New to Photography, one question...

[seanuhthin]

I realize to all the professionals on here this may sound incredibly stupid, but how do I capture a picture as I see it with my own eyes? To often I find myself unable to achieve a decent picture even though lighting at the moment is perfect.

 

[icassell]

Wow, what a great question. That's what it's all about ... putting in an image what you see or feel ... It takes technique, practice, and art ...

I suggest you start by reading a basic book on exposure (Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure comes to mind) ... then practice, practice, practice ...

 

[Steve01]

It "is" a great question. With enough practice you'll start to see that not everything that's appealing to the eye is actually photogenic.

It takes time but you'll start being able to tell the two apart and see something that's pretty to the eye, and then see it as a photographer and be able to tell if it will work as a photograph.

 

[KenC]

One thing to keep in mind is that your eye/brain can perceive a range of tone and color that can't be achieved in a straightforward way in a camera. The films with the greatest tonal range (bw mostly) were able to get about 6-7 stops range, while we can perceive at least 9 or 10 (someone correct me if I'm way off on these). Digital sensors are better, but still short of our perception. Only by combining multiple shots, as in HDR, can photography match our range, and even then it will just look different. Part of gaining experience in photography is learning what is possible and what is not, at least not without extra shooting and PP.

 

[benlonghair]

I'd say it's not a great question.

I'd say it's THE QUESTION.

 

[Petraio Prime]

In simple terms, you can't.

 

[shmne]

All great answers, just to throw some light on the topic there are ways to get pictures closer to the human eye.

Starting off with the right lens helps a lot. On a crop frame camera any lens from 28-30mm will closely replicate the human eye (meaning what you see with your eyes, will be similar to what you can catch with the shutter). On a full frame camera 50mm will produce a near human eye look.

Basically, the blur, depth of field, and just general feeling of the lens will be closest to the human eye. Other lenses will not replicate the same kind of blur on those cameras.

Honestly I don't have a full grasp of the concept yet, but I'm almost positive those are the right lenses for the right bodies.

 

[flyingember]

In simple terms, you can't.

correct.

there's multiple things to this including

1. our brain forces our eyes to focus only on what we're focusing on within a narrow plane. a camera can focus on everything it can see.

2. we have a round frame of view since our eyes are round , cameras go to a square surface and as such work in squares

3. we have an infinitely adjustable light setting within limits. cameras work in discrete amounts of light in nearly all cases

4. even the general rule of 50mm is our field of view is wrong. we can stand in one place and see nearly 180 degrees at once. really, put your hands next to you on both sides of your head, you can see almost directly to your side. it's just not all in focus. few cameras can see that much at once in all directions.

5. color and tone. we can see more colors than we know how to recreate, or we can be partially color blind and not be able to see colors the camera can capture. cameras can also work in color and light systems we can't see without a camera (like IR)

6. range. learn the basics of for HDR for more

7. movement. cameras capture a single frame, our eyes can keep focus on an object in movement without needing to know it's moving. our eyes are really more like a video camera

8. cameras are color light sensitive or tone light sensitive (think film). our eyes are both at the exact same time (rods and cones)

 

[Boomn4x4]

In simple terms, you can't.

+1

And understanding that is what makes the difference between a snap shot and a photograph.

You will never be able to capture a 4 dimentional object and duplicate it on a 2 dimentional media. That is what makes photography, because you have to use your own creativity to reproduce that 2 dimentional replication in a way the best conveys a mood, story, and aura to it.

 

[AlexL]

I wish my camera can do that, but I believe technology can catch up to that point. If the above recommendation doesn't work for you, you can always wait for the tech to be available

 

[KmH]

Here are some specifics about why you can't:

The Photographic Eye | B&H Photo Video Pro Audio