First touch with a DSLR

[strauss]

watch yr aperture when you shoot try to get multiple subjects in focus....

 

[evo-lution]

how to comment on 70 pics?!!!!

so i comment on the first few only and only on one point: exposure.

whatever is your subject, make sure it is well exposed.

And well exposed means, the subject is as bright as it can possibly be without sending other important elements in the picture to overexposure/saturation.

Then there is contrast, which means the bright is as bright it can be and the dark is dark as it can be.

In your first post, only the last pic is about OK, if your subject was StanChart bldg, but if it was UOB Tower, then it is slightly under.

OK, if you understand this, then you will have many questions. Please ask.

ok, roughly get the idea, so what method do u recommend to keep that exposure in check? exposure compensation, f-stop or shutter speed? for the stanchart building right, if i wanna achieve the effect such that the corner of stanchart is clearly the subject, should i increase the f-stop no. such that UOB blurs off slightly?

did u use a pro consumer before?
cos on tripod even compacts with IS be turn off unless your tripod is not really that stable.
when stabilizer on body/lens 1st came out some forums over at dpreview already mention on tripod must switch off.
forgot the reason to as why.

actually i will be a bit put off from buying 450d since the output straight from the cam is a bit soft.
you could have adjust your image parameters to +1.
some users in the dpreview used to say canon entry lvl cams like their semi-pro big brothers have soft pics right out of the cam so have to use ps to sharpen the image.

erm no prosumer before, from consumer to DSLR. oh alright, haha, actually the real interest in photography only arise from end of last yr. so didn't come across it before coz when i started to read up, IS is alrd there a very long time ago. btw, what is image parameter? the exposure compensation thing? anyway, pls do not use my pics to judge canon's sys coz i believe i certainly did not do Canon justice this time round. but gd luck to ur search for whatever sys u r looking for. cheers!

Pics a little dull. 50mm f1.4 makes a gorgeous portrait lens, gorgeous boken but when used for landscape, it's prone to flaring and its too narrow. Not my choice for shooting landscapes but you'd be able to make choices on whats best for your style once you've shot enough. Nice work keep shooting!

sorry, but what is boken? yea, i agree with the flaring too. thx for the encouragement anyway.

Too many photos on your thread. You should select a few and post only those you think are worthy. You need to work on your focussing and also composition.

oh ok, pt taken. cheers!

watch yr aperture when you shoot try to get multiple subjects in focus....

ok, will increase the f-stop the nx time round.=)

 

[evo-lution]

anyway, here's one more pic, pls tell me what feeling does this pic gives u(composition).

 

[Kit]

ok, roughly get the idea, so what method do u recommend to keep that exposure in check? exposure compensation, f-stop or shutter speed? for the stanchart building right, if i wanna achieve the effect such that the corner of stanchart is clearly the subject, should i increase the f-stop no. such that UOB blurs off slightly?

With a wide angle lens, the effects of shallow DOF will not be as apparent so it will not work. Even if the effects is detectable, it would be too subtle to make any significant impact.

With regards to exposure, keep your aperture constant(stopped down) and experiment with shutter speed in manual mode. Learning to read the histogram helps you to determine the correct exposure.

 

[Kit]

anyway, here's one more pic, pls tell me what feeling does this pic gives u(composition).

The man in front and the arm(white sleeve shirt) is pretty distracting actually. Probably would be better if it was taken earlier when the man in the foreground is not so near. This is still underexposed.

 

[Shin Howard]

Wow...many pics, seems like a spot from boat quay.
Most of pics doesn't seems to be sharp, maybe try using a faster shutter speed or tripod.
Take more pics!

 

[evo-lution]

With a wide angle lens, the effects of shallow DOF will not be as apparent so it will not work. Even if the effects is detectable, it would be too subtle to make any significant impact.

With regards to exposure, keep your aperture constant(stopped down) and experiment with shutter speed in manual mode. Learning to read the histogram helps you to determine the correct exposure.

oh, alright. will go learn the histogram soon. thx for the speedy reply btw!

