looking a little flat?

Rob A · Feb 16, 2005

hey guys, i have a Canon 300D (digital rebel) and some of the photos i take are looking a little flat. what can i do to change this? is it the camera? when i take photos with film they dont look flat at all. why is this?

here is an example of an image i took which looks flat:-

Big Mike · Feb 16, 2005

When you take a photo on film, do you bring it to a lab to get it developed and have prints made? If you do, the printer is probably making adjustments to how the image looks for the print.

You can do the same. Think of the file from the camera as a negative. You can make adjustments for printing or viewing.

On the other hand, digital does not have the latitude of print film. So especially a shot like this, with the sun in the frame...you are likely going to get a flat image.

There are countless examples of fantastic images from the D300 so I don't think it's the camera.

Rob A · Feb 16, 2005

ok, just the camera owner

thanks bigmike!!! ill keep trying! thanks!

Rob · Feb 16, 2005

Also, in that shot, everything is at "infinity" focus. If you have some depth-of-field in your shot, you'll find that perspective naturally comes out better.

The photo you have taken there is a classic digital shot where it's difficult to tell the foreground from the background. Take your aperture down as low (as in low f-number) as it can go to get some of the picture blurred and you'll find it'll resemble a film shot more. Exposure and focus lock should ideally be on the foreground, not the sky/sun to improve the contrast and give some d-o-f.