backpacking and travelling. And it's a ball head, so there's no built in level.
Technically, there's not a lot to criticize although you (along with everyone) have room for improvement. The biggest problem I find with landscapes (and yours suffer a bit from it) is the lack of a message. It's easy to see a pretty scene and just shoot it. Take time to think about what you want to say about the scene and go about saying it.
I do realize that I lack a bit in creative thinking when I shoot. I'm an odd mix of a technical thinker with a little creativity thrown in. Could you give me some insight into your thought process in landscapes?
I was afraid you'd ask something like that.
When a scene catches my eye, I try to figure out what it was. A color? A shape? Maybe a few elements reminded me of something.
Do I feel peaceful? Hopeful? Expectant?
Maybe my sub conscience is reliving a dream. Maybe it's God talking to me.
It doesn't matter what it is.
Now how can I describe this feeling to someone else? Without words!
What supports my story? How important is it?
What distracts my attention from it? How can I remove or subjugate it?
It's a very deliberative and time consuming process. You stated above that you're often crunched on time. Well...take fewer photos or plan better next time. I didn't mention post processing because if your compositions don't speak to you, and your original post indicates that to be the case, you'll be putting lipstick on a pig. It's easy to make a photo look good. I can make yours LOOK great. Concentrate on making photos that ARE great.
Hey Seth! I just wanted to chime in again. Thanks for your feedback. I'll try to respond to all of your commentary. I'll start by saying that I think it's great that you use some of the camera's "auto-functions," as sometimes even the best of shooters' will utilize certain 'auto-functions' depending on the situation. I'd like to add that personally, I like to shoot entirely manual, with the exception of a few internal, automated settings, i.e. Manual Focus Assist, which allows me to zoom in for a magnified live-view of distant subjects. Point being, I've found that the more YOU (the photographer/ artist) have to make manual adjustments, the quicker you'll master your camera...
I digress, definitely play with your metering modes too, like you were saying, i.e. spot, evaluative, center-weighted, etc., it just depends on what you're trying to bring into focus in your compositions. Now, what specific troubles are you having with your exposure and what of your HDR issues? Nevertheless, I'll say it again, I think every photographer should shoot OFTEN with a tripod. I see what you're saying about having difficulty making your scenes level, however, sometimes (without a built in level bubble, etc.) we need to just take a moment, pause, step back, look at our scenery, then try looking through your EVF (or Optical viewfinder) again...I say the same thing about photographer's who like to use levelers' in order to hang up their work for display. STOP. Put the level down, and take a few steps back to look at it to just simply SEE if it's level. Lol. Obviously, if we have any kind of physical limitations to do this, then by all means, use a level tool; you'll find most, decent tripods have one built in to the head or top joint.
Oh yes, and definitely get yourself a gray card. They're in-expensive, unless you decide to get one of the larger, canvas type grey cards, which are awesome for subjects that are further away too. Lastly, I don't have a comment for the other commentator, but to add to their response, OR to just put their point another way, we must capture the 'essence' of what we see, i.e. emotional content, mood-lighting, etc. BUT I strongly would recommend that you focus more on your compostitions and everything else we've discussed here...the whole "message" or essence bit will come later, as you develop your skill.
Cheers,
Andrew
Hey, I'm sorry I'm just now responding. You've probably forgotten about this post by now, but I didn't want to leave it unresolved.
I haven't done any shooting since I last posted, but thank you for the tips.
When I said I was having issues with my exposure I was just referring to the advice I've been given about being careful not to overexpose my highlights. I plan to focus on exposing for the highlights, and then pulling out the darks and shadows if I need to.
As for my HDR issues, I know the ideal is to simply reproduce the dynamic range that the human eye can see (though as we all know it's abused to create some crazy effects). But I have a hard time keeping it natural-looking. Either it comes out worse than a normal image (usually looks very grey), or it it very clearly HDR with an unnatural look.
My method is usually this:
1. Bracketed exposure of -1.5, 0, +1.5
2. Make sure the photos are matched (white balance, etc.)
3. Open in Photoshop using HDR Pro in Bridge
4. Do all my adjustments in 16 bit mode in the Photoshop HDR dialogue
I know I would be able to have better results if I could make the adjustments in 32 bit, but from my understanding that option is only available in CS6 and CC. I have CS 5.5
I'll only say this, EXPOSE TO THE LEFT (histogram) NOT TO THE RIGHT! Most photographic technology schools will teach you to expose to the right, but obviously, if you think about it (even an amateur could infer), that does nobody any good. I'm happy to hear that you AEB or manually bracket your exposures. As far as HDR's go, my camera does a pretty good job internally @ EXIF. Otherwise, have you tried using LR (Lightroom's) HDR function? I find it to does a pretty good job. Otherwise, I just try to utilize my light accordingly and underexpose (and bracket as well). Take lots of exposures~
Cheers,
Andrew