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

[photo guy]

I just saw a reply that is like some of the past replies on the other forum posts that got locked. Please don't do this again. I want to learn without all of that drama again. Thank You

 

[cgipson1]

There is a faint aroma of BS in the air!

 

[naptime]

I just saw a reply that is like some of the past replies on the other forum posts that got locked. Please don't do this again. I want to learn without all of that drama again. Thank You

you are something else. this thread is full of advice.

 

[MTVision]

I just saw a reply that is like some of the past replies on the other forum posts that got locked. Please don't do this again. I want to learn without all of that drama again. Thank You

What do you want to learn? You haven't really told us. You say youve been doing this a while so what do you think you need to work on?
Nobody was being rude they were just pointing out that you really have no control when shooting in auto. That doesn't mean you have to shoot full manual but you could use aperture priority or shutter priority even for the fire department. Do you understand how aperture, shutter speed and ISO work together?

Understanding exposure by Bryan peterson - read it - library probably has it.

What metering modes does you camera have? Do you know what they do?

White balance - do you know what it is/means?

Composition is something you have control of no matter what made you shoot in. Here are some compositional strategies.
Viewpoint - look up at subject to imply respect, look down to diminish subject: "worms eye view", "birds eye view", skewed angle

Rule of Thirds - keep subject out of the center of the picture, strongest point of interest is 1/3 of the way into the pictures, don't divide the picture in half with the horizon line

Rule of Odds - frame subject with even number of elements on each side

Simplification - eliminate distracting information, keep focus on subject, have a clear center of interest, use narrow depth of field isolates subject, get close to subjext

Symmetry - balance arrangement, equal visual weight on each side of image

Repetition - use an element over and over again within the picture to create movement, pattern or texture

Color - create an emotional impact, warm colors suggest aggressive and advance, cool colors suggest calm and recede, monochromatic

Framing - look for the picture within the picture

Leading Lines - create a visual path into the picture with lines, mover the viewers eye around the photograph, imply action with direction of line, imply emotion with type of line

Lighting - use light to your advantage, time of day produces different color of light, use flat light, dynamic light, high key light, low key light


I know I've asked you some of these questions (or similar) before but you never answered. They aren't rhetorical questions.....

 

[cgipson1]

What do you want to learn?

Megan! :hug::

 

[MTVision]

Megan! :hug::

I'm good like that!

 

[photo guy]

Thank You MTVision. I have been doing that (changing my settings using Shutter Priority and more) only the last 3 months and don't have any of those photos ready to post since I haven't got them resized yet. I have also got out my photography book that I started reading to start over to see if that helps too as seeing so many people keep telling me to read up on it. When I did post the Christmas lights I used some of those settings and just got negative feedback for using those settings. This to me seems like a double standard and also makes it confusing causing it harder to learn it right. I got some new photos on Thursday evening (after 10 P.M.) due to another fire and kept changing the setting while photographing it. After I run them by the chief per protocal I will post some of those taken in other settings if that would help.

About using different time of the day for lighting, I tried that with my latest park photos that I posted with the lights and just got the rude remarks saying I didn't take advice when I actually did post that I did go earlier. I have a lot more of those photos that I could post showing it but don't want to get blasted for doing it.

Thank You for your help. I appreciate it.

 

[MTVision]

Thank You MTVision. I have been doing that (changing my settings using Shutter Priority and more) only the last 3 months and don't have any of those photos ready to post since I haven't got them resized yet. I have also got out my photography book that I started reading to start over to see if that helps too as seeing so many people keep telling me to read up on it. When I did post the Christmas lights I used some of those settings and just got negative feedback for using those settings. This to me seems like a double standard and also makes it confusing causing it harder to learn it right. I got some new photos on Thursday evening (after 10 P.M.) due to another fire and kept changing the setting while photographing it. After I run them by the chief per protocal I will post some of those taken in other settings if that would help.

About using different time of the day for lighting, I tried that with my latest park photos that I posted with the lights and just got the rude remarks saying I didn't take advice when I actually did post that I did go earlier. I have a lot more of those photos that I could post showing it but don't want to get blasted for doing it.

Thank You for your help. I appreciate it.

