What to keep, what to sell, what to buy?

[Geaux]

d3000 sharpness ......

In case you didn't believe me. And the 3100 > 3000

 

[bumpylemon]

lol..

well im here to learn so what shall i do? i use imagenomic portraiture for just about every image. should i not?

I don't know. I honestly think you're doing ok for someone who's pretty new to the game. I don't think you have the most professional attitude though, which is what bugged me more than anything. I'm not trying to influence you, just giving my humble opinion.

I really feel like you're trolling us here, especially since there's a lot of that going around lately at the forums.

Just be aware that an ego is very unbecoming of a professional in any business. For something like photography, it's even more important.

dude i def am humble. i am not trying to brag at all. look at all my threads. i always think i suck!!! i am the only guy in my city taking pics that isnt a D head. thats why this guy hired me...gave me a studio...and has 4 bars that i can shoot at whenever i need too. as well as shooting for the liquor promos...i am so humble about this. thats why i wanted to buy a better camera for what i have been giving the opportunity for. hell i think just about everyone is better than me! i was nervous to post my pics cuz i am bad at getting hated on lol

 

[bumpylemon]

d3000 sharpness ......

dude those pics are awesome!!!! i love them! but what the heck am i doing then? i mean its gotta be fixable!! ive been shooting around 1/200 f8 for the model shots...what am i missing. someone recommended that to me before

 

[bumpylemon]

so you guys can all agree on that when i go setup the same way that i have done all my shots now with the d700 they will look the same? no difference? no one will be able to tell what camera? is that an honest fact?

You can take shots with a D3s with the best glass you can buy, but if you don't know how to use your camera the shots will still be bad. If you don't know how to post process your images it will only make them worse. If you don't know what to look for in terms of bad composition then your better off just looking through the viewfinder of a D3100 until you have the basics down.

ok. so ill play a total noob here. which i still am....i put the shutter at 1/200 A f 8....and then auto focus...what more has to be done? thats what i dont get!!

 

[o hey tyler]

d3000 sharpness ......

ive been shooting around 1/200 f8 for the model shots...what am i missing. someone recommended that to me before

The focus.

 

[bumpylemon]

d3000 sharpness ......

ive been shooting around 1/200 f8 for the model shots...what am i missing. someone recommended that to me before

The focus.

but isnt that what AF is for? should i do all my shots manually then? i can try it! do you shoot auto? i never tried manual only because i thought the point was the camera has all these autofocus points blah blah.

 

[Geaux]

d3000 sharpness ......

dude those pics are awesome!!!! i love them! but what the heck am i doing then? i mean its gotta be fixable!! ive been shooting around 1/200 f8 for the model shots...what am i missing. someone recommended that to me before

I wish I could tell ya bro haha, noob myself , but I do know that you can't just set it on one setting and take every picture on there. I'd say that every shot up there has a different shutter/aperture depending on my situation. I don't think anyone can tell you what exact settings to use in your physical settings.

I mean, seriously dude, in this shot...

You've got to see her chin is out of focus. My guess (b/c I can't see exif) is that your aperture was too open (low number). When you see this in camera, change a setting and reshoot. At least, thats what I do, if I don't like it on the lcd screen - I won't like it on my computer screen haha.

 

[o hey tyler]

so you guys can all agree on that when i go setup the same way that i have done all my shots now with the d700 they will look the same? no difference? no one will be able to tell what camera? is that an honest fact?

You can take shots with a D3s with the best glass you can buy, but if you don't know how to use your camera the shots will still be bad. If you don't know how to post process your images it will only make them worse. If you don't know what to look for in terms of bad composition then your better off just looking through the viewfinder of a D3100 until you have the basics down.

ok. so ill play a total noob here. which i still am....i put the shutter at 1/200 A f 8....and then auto focus...what more has to be done? thats what i dont get!!

It's always important to focus on the eyes when doing a portrait. If you take a lot of images, you need to sit down and honestly critique your OWN work and decide which photos meet your standards in terms of quality. Zoom in to the photo in lightroom to 1:1 and see if the image is in focus, or if it just "looks" in focus. If a photo sucks, hit the shortcut for "reject". If the photo's good, I normally flag it, and then move on to see which other photos are neatly composed and sharp. Then I edit those files to my liking.

I also use the central focus point to autofocus with, and then recompose via the use of back button focusing.

It's just becoming increasingly apparent that you want to purchase new equipment because you are still unsure how to use yours properly.

 

[Geaux]

but isnt that what AF is for? should i do all my shots manually then? i can try it! do you shoot auto? i never tried manual only because i thought the point was the camera has all these autofocus points blah blah.

You could say the same about shooting in full Auto Mode too, it works, but is it the best for the image?

Personally, I AF with spot single point focus and don't have any issues. I only MF if it's something I'm not picking up on AF (through trees, fences, etc)

My method is to focus on eye (always) and recompose shot while holding shutter half down.

 

[Geaux]

It's just becoming increasingly apparent that you want to purchase new equipment because you are still unsure how to use yours properly.

Exact point we've all been saying lol, new gear does not = pro.


I think he's starting to understand now though, learn what you got, then move on. I'm a year and half into my d3000 and I'll probably upgrade next year or year after, but I don't personally feel I've outgrown my camera yet.

 

[Destin]

If you insist on spending money to upgrade, don't go for the D700. It's obvious that you still have much to learn, and the money for the D700 is better put into sharp glass. Buy a D90, or a D7000 body, and then get some sharp lenses that will trasfer over to FF later on. I'd go with a 70-200 2.8, an 85 1.4, 35 1.8, and maybe a 17-55 2.8, although you'd have to sell that to upgrade to full frame down the road...

 

[bumpylemon]

yeah you guys got me questioning it now. def. i do use the point right on their eyes. so now this is even more frustrating. i learned that step awhile ago. hmmm. so wtf then

 

[Geaux]

I'm not sure how that portraiture program works, but can you deselect parts of the face to not sharpen? Have any of the originals to show before using that program?

 

[o hey tyler]

Here is a sample employee photo I took at a spa the other day. Here's what i do to check for sharpness:

This is the original image, the only treatment I applied was to soften the skin in lightroom with a brush (not through use of a portraiture program).

The image looks okay, so I decide to zoom in:

Yep, her eyes are in sharp focus. So this one is a keeper... Just gotta liquify her left eye so that it's a little more open, and that's probably all I would do to the photo.

This was just an example of what I look for in a photo for quality control. This really wasn't my favorite photo, but it worked well enough for the example.

 

[bumpylemon]

Here is a sample employee photo I took at a spa the other day. Here's what i do to check for sharpness:

This is the original image, the only treatment I applied was to soften the skin in lightroom with a brush (not through use of a portraiture program).

The image looks okay, so I decide to zoom in:

Yep, her eyes are in sharp focus. So this one is a keeper... Just gotta liquify her left eye so that it's a little more open, and that's probably all I would do to the photo.

This was just an example of what I look for in a photo for quality control. This really wasn't my favorite photo, but it worked well enough for the example.

id love to drive up to maine and learn from you for a day!! i have a condo in wells beach!! lol