The Photography Thread

[INS-ANI]

"Got a cam? want to use it? DOn't know how how to? sitting IDLE..."
Well..thats how you identify a potential wanna-be-photographer.

Many of us will be having interest in photography and here's an opportunity to share our experiences.
I am soon going to upload some of snaps i took and these were really better than i expected.

I am working on a tutorial from what i have learnt from my experiences and request all experienced/non-experienced member to share their ideas/works.

just for sample i am uploading some of my work, and i hope you guys will like it.

[INS-ANI]

links to image: http://yfrog.com/24ogaaaheomnd6ev8t0vjsvioj
http://yfrog.com/66ogaaadmiufhsybgbfnwv9bxj
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/6...zbb8c4m9p0.jpg

[gopi_vbboy]

u seem to be an electronic geek

dont u take any nature photos

[INS-ANI]

lol..was that a comment or compliment? Waise..i am an electronics student.
I have some animal pics(kittensX2), but i am yet to upload them.Some editing part still left....

[sujoyp]

i wish i had a SLR so that I could take a pic of full moon...

I am just unable to take full moon pic with any of my digital cams...I have 2 digicams and 3 cam phones... i could never take a clear pic all blurred..tried all settings

[INS-ANI]

NEED Some advice:
WHats the best way to watermark the original images w/o compromising on quality?

[INS-ANI]

@sujyop
can you please mention your cam details?

[sujoyp]

yup latest one is Sony T100...its 8mp with 1/2.5" ccd sensor and 35 - 175 mm lens....remaining details are here
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