Photo Critique Thread
- Thread starter ReefLady
- Start date
bonerfortuna
Member
Thanks for your reply. I used the auto focus function with ethe pumps off but there is always some movement . I could see the camera was struggling to get in focus. Ill assume I will never use the built in flash I have. What do you actually mean when you say overexposed ? too much light ? how do I control that ? Thanks DrDrew .
bonerfortuna
Member
Thanks again to both of you I will try some more tonight .
reefrunner
Contributing Member
Hey John,
If I were retaking your picture, with your camera, after seeing this photo...here is what I would start with.
Set a manual white balance using the sandbed or the coffee filter method as your white point (I am getting awesome results with the coffee filter)
Raise the aperture value to about 6-8 range to increase the DOF (get the entire coral in sharp focus).
Lower the shutter speed to about 1/8 -1/32 (whichever gives the best results without overexposing the photos, (hard to say without knowing your cam or just how bright those 400watters are).
Shoot from a tripod using the self timer.
With a little post processing those colors can be brought out some, but the biggest issue, to me, is the DOF. Aquariums are LOW lighting conditions (even though we do not think of it that way for our corals, our lenses are even more demanding than they are)
If I were retaking your picture, with your camera, after seeing this photo...here is what I would start with.
Set a manual white balance using the sandbed or the coffee filter method as your white point (I am getting awesome results with the coffee filter)
Raise the aperture value to about 6-8 range to increase the DOF (get the entire coral in sharp focus).
Lower the shutter speed to about 1/8 -1/32 (whichever gives the best results without overexposing the photos, (hard to say without knowing your cam or just how bright those 400watters are).
Shoot from a tripod using the self timer.
With a little post processing those colors can be brought out some, but the biggest issue, to me, is the DOF. Aquariums are LOW lighting conditions (even though we do not think of it that way for our corals, our lenses are even more demanding than they are)
Hope to get some advice from you guys.
I was trying out some fish shot with an external flash.
Flash was at about 45 degrees to the side.
Problem is, there isn't much distance between the fish and the background.
So end up with quite harsh shadow.
What do you guys normally do ?
Place another external flash at the other side ?
Here is the pic.
1/180 sec
f/8
iso 100
I was trying out some fish shot with an external flash.
Flash was at about 45 degrees to the side.
Problem is, there isn't much distance between the fish and the background.
So end up with quite harsh shadow.
What do you guys normally do ?
Place another external flash at the other side ?
Here is the pic.
1/180 sec
f/8
iso 100
i think the shadow is not a problem...what i would do for this photo is to open the aperature on the camera so that the background blurs. or, since you have already isolated the fish in PS, try to blur the background instead of desaturating it. though your crop is very good,and i like the pic.
Thanks a lot for your advice, drdrew.
Ok, so it more about finding the balance.
To get the "sweet" aperture whereby there would be enough DOF for the subject yet blurs the background.
I will keep that in mind.
Agree with you on blurring the background.
I did try to use PS to blur the background more.
But as the selection of the fish is an amateurish attempt, i could only blur it subtlely. If not the cutout will become very obvious and "unnatural".
Thanks again
reefrunner
Contributing Member
What are your settings?
I see some jpeg artifact from heavily compressing it, it's a crop, how much was cropped? I would have liked to see it exposed a tad more, maybe 1 stop, although that might have over exposed it a bit.
I see some jpeg artifact from heavily compressing it, it's a crop, how much was cropped? I would have liked to see it exposed a tad more, maybe 1 stop, although that might have over exposed it a bit.
DuhJeepster
Member
Great thread!!!
Glad we can post pictures of something other than our reef tanks, although there are some great shots here.
This pic was taken with my 35mm Minolta XTsi with no tripod. It was a once in lifetime shot because I went back to the same beach on the Big Island of Hawaii a few hours later, and the Green Sea Turtle was gone. Sorry, but you don't get the sharpness of the original photo because I sacrificed quality for image size.
