Newbie Here, Judge my photos

jacobk · Apr 15, 2011

Hey everyone, my name is Jake, and I am new to the whole photography scene. I recently purchased a Nikon S9100. I was going to get an SLR, but i really like the compact cameras. In my spare time I breed and raise pythons, so I want to be able to take very good quality photos that look natural. I also just built myself a lightbox to help with taking better pics. If anyone can give me some advice, guidance, ANYTHING, I would really appreciate it. Anyways, here are the pics. Thanks ALOT guys!

Auriflanos · Apr 15, 2011

As a biologist, I liked the pictures.

I am newbie also, but I think that what makes a nice picture, is not only the object itself, is the scene!

like this one:

KevinPutman · Apr 15, 2011

I'm, a novice as well, but from of the criticism I've seen and received myself,
I would say that the lighting is a little flat,

I would also say that the white background is a little plain,

mwcfarms · Apr 15, 2011

Try to number your pictures if you can, the first set I really like number three. Lighting would definitely help in separting the snake from the background but working with a snake I would have no idea how lol. I like snakes but couldn't photograph them lol Id be too worried about them trying to bugger off. I don't always think you need a background or setting to take a pleasing photograph and the example posted under yours is a bad example. Bad use of selective coloring in my opinion and the flower is very centered for my taste with too much of the background. If it had been just the flower head centered thats one thing. Sorry Auriflanos I don't mean to pick on you or anything, I am just trying to be helpful. Try and pay attention to your composition first before you start playing with pp.

Willl · Apr 15, 2011

They are all out of focus. Notice that the head of the snake is very fuzzy, whcih is the focal point of he pictures. 4 is in focus and right on the eye, which is good.

jacobk · Apr 15, 2011

Any idea with using a light box, what kind of bulbs I should be using? Also what sort of setting should I have on my camera? I noticed the photos do look a little blurry, but it was the best I could do. Im still trying to figure out this Nikon as its a little confusing for me.

Derrel · Apr 15, 2011

The lighting in the snake set looks rather flat, and uninteresting in the first two pictures; the third picture has somewhat better lighting and processing. I would suggest that you keep on shooting, and keep on developing your skills! These are not half bad, so with a bit more improvement, the pictures you make will be pretty decent.

lyonsroar · Apr 15, 2011

They'er looking flat and lifeless. Also underexposed. The background should be very white, not kinda grey-ish.
The example posted by Auriflanos is not a very good example either I'm afraid.

Here is an example of this technique I used on my work's beardie. This wasn't a lightbox, but rather just a few big (ledger sized) sheets of paper taped up on a table with my flash bounced around.

charles_1 by Lyonsroar91, on Flickr

(I'm not saying it's perfect, in fact I think the lighting is harsh, but the client (my boss) was happy with it, as evidenced by that fact that I still have my job...:lmao:

jacobk · Apr 15, 2011

that looks great!! How can i get the increase in light inside of my box? Use higher wattage bulbs? I believe the bulbs I am using are 6500K Daylight bulbs.

lyonsroar · Apr 15, 2011

jacobk said:
that looks great!! How can i get the increase in light inside of my box? Use higher wattage bulbs? I believe the bulbs I am using are 6500K Daylight bulbs.

Like I said that was done with a flashgun. I have only very limited experience with using static lights. Maybe try using more lights? Something like a shop light of work light maybe?

Auriflanos · Apr 15, 2011

mwcfarms said:
Try to number your pictures if you can, the first set I really like number three. Lighting would definitely help in separting the snake from the background but working with a snake I would have no idea how lol. I like snakes but couldn't photograph them lol Id be too worried about them trying to bugger off. I don't always think you need a background or setting to take a pleasing photograph and the example posted under yours is a bad example. Bad use of selective coloring in my opinion and the flower is very centered for my taste with too much of the background. If it had been just the flower head centered thats one thing. Sorry Auriflanos I don't mean to pick on you or anything, I am just trying to be helpful. Try and pay attention to your composition first before you start playing with pp.

My friend! Please, tell me BAD THINGS of my photos! I am NEW! ahahahhaha

This photo I used as an example of the presence of a background. I used this photo in Picasa by testing it, and the camera was a Canon A470 point-shot

my Pentax is being shipped to me

lyonsroar · Apr 15, 2011

Auriflanos said:
mwcfarms said:

Try to number your pictures if you can, the first set I really like number three. Lighting would definitely help in separting the snake from the background but working with a snake I would have no idea how lol. I like snakes but couldn't photograph them lol Id be too worried about them trying to bugger off. I don't always think you need a background or setting to take a pleasing photograph and the example posted under yours is a bad example. Bad use of selective coloring in my opinion and the flower is very centered for my taste with too much of the background. If it had been just the flower head centered thats one thing. Sorry Auriflanos I don't mean to pick on you or anything, I am just trying to be helpful. Try and pay attention to your composition first before you start playing with pp.

Click to expand...

My friend! Please, tell me BAD THINGS of my photos! I am NEW! ahahahhaha

This photo I used as an example of the presence of a background. I used this photo in Picasa by testing it, and the camera was a Canon A470 point-shot my Pentax is being shipped to me

The whole point of shooting in a light tent is to not have a background...I don't see how that picture even has any relevance to this thread...

The background on your flower picture leaves a lot to be desired too. You've got what looks like a house/ porch and bushes, but the selective coloring wasn't even selected well so the color is bleeding into the bushes in the background.

jacobk · Apr 15, 2011

Ok so it sounds like I need to add ALOT more light to my light box..I think I will try to get larger bulbs that put off ALOT more light. Also, what kind of camera settings should I be using to snap these pics? I use a tripod also.

lyonsroar · Apr 15, 2011

jacobk said:
Ok so it sounds like I need to add ALOT more light to my light box..I think I will try to get larger bulbs that put off ALOT more light. Also, what kind of camera settings should I be using to snap these pics? I use a tripod also.

THat depends on a lot of different factors.

Bump up the f#. I think you were at f9 on these, bump it up more to attain greater DOF. If the snakes are very active you're going to want to use a higher shutter speed to stop their motion effectively. If you're using a tripod, set it on like a 2-second delay so that your hand pressing the button doesn't move the camera.

Auriflanos · Apr 15, 2011

lyonsroar said:
The whole point of shooting in a light tent is to not have a background...I don't see how that picture even has any relevance to this thread...

The background on your flower picture leaves a lot to be desired too. You've got what looks like a house/ porch and bushes, but the selective coloring wasn't even selected well so the color is bleeding into the bushes in the background.

Hum.. I see..
It was a Pint-shot picture in the hotel I was in San francisco. I used this picture to show what I was thinking was missing on the Jacobk's pictures. Sicne I was making a mistake by not understanding jacobk objectives, I was wrong.

Thank you for your comment