I SO SO SO want this! CC? I've been studying and practicing

[tevo]

The lighting is seriously hurting my eyes. On Camera Flash is a NO-NO for close up portraits like this... you need to have off camera lighting. Eek.

Focus shouldnt even be that hard to attain...

 

[Derrel]

a mom with a camera can take some great shots with proper settings.

If by "great shots" you mean well-exposed, focused shots, I suppose so.

A mom with a cookbook can make some nice meals, indeed. As long as the chicken is already cut-up and foam-and cello-wrapped. As long as the salmon has been filleted. As long as the oysters have already been shucked. As long as the banana cream filling is made by Jello Brand. And the pie crust is from the frozen section. Most "moms" have zero idea about how to dispatch,pluck, and then cut up a chicken. Most "moms" cannot fillet a salmon or a ling cod. Most "moms" cannot shuck an oyster. Most moms have never, ever made a banana cream pie filling. I can do all those culinary tasks, and it took quite some time to learn all those chef "basics". No recipe needed,no guidebook,no cheat sheet...I actually "understand what" the task is, and how it has been done by tens of thousands who came before me...that is what happens when one actually accomplishes "learning".

Recipes, paint by number paintings, etc,etc. Yeah, sure. You're right.


My favorite painter is a guy named Paint B'Numberz...he's from Ohio...

 

[MLeeK]

OK... Let's try something different here before they all kill each other...

You've read a couple of books or so. How about you TELL us what you have learned from those books. What have you learned about the things you are trying to master?

 

[tevo]

a mom with a camera can take some great shots with proper settings.

If by "great shots" you mean well-exposed, focused shots, I suppose so.

A mom with a cookbook can make some nice meals, indeed. As long as the chicken is already cut-up and foam-and cello-wrapped. As long as the salmon has been filleted. As long as the oysters have already been shucked. As long as the banana cream filling is made by Jello Brand. And the pie crust is from the frozen section. Most "moms" have zero idea about how to dispatch,pluck, and then cut up a chicken. Most "moms" cannot fillet a salmon or a ling cod. Most "moms" cannot shuck an oyster. Most moms have never, ever made a banana cream pie filling. I can do all those culinary tasks, and it took quite some time to learn all those chef "basics". No recipe needed,no guidebook,no cheat sheet...I actually "understand what" the task is, and how it has been done by tens of thousands who came before me...that is what happens when one actually accomplishes "learning".

Recipes, paint by number paintings, etc,etc. Yeah, sure. You're right.


My favorite painter is a guy named Paint B'Numberz...he's from Ohio...

so..... make me a ham sandwich

i expect you to hunt the pig for the meat, make the bread, mayo, grow the lettuce and tomatoes, and forge the knife. ready go



(and you have to handmake every tool necessary for completing each of the tasks above)

 

[Kerbouchard]

a mom with a camera can take some great shots with proper settings.

If by "great shots" you mean well-exposed, focused shots, I suppose so.

A mom with a cookbook can make some nice meals, indeed. As long as the chicken is already cut-up and foam-and cello-wrapped. As long as the salmon has been filleted. As long as the oysters have already been shucked. As long as the banana cream filling is made by Jello Brand. And the pie crust is from the frozen section. Most "moms" have zero idea about how to dispatch,pluck, and then cut up a chicken. Most "moms" cannot fillet a salmon or a ling cod. Most "moms" cannot shuck an oyster. Most moms have never, ever made a banana cream pie filling. I can do all those culinary tasks, and it took quite some time to learn all those chef "basics". No recipe needed,no guidebook,no cheat sheet...I actually "understand what" the task is, and how it has been done by tens of thousands who came before me...that is what happens when one actually accomplishes "learning".

Recipes, paint by number paintings, etc,etc. Yeah, sure. You're right.


My favorite painter is a guy named Paint B'Numberz...he's from Ohio...

Dude, I don't know what your problem is tonight. Maybe you're just lonely on a Saturday night. My family has already gone to bed, so I have all kinds of time to go back and forth with you.

