jmooney
Guy with a camera
It's near the top of this list I'm making of things I need to work through as a result of all the great advice I've received here.
Frustrated Photo-dork needs Advice Badly
- Thread starter jmooney
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 132
- Views 12K
It's near the top of this list I'm making of things I need to work through as a result of all the great advice I've received here.
shiro_kuro
Charles Bowen
How much of an area of an image are you cropping to make it square ?
When using Light Room you do not need to spend hours on an image ,it can be done quickly with great results . From an afternoons shoot I pick 2 or three that I like and work on those ,post them to flikr and or print them ... few minutes on each one and I am relatively pleased with the results .
I like this image of yours and find it one of the more interesting on your flikr site .......
Some links you may like .....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hiromi-photograph/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamadahideaki/
http://damaso.com/blog/personal-instruction/
When using Light Room you do not need to spend hours on an image ,it can be done quickly with great results . From an afternoons shoot I pick 2 or three that I like and work on those ,post them to flikr and or print them ... few minutes on each one and I am relatively pleased with the results .
I like this image of yours and find it one of the more interesting on your flikr site .......
Some links you may like .....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hiromi-photograph/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamadahideaki/
http://damaso.com/blog/personal-instruction/
jmooney
Guy with a camera
How much of an area of an image are you cropping to make it square ?
When using Light Room you do not need to spend hours on an image ,it can be done quickly with great results . From an afternoons shoot I pick 2 or three that I like and work on those ,post them to flikr and or print them ... few minutes on each one and I am relatively pleased with the results .
I like this image of yours and find it one of the more interesting on your flikr site .......
Some links you may like .....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hiromi-photograph/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamadahideaki/
http://damaso.com/blog/personal-instruction/
I'm not cropping currently, one of the reasons I've been using the G2 is that it has a native square format.
That is one of my favorite images as well, it prints wonderfully too. I've done no PP to it whatsoever, it was shot with a Hasselblad and scanned by our friends at Precision and printed straight from the scan.
Thanks for the links I'm going to go through them today.
BikoBikoBiko
Member
Well this thread seems to have gotten quite out of hand! Here are my two cents, just a few tips i've learnt along the way.
Couldn't agree more. A tripod not only keeps your camera stable during the shot it also slows down your workflow and can help you to concentrate on composition. I've met Brian Griffin a few times and he constantly recommends a tripod over anything else to improve your photography.
A friend of mine (a pro photographer) has a rule that you should never spend less than £1000 on a lens. I can't afford to do that myself but I have to agree with the principle. Spend your money on lenses if you want sharpness.
This is where it gets tricky as i also subscribe to the 'a great camera does not make you a great photographer' theory. However, here is an example from my past. I had a canon 350d with the 17-85EFS lens and was often frustrated by slightly soft images. After many years i upgraded to a 7d with the newer 15-85EFS lens. My workflow has not changes much between the old camera and the new but I see better results from the improved glass and the better metering of my new camera.
Here is the crux, I could have got the exposures I'm now getting with an external meter and my 350d but i would not have got an image sharper than my old lens could produce.
Finally, would you benefit from more knowledge? I would always recommend that someone into photography read some of the many fantastic books on the subject. 'The Nature of Photographs: A Primer by Stephen Shore' is a good place to start. I'd also recommend you look at Ansel Adams' technical books, their called 'The Print', 'The Negative' etc. They may appeal to your technical nature, the do to mine!
Hopefuly this reply has been of some help. There are a lot of strong opinions here but before you rush out to buy an M9 I think the best advise anyone can give you is to join a local photography club and see what other people ae doing to get images which you like.
Couldn't agree more. A tripod not only keeps your camera stable during the shot it also slows down your workflow and can help you to concentrate on composition. I've met Brian Griffin a few times and he constantly recommends a tripod over anything else to improve your photography.
A friend of mine (a pro photographer) has a rule that you should never spend less than £1000 on a lens. I can't afford to do that myself but I have to agree with the principle. Spend your money on lenses if you want sharpness.
This is where it gets tricky as i also subscribe to the 'a great camera does not make you a great photographer' theory. However, here is an example from my past. I had a canon 350d with the 17-85EFS lens and was often frustrated by slightly soft images. After many years i upgraded to a 7d with the newer 15-85EFS lens. My workflow has not changes much between the old camera and the new but I see better results from the improved glass and the better metering of my new camera.
Here is the crux, I could have got the exposures I'm now getting with an external meter and my 350d but i would not have got an image sharper than my old lens could produce.
Finally, would you benefit from more knowledge? I would always recommend that someone into photography read some of the many fantastic books on the subject. 'The Nature of Photographs: A Primer by Stephen Shore' is a good place to start. I'd also recommend you look at Ansel Adams' technical books, their called 'The Print', 'The Negative' etc. They may appeal to your technical nature, the do to mine!
