Saturday morning photoshoot @ Central Mall with << Huiyi, Sharon & Zylia >>

[Zantz]

Hey, I am no pro but i think some solutions that might help

1. Try not to use built in flash if possible cause i think it will look flat cause its too harsh
2. For white balance maybe you can try cloudy?
3. Try adjust shutter speed and aperture during different scene for differently lighting

I hope my comments help

 

[sohwayne]

FYI, he IS using a pns camera. :bsmilie:

:thumbsup:

shoot more, practice more...

 

[tjhan]

I think you need a knock in the head cos I think something's loose in there.

Everyone has to start from somewhere, it's a sad fact that most normal people not born with a silver spoon born in the mouth will definitely be limited by equipment needs when just starting out.

Boken may not be everything, but it never harms to experiment. What's the point of keeping to what's that safe but not venturing out to unknown ground?

Oh, I really suggest you keep to a more polite tone next time, deflate that head a little as well, as you admire your friends' camwhore hauls on their friendster/facebook or whatever that is the in thing today.

Yup, admiring hot friends' photos on facebook is the in thing these days. Join in!

Judging by the fact that TS joined a shoot which cost almost what, 10 percent of the cost of his camera, you want me to believe he has no silver spoon or is short of cash? Before I got my own SLR, I used PnS cameras too what, they aren't as bad as people think they are. In fact, the biggest difference is bokeh and lowlight capabilities, and possibly the only differences if you don't do fancy stuff. I don't like people who blame their poorly taken shots on their PnS cameras. My tone is such because the TS' tone is such as well.

Btw, not venturing out to unknown ground? What the hell are you talking about? Sure, he got bokeh out of his PnS, is that unknown ground? I think venturing out of unknown ground would be bothering to learn how to post process pictures, rather than hide behind a badge of faux-courage "shall not photoshop because it's EVIL".

The truth is, hot girls can be admired in most photos, be it camwhored ones or whatever.

PS: Even the model herself seems to be hinting something lol.

 

[sayjaibow]

I DO NOT agreed with you. I only believe without skills are those who use camera in auto mode. If too dark, the camera prompt you to lift up your flash. Still not enough, prompt you to use tripod, and yet you do not have a tripod at that moment. And ended up getting blur photo due to hand shaking.

no offense to you too ... :sweat:

Well actually zero skills Auto mode would have taken better pictures than those you took. Auto mode will try harder to correctly expose your pictures than what you did. I could give a 8 year old child a point and shoot and set it to fully automatic and set scene mode to portrait and that kids shots would have came out better. Honestly I am not trying to make fun of you but to give you constructive advice. Here it is... start by shooting auto mode or better yet use P if your camera auto mode forces you to use flash where you don't want. Then look back at the picture... notice what settings the camera chosen for it's automated shot. Then see where the deficiencies are in the auto mode picture. If there is blur then you know to adjust shutter speed in manual mode. If the background is too blurry when you wanted more depth of field then when in manual mode you make sure you adjust the F stop number higher. If the auto mode made your picture too noisy and grainy you lower the iso in manual mode. If you get blur because of it.. you might need better stabilization.. etc etc... auto mode is your friend use it first as a beginner, work on composition, and use the default auto mode as your basis for further manual adjustments to learn about your camera and how to obtain correct exposure. good luck to you!

 

[quanyew]

Try looking for Gary Foong Puffer - a diffuser which work for internal flash.
OP @ Sim Lim Square had a *cheaper* version.

That might help in reducing those harsh flash shadows until you save enough for a speedlite.

Having a speedlite does not immediate solve the problems, you still need to learn how to use it.

Then also read up your manual on re-composing your shots & search the net on rule of thirds & finally go library or buy a book on photoshop to learn how to further enhance your photos to bring out the best of them.

Finally it's practise more on the Manual settings instead of always relying on Aperture or shutter mode.

Hey, chill ya.

I do think your photographs are good, except the exposure wasn't all that good in some parts of the image. Otherwise, it'd be really good photos.

