Photography tips and discussion

Oooh, fun! Let's begin, shall we!

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I feel like I'm finally getting the hang of knowing what manual settings to choose on my camera for certain conditions. I run a Rebel 350D with a 50mm f/1.8 non-zooming lens I bought because the kit lens was crap. Really a great lens for candid or portrait shots, especially in low light.

Excellent camera! Canon rules! And using a 50mm lens will really force you to be creative with what you have.

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But there were other things that was wondering about. I was curious about lens filters. I know there are different kinds and they affect color in different ways, but I don't know much about them at all.

Well, first we have color filters.



Typically, color filters are used with black and white film in order to alter the tonal balance of the image. Knowing the effects of a filter is as simple as remembering this: In the final print/image, a filter will lighten its own color, and darken complementary colors. When using film, a color filter allows more of its own color through, and blocks complementary colors; colors matching the color of the filter are rendered dark on the negative, complementary colors are rendered lightly; on the print, this effect is reversed, because less light will make it through the darkly exposed areas of film and onto the print. It is the same for digital cameras in black and white mode, only without the film in-between. Keep in mind that you will have to add exposure when using filters, especially very deeply colored filters. As you can see, the blue filter is so dense, it is nearly black. Of course, you also have to take into account the color of the light around you, but we can save that for later.

Then you have my favorite filter, the polarizing filter. I can't explain the nature of light polarization in-depth, but here is an image I made which explains the effects quite nicely:



The image on the right has the filter. The filter will cut through haze and significantly darken any sky that is 90 degrees from the sun. It will also enhance the difference between cloud and sky. From certain angles, this filter will also remove reflections from water, foliage, and glass. It also slightly increases overall image saturation. You can buy specialized polarizers that only effect certain colors, such as blue and yellow polarizers.

There are also neutral density filters, which reduce the overall amount of light entering the camera without affecting the color balance. Some of them have a gradient from clear to dark, and these are especially useful for managing the dynamic range of a scene, where part of the scene is extremely light and the other is very dark. You can expose for the dark part and bring the light part under control with a ND filter. The ND filter also allows more freedom with shutter speeds and apertures. You can open the aperture more and use a ND filter to keep the same exposure, for example.

And then there are UV filters, which block ultraviolet light from entering the camera. Many photographers use these as lens protectors. There are many different kinds of specialized filters, such as special effects filters, but I've covered the most important ones.

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Non-technical questions: Do you bring your camera everywhere you go? Maybe not to school or work, but if you're out and about, or you go to a friend's place. My camera is a little big to really lug everywhere. Do you use a compact as a backup?

I use a semi-compact digicam as my primary camera, and some of the best pictures I have ever taken were taken with it.

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What do you think of altering your photos? Like say if that sunset wasn't as red as you had imagined and you Photoshopped the saturation and brightness. I sit on the fence for some alterations and I don't quite know why. I feel like I'm a purist, but I'm quite inexperienced to have a strong opinion. In that same sunset example, I believe that you should achieve your desired shot with the settings on the camera, not with Photoshop. Essentially, you master the camera instead of relying on Photoshop. I'm really curious on people's opinions on this.

There is nothing wrong with altering the heck out of an image in Photoshop if it helps you to achieve your desired goal. Almost all of Ansel Adams' images were heavily altered in development, with different kinds of developers, more or less development time, different grades of paper contrast, dodging and burning, etc, etc. Even before development, he would use different kinds of film or filters to achieve a specific effect. Not to mention the cameras that he used gave absolute control over the perspective of the photograph. Even using a lens at all is already altering reality, because a lens does not see at all like we do. If Ansel can do it, so can I.



This is probably the most intense editing I've ever done on any photograph. And yet, I achieved in the image what I felt in my heart while taking the photograph. In my mind, this is acceptable. I also do other things to images, sharpening, saturation enhancement, black and white conversions, fixing lens distortion, cloning or healing out unwanted elements, altering the contrast through levels and curves, etc, etc. Although I do try to get the image as "right" as possible during exposure and/or raw conversion, using in-camera features such as the histogram and white balance controls.