The man in front and the arm(white sleeve shirt) is pretty distracting actually. Probably would be better if it was taken earlier when the man in the foreground is not so near. This is still underexposed.

oh ok. haha, guess still got a whole lot to learn.

Wow...many pics, seems like a spot from boat quay.
Most of pics doesn't seems to be sharp, maybe try using a faster shutter speed or tripod.
Take more pics!

haha, yea, i will. muz go invest in gd tripod liao. current tripod is a very simple one(borrow from friend).

Thanks to all who left their comments behind, really appreciate ur efforts, advice and comments(even critic). will heed u guys the advice to work on better shots nx time(for now, its exams time, sadded). cheers!

 

[Kit]

oh, ok, so meaning i should prehaps take the pic from a lower angle and prehaps from the sides such that the buildings seems to be more packed and not so much "spacing" all around the diff buildings thus getting a more "wholesome" pic? anyway thx for taking the effort to come back here and reply to my qns. haha, still got alot to learn from u guys=)

There are many ways to design a composition. Through looking at what other people have done and knowing the area well helps you to find the spot. Its not easy to design a photograph and finding the right spot is a challenge and half the fun. Here's some examples of a balanced composition...

You can't have all the buildings at the same height but at the very least, the composition gels together, between the foreground and background.

 

[Rashkae]

I don't see anything here that shows you would have needed a DSLR. These look like basic snapshots. And is your lens greasy or something? All your shots look unsharp.

 

[evo-lution]

I don't see anything here that shows you would have needed a DSLR. These look like basic snapshots. And is your lens greasy or something? All your shots look unsharp.

Did you juz come from the "screw you newbie" thread? aiyo dun be so harsh la, first time using a DSLR mah.:embrass:

ok la, i get ur main pt la, erm greasy? does water droplets count? been to the merlion place then tiny water droplets got onto the lens(wind sibeh strong la) n i actually forgot to clean off, only realised it the next day then got some water stain on it. but it have since been cleaned off.;p

 

[evo-lution]

There are many ways to design a composition. Through looking at what other people have done and knowing the area well helps you to find the spot. Its not easy to design a photograph and finding the right spot is a challenge and half the fun. Here's some examples of a balanced composition...

You can't have all the buildings at the same height but at the very least, the composition gels together, between the foreground and background.

haha, hey that's a nice pic. it certainly blends very well. btw, when do u actually decide to take B&W pics? when sky colour nt nice(very plain)? or depends on mood? noob qn la(i noe), but yea trying to understand how photograhpers think when they attempt B&W shots.

 

[Kit]

haha, hey that's a nice pic. it certainly blends very well. btw, when do u actually decide to take B&W pics? when sky colour nt nice(very plain)? or depends on mood? noob qn la(i noe), but yea trying to understand how photograhpers think when they attempt B&W shots.

There are a few instances I can think of...

You can use B&W to accentuate lines and geometries.

To mimic certain feel..... think Hitchcock for this instance.

To emphasize textures.

To portrait an aging subject.

Or simply, to try out something different.

There's no fixed rules. You can always convert your images, play with contrast. If you don't like it, just delete it. Doesn't costs a cent.

 

[gymak90]

I think for landscape shots, you might want to have a smaller aperture, so objects wouldn't be affected by bokeh.

For AF mode, I would say One Shot or AI Focus would be all right. Take the centre AF point or if you want, then let the camera select AF point(i don't recommend). But if you have a nice subject in your landscape, then aim with your AF point.

Hi Kit, great shots you have there. I realise for b&w, you really need a very good foreground or the shot itself has lots of mood. Is that true?
Btw, can share the spot you were at, for the pearl's centre and chinatown pics?
Thanks!

 

[skopio]

i seriously do not see the point of posting such a ridiculous amount of pictures. what are you seeking to achieve with these kind of shots?

 

[evo-lution]

There are a few instances I can think of...

You can use B&W to accentuate lines and geometries.

To mimic certain feel..... think Hitchcock for this instance.

To emphasize textures.

To portrait an aging subject.

Or simply, to try out something different.

There's no fixed rules. You can always convert your images, play with contrast. If you don't like it, just delete it. Doesn't costs a cent.

