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Well, I can say for sure right now that I really enjoy shooting landscapes, ie. sunsets and such. But as far as making a career out of it, I don't know if nature photography is really "needed." There's a call for portraits all the time.
Mathjak and Badcook; you're photos are amazing! I love being around animals...guess I need to start saving my money for new lenses
we may actually start a little business on the side doing real estate and business web site photography.
we already do a fair amount of business photographing car shows.
we are the photographers every so often for the big sears car show in nyc.
we really need to do alot more with photoshop and hope to start learning a bit more than just our basic skills,
I don't mind that you did that. I don't like this picture blown up because it looks blurry - I took this photo with my phone, and didn't realize that the water is blurred. I'm going to attach more photos that I took early on with my camera when I first got it. Your input is much appreciated.
I am in the process of learning different levels of photography. Right now, you can call me a rookie. I have not done any paid sessions of any type because I do not know my camera like the back of my hand yet. I am interested in doing portraits in the future, and am wondering some good tips on how to start?
Should I practice on a family member, or intern with a professional studio? Any thoughts and advice are greatly welcome. I use a Nikon D3200, and only have two lenses; 18-55mm and a 55-200mm. I can include some of the pictures that I've done if anyone is interested in giving their professional input.
I'm no professional, but can certainly provide some input. To begin, I LOVE #8. Here are a few tips:
- If you prefer to shoot in JPEG mode, perhaps taking a look at all the settings that are baked into every image may be worth looking at, including noise reduction. For the purpose, I'd recommend Noise Reduction Weak or Off although, I would also recommend...
- Shooting RAW. I use RAW+JPEG mode. There are some auto modes where my cameras will not generate RAW files (expected since they involve in-camera processing) such as Sweep Panorama or the many "stacking" modes. But otherwise, I prefer RAW. It does add time constraint but something to consider at the minimum if you want to expand into ANY area of photography even semi-professionally.
-Take advantage of the dynamic range of these new sensors. Here is a quick roadside shot that was easy to be taken back to its glory especially in the sky:
The high contrast scene was going to be a tricky affair for my good old Sony NEX-3. To retain shadow details, I had to compromise the details in the sky which was imaged with a washed out look. I took this with "Expose To The Right" approach. The lens involved was a fisheye lens, with a 180-degree diagonal field of view but I wasn't going to keep all of it for this shot anyway (hence cropping was also intended). The issue with ETTR is that it was going to show a featureless sky. However, I was well aware of being able to take advantage of the sensor's dynamic range (even though it is to be considered old at 4 years). All I had to do was to ensure that the histogram was leaning just enough to the right but not overly so. And I dialed back the highlights during RAW conversion, also lifting a bit of shadows. I may have bumped up the color temperature a bit since the exposure was mainly for the shadow... for most of these shots from 6500 degrees to 6800 degrees which provides for the right amount of warmth on the top as I'd seen in person.
-You can also learn about rule of thirds, golden mean etc and implement, although you don't have to play by the rules if circumstances can provide something more creative. Towards these effects, if your camera allows compositional tools, it can be worth using them. A while ago I took this image to show the typical view through the LCD of my Sony NEX-3 (I was demonstrating "Focus Peaking" a feature I use for manual focus and for DMF which allows combining AF w/MF so ignore the highlight areas showing points in focus around the candle holder). Here you will see that I have the grid (thirds) and the histogram along with the usual info. In my Sony A55, I have more, including diagonal grids and electronic level which I like using thru EVF and LCD).
And since we are getting most of these cameras to show us 100% view (image in LCD is same as image to be captured), with time and patience, composition can be perfected as much as possible.
In other words, explore possibilities with your camera, its features and perhaps also consider a faster but not necessarily expensive lens (35mm/1.8 or 50mm/1.8). Kit lenses are fine for general purpose use, but there are situations where you could benefit from low light photography as well as a greater control on DoF (essential for portraits).
Quote:
Originally Posted by mathjak107
it is funny ,but today white skies are becoming more and more acceptable . i saw a cadillac ad in either this months popular photography or the sony magazine that came with it and there was a cadillac in front of an old barn with a white sky.
Here's another example of high contrast situation, an image I was going to post in another thread:
Taken with the same fisheye lens reaching from the driver's seat (and we were parked ) I had to expose for the shadows (inside a minivan), which would overexpose the sky in the windows... which were recovered during RAW processing.
