Super Clear Pictures

missiet

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I have been doing photography for quite a while, but I still feel like I don't have the clarity I have seen from other photographers. What type of lens do I need? It is from the lighting?
 
The clarity and crispness you're talking about comes from top notch glass + high end body.

The glass makes the most difference. A good glass on a low end body will still make night and day difference, but it's only going to get you so far.
 
What kind of PP are you doing?

Most of the pictures you see here have at least a little PP done to them - some more than a little...
 
"Doing Photography" doesn't mean just taking pictures. It means understanding your equipment and how to use it to it's fullest. It means understanding the physics of photography, aperture, shutter speed, ISO.. It also means understanding post processing and how to post process to get the look you want. It also means understanding what can't be done in post processing. That is why the term "getting it right in the camera" has relevance in the digital age.

Photography is a process from idea to printing with an understanding of all of the elements in between.
 
You should post some of your pics so we can see what you mean.
 
here's a good suggestion.....if you want to get better at digital photography, get an old 35mm film camera. not something with autofocus I mean something 30+ years old, like a Nikkormat FTN. Excellent learner camera, you learn all the basics plus the camera itself is nuclear bomb-proof. Anyone who has ever shot one can attest to the build quality (and the fact it weighs as much as a dump truck)

A full manual film camera will teach you the basics of real photography, no auto-focus or auto-aperture crap. I picked up two full manual Nikon 35mm cameras to learn the basics and actually embraced the format now I have 3 of them, my 3rd is an autofocus Minolta Maxxum 4. I plan on learning the basics of the darkroom soon as well (also no one locally processes FujiFilm ACROS b+w) I love the format so much I actually bought an adapter for my Digital Rebel so I can use some of my manual 35mm lenses. Vivitar 55mm-135mm f3.5 and Nikon Series E 50mm f1.8 ftmfw.

My image quality and overall satisfaction with my work post-35mm compared to pre-35mm is leaps and bounds ahead of what I used to shoot.

to fully understand and appreciate modern digital photography you must learn vintage techniques and formats. I guarantee the second you pick up a full manual 35mm your hobby / career / addiction / whatever will be changed forever.
 
here's a good suggestion.....if you want to get better at digital photography, get an old 35mm film camera. not something with autofocus I mean something 30+ years old, like a Nikkormat FTN. Excellent learner camera, you learn all the basics plus the camera itself is nuclear bomb-proof. Anyone who has ever shot one can attest to the build quality (and the fact it weighs as much as a dump truck)

A full manual film camera will teach you the basics of real photography, no auto-focus or auto-aperture crap. I picked up two full manual Nikon 35mm cameras to learn the basics and actually embraced the format now I have 3 of them, my 3rd is an autofocus Minolta Maxxum 4. I plan on learning the basics of the darkroom soon as well (also no one locally processes FujiFilm ACROS b+w) I love the format so much I actually bought an adapter for my Digital Rebel so I can use some of my manual 35mm lenses. Vivitar 55mm-135mm f3.5 and Nikon Series E 50mm f1.8 ftmfw.

My image quality and overall satisfaction with my work post-35mm compared to pre-35mm is leaps and bounds ahead of what I used to shoot.

to fully understand and appreciate modern digital photography you must learn vintage techniques and formats. I guarantee the second you pick up a full manual 35mm your hobby / career / addiction / whatever will be changed forever.

You do realize, that instead of spending the money on a film camera and film, that the OP could put their camera on manual mode and turn AF off on the lenses.

Plus, the ability to have exif data in the images vs. having to write down your settings for each photo in a journal of some sort and keeping track of it with your images is invaluable.

Oh...and then there's the old no matter how a person's images turn out on film, if they go back to an entry level body with a kit lens, they're going to go back to the same image qaulity they started with point of view...
 
I have been doing photography for quite a while, but I still feel like I don't have the clarity I have seen from other photographers. What type of lens do I need? It is from the lighting?

This is impossible to answer without knowing what your own photographs look like, and what you are comparing them to.
 
here's a good suggestion.....if you want to get better at digital photography, get an old 35mm film camera. not something with autofocus I mean something 30+ years old, like a Nikkormat FTN. Excellent learner camera, you learn all the basics plus the camera itself is nuclear bomb-proof. Anyone who has ever shot one can attest to the build quality (and the fact it weighs as much as a dump truck)

A full manual film camera will teach you the basics of real photography, no auto-focus or auto-aperture crap. I picked up two full manual Nikon 35mm cameras to learn the basics and actually embraced the format now I have 3 of them, my 3rd is an autofocus Minolta Maxxum 4. I plan on learning the basics of the darkroom soon as well (also no one locally processes FujiFilm ACROS b+w) I love the format so much I actually bought an adapter for my Digital Rebel so I can use some of my manual 35mm lenses. Vivitar 55mm-135mm f3.5 and Nikon Series E 50mm f1.8 ftmfw.

My image quality and overall satisfaction with my work post-35mm compared to pre-35mm is leaps and bounds ahead of what I used to shoot.

to fully understand and appreciate modern digital photography you must learn vintage techniques and formats. I guarantee the second you pick up a full manual 35mm your hobby / career / addiction / whatever will be changed forever.

You do realize, that instead of spending the money on a film camera and film, that the OP could put their camera on manual mode and turn AF off on the lenses.

Plus, the ability to have exif data in the images vs. having to write down your settings for each photo in a journal of some sort and keeping track of it with your images is invaluable.

Oh...and then there's the old no matter how a person's images turn out on film, if they go back to an entry level body with a kit lens, they're going to go back to the same image qaulity they started with point of view...

Save your money for equipment that will help your current state. Not on 35 year old camera equipment that you'll likely not use much. They haven't removed manual capability from digital SLRs...
 
I found most of the difference to be in post processing, as my pictures were rather good, but had no professional feel.

Once you start working with post processing you'll quickly see your photos differently and perhaps even take different photos.

I recently had a really dark cloudy night shot that I took for reasons of mood/contrast turn out completely different when I hit the post processing with it. Suddenly there's all these eyes glowing in the darkness (after a lighting fix) and that became the focus of the photo, which turned out great!

Don't be afraid to dabble! (Or upload some pics and we can dabble so you can see?)

Oh and remember to have fun, don't worry if other pics look different if you're having fun!
 
Not to hijack this thread, but I actually have the same issue. My guess is that my post production process isn't fully refined, and I don't practice sharpening. I mainly use Lightroom 2 for PP, I have PS CS4 but I rarely use it for PP.

4249615196_49bdc16126_b.jpg


4832722273_064e4fc5f2_b.jpg


I understand that in my first photo, I shot at a very low aperture, and that's why the rest of the child's face is out of focus. But I see some photos that absolutely blow me away, and I wonder, are they sharpening the crap out of a great-quality photo? Are they sharpening the crap out of ALL of their great-quality originals? See below.

4874130073_45021c1e77_b.jpg
 

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