Different photos for comparison. C&C if you want.

photo guy · Dec 30, 2011

Here are two fire shots that I took this year. One was at an actual fire scene and the other was at a different fire dept.'s open house.

Here is the one from an actual scene.

This is the photo from the other dept.'s open house

SCraig · Dec 30, 2011

There is no true black in either image. They are shifted to the right side of the histogram. If you set the black point right where the data on the histogram ends they look much, much better. Right now they look washed out.

photo guy · Dec 30, 2011

Thank you. I did not do any editing to any of these so some people who keep saying I am not learning anything can see some of my skills as the fire is sharper in #2.
I appreciate your C&C. Thank you again

Natalie · Dec 30, 2011

I agree, they do look a bit washed out. Some of that seems to be the limitations of the actual camera - I know when I was using P&S cameras I found it very difficult to get true-to-life contrast. Do you use photo editing software like Photoshop or Lightroom? You might try fiddling around with that to see if you can make the photos pop. The first shot is very interesting composition-wise... Nice job!b :thumbup: The second one doesn't do much for me, I guess because I don't know what it's a photo of.

EDIT: Just saw that you did not edit them, nvm.

naptime · Dec 30, 2011

i agree. they would both look a bit better if they were darkened some. seem a little washed to me, especially the first.

i like #1 but i think it would look better darker as mentioned, and either with more of the brick on the right, or cropped to remove the brick. as it is with just a sliver it seems to be a bit of a distraction. i would edit to show you what i mean, but your info says no editing.

#2, i would crop to the right edge of the fire where the grey wall begins. and along the bottom just below the wood. this would give a nice landscape imo. and darken just a hair. again, i would be happy to show you what i mean.. but your info says no editing.

tifwiw

photo guy · Dec 30, 2011

Thank You Natalie. I do have photo editing software (Outdated - Microsoft PictureIt 10) that I use all the time but sometimes I like to post unedited photos to show how some look just after I take them to see what people say. The 1st one was actually published on the front page of the local paper the day after the fire. I am monkeying around again this week playing with my editing of some photos to see how they turn out. I will post some of those next week.

cgipson1 · Dec 30, 2011

photo guy said:
Thank you. I did not do any editing to any of these so some people who keep saying I am not learning anything can see some of my skills as the fire is sharper in #2.
I appreciate your C&C. Thank you again

Photoguy..

#2 was shot in full AUTO... so how did YOU make it sharper? The camera did it.. or a randomly chosen focus point did it! It was also created on 10-14-11... before you really started trying to improve by asking for C&C (11-27-11 per your profile). So how does that reflect on recently improved skills?

#1 was shot in full AUTO also...

It is very difficult to learn how to actually control the camera, or the exposure when in full AUTO.. and NOT trying to be Rude or Mean.. just keeping it honest. Anybody with an Exif reader would see the same thing.

naptime · Dec 30, 2011

check out google picasa if you want a newer updated and easy to use photo editing for free.

worst case, you don't like it, delete it. no money lost.

i've been using it a few weeks. really liking its functionality and usability for what it is, and for the price.

great for someone like me that's not a pro editor.

Picasa

cgipson1 · Dec 30, 2011

naptime said:
check out google picasa if you want a newer updated and easy to use photo editing for free.

worst case, you don't like it, delete it. no money lost.

i've been using it a few weeks. really liking its functionality and usability for what it is, and for the price.

great for someone like me that's not a pro editor.

Picasa

Download GIMP.. it is free.. and rocks! GIMP - The GNU Image Manipulation Program

naptime · Dec 30, 2011

blah. i hate gimp. nothing but problems with it.

i have corel photo paint, it came bundled with corel draw which i use extensively for screen printing. but it's vector. but i dont even use photo paint for editing photos. picasa seemed much easier. probably because its dummied down. i click and it does the work.

i like its organizing as well.

gimp doesnt do everything for me.

though i do have it on the computer.

i know gimp is supposed to do everything that photos

photo guy · Dec 31, 2011

The second one is sharper in a way as I was able to get closer since it was a controlled burn for training with fire extinguishers for people during the open house instead of an actual call where there are guidelines I have to follow for safety. I also have more experience with fire photos as I have been helping with or taking them for years before digital came out. Only recently have I began to do those shots in other setting other than Auto. That is why I carry 2 cameras on scenes so I can always keep one on auto (my Kodak).

cgipson1 · Dec 31, 2011

photo guy said:
The second one is sharper in a way as I was able to get closer since it was a controlled burn for training with fire extinguishers for people during the open house instead of an actual call where there are guidelines I have to follow for safety. I also have more experience with fire photos as I have been helping with or taking them for years before digital came out. Only recently have I began to do those shots in other setting other than Auto. That is why I carry 2 cameras on scenes so I can always keep one on auto (my Kodak).

Usable and affordable Digital came out in 1991.. so you have been shooting fire photos for 21+ years? Wow! What kind of camera were you using in those days?

naptime · Dec 31, 2011

i was just thinking the same thing. you started shooting fires when you were 10?

regardless of how long you have been taking them, or how much experience you have with them, you still have some underlying issues with composition that you don't seem willing to learn.