C & C # 3

jansch · Mar 10, 2010

Hello once again,

I'm rather pleased. Just got back from a walk, and I can see myself improve- which is always very encouraging. Although I'm no where close to even being an average photographer- still pretty pathetic, but still happy I can feel myself learning.

For the first time, I got some shallow DOF working for me, with the 18-55 kit lens, and an XSi.

This is closest zoom I could get as the place was fenced, but don't realy care about the composition of anything else, as I finally got a rather clean-ish image. Been trying, but always ended up getting dirty blurry ones.

Focal length- 55mm, ISO- 800, f- 5.6, SS- 1/15

Could I have done anything differently here? Any way I can get a shallow-er depth of field, with this same lens?

This one I'm not too sure about- not the composition nor the PP. What do you guys think?

Too much PP?? the original one's below. And can I do something about that extremely bright sky? Can I make it look like sky somehow and not a whitefire-ball? Anyway I can tone down the superbly bright parts without altering the brightness of the other parts? And anyway I can get a shallow depth of field for the plants and trees on the sides?I would've thought I should've gotten that with the settings I used, mentioned below, but barely anything.

This is the original one-

Focal Length- 18mm, ISO- 800, f-5, SS-1/25

jansch · Mar 10, 2010

Any way I can post larger images? Looks like they automatically resized themselves..

matfoster · Mar 10, 2010

you're into high contrast - that's your taste. for me the original looks much better than the pp version (graduated light and shade is more interesting and detailed.) that building seems to be built with green stone. where in the world are you? 800iso is too sensitive for shots in reasonable light like these are (especially pointing the camera skywards). try a lower ISO.

jansch · Mar 10, 2010

matfoster said:
you're into high contrast - that's your taste. for me the original looks much better than the pp version (graduated light and shade is more interesting and detailed.) that building seems to be built with green stone. where in the world are you? 800iso is too sensitive for shots in reasonable light like these are (especially pointing the camera skywards). try a lower ISO.

Hey, thanks.

Tried a lower ISO, but had to make slow down the shutter speed then, and I didn't have a tripod.

And yup, that building is built with green stone. It's in the old British part of Bombay, India. A small wing of a university campus.

Bitter Jeweler · Mar 10, 2010

#1, I believe is rather overexposed, and your reds may be blown (little to no detail). Remember to always watch your backgrounds, they can be shot killers. There is a weird thing going on here, that almost looks like a hard lined Graduated ND filter.

That line from the bricks is in line with that front petal too, which seems to visually bisect the image.

#2(and #3) is over processed for my tastes. Don't get me wrong, I like me some Post Processing. But you lost almost all the detail in the leaves that are framing out the shot rather nicely. I totally feel like I am lost, coming out of the "forest" upon this creepy and interesting structure. Unfortunately, you are a victim of the limitations of the dynamic range cameras can capture. You got the detail of the dark leaves in the "shade" but the sky is blown, badly. I would love to see you revisit this place, and try to capture this either in the morning, or at dusk. Or better, a stormy late afternoon.

Nice shot. Nicely framed. It tells (me) a story. Nice repetition of shape and interesting lines all keep me looking at this image.

jansch · Mar 10, 2010

Bitter Jeweler said:
#2(and #3) is over processed for my tastes. Don't get me wrong, I like me some Post Processing. But you lost almost all the detail in the leaves that are framing out the shot rather nicely. I totally feel like I am lost, coming out of the "forest" upon this creepy and interesting structure. Unfortunately, you are a victim of the limitations of the dynamic range cameras can capture. You got the detail of the dark leaves in the "shade" but the sky is blown, badly. I would love to see you revisit this place, and try to capture this either in the morning, or at dusk. Or better, a stormy late afternoon.

Nice shot. Nicely framed. It tells (me) a story. Nice repetition of shape and interesting lines all keep me looking at this image.

Thanks

Here are the originals, absolutely unedited, both of these.

And yes, I'll try going there this evening, and try getting this shot again, to see how it works out.

But there's no way I can make the sky a little less harsh in this image?