Two pics in need of some C&C

[Gregg]

Hey I got a couple new pictures and need some C&C on what i need to maybe work on. I'm still having trouble knowing when i should change certain settings. IE shutter, aperture, ISO, exposure compensation. Any help with when i should change "X" setting and how it should effect the adjustments of the other settings. Thanks a lot hope i was clear.

This one was really tricky for me. The whole day was pretty gloom and the lighting was very low making the whole sky look just white. Also, as you can see in the left side of the photo where the sun is, it is really bright. Any help on what to do in this kind of situation would be great.

 

[khallene]

The first one I'm not really going to comment on as it is not my cup of tea. The second looks a little oof to me. Not sure if it is the computer I'm on or not. As far as the sun, I would suggest maybe a different angle or a filter, or both.

 

[sjbdeebo2]

Good thought on the first one, very unique

 

[eccs19]

I quickly looked at the first one, and had no idea what it was till I took a second look. It's odd, as it looks like the handles of the taps are in focus, but the neck itself looks out of focus, but the drops of water seem very sharp. I think you got the DOF close, but could have used just a touch more to get all of the neck in focus.

Second one seems OOF, and the one clock is VERY bright. I wonder how this would have looked as a HDR... Maybe good if there was any blue in the sky.

 

[rubbertree]

The first one? Not much to comment on as we've seen this picture a thousand times before. It's got a strange color cast to it.
The second one? The sky is blown out and it's OOF.

 

[Gregg]

Thanks for the input. Any advice on how to get more focus on the neck of the faucet? The more i look at the 2nd one, the more i see i should have just waited for better lighting and possibly a better position. Thanks again.

 

[mosu84]

Thanks for the input. Any advice on how to get more focus on the neck of the faucet? The more i look at the 2nd one, the more i see i should have just waited for better lighting and possibly a better position. Thanks again.

Higher depth of field might help. What was the aperture and shutter speed for the first one?

Agree with above; HDR might have helped on the second one.

 

[Gregg]

I believe it was F 2.8 & 1/1000

 

[Muay_Thai_Dan]

picture #1- the bright knobs/tap distract me from the drops. and im guessing thats what you wanted to focus on. it was only after i read someones reply that i saw those drops. if u have an external flash, try to bounce the light off of something, so that the light isnt so harsh, and shining of the metal, which distracts the veiwer from the drops

hope my C&C isnt too confusing. get what im saying though?

 

[rufus5150]

The metalwork in #1 is going to be highly reflective. You're going to have to soften the flash a lot. You may also wish to clean the sink first.

 

[Gregg]

hope my C&C isnt too confusing. get what im saying though?

Yeh, i understand. Thanks a lot, also i wasn't using a flash, it was just the light of the ceiling light that was causing the reflection. Also, i live in a dorm room with 5 other guys, that sink is not getting cleaned. Ha ha

 

[rufus5150]

Ahh, your exif says that flash was used.

Also, i live in a dorm room with 5 other guys, that sink is not getting cleaned.

Gonna have to go with 'eew'. Just sayin'

 

[Gregg]

You're right, it was one of my other takes i tried it without flash. How do you see the exif.

 

[rufus5150]

Plugin for firefox that allows you to right click the image and get the exif data (FxIF).

eta: and with a fast enough shutter speed to trap the motion of the water droplet, it might be very difficult to create the extremely harsh shadows without flash.

 

[mrodgers]

About the out of focus on #2, EXIF states "Exposure mode: manual", yet the ISO is stated at 500. The specs of the camera say it has ISO ratings at Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, and 800 at 1 MP. You can't set ISO to 500 with manual exposure. That seems weird to me.

I would guess that ISO 500 has a lot of noise. Mine does at anything above 400 and it's a good bit newer camera than the Z650. The noise is a possible reason for the OOF look to the image.

Try using a tripod or just setting the camera down on a solid support (railing, rock, wall, etc.) Set the ISO manually to 80 as you won't have to worry about camera shake with the slower shutter speed when the camera is stationary on some type of support.

Wait for some better light as well. They say the diffused light of overcast skies are good for photography, but with these superzooms, I find it horrible for photography when you have sky in the scene.