Hopefuly this reply has been of some help. There are a lot of strong opinions here but before you rush out to buy an M9 I think the best advise anyone can give you is to join a local photography club and see what other people ae doing to get images which you like.
jsrockit
Moderator
There are plenty of cheap but sharp lenses though...
NLewis
Established
Summing up what has been discussed so far:
A Panasonic G2, at base ISO (100), with jpg (not Raw) should be perfectly fine for an 8x8 print. Whatever residual noise there is would be lessened when the image is downscaled for printing. There are a few things to do regarding exposure etc. but basically it should be fine. Virtually any lens, shot at f/5.6 or f/8 (i.e. not at its widest aperture), would be sufficient. White balance should be adjusted in-camera, or perhaps shoot everything at daylight WB and adjust in PP. Digital files have a natural softness when observed at 100% due to the Bayer array interpolation. However, this should not be apparent in an 8x8 print. Probably, the OP wants a bit of exaggerated contrast and microcontrast, which can be obtained with sharpening techniques or, perhaps better, the "structure" (microcontrast) slider in many PP packages.
I have the impression that the OP has been treating out-of-the-camera jpgs like film, finding them bland, and would benefit from experimenting with basic postprocessing techniques. The standard digital file is similar to something like Fuji Astia film, very neutral but boring for many situations. I think the reason the OP likes his scanned film is that all film has its own quirks and characteristics, whether exaggerated acutance and contrast (in BW), or saturated colors (in color). In other words, the "post processing" is inherent in the film emulsion.
A Panasonic G2, at base ISO (100), with jpg (not Raw) should be perfectly fine for an 8x8 print. Whatever residual noise there is would be lessened when the image is downscaled for printing. There are a few things to do regarding exposure etc. but basically it should be fine. Virtually any lens, shot at f/5.6 or f/8 (i.e. not at its widest aperture), would be sufficient. White balance should be adjusted in-camera, or perhaps shoot everything at daylight WB and adjust in PP. Digital files have a natural softness when observed at 100% due to the Bayer array interpolation. However, this should not be apparent in an 8x8 print. Probably, the OP wants a bit of exaggerated contrast and microcontrast, which can be obtained with sharpening techniques or, perhaps better, the "structure" (microcontrast) slider in many PP packages.
I have the impression that the OP has been treating out-of-the-camera jpgs like film, finding them bland, and would benefit from experimenting with basic postprocessing techniques. The standard digital file is similar to something like Fuji Astia film, very neutral but boring for many situations. I think the reason the OP likes his scanned film is that all film has its own quirks and characteristics, whether exaggerated acutance and contrast (in BW), or saturated colors (in color). In other words, the "post processing" is inherent in the film emulsion.
BikoBikoBiko
Member
Yeah that's very true.
nighstar
eternal beginner
....i have nothing new or worthwhile to add to this thread. i just want to thank the OP for having the courage to post such a thread. i'm sure i don't just speak for myself when i say that i have felt/do feel the same way as you but have never had the guts to ask others about it like you have.
this thread is a mixed bag of treasures. i could dig through it and make the perfect little book to keep with me in my camera bag.
this thread is a mixed bag of treasures. i could dig through it and make the perfect little book to keep with me in my camera bag.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Of course, the key word is 'if'-- some lenses are better soft (I love my Thambar) -- and I don't think that any of my LF lenses cost anything like that much, even new. In fact, I can think of plenty of Zeiss and Voigtländer lenses that cost under that much, again, new. And there are plenty of used lenses which will give you effects you can't get new: my old Goerz Dagor springs to mind. Overall, in fact, I don't agree with him at all.
Cheers,
R.
charjohncarter
Veteran
If you are talking about me, I'm just a dork on all levels. But I will say that non-photographers who see me with a film camera are always asking me about my cameras. Luckily, they are people with melopeponic breasts.
BobYIL
Well-known
As being a non-native English speaker, I had to refer to the Meriam-Webster for the meaning of "melopeponic" and faced with:
"The word you've entered isn't in the dictionary."
(Could it have something to do with the plant family Cucurbitaceae?)
charjohncarter
Veteran
No, well maybe (I'll look up Cucurbitaceae later) but melopeponic refers to a Summer ground plant like a melon. It is not in common use today, but when I was in High School it was a very common term in describing a part of anatomy. Lo siento, but only among the lower classes: and me (well maybe I was also in the lower classes).
jmooney
Guy with a camera
It wasn't easy but I'm very glad I did. I'm also glad others are benefitting as well.
Still digesting a lot of the info.