And btw, I mentioned that you didn't pay close attention to lighting because I wasn't sure if you had an external flash or not. I myself often have images quite similar to yours as a result of shooting with internal flash.

Cheers!

I know this is of little relevance but heed no attention to Nec Hezner's post. It serves no intention in helping you improve in any way.
Anyway, I feel the angles are not appealing, lighting and composition wise, I haven't had a good look.

quan, just shoot more. Practise is the word.

Thanks for your recommendations, comments & feedbacks . . .

 

[quanyew]

personally, i feel that your pics ain that bad ....perhaps you should try to ask your models to look at your camera before shooting them....otherwise it may seems aibt dis-organize and dis-orientated

jus my 2 cents worth of personal comments

Sometime, I was just trying to do some "side pose" shooting of the model, while the other Photographers were shooting. Anyone have any advice on this ?

 

[quanyew]

i would refrain from using the PAS modes on a compact camera. i usually use manual mode if i need to take a proper shot on my nikon compact.

don't worry abt fiddling with the settings during the shoot. u are there to learn and practice. different ppl different agendas. i think its better to go there learn to shoot properly than to go there and pick up girls like some photogs.

i took 2 of the pic and did some editing to it. of course, pp is not an excuse to take lousy shots though.

Will gave manual mode a try . . .

After PP, the photo looks really great to me .

 

[quanyew]

practice practice practice.
just a little tip or two...
learn to use ur meter.
understand how ur camera works in different scenarios.
and take note of the surrounding, not just ur main subject(in this cases the models) for thing such as reflections, or a TAXI WAITING...
and by so also get a proper composition without cutting off limbs awkwardly..
and btw, the S5IS is a nice cam to play with

dun bother abt the negative comments learn from them and move on.. i tot they were ok but underexposed quite abit... work on it.. if u know its gonna be tough for ur cam ask them go shoot in the sun

Hey, I am no pro but i think some solutions that might help

1. Try not to use built in flash if possible cause i think it will look flat cause its too harsh
2. For white balance maybe you can try cloudy?
3. Try adjust shutter speed and aperture during different scene for differently lighting

I hope my comments help

:thumbsup:

shoot more, practice more...

Thanks for your recommendations, comments & feedbacks . . .

 

[quanyew]

Have to agree that some of the photos were not flattering or had some problems with it. Seems like there is a lack of focus in some shoots and the metering wasn't there (eg H02). Too dull and in the face flash(eg H03). Also the background seems busy and distracting(eg, H02 had a lamp at her head). Some had legs crop off or addition of stuff that does not add to the photo (eg H01 crop off toe).

Actually I have come from compact (Sony W1) to bridge camera (Panasonic FZ 30, Sony H1) to DSLR (Nikon D40, Panasonic L1). So I sort of understand what the limitations are. For your camera, it is really hard to get the DOF that DSLR can achieve easily (Need to zoom all the way and stand miles away or have a big head shot with the lens zoom right into the face). But it doesn't means that we cannot get sharp and nice pictures when the conditions are right. Just have to accept the limitation and work around it, though sometimes cannot means cannot.

Anyway, for your photo. these are what I though could be wrong (personnel opinion, may not be right)

For H01 - The toes is crop off and it seems like the focus is at the center and not on her face. Also the background seems boring, maybe can crop it to half body shot.

For H02 - The face looks underexposed. System maybe tricked by the bright background at her back. Change to center or spot metering to get the correct brightness. Again focus seems center on her waist.

For H03 - Flash not strong enough. Unable to light her up. could up the flash output some more or increase ISO with the same setting. An add on flash would be good but let's just work with what we have or can afford. Composure looks ok to me.

For S01 - Metering got tricked by her white skirt (extra bright). Maybe could up Exp by abit to compensate or change the metering.

For S02 - Flash too harsh and maybe could shot top down instead or bottom up. Maybe can consider to use the mirror to add interest to the shot.

For S03 - Looks good to me. Just that flash too direct. Can try using a tissue over the flash to diffuse the flash. If not reduce the flash output and up the exp compensation.