Also, check out this one: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...hTripFinal.jpg

That sky wasn't originally in the photograph. I put it there because the current sky was bleak and white.

Here are some very interesting articles on the issue:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/es...-the-can.shtml
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tu...r-ethics.shtml
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/veracity.shtml

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Aaaaand... Do you ever feel uncomfortable taking pictures? Sometimes I'm driving and find a nice spot to shoot when someone passes by and looks. I feel really embarrased for some reason. Or if I have to get out of my truck and go into the weeds somewhere, the thought of being seen makes me wanna go somewhere else. Anyway to overcome that?

Yes, I feel this way often. I live in an area full of rednecks, and many of them don't understand things like art or feeling or technology. They probably think I'm some kind of terrorist. When I'm standing in a field trying to take a picture of the sky and there are a bunch of big trucks passing by, it does make me a little nervous. I also never take pictures of people. Ever. You never know when they might fly off the handle.

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PS: I JUST noticed that my camera puts a bright red 5x2 pixel rectangle on all of my pictures. It's not a dead pixel on my monitor. What could cause this!?

The pixels on that area of the sensor are probably dead.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

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Hm. I don't have too many experiences with filters. I could just go into photoshop and do all that stuff ;p. I have a UV filter basically for lens protection and I have only used a spot filter which works pretty swell.

Indeed, using dual Hue/Saturation layers for black and white conversion, you can emulate the effect of any color filter, and even use different "filters" for different color ranges, control the range of color each filter affects, and restrict the effects to certain parts of the image.

Sometimes, I use my actual glass filters anyway, though. And, unfortunately, you cannot emulate the effect of a polarizing filter in Photoshop.

I actually wrote an extremely comprehensive tutorial on the ultimate black and white conversion technique, if anybody is interested:

http://intphotos.7.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=25

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Did I kill this thread with my detailed explanation? I was hoping for some nice, stimulating discussion too.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Rakka

I recently bought a used Bogen tripod at a very good price, but it has a fluid head (pan and tilt only), and I would rather have a ballhead with it instead so I can rotate my camera and have a bit more control. What should I be looking for in a new head, exactly?

...I should really post some of my pictures sometime.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/re.../arca-cube.sht

And yes, you should post some of your pictures!

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

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I'm about to buy a camera in a few weeks, but I'm not sure what to get. I'm pretty sure the normal typical digital cameras (ie: Sony Cybershot, Nikon Coolpix, etc) aren't for professional photography. Far from me to be able to get professional photographs, but I do notice the professionals carrying around cameras that look a lot more than your typical family household cameras.

The kind of camera one has (and in particular, the size or impressiveness of the camera) has nothing to do with the quality of the photographs one takes, or can take.

http://blaisefrazier.zoto.com/galleries

Check these out. Every single one of these was taken with a small handheld camera. A few of them have gained wide recognition on the internet and one of them has even been broadcast on national television. Don't worry about your camera, just pick a good one and then start learning.

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Does anyone have any advice on what kind of camera I should start off with? I know that Cannon is a good brand, but I'm a poor college student, so my budget is around $500-600 max. And what kind of other equipment should I get for the camera (ie: lenses, filters, etc). Keep in mind that I'm a photography moron, so a brief rundown on how each piece of equipment works and what it does would be great.

Canon is an extremely good brand. You should try to pick up one of their entry level digital SLRs. Canon lenses are also very good, and they have some pretty awesome specialized lenses available. Olympus is also a very good brand. I have been using my Olympus C-5050 for years and it has served me very well.

As for equipment, well, read my above post for some ideas on things like filters. A tripod will come in handy for low-light situations, and lenses too, you need lots of lenses.

The best tip I can give you is this though: Good equipment can help you to achieve your photographic goals more easily, but it won't take a good photograph for you. Work on improving your photographic eye before worrying about your equipment. Don't be a measurebator.

I was speaking idiomatically.