You still didn't really answer my questions but whatever. But why are you changing your settings? Is there a method to the madness or are you just randomly changing your settings? I don't think anyone gave you negative feedback on your settings. I know you took one picture are 1/60 which is way too fast of a shutter speed for nighttime. I can't get that fast of a shutter speed inside my house at night. At night you need a SLOW shutter speed which is why you need a tripod. You shouldn't shoot handheld at a shutter speed below 1/60 - your photos won't be that sharp.

Settings are determined by the light available which is where your metering modes and your meter will come into use. Do you know what they are, where the meter is and what they do? It will be harder to learn if you don't understand how exposure works. Why not use the internet and look up the exposure triangle? If you want to learn something here then don't just post pictures just for the heck of it. Post 2 pictures and say I'm working on my exposure - how does it look or I'm working on my composition, etc.

You didn't take all the advice - you went a little earlier, only used a tripod for some of the photos. You were also given links on how to take photos of what you were trying to do. It was a great link with awesome information. But, composition wise - just going at different times of the day isn't going to cut it. You need to learn how to compose your photos so they are interesting especially if you are going to shoot on auto. I've noticed when you are giving CC you seem to say that the subject isn't centered a lot. 9 times out of 10 the subject should not be centered.

We don't need to see anymore of the photos from that last set of christmas lights. We already know what went wrong with that shoot - posting more would be pointless. Spend a week - pick something to work on, like composition. Then come back and post a few of your best and tell us what you were working on.
My first assignment in photography was to take 1 picture per compostional strategy that I posted above. Then we had to pick 5 compositional strategies and take 5 more pictures for each strategy.

 

[Chris R]

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

Based on this post it seems like you're out to prove something but I think you are failing to see the whole picture here - literally. Instead of focusing your attention on one or two details (like your photos sharpness) look deeper and what do you see? hopefully you see a photograph that is basically an uninteresting "snapshot" with considerably washed out colors. I get the impression that you have some sort of emotional attachment to your images, which is fine, but you must also step back and look at them from the perspective of an observer that doesn't know anything about them whatsoever.Your images suffer from 2 major problems: They really don't invoke any form of emotion or tell any story and they're not technically good exposures. If you like them then that's all that really matters but I wouldn't expect causal observers to like them. I hate saying this and am not trying to be rude but if you've been into photography for as long as you claim and are still at this "level" maybe you should just forget everyone's critiques/suggestions and go have fun snapping pictures? Maybe the technical aspect just isn't you.

 

[photo guy]

I can't believe this. I try to start fresh and now I am getting some of the same remarks from some of the same people from other threads. Unbelieveable. To all of you that have posted for a first time: THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE IT.

 

[Nikon_Josh]

I can't believe this. I try to start fresh and now I am getting some of the same remarks from some of the same people from other threads. Unbelieveable. To all of you that have posted for a first time: THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE IT.

HAHAHA! You are brilliant, thank you for giving me some laughs on New years eve, you only seem to react well to comments that are 'what you are wanting to hear'. I love people like you...

 

[MTVision]

I can't believe this. I try to start fresh and now I am getting some of the same remarks from some of the same people from other threads. Unbelieveable. To all of you that have posted for a first time: THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE IT.

Hey no problem. So glad I wasted my time writing all that crap out last night. I must be some of the "same people from other threads" since I got your PM.

All we've done is try to help - some people have made jokes and been a little snarky but my god - nothing that bad.

 

[cgipson1]

Photo Guy.. I am trying to help.. if you are ignoring the PM's, let me know.. so I can stop wasting my time.

 

[PhotoTish]

I can't believe this. I try to start fresh and now I am getting some of the same remarks from some of the same people from other threads. Unbelieveable. To all of you that have posted for a first time: THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE IT.

Hey no problem. So glad I wasted my time writing all that crap out last night. I must be some of the "same people from other threads" since I got your PM.

All we've done is try to help - some people have made jokes and been a little snarky but my god - nothing that bad.

You didn't waste your time - I found your posts very helpful. Thank you :thumbup:

 

[LightSpeed]

I can't believe this. I try to start fresh and now I am getting some of the same remarks from some of the same people from other threads. Unbelieveable. To all of you that have posted for a first time: THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE IT.

Here we go again..............................lol
You sure as hell are entertaining.
Looks like Gipson busted you pretty good. hahahahahaha

The nerve of Gipson to tell the truth. How dare he do that!