For the rest almost the same problem. But I can see that you are getting better as you progress for the day. Just keep shooting and you know what's your style. For PP, I think maybe you could give Picasa 3 a try. I do not know how to use PS too , too difficult. A good shot only reduces the amount of PP we need to do but we should not let our Ego get in our way from making a good shot to a better shot through PP. A bridge camera have enough limitations already, PP only makes it more manageable. Keep shooting.

For H02 - The flash is already on. I’m using spot metering. I’m also using face detection focusing, the focus should be on the face. (I was using face detection focusing most of the time)

For H03 – I think the flash should strong enough as some CSer commented Harsh flash due to obvious shadow. Other than that, I felt the lighting on model just nice. I’m avoiding higher ISO as the photo will be grainy from ISO 200 onwards.

For S01 - The flash is on. I’m using Evaluative metering since the background is dark. Exp compensation was up by +1.

For S03 - The flash is on and using Evaluative metering. Exp compensation was up by +2. I felt that the shadow wasn’t that obvious compared to some of my other shots.

For H01 & S02 – I’ll take note of that ...

Thanks for your other recommendation ...

 

[quanyew]

Well actually zero skills Auto mode would have taken better pictures than those you took. Auto mode will try harder to correctly expose your pictures than what you did. I could give a 8 year old child a point and shoot and set it to fully automatic and set scene mode to portrait and that kids shots would have came out better. Honestly I am not trying to make fun of you but to give you constructive advice. Here it is... start by shooting auto mode or better yet use P if your camera auto mode forces you to use flash where you don't want. Then look back at the picture... notice what settings the camera chosen for it's automated shot. Then see where the deficiencies are in the auto mode picture. If there is blur then you know to adjust shutter speed in manual mode. If the background is too blurry when you wanted more depth of field then when in manual mode you make sure you adjust the F stop number higher. If the auto mode made your picture too noisy and grainy you lower the iso in manual mode. If you get blur because of it.. you might need better stabilization.. etc etc... auto mode is your friend use it first as a beginner, work on composition, and use the default auto mode as your basis for further manual adjustments to learn about your camera and how to obtain correct exposure. good luck to you!

From the comments you have given, in Auto mode, you mean a 8 year old child is likely to get a blur, noisy, grainy photos and yet better than mine?

I believe that you will agreed that sometimes the scenery will fool your camera’s auto mode right?

You have also mentioned the deficiencies of Auto modes.

In portrait mode, ISO is set to low for smoother skin. Low ISO means you need more lighting (if not, unexposed). Next, the auto-flash will fires, ended up harsh flash. Am I correct?

Your constructive way observing how auto mode and varies scene mode behave, then fine tune in P, Tv, Av or M mode is good ideal. I will definitely try it. Thanks for that. I will still treat auto mode as my friend .

Actually I already try it in portrait mode. I notice that the ISO was set to lowest and using face detection. So on that day, I was using Tv & Av, and simulating portrait mode. I just need to further fine tune on that.

For a compact camera to achieve good bokeh effect, full zoom is the first criteria. With full zoom, you need to stand far away from your object and Aperture is limited to a lower value (around F4). Due to lighting issue, one must do it under daylight. Flash will hardly reach you object.

Thanks for your feedback ...

 

[quanyew]

Thanks others for your comments, feedbacks and "debating" among yourselves. :sweat: :sweat: :sweat:

 

[Anson]

Thanks others for your comments, feedbacks and "debating" among yourselves. :sweat: :sweat: :sweat:

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better"... FYI, I am using a non-dslr for quite a number of my photos too... so also have to find ways to work around the limitation.

 

[bEnd1ck]

Hi quanyew,

I am one of your groupmates that day .
Good to see that you are trying out different modes and learning to understand your camera more. Pple using full auto or scene modes may indeed get some good pictures out of the cam. But some time down the road, they'll still be in that auto or scene mode. Whereas for u, after you've played around and understand more of your cam, you will improve and do better than those pple.
Practice more and shoot more. You may even find that the cam is limiting you in certain ways and decide to upgrade soon. One thing I notice, maybe you should practice using the viewfinder more and less of the live view on lcd screen.
cheers

 

[pethidine]

I think TS and some of the comments here has been too "technical".

