On the beach

[lee_M]

Hi all its really bad weather today so between the rain showers i went down the beach! it was really cloudy and over cast:thumbdown:
so i took a few shoots then it started to rain!

Right now i'm NEW to the photography thing and i have only had a camera for 3weeks "So be nice"

 

[Alex_B]

i like the first one the most, as it focusses on one object ... the others are full of so many things ...

in the last one shallow depth of field would be nicer IMHO ...


the third one appears very flat and unspectacular. I think that one would require a much more interesting perspective. the way it is now, it is neither fish nor meat (errm, German saying )

oh, and I would never go for frames which put a shade on part of the image, personally.

And now for something completely different ... would anyone be interested in a Cornwall/Devon meetup? .. ok , maybe we better make this a thread in the meetup forum

I won't be back in Devon before next year though...

 

[lee_M]

Cool thanks for the advice! 'Shallow depth of field' what does that mean and how can i improve on it?
the third one was flat! or is it the angle that i have taken the picture on thats made it look flater?
As for the border i see what you mean but i have just been messing with CS2 so i'll try and improve on that too

 

[lee_M]

I have this photo aswell, its the first one i have taken using my new canon EF 200mm L lens it was ****ing down with rain! so i think thats why theres not much colour!

 

[Alex_B]

Cool thanks for the advice! 'Shallow depth of field' what does that mean and how can i improve on it?

well, use a wider aperture (smaller number), and the field of what will appear un-blurred sharp will get more shallow. That way you achive selective sharpness.

the third one was flat! or is it the angle that i have taken the picture on thats made it look flater?

Yes, you shot at an angle such that everything is in one plane perpendicular to your line of sight. there are certainly compositions where this would work, but with what you show here it certainly is a rather boring perspective. Other angles might add tension to the image.

 

[Alex_B]

to see the effect, just take two pictures of an object close to you, say 1 meter, in front of a background say 6 meters away. Focus on the object.
In one shot you choose f/4, for the other f/8 or above. then compare and see the difference.

 

[Big Mike]

it was really cloudy and over cast

That is great for photography...it's like mother nature is giving us a gigantic soft box.

'Shallow depth of field' what does that mean and how can i improve on it?

Depth of field is the area in a photo that appears to be relatively in focus. Here is an explanation from a great site.
By controlling the DOF, you can do things like throwing the background out of focus...so that it is not distracting. This is good for outdoor portraits, for example. Your first shot...of the screw...that has a shallow DOF.

There are several things that control DOF...the main thing is the aperture. A bigger aperture (smaller F number) gives you a shallower DOF. Alternatively...a small aperture (high F number) gives you a deeper DOF...which is good for landscapes etc.
Focal length also plays a part. The longer the lens...and the closer to the subject you are...the shallower the DOF will be.

 

[lee_M]

to see the effect, just take two pictures of an object close to you, say 1 meter, in front of a background say 6 meters away. Focus on the object.
In one shot you choose f/4, for the other f/8 or above. then compare and see the difference.

OK thanks mate i'll try that tomorrow if it ever stops raining:meh:
thanks for the help:thumbup:

 

[Alex_B]

OK thanks mate i'll try that tomorrow if it ever stops raining:meh:
thanks for the help:thumbup:

c'mon, you can do that indoors... try the staircase or whatever is there in your house

 

[lee_M]

That is great for photography...it's like mother nature is giving us a gigantic soft box.


Depth of field is the area in a photo that appears to be relatively in focus. Here is an explanation from a great site.
By controlling the DOF, you can do things like throwing the background out of focus...so that it is not distracting. This is good for outdoor portraits, for example. Your first shot...of the screw...that has a shallow DOF.

There are several things that control DOF...the main thing is the aperture. A bigger aperture (smaller F number) gives you a shallower DOF. Alternatively...a small aperture (high F number) gives you a deeper DOF...which is good for landscapes etc.
Focal length also plays a part. The longer the lens...and the closer to the subject you are...the shallower the DOF will be.

Ok i think i understand that!:blushing:

I'm getting there slowly:mrgreen:

 

[lee_M]

Done it Alex!!
I think this is what you ment!:thumbup: :blushing:
I used my new L lens and i used Manual focus i was focusing on the rolling pin LOL

F/4

F/10

Ohh i have just looked in the manual and i was using the P mode, and i think i should of been using the AV mode 'Aperture-priority' but i'm not sure really!

 

[Big Mike]

I think you are getting it. :thumbsup:
Now the trick is knowing when to use a shallow DOF and when not to. Not there there is a right and wrong...this is art after all.

Another thing you have to watch for...is the shutter speed. When you close down the aperture (higher F number) to get a deeper DOF...you will need to keep the shutter open longer to let in more light. When the shutter is open longer...you are more susceptible to the dreaded camera shake...which causes blurry images. (or blurry photos due to subject movement). The rule of thumb, when shooting with the camera in your hands...is that the shutter speed should be higher than the focal length of the lens. So with your 200mm lens...you should have a shutter speed faster than 1/200.

 

[Alex_B]

Yes, that is what i meant, and you can clearly see the difference

Well, if you want to be in full control of the DOF, I would use AV indeed, it is the mode I use most of the time. However, keep an eye on shutter speed then, in particular in low light

:thumbup: keep playing around!

Done it Alex!!
I think this is what you ment!:thumbup: :blushing:
I used my new L lens and i used Manual focus i was focusing on the rolling pin

LOL

Ohh i have just looked in the manual and i was using the P mode, and i think i should of been using the AV mode 'Aperture-priority' but i'm not sure really!

 

[lee_M]

cool thanks woohoo i'm getting there! LOL
But i'm going to ask something really silly! how do i adjust the shutter speed? is that the ISO?

 

[Big Mike]

cool thanks woohoo i'm getting there! LOL
But i'm going to ask something really silly! how do i adjust the shutter speed? is that the ISO?

No, that's different.

When you half press the button...the camera's light meter is activated and you will see two numbers appear...both in the viewfinder and on the small LCD screen. One of those numbers is the shutter speed and one is the F number (aperture).

If you are in Av mode (aperture priority)...then the aperture will stay constant...so you can put it on F4 (for example) and keep it there. The camera will choose an appropriate shutter speed to match...based on the light.
Same thing if you use Tv...except that you pick the shutter speed...and the camera chooses an appropriate aperture.

If you use Auto (P or the green box)...then the camera picks both. If you use Manual mode...then you have to adjust both the aperture and the shutter speed...you do this by looking at the scale (viewfinder and screen)...and adjusting until the 'needle' is in the middle of the scale.

The ISO is controlled seperately by pressing the ISO button. The ISO is the sensitivity of the sensor...the higher the number...the less light you need. So if there is not enough light to get a fast enough shutter speed...then you could turn up the ISO to get a faster shutter speed. There is a trade off though. The higher the ISO...the more digital noise you will get in the images. For this reason...it is best to keep the ISO as low as posible at all times...and only turn it up when you need to. (but don't forget to turn it down again)