Re: Getting better photos -how?

Arild P. <no-spam2@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Roger N. Clark (change username to rnclark) wrote:

Does it make a big difference if I'm close to the subject (not with
birds, but with say, flowers) and us f/5.6 as opposed to a distance
away with a powerful zoom lens (I'm considering getting a Canon 70-300
IS USM) zoomed close to the subject with f/5.6 as well?

http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

http://www.erik-krause.de/schaerfe.htm
(German, but very exhaustive, Javascript)


A third example is a tunnel which I've shot from the outside. Here the
sky and the entrance looks properly exposed while the tunnel itself is
very dark: http://home.c2i.net/w-460389/exposure/IMG_1457.jpg (1/500s,
f/5.6)
But if I change it to 1/15s, f/5.6 the tunnel is visible, but the sky
and everything else is over-exposed:
http://home.c2i.net/w-460389/exposure/IMG_1456.jpg

You could try using flash to brighten up the tunnel. Off camera
flash is probably necessary. Also, shooting RAW you can get more
out of the dark (but you still pay with added noise).

What I want to know is if there's a way I can get a proper expose for
the dark and light sections at the same time,

Only if the dark isn't too much darker than the lighter sections.
Otherwise you have to brighten the dark, or dim the light sections,
or merge different shots of them. (Flash, reflectors, graduated
ND filters, other light sources, waiting for different light,
choosing a different position (not into the light), etc. might
be a solution, depending on the task at hand.)

or is this physically impossible?

It's more a question of the sensitivity of the sensor, the
quality and width of the AD-converter and chosen contrast curve
(if you produce JPEGs in camera).

Moving on to contrasts, such as a black/white cat which I find hard to
shoot (to all the animal lovers out there; not literally ;-)

Intelligent use of flash, trying things and playing by ear
can help. Try to find a non-disturbing background which does
contrast with the cat.

I believe this is one of those situations I shouldn't rely on the meter
as you talk about, but how?

Spot metering, for example.

Here are a couple of photos of that cat, and in addition, to make it
even trickier I have the same problem as with my abovementioned photos:
the cat is inside, and the sky is bright outside the window, so the
background is over-exposed:
http://home.c2i.net/w-460389/exposure/IMG_1194.jpg (1/50s, f/7.1)
http://home.c2i.net/w-460389/exposure/IMG_1195.jpg (1/50s, f/7.1)

Use flash to light the cat. (Bounce the flash!). Adjust
exposure time to keep the background in check. Or use a
helper with a reflector to get the cat brighter, compared
with the background.

Once you've learned the technical aspects, you are then open to learning
the creative aspects of photography, which if you are like most of us,
will take the rest of our lives ;-). I'm still learning.

Yeah, it's pretty tricky. I often find myself pretty clueless. For
example, I'm at a holiday destination and have a great time, so I want
to capture the moment, but I really don't know what I should take a
picture of, so I end taking a "snapshot" of everything all at once. An
overview of the place in other words.

Stop yourself. Try to think first. Look at postcards --- usually
they aren't perfect, but can give ideas. Try to create a "message"
(an emotion, or even more) with your picture --- or go voluntarily
into "documentary mode", and acknowledge that the shots will be
dry-as-dust, unartistic, but "proof" that you were there.

Prune your pictures radically.

Here are some shots I've taken recently which I'm reasonably happy
with:

http://home.c2i.net/w-460389/img_impr/

what do you think? What's good and what can I improve on?

Composition. You really tend to place objects of interest in the
centre. This is "documentary mode". See all the fly&bee shots.

Watch your background.

At IMG_1434.jpg, you have green on green, little difference in
colour or intensity and too little separation from in/out of focus.
Try also a shot wide open or nearly wide open next time, and
one off-centre.

IMG_1435.jpg --- much the same, though you get much better
separation (still green-on-green, but light on dark and sharp
on blurred). The sharp grass is in the centre again.

IMG_1437.jpg --- try to crop it so that the blade is in the
centre, then give up in disgust and crop so that the blade is
a bit more to the left. See if that changes the picture.

-Wolfgang
.

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