On the Farm C&C is appreciated

JackandSally · Nov 17, 2012

I am going to give you a fair warning, these are SOOC. I attempted to do some photoshop with them, however, was not happy with the results. I am fairly new at this and wanted to get some opinions. Please don't base these photos on what I can do in photoshop, because I suck at photo shop - once I begin to get the photos I like SOOC I will start working on improving my PS skills.

I am aware the my ISOs were high. I was playing with the settings seeing how everything came together, seeing what made what work.

1.

I know the sun is a bit over exposed, and will fix that in PS (that is one of the few things I am able to use PS for)

f/3.5 ISO 400 18mm 10/4000 sec
Shutter P. Mode

2.

f/3.5 ISO 400 18mm 10/4000 sec
Shutter P. Mode

3.

I have a couple like this (with more of the tree), I'm thinking of converting to B&W

f/4.7 ISO 200 32mm 10/10000 sec
Aperture P. Mode

Thanks! I appreciate all input, it's only going to force me to learn.

AlexanderB · Nov 18, 2012

I like #2 the most and please do not convert to B&W

laynea24 · Nov 18, 2012

I also enjoy number two.

FanBoy · Nov 18, 2012

With Photoshop you can easily clone out the lawn post and its shadow in #2. The upturned plastic lawn chairs on the porch look messy though.

I like the way you filled the frame with the tree limbs in #3, my favorite.

There is some chromatic aberration (CA) in #2. CA is color distortion created by the lens and often gives off a blue or magenta tinge where dark and bright objects meet. In this photo, it's where the branches and sky meet. Adjusting your color levels in Photoshop helps with this problem.

Take a good close look at your work and if you're serious about digital photography, I suggest using some kind of photo editing software, even if it is minimal adjustments.

JackandSally · Nov 18, 2012

FanBoy said:
With Photoshop you can easily clone out the lawn post and its shadow in #2. The upturned plastic lawn chairs on the porch look messy though.

I like the way you filled the frame with the tree limbs in #3, my favorite.

There is some chromatic aberration (CA) in #2. CA is color distortion created by the lens and often gives off a blue or magenta tinge where dark and bright objects meet. In this photo, it's where the branches and sky meet. Adjusting your color levels in Photoshop helps with this problem.

Take a good close look at your work and if you're serious about digital photography, I suggest using some kind of photo editing software, even if it is minimal adjustments.

I have PSE 8. I know some stuff on it. I learned how to use a SLR in high school (12 years ago) and put the camera down. So I'm adjusting to the DSLR as all I've shot with between was a point and shoot. I started out by trying to learn everything all at once and ended up feeling like I'd never get it. I've since just focused on the photography aspect for the time being to make sure that I can get the exposures down and such. I do plan on learning how to edit, because I know how amazing photos can look with even a slight amount of editing. I just don't want to overload myself again. x

And thank you all for your input. #2 is my favorite from this set as well.

Oh, and I should have mentioned, all these photos were shot on a moving tractor going through the fields. Do you think that could be the cause of the CA? Or the fact that I was using the Nikkor 18-55mm kit lens?

FanBoy · Nov 18, 2012

JackandSally said:
Do you think that could be the cause of the CA? Or the fact that I was using the Nikkor 18-55mm kit lens?

No, CA is an effect caused by the lens. I've had it while mounted on a tripod. Supposedly, some (better) lens can reduce it. I'm not sure.

JackandSally · Nov 18, 2012

FanBoy said:
No, CA is an effect caused by the lens. I've had it while mounted on a tripod. Supposedly, some (better) lens can reduce it. I'm not sure.

That's what I thought but part of me was hoping hat it wasn't the lens. I haven't noticed it in any other photos. I'll have to check them out.

AgentDrex · Nov 18, 2012

Hello JackandSally, perhaps I can be of some assistance. You may want to hold off on learning post-processing techniques at this moment and focus on the basics. SOOC (straight-out-of-camera) shots should be at their optimal BEFORE you learn post-processing. No need to warn us about SOOC shots as it should start becoming customary for you to take very nice photos without doing any post-processing. My saying is this, "You can put a ribbon on a piece of poo but it will still stink". Don't worry about all the technical aspects of your DSLR. Set it to full auto at first and focus on these two elements first and fore-most, lighting and composition. No need to worry about aperture/shutter-speed/ISO at this moment. Study the direction of light and how it affects your photo. Study the placement of subjects within the frame and see how it affects your emotion to the photo. If you want to get an easy start, simply follow the RoT (Rule-of-Thirds) when placing subjects within the frame. This website should give you a good start: Composition: Using the Rule of Thirds

Though you've been on for awhile, welcome to TPF. May you find loads of useful advice and friendly people. You won't find that I sugar-coat anything and so please bear with me if I seem brash. Thanks for sharing your work and I look forward to watching you progress.