As far as knowing how to pluck a chicken, I would say that is a skill most no longer need to have. Same with photography. There are some skills that Mom's don't need to have to achieve good or great results.

This isn't a case where the OP is saying she wants to go pro. This isn't a case where the OP is wanting to shoot a wedding next week. She just wants to take better shots of her kids and friends. Nothing wrong with that.

Me sharing a 'recipie' is along the same lines. If friends comes over for dinner and likes the food, I'll also tell them how I made it. What I won't do is tell them that their stove isn't good enough, that they should take more time before learning to do it, and that maybe they aren't ready for it. It's not that big of a secret...unless you are talking about my Pecan Pie recipe, in which case, it will go to my grave with me.

 

[MLeeK]

WOW! DOWN GUYS, DOWN! Everyone gets so personally offended. I am not ignoring your advice.......IN FACT, YOU ARE WRONG ABOUT THE SHUTTER. I SHOT AT 1/100 AT THE VERY LEAST...BUT MOSTLY AT 1/200-- -1/400. I posed a few shot WITHOUT my flash and in those circumstances I did slow my shutter to 1/60. I could have raised the ISO but personally, IMO, I couldn't stand the noise. I may not be a professional photographer but if you give me advice on PHOTOS THAT ARE MINE, that I dislike, I am not going to take it. You are all not gods gift to photography just because you are pros. And in case you haven't noticed, you all give opposing advice. It is quite possible that I have ignored one person's and taken another's. The EGOCENTRISM AND NARCISISM ON HERE IS BEYOND! I even just double checked my info on my photos! So, instead of jumping down my throat about not listening, maybe you should re-evaluate your electronic sources for reading my info!

My goal for this shoot was focus. I took these in the evening in my house. I did not use the speedlight flash for all of these! My husband purchased a speedlight for me and I played around with it on a few shots. I shot about 5 shoots last week all of which has about 200 photos in them. I learned what I could about FOCUSING...and then posted 6 photos out of like 1,000 for cc on focus. Grantid, if my lighting improved, that would have been great but my concentration was focus. So you see, I AM TAKING YOUR ADVICE! Perhaps if everyone wasn't so darn full of themeselves they would realize that I AM TRYING MY DAMN HARDEST TO APPLY EVERYTHING YOU ARE SAYING. I am not out to get everyone on here with some vivious global ignoral plot.


If you guys get so heated on an internet forum with a person that you don't know, have no idea what I am like, what I am doing on a daily basis, and how HARD I AM TRYING TO APPLY ALLLLLLL OF YOUR ADVICE, well than perhaps you should go join TAMF! AKA...The Anger Management forum!

I come in peace! I have been told to shoot at faster speeds and I did except for when it was too dark and I did not want to raise my ISO. Again, I have TWO OTHER friends who are pro photographers and by pro, I mean paid to do it and have been for over 5 years! They both told me that raising your ISO is not necessarily a good thing and to try shooting and practicing at 1/60. Photography is clearly an art which also means there is a lot up for debate. What works for some people on here may not work for otehrs. It is also a matter of taste. Don't be personally offended if I take one person's advice over another person's. I do have that right.
I rarely shoot slower than 1/100....and barely ever slower than 1/200. Also...JUST CHECKED AGAIN TO MAKE SURE, but I did not shoot even close to wide open because I know this decreases my DOF too much and makes getting a sharper image a little tougher for now. MOST; 90% of these shots were shot at 5.6. This was the recommended aperture that you advised me to shoot at. I didn't ignore your advice and if you need further confirmation, I will personally send you my data showing my settings! I cannot explain why you are all getting the readings you are.

If you have ever struggled with something than show some damn tolerance! You guys act like vicious animals on here. This is photography not war! Stop atttacking people out there that share the same passion as you; even if they struggle to apply your techniques. You do not live in my home and you do not see me attempt to apply certain advice. I do not feel that I need to report every time I take your advice. I simply chose to post a few photos I liked for cc.