This one I plan on blowing up to gigantic to hang on my wall above my computer. It's a pano shot. Anyways critique away, but please be gentle *smiling*.
Glad we can post pictures of something other than our reef tanks, although there are some great shots here.
This pic was taken with my 35mm Minolta XTsi with no tripod. It was a once in lifetime shot because I went back to the same beach on the Big Island of Hawaii a few hours later, and the Green Sea Turtle was gone. Sorry, but you don't get the sharpness of the original photo because I sacrificed quality for image size.
This one I plan on blowing up to gigantic to hang on my wall above my computer. It's a pano shot. Anyways critique away, but please be gentle *smiling*.
reefrunner
Contributing Member
Hey Jeep!
I really like this photo. One thing that makes it unfair is that you can't get a good exposure on this pic, you can get one that is over, or under. This photo goes beyond the dynamic range of the camera by about 2-3 stops. You could, theoretically (not sure how it works on film) have exposed one pic for the highlights and one for the shadows and then combined them It's not to hard to do it digitally, but have no idea if it's even possible with film. FWIW, I would have exposed for the shadow, and gotten more detail on the turtle and blown the highlights more so than already done.
IMO, the composition is freakin fantastic!
I would have liked to see a larger image and played with it in photoshop, but I like the photo, you were in a no win situation with this pic and did a great job on the compromise.
Here is the pic with a simple shadow/highlight adjustment on Photoshop
I really like this photo. One thing that makes it unfair is that you can't get a good exposure on this pic, you can get one that is over, or under. This photo goes beyond the dynamic range of the camera by about 2-3 stops. You could, theoretically (not sure how it works on film) have exposed one pic for the highlights and one for the shadows and then combined them It's not to hard to do it digitally, but have no idea if it's even possible with film. FWIW, I would have exposed for the shadow, and gotten more detail on the turtle and blown the highlights more so than already done.
IMO, the composition is freakin fantastic!
I would have liked to see a larger image and played with it in photoshop, but I like the photo, you were in a no win situation with this pic and did a great job on the compromise.
Here is the pic with a simple shadow/highlight adjustment on Photoshop
reefrunner
Contributing Member
Jay, I agree with the good doctor, if you didn't use one, use a tripod, go with the smallest aperture (largest f/stop number) the camera will allow (the shorter your focal length, the shallower your depth of field) and a slower shutter. Also I know your looking to go with photoshop in the future, what are you using for cropping/resizing/optimizing your photos now? Infranview is supposed to be very good and it's free. Also www.gimp.org has a free manipulator that is supposed to be as good as photoshop.
DuhJeepster
Member
Your adjustment brought a lot of the details out I see, but it made the sand look a little brown? This is a black sand beach! The last one existing after the eruption of Kilauea Iki. I may do some burning in Photoshop and see what I can come up with as far as the highlights go. If I had a darkroom I'd do it on the final print with the enlarger . . . that's for all you hardcore film camera people. 
I've done that with B/W, but never with color.
A side note . . . Someone had mentioned we are cheating when we mess with pictures digitally. National Geographic had a problem a while back, back when digital retouching was just getting started. I think technical adjustments digitally on a picture is appropriate, but when you talk about composition? That is a whole 'nother ballgame. Passing one photo off as an original print when it is a combination of multiple photos? That is just downright wrong. Telling people beforehand it's a composite, then it becomes an original piece of art or an illustration as long as you get the ok from the original photographers and there is no infringement.
Ok I'll stop . . .
I've done that with B/W, but never with color.A side note . . . Someone had mentioned we are cheating when we mess with pictures digitally. National Geographic had a problem a while back, back when digital retouching was just getting started. I think technical adjustments digitally on a picture is appropriate, but when you talk about composition? That is a whole 'nother ballgame. Passing one photo off as an original print when it is a combination of multiple photos? That is just downright wrong. Telling people beforehand it's a composite, then it becomes an original piece of art or an illustration as long as you get the ok from the original photographers and there is no infringement.
Ok I'll stop . . .