Help with exposure...

[farmerj]

Doing this should not take very long. crop + levels + saturation + unsharp mask takes a minute or two, if even that.

Scripts can be written to do such a thing for batch processing lots of pictures.

I do this to resize images for reviewing, as well as if I get the WB off and figure out what the correct setting should be....


You can run a batch and walk away. Come back in 20 minutes or so, you can have up to 100 or more complete depending on the size (processer and ram here) of your computer and video card.

 

[roxysmom]

I NEVER said I did not understand exposure or photoshop. I said I need to get better in this area. So everyone on this forum shoots perfectly and needs no advice or areas to improve upon? If that's the case then the forum should just be about showing off all the wonderful photos everyone takes? I guess I thought it was about helping each other learn, celebrate successes and share ideas. My mistake!

 

[bigtwinky]

Doing this should not take very long. crop + levels + saturation + unsharp mask takes a minute or two, if even that.

Scripts can be written to do such a thing for batch processing lots of pictures.

I do this to resize images for reviewing, as well as if I get the WB off and figure out what the correct setting should be....


You can run a batch and walk away. Come back in 20 minutes or so, you can have up to 100 or more complete depending on the size (processer and ram here) of your computer and video card.

I've read about this a few times, I'll definatly have to look into batch processing. Thanks for the heads up.
I guess thats in the photoshop 2 class

 

[bigtwinky]

Thank you bigtwinky I will try that for sure this evening. I appreicate the advice that I can actually use!

I just hope to continue to work on making them less "flat" and increase the sharpness. Maybe I took the originals and made them look worse. I do open them in bridge and work on some elements of them in bridge. Maybe I should stop that and go straight into Photoshop where I have more options to work with.

Keep in mind that I'm pretty new to all this myself, but I'm only tweaking exposure and white balance in bridge. I save the sharpening, saturation and all that jazz for actual photoshop.


BTW, advice here is given in all shapes and form. Its the same on every internet forum. Pick and chose the one you want to follow and respond to and leave the rest at the side.

There is no point in getting agitated, stressed over a forum.

 

[bigtwinky]

LOL damn 9 more levels of photoshop to learn after 1 course? Sounds like fun though, I'd like to gain experience in photoshop as well....

Check out continuing education programs at local colleges and universities. Regular university courses were took intense as I do have a regular job. But the Cont Ed diploma I found has been great! They are all university quality courses, I just don't get the credits as a regular university course.

The 9 courses are geared for a graphic type of diploma. I'm not into the image creation part of photoshop, just the image manipulation.

 

[CrimsonFoxPhotography]

atbawrps, I think you're missing the key point of what's being said here. She clearly explains to people what they are getting into and they walk away pleased. This isn't a case of someone leading a couple into believing that they are better than they really are..it's people making an educated choice for what their money can buy.

Now, it seems as though you're criticizing her post-processing ability and Photoshop knowledge more than her ability to get the photo right from the start. I went to Imaging USA (the PPA conference) this past January and listened to a presentation by a woman with a business in OH. She took absolutely amazing photos and made us aware of two things. She never shoots in RAW, always JPEG, and she never does any post-processing whatsoever. I'm not saying this to criticize post-processing, I do it myself, ...but I am criticizing the notion that someone must understand the basics of Photoshop in order to do a wedding.

Quite frankly, a photographer only has to do what leaves the customer satisfied...granted, better is better for long-term business, of course, but...here's another story: At that same conference, I heard mention of a Photography "studio" that makes a decent take off of sending six photographers armed with point-and-shoot cameras. You can argue as much as you want to about that not being photography, but a collection of couples hired, literally hired, them for a reason...because they knew what they were getting and the company figured out the right way to market it to certain people.

To atbawrps:

I don't appreciate that at all. I have been reading and posting on this forum for 18 months now and I'm trying to learn. I established that I am newer and that I've had happy clients because I outline the expectations ahead of time. That is not even the point of my question. I mentioned this was not my best work and that I was looking for tips.

It's comments like yours that make people not want to be on here anymore. I posted my comment to get feedback and help increase my skills. How did your comment help in my quest? The only thing you did was put me down and tell me that I need to learn more but you did not provide me any tips. Thanks but no thanks.

Sure I did... I said you should learn about exposure and learn Photoshop. Those are some solid tips right there.