This tells me that you aren't even paying attention to your settings, because you can't shoot at 1/400 with your flash unless you are using high speed/rear curtain sync and seeing how you are just putting your flash in TTL and shooting I am pretty sure you haven't any idea how to use it.
This is exactly why I want you to slow down.
Shoot ONE image. THINK about the settings you make in the camera and why you make each one.
Decide:
1. What do I need first and foremost? Are you shooting both girls and need a deeper depth of field? Are you shooting the girls and have to have a minimum speed of 1/200?
What do you NEED most of all?
2. After you decide what that NEED is, then you are refusing to use a higher ISO, so the aperture or the shutter will be your second need. You already have made the decision about the ISO, so it's not something you are worrying about right now.
3. THINK and make your focus where you want it.

Take the photograph. LOOK at it. THINK about what your shutter speed did or did not do that you needed it to do. LOOK at the depth of field and decide if it is the correct thing.
LOOK at the focus very carefully and decide what you did or didn't do right. LOOK at the exposure. What does it look like? Do you need it to be brighter/darker... And how could you have achieved it...
Shoot very deliberately. Keep taking snapshots every day for the memories-don't WORRY about those. But when you are shooting to learn shoot very slowly, deliberately and think about EVERY. LITTLE. THING.
Don't try to dress your kids up and get them to pose perfectly, shoot them when they are at play with one of their favorite toys or something that has them occupied and you able to catch a moment to shoot them. The pressure of having them dressed and posed is also putting more on your mind than shooting very deliberately. You are putting some importance on the whole shoot. Someone said they have a limitless recycle bin-so do you. If you aren't pressuring yourself to get the perfect image and are thinking slowly about every aspect I think you will get some great shots and you will learn a lot.

 

[blackrose89]

I'm not part of this thread, have no desire to be... is it just me or should threads get locked after the first 50 posts of endless ring-a-around bickering/debating?

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

NO!
It's comedy gold!





























Continue.

 

[blackrose89]

NO!
It's comedy gold!

LOL!

 

[Kerbouchard]

I'm not part of this thread, have no desire to be... is it just me or should threads get locked after the first 50 posts of endless ring-a-around bickering/debating?

Shouldn't you be off trying to figure out how to take pictures of Christmas Ornaments instead of whining about this thread regarding somebody who is trying to improve if she could just get past all of the posts like yours?

Btw, thanks for contributing absolutely nothing.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

 

[Kerbouchard]

You are the worst one of the bunch. Just about every ridiculous thread has at least 5 posts by you, and you are usually the one who stirs it up to start with. The only other ones that come close is KMH and o hey tyler.

The only reason I don't have you on ignore is because somebody has to refute all the crap you post.

 

[unpopular]

We all know the real problem is that the photographer used digital, and if she used film, the results would have been much better.

 

[zcar21]

My goal for this shoot was focus. I took these in the evening in my house. I did not use the speedlight flash for all of these! My husband purchased a speedlight for me and I played around with it on a few shots. I shot about 5 shoots last week all of which has about 200 photos in them. I learned what I could about FOCUSING...and then posted 6 photos out of like 1,000 for cc on focus. Grantid, if my lighting improved, that would have been great but my concentration was focus. So you see, I AM TAKING YOUR ADVICE! Perhaps if everyone wasn't so darn full of themeselves they would realize that I AM TRYING MY DAMN HARDEST TO APPLY EVERYTHING YOU ARE SAYING. I am not out to get everyone on here with some vivious global ignoral plot.

It seems idiotic to shoot a little girl 1000 times just to practice focusing. Why get so technical about the setting, there is no right answer, focus is only part of what makes a good picture. Color, composition, correct exposure, etc. are just as important, instead of looking for perfection, effort should be put in combining all those aspects to create the photo you want.
It's just common sense. Teachers should understand this a lot better than students.

 

[unpopular]

You are the worst one of the bunch. Just about every ridiculous thread has at least 5 posts by you, and you are usually the one who stirs it up to start with. The only other ones that come close is KMH and o hey tyler.

The only reason I don't have you on ignore is because somebody has to refute all the crap you post.

where is the SUPERLIKE button?