I personally think that photography is about expressing what you want to tell people. Your picture should say something bah. I have been too "technical" initially... and when my wife asked me... what the hell is this photo trying to show, I told her the technical details.. and she said: Yah.. so what, but the photo sucks. Color is off, dustbin in the scene, etc.. Haha... :embrass:

I think when you present your photos to people, they are not interested to know if you have used flash... you are trying to show bokeh by standing 5 meters away, you are using what metering mode, you are using M, Av, Tv, P or even Auto mode.... What people wants to see are stunning pictures, pictures that tell something, and has a focus (i.e anchor point).

Back to your photos: I could say.. the pictures are OK... but lacked the "wow" factors as compared to some of the other's posted photos.

Anyway, it is a good start. Keep these photos in a safe place, review and compare these photos, say 6 months later... and see if your skills have improved.

Have a positive and open mind when you read C&C. Some works, some don't. Evaluate and work towards some goals, and you will go far.

 

[quanyew]

Hi quanyew,

I am one of your groupmates that day .
Good to see that you are trying out different modes and learning to understand your camera more. Pple using full auto or scene modes may indeed get some good pictures out of the cam. But some time down the road, they'll still be in that auto or scene mode. Whereas for u, after you've played around and understand more of your cam, you will improve and do better than those pple.

Hi Bro, nice to see you here ...
Thanks for your feedback ...

Practice more and shoot more. You may even find that the cam is limiting you in certain ways and decide to upgrade soon.

Down the road, I am aiming on the up coming Canon PowerShot SX1 IS. But before that, I might invest on a Speedlite.

One thing I notice, maybe you should practice using the viewfinder more and less of the live view on lcd screen.
cheers

My camera is using EVF. The resolution is lower than the LCD. I hardly see the expression of the model. LCD also has its problem. Cannot see clearly if under the sun :sweat: . Yes, I’ll practice using the EVF.

 

[quanyew]

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better"... FYI, I am using a non-dslr for quite a number of my photos too... so also have to find ways to work around the limitation.

Thanks for your advice . . .

I think TS and some of the comments here has been too "technical".

I personally think that photography is about expressing what you want to tell people. Your picture should say something bah. I have been too "technical" initially... and when my wife asked me... what the hell is this photo trying to show, I told her the technical details.. and she said: Yah.. so what, but the photo sucks. Color is off, dustbin in the scene, etc.. Haha... :embrass:

I think when you present your photos to people, they are not interested to know if you have used flash... you are trying to show bokeh by standing 5 meters away, you are using what metering mode, you are using M, Av, Tv, P or even Auto mode.... What people wants to see are stunning pictures, pictures that tell something, and has a focus (i.e anchor point).

Back to your photos: I could say.. the pictures are OK... but lacked the "wow" factors as compared to some of the other's posted photos.

Anyway, it is a good start. Keep these photos in a safe place, review and compare these photos, say 6 months later... and see if your skills have improved.

Have a positive and open mind when you read C&C. Some works, some don't. Evaluate and work towards some goals, and you will go far.

You have got the point :thumbsup: . I’ll take note of that ...

 

[quanyew]

I was thinking of whether to post Part 2 (as "promised" in my first thread) which shows another outfit as those C&C really made me sweat a lot :sweat:.

There may still be flaws in the photos, or even worst. Nevertheless, maybe let me proceed. Let them be posts for further improve on things to take note. This round, I’ll post my comments on some photos based on feedback received.

Here it goes . . . :sweat:

Part 2

Huiyi

#H04 : Oops, the foot is "cropped"

#H05

#H06 : Oops, the finger is "cropped"

 

[quanyew]

Sharon

#S04 : Is the flash considered harsh on the model?

#S05

#S06 : Oops, the finger is "cropped"

 

[quanyew]

Zylia

#Z04

#Z05

#Z06

 

[quanyew]

Group photo

#G01