For real, you shouldn't be shooting weddings and then coming to a forum looking for tips on exposure and photoshop after the fact. You should know that stuff before you shoot anyone's wedding day.

How would you feel if you paid a "professional" photographer to shoot your wedding and then find out she didn't even understand one of the basic principles of photography - exposure!? On top of that, she didn't know what to do with the images after to make them really pop and stand out??

Would you feel like you took a roll of the dice and maybe came away lucky?

 

[atbawrps]

atbawrps, I think you're missing the key point of what's being said here. She clearly explains to people what they are getting into and they walk away pleased. This isn't a case of someone leading a couple into believing that they are better than they really are..it's people making an educated choice for what their money can buy.

Now, it seems as though you're criticizing her post-processing ability and Photoshop knowledge more than her ability to get the photo right from the start. I went to Imaging USA (the PPA conference) this past January and listened to a presentation by a woman with a business in OH. She took absolutely amazing photos and made us aware of two things. She never shoots in RAW, always JPEG, and she never does any post-processing whatsoever. I'm not saying this to criticize post-processing, I do it myself, ...but I am criticizing the notion that someone must understand the basics of Photoshop in order to do a wedding.

Quite frankly, a photographer only has to do what leaves the customer satisfied...granted, better is better for long-term business, of course, but...here's another story: At that same conference, I heard mention of a Photography "studio" that makes a decent take off of sending six photographers armed with point-and-shoot cameras. You can argue as much as you want to about that not being photography, but a collection of couples hired, literally hired, them for a reason...because they knew what they were getting and the company figured out the right way to market it to certain people.

To atbawrps:

I don't appreciate that at all. I have been reading and posting on this forum for 18 months now and I'm trying to learn. I established that I am newer and that I've had happy clients because I outline the expectations ahead of time. That is not even the point of my question. I mentioned this was not my best work and that I was looking for tips.

It's comments like yours that make people not want to be on here anymore. I posted my comment to get feedback and help increase my skills. How did your comment help in my quest? The only thing you did was put me down and tell me that I need to learn more but you did not provide me any tips. Thanks but no thanks.

Sure I did... I said you should learn about exposure and learn Photoshop. Those are some solid tips right there.

For real, you shouldn't be shooting weddings and then coming to a forum looking for tips on exposure and photoshop after the fact. You should know that stuff before you shoot anyone's wedding day.

How would you feel if you paid a "professional" photographer to shoot your wedding and then find out she didn't even understand one of the basic principles of photography - exposure!? On top of that, she didn't know what to do with the images after to make them really pop and stand out??

Would you feel like you took a roll of the dice and maybe came away lucky?

The fact that she says that she needs a "better understanding of exposure" is what really bothers me. Exposure to me is pretty simple and something that any professional wedding photographer should already have a firm understanding of.

If she had that understanding, then sure, minimal (if any) post processing would be needed. People who understand lighting and exposure can shoot "wow" pictures straight out of camera, so yes, no post is needed. But post can make those "wow" photos into "holy shiznit!!!" photos.

I can shoot jpegs and be done with it, but I prefer the flexibility of raw.

 

[atbawrps]

You know what? I apologize. I guess I'm just tired of seeing posts where people jump into something without fully understanding their cameras and how they work. Professional photography isn't just about satisfying a client that doesn't know the difference between a good photo and a bad one, but I won't get into the details here.

In the end, I think all the "professionals" will help me and my business.

 

[bigtwinky]

I do agree with you in principle atbawrps. There are alot of people here (and everywhere) who think they can but really can't. These people typically don't want to learn and just want the praise. Or those who think its as simple as set your camera in auto and off you go.

But in a forum about photography, there is a difference in my eyes when someone knows they are perfect, is up front with the clients that they aren't perfect, and is legitimate about seeking help. Which is what the forum should be about.

I know its a standard reply, but pick and chose those you wish to respond to and leave the rest alone

 

[Lorti]

they seem very dull, like a tattoo needing lotion.

 

[KmH]

She never shoots in RAW, always JPEG, and she never does any post-processing whatsoever.

What??????????

She sure as hell post processes her images. The camera captures every image as a RAW data file, so something's post processing them to JPEG.

She's just doing all her post processing in the camera. Sure is easier than learning how to use Photoshop.

I'd be willing to bet she's got custom settings she routinely uses in her camera for sharpening, contrast and saturation among others.

She's good at business though. Got you to her seminar.