Complete Noob to Photography

[UrFavSigma]

How difficult is the editing for these type of images?

 

[Karri]

I know you keep asking about the editing but you will have to learn the basics of photography like you are beginning with - the book. The pictures you are trying to take do not look like that because of the editing. They have the right lighting, composition, etc... and editing helps to bring those features out. Learn about how to use lighting in your pictures first and then learn about the editing. You don't want to spend hours trying to make the picture look like this in editing when if you had had the right lighting or angle or whatever, it only takes a snap minute.

Just my two cents!

 

[OrionsByte]

How difficult is the editing for these type of images?

I don't think it's so much a matter of difficulty as it's a matter of experience. Initially, you'll probably want to stick to some very basic editing like brightness/contrast and saturation adjustments. If the shot that comes out of the camera isn't good, though, processing it with software is not going to magically make it better.

I know you're trying to focus on short-term goals, and I'm trying really hard not to turn this in to a "practice-makes-perfect" post, but what you're asking is akin to someone putting on ice skates for the first time and asking how to do a triple lutz. Go take pictures. Take lots of pictures. 90% of them (or more) will be total crap, and that's okay - your camera's digital so it doesn't cost you anything to take crappy pictures.

Then take the small percentage of your pictures that were not crap and do some very small, basic adjustments on them to see how it affects the picture. Do you like it better with more contrast? Less contrast? More saturation? Black & white? Just play. Learn by doing.

Post a few here and get feedback. Don't take criticism personally; use it to adjust your techniques and learn from your mistakes. Eventually you'll get better and better.

Are pictures like those in your original post achievable with your camera and some software processing? Sure, probably. But it's at least 50% camera skill and 50% software skill, and in reality camera skill plays a much larger role than 50%. You can't do it with 5% camera skill and 95% software skill, though.

Dang, how did I get up on this soap box? Could someone bring me a ladder?

 

[UrFavSigma]

Thanks for the feedback guys! Very informative!!!!