C&C on the technical aspect...

[JeffieLove]

Don't throw in the towel already.

Not necesarily throwing in the towel on it. Just need a little break from it. I am getting a little frustrated and I am running out of things to take pictures of inside lol

I will come back to it probably on Saturday. I have the opportunity to shoot outside today if I want to. I haven't had that opportunity since I got the camera I assure you, I am nit throwing in the towel

 

[Stamp]

In addition to what was said above, they're all crooked. I usually draw a straight vertical line next to something I know should be straight vertical in the photo, and then rotate until it lines up. Simple fix, and it makes a world of difference. Keep at it. If nobody told you what to fix, how can you get better?

 

[JeffieLove]

In addition to what was said above, they're all crooked. I usually draw a straight vertical line next to something I know should be straight vertical in the photo, and then rotate until it lines up. Simple fix, and it makes a world of difference. Keep at it. If nobody told you what to fix, how can you get better?

I have a really cheap tripod that doesn't stay straight even when I make it straight because my camera is heavy and it makes it move a little after I've adjusted it...

That's part of the reason I want to get outside to shoot today... Shouldn't be much need for a tripod

I will take it with me since I am probably going to go to a park... but for the most part I probably won't need it

 

[bazooka]

I would recommend reshooting the things that you've already tried and apply the changes we've suggested. I think most people tend to grasp things better once they've done it, and I for one would like to see the improvement. You can make a boring cordless phone or bottle of wine look pretty freakin' pro if you light it correctly.

 

[Chris Stegner]

I don't mean to be rude here, and this question isn't for the OP specifically. It's just more of a general question.....

Why don't people bracket? What don't people take the time to review various shot settings?

Maybe it's just the way I do things, but if I'm shooting something like this, or shooting anything that I have the time to mess with it, I will bracket, attempt various apertures, shutter speeds, ISOs.

I think you learn quite a bit from "testing" like this. I don't mean that I do this every time I shoot a photo, but whenever I use "lights". An example would be a few weeks back I went with my boss to shoot his father's collection of old pharmaceutical items. I put together a makeshift sweep table and three softboxes (video lights). I shot about a half dozen shots at various settings, loaded them on the iMac, and reviewed them. Thsi took all of 10 minutes and I knew what I was getting for the 400 shots I took the rest of the day.

Is it me, or does this make sense?

 

[JeffieLove]

I don't mean to be rude here, and this question isn't for the OP specifically. It's just more of a general question.....

Why don't people bracket? What don't people take the time to review various shot settings?

Maybe it's just the way I do things, but if I'm shooting something like this, or shooting anything that I have the time to mess with it, I will bracket, attempt various apertures, shutter speeds, ISOs.

I think you learn quite a bit from "testing" like this. I don't mean that I do this every time I shoot a photo, but whenever I use "lights". An example would be a few weeks back I went with my boss to shoot his father's collection of old pharmaceutical items. I put together a makeshift sweep table and three softboxes (video lights). I shot about a half dozen shots at various settings, loaded them on the iMac, and reviewed them. Thsi took all of 10 minutes and I knew what I was getting for the 400 shots I took the rest of the day.

Is it me, or does this make sense?

I know you weren't asking OP specifically, but just thought I would comment...

I do play with apertures, shutter speeds, etc... I don't know anything about bracketing yet... haven't looked into it or anything... I'm still trying to learn basics

 

[JeffieLove]

I would recommend reshooting the things that you've already tried and apply the changes we've suggested. I think most people tend to grasp things better once they've done it, and I for one would like to see the improvement. You can make a boring cordless phone or bottle of wine look pretty freakin' pro if you light it correctly.

I will work on this later I will probably stick with the phone since the wine bottle is "more difficult" since you have to control the glare/reflection...

 

[Christie Photo]

Learning to see light...very interesting comment.

What reading would you suggest?

Gee... it's been so long I can't offer any particular sources. But familiarize yourself with the concept of lighting ratio and, for portraiture, lighting schemes. Learn how light AND shadow will communicate in two dimensions what three dimensional objects are like... how they show shape, surface texture (or lack of it) and reflective qualities. Once you have a basic understanding of these things, you have to decide how to create the necessary lighting OR recognise naturally occurring lighting that will do these things.

Direction of light is very important. If all the light is coming from behind the camera as in the postings here of the phone and bottle, few shadows can be seem from the camera's perspective. This results in an image that communicates very little about the shape and texture of the objects... flat lighting.

One simple way to begin to "see" lighting is to look at the scene and squint your eyes. I always joke it's like stopping down to f22. With you eyes squinted, it's easier to see where the brightest areas (highlights) and the darkest areas (shadow) are.

But you must first know what you're looking for. That's why is recommend learning about about what light you want before trying to create it or find it.

I hope this helps.

-Pete

 

[Dominantly]

?

 

[JeffieLove]

Dom, I'm assuming that's an edit... I can kinda tell in the background... i'm going to try reshooting the phone tonight after my kids are in bed... i'm going to use my clamp lights and see what I can do

I might even use the phone for this weeks assignment