I don't mind that you did that. I don't like this picture blown up because it looks blurry - I took this photo with my phone, and didn't realize that the water is blurred. I'm going to attach more photos that I took early on with my camera when I first got it. Your input is much appreciated.
going from left to right
#1 to soft, my eyes keep trying to focus it more but can't.
#2 couple is to dark, white needs to be made white not off white as it is ..
#3 to soft ,not sharp , background to bright.
#4 is not bad.
#5 not bad but when doing running water you really need to use a density filter to get that silky cotton smooth looking flow. einstein had one i saw earlier where the long exposure just made the water look silky smooth.
#6 the worst of the lot i think. blown sky and the subject is almost blurry, no sharpness at all. a rather ho hum composition.
#7 good composition but horrible color of the train. that train should be deep dark black
#8 i like the best . i love working with shots like that. the photo lacks punch and detail. the colors should be smacking my face almost hdr like in my opinion.
trains i took in scranton on a rainy day. I was not crazy about the dull gray skies so black and white with some different looks were the best choice.. add lots of old time grain and some darkening for a real old photo look.
Last edited by mathjak107; 09-18-2013 at 05:00 PM..
i like to find scenes that are different and play with them. this scene had great reflections to work around. using a little artistic touch to fine lines made the photo different looking.
don't be affraid to take your photos beyond what the shot is in camera. it constantly adds new looks to your work good or bad and makes your stuff look different from the rest. i have a blast blending art and photography.
Those are good shots OP but shooting landscapes and objects are totally different than shooting people. I've been a professional portrait photog for three years (babies, children and family-NO WEDDINGS LOL) and it is tricky but rewarding. Not only do you have to have technical skill (natural vs. artificial light, DOF, etc) but you have to know how to pose people, what colors go with what background (because your clients WILL ask you for clothing recs) and much more. I suggest you take lots of photos of people and practice. What I did starting up is I sent out an email to m church's women's ministry stating that I was looking for models for my photo business. In exchange they got a CD of 10 edited images. They signed up by the droves since it was around October everyone wanted free pics for the Holidays! I had turn people away! And the rest is history Oh, and I didn't start charging anybody until I had about 6 months shooting people. If you want links to my websites, fb, etc and some links to photogs I follow send me a private message
#1 to soft, my eyes keep trying to focus it more but can't.
#2 couple is to dark, white needs to be made white not off white as it is ..
#3 to soft ,not sharp , background to bright.
#4 is not bad.
#5 not bad but when doing running water you really need to use a density filter to get that silky cotton smooth looking flow. einstein had one i saw earlier where the long exposure just made the water look silky smooth.
#6 the worst of the lot i think. blown sky and the subject is almost blurry, no sharpness at all. a rather ho hum composition.
#7 good composition but horrible color of the train. that train should be deep dark black
#8 i like the best . i love working with shots like that. the photo lacks punch and detail. the colors should be smacking my face almost hdr like in my opinion.
trains i took in scranton on a rainy day. I was not crazy about the dull gray skies so black and white with some different looks were the best choice.. add lots of old time grain and some darkening for a real old photo look.
#1 - How do I get a more focused photo? Do I change the settings on my camera or do I sharpen it in photoshop?
#2 - Her dress was not white - it was ivory. How would I get better light if the lights were off due to the DJ lights?
#3 - The same question for this one as I asked for #2; when I originally took this photo, those wild flowers in the back looked brown. After I did some editing in photoshop, the background came out green.
#4 - What could I have done to make it better?
#5 - If a density filter means an extra piece of equipment, I don't have it. If it involves a setting change on the camera, I can read my manual on that.
#6 - I cropped that photo to get a better shot, the photo was originally of her head and neck. Maybe I should've used my 55-200mm instead of my 18-55mm.
#7 - This train was sitting outside of the Railroad Museum in Strasburg, PA. It's not deep dark black because it hadn't been refurbished. The train is weathered.
#8 - This was of a wheel on that same train in #7 - sitting outside. So I should've used High Def instead?
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Oh, and I didn't start charging anybody until I had about 6 months shooting people. If you want links to my websites, fb, etc and some links to photogs I follow send me a private message 