Woah, today reallty learn alot from u leh, eye opener! haha. btw anyone ever told u, u make a great teacher? Teaching as a Career? MOE got come poach u or nt? lol.

I think for landscape shots, you might want to have a larger aperture, so objects wouldn't be affected by bokeh.

For AF mode, I would say One Shot or AI Focus would be all right. Take the centre AF point or if you want, then let the camera select AF point(i don't recommend). But if you have a nice subject in your landscape, then aim with your AF point.

Hi Kit, great shots you have there. I realise for b&w, you really need a very good foreground or the shot itself has lots of mood. Is that true?
Btw, can share the spot you were at, for the pearl's centre and chinatown pics?
Thanks!

ok, pt noted. haha, feels as if in a AF crash course lesson. But i will still go do my own research n google and whatnot. haha, scared ltr kena screwed(refer to screw newbies poll). jkjk.

i seriously do not see the point of posting such a ridiculous amount of pictures. what are you seeking to achieve with these kind of shots?

The ability to be able to ignore is a blissing, cherish it. But the act to help others will always be appreciated.(refer to screw newbies poll if u dun get what i mean)

 

[Kit]

I think for landscape shots, you might want to have a larger aperture, so objects wouldn't be affected by bokeh.

For AF mode, I would say One Shot or AI Focus would be all right. Take the centre AF point or if you want, then let the camera select AF point(i don't recommend). But if you have a nice subject in your landscape, then aim with your AF point.

Hi Kit, great shots you have there. I realise for b&w, you really need a very good foreground or the shot itself has lots of mood. Is that true?
Btw, can share the spot you were at, for the pearl's centre and chinatown pics?
Thanks!

The correct term is actually "a smaller aperture", though designated with a larger number e.g. f/11, f/16, etc.

For buildings and landscapes, centre AF point is good. Though you might have to lock the focus and re-compose in some instances.

For B&W, not necessarily must have good foreground or "mood". Take the People's Park(shot from Hong Lim Complex) and Esplanade shots, I used a 200mm and 50mm lens respectively. No foreground to speak of virtually. Mood is something you can create. Again, look at the Esplanade shot. Its just isolation of some contemporary architectural details.

 

[Kit]

Woah, today reallty learn alot from u leh, eye opener! haha. btw anyone ever told u, u make a great teacher? Teaching as a Career? MOE got come poach u or nt? lol.

Erm..... I'm quite ok with designing buildings(and photograph them) for a living at the moment. Though MOE is one of my clients..... designing schools that is.

 

[evo-lution]

Erm..... I'm quite ok with designing buildings(and photograph them) for a living at the moment. Though MOE is one of my clients..... designing schools that is.

wow, design schools... haha, got design my previous sch or not? Bukit Batok sec.
anyway did a B&W. again first time, so yea, comments please. thank you!

 

[Simon_84]

erm no prosumer before, from consumer to DSLR. oh alright, haha, actually the real interest in photography only arise from end of last yr. so didn't come across it before coz when i started to read up, IS is alrd there a very long time ago. btw, what is image parameter? the exposure compensation thing? anyway, pls do not use my pics to judge canon's sys coz i believe i certainly did not do Canon justice this time round. but gd luck to ur search for whatever sys u r looking for. cheers!

got the sys i wanted non-canon that is.
image parameters is the colour settings in your cam program (should be in the cam manual).
do correct me if i wrong cos i remembered reading in dpreview that 350d have this program selection so presume that program wise 450d also similar.
exposure setting is another separate function in the cam.

 

[calebk]

Did you juz come from the "screw you newbie" thread? aiyo dun be so harsh la, first time using a DSLR mah.:embrass:
...

Don't post up photos if you don't reckon you can take all forms of criticism, harsh or otherwise. Rashkae may be harsh, but I feel his comments do have an element of truth.

I feel this is a ridiculous amount of photos for critique, but generally, most of what the other posters have said are all relevant. Soft, either due to bad focusing or simply handshake, underexposed, and lacking a strong subject of focus. In simple terms, very snap-shot-ish.

Sorry if I sound blunt, but you have to be prepared for blunt comments if you want to learn; not everyone will flower their advice and critique nicely for you.