Beginner Shots

[frXnz kafka]

It's not, but the critique sections are LARGELY "fine art", and the shots in question are.

Really, outside of the portrait & sport sections, everything else is "fine art" photography.

The shots in this thread are about as "fine art" as they are "photojournalism"

Anyway, the point was that shots need not be edited to be worth posting (or printing).

 

[myvicisslow]

How would I take a photo like photo #1 without the over exposure of the sky? Let's say the sky was cloudy and I wanted to include the clouds in that shot.

 

[FDSA]

The shots in this thread are about as "fine art" as they are "photojournalism"

Anyway, the point was that shots need not be edited to be worth posting (or printing).

so what should have been edited to make them worth posting?

 

[frXnz kafka]

so what should have been edited to make them worth posting?

What? I said they DON'T need to be edited to be worth posting.

 

[MelodySoul]

Anyway, the point was that shots need not be edited to be worth posting (or printing).

I couldn't agree more. While I think editing is great I also think many people rely on it too much. I think for someone who is just starting out (like me and the OP) it's best to learn how to use your camera to the best of your ability before relying on editing to fix your mistakes. Once you have mastered your equipment, then learn to enhance your photos with editing. That's just my opinion though.

 

[flygning]

How would I take a photo like photo #1 without the over exposure of the sky? Let's say the sky was cloudy and I wanted to include the clouds in that shot.

I would try underexposing it, or metering for just the sky if you have a spot metering option on your camera. That would bring out more saturated colors in the bamboo as well.

I couldn't agree more. While I think editing is great I also think many people rely on it too much. I think for someone who is just starting out (like me and the OP) it's best to learn how to use your camera to the best of your ability before relying on editing to fix your mistakes. Once you have mastered your equipment, then learn to enhance your photos with editing. That's just my opinion though.

I agree with this-- my overall goal for photography is to have the pictures come out of the camera as close to end-product as possible. Why rely on editing to make my photos good?


As for the OP, here is what I think:
#1- I love shots like this. If you want the sky to be less blown out, I would try retaking it and underexposing or spot metering like I mentioned above. I would also try different angles on it-- perhaps placing the sky opening off-center in various places to get a more dramatic angle from the bamboo.

#2- I also like really abstract-ish (since it isn't *really* abstract) shots like this. Try retaking it sometime when there is a bit more light, since it seems a bit blurred/soft. I like the shallow depth of field, and I would see how it looks with different parts of the chain in focus.

#3- Which settings were you trying out? If you were interested in retaking the shot or doing a bit of editing, the brown blob in the upper right corner (a window? shelf?) is distracting. Try to keep an eye out for things like this as you're shooting.

#4- You did very well on capturing the color and the texture of the clouds. Like others have said, just a slight crop (or a different angle if you can pull it off next time) does a world of difference. To avoid things like power lines, getting a bit more of the trees is a good option.

#5- This has a lot of potential. Again, try it with different areas in focus. As it is, you can get a very moody sort of shot and adding a subject, like someone on the stairs, can help it out a lot.

You're doing very well by just playing around and learning the camera settings. These don't look like snapshots at all, and they have a lot of potential.

 

[FDSA]

What? I said they DON'T need to be edited to be worth posting.

oops sorry read that wrong.

i think i need to take the bamboo shot when its a little overcast to really get it right.

 

[FDSA]

I also did this one last night, but my second duplication of the background layer was a dissolve layer, and I think i actually desaturated one or two of the layers a bit and then in my color balance I definitely added more blue.
Like I said, I cannot remember exactly what I did with these.
The only thing I do know that I did was I duplicated the background layer and made it a burn layer.
I use GIMP, and I'm still learning it. I'm not that great at it.:lmao:

i've been trying to get a look similar to this one in photoshop but now i can't find the dissolve tool, which i know i've used before. does anyone know where it is?

did you use the burn tool on the whole layer or just in certain spots?

 

[FDSA]

still can't find the dissolve tool

heres my edit of the clouds just a quick crop and a small change in the saturation, Good?

 

[omama]

hmm, I just landed here after a long search for a beginner board and this is one of the first threads I have read. I will be sure to read through some more before I share my photos. I'm already seeing a lot of great info but I do have just a P&S. I do have Elements, barely know what to do with it but I would initially like to feel comfortable sharing SOOC while learning my camera and what it can do.
Sabbath; is think I see heaven in your edit

 

[STICKMAN]

All cool shots , just remember to each is own!!! abstract is very cool form of art imo.......... One day certain people here will just start judging the photos not the reason for taking it...... It seems certain folks here have a stick up there azz's ........... Keep shooting you got a good eye...

 

[FDSA]

Ok heres one that i edited. desaturated, changed contrast, and used the burn tool a little bit.

i still can't get the effect that Chewbecca got in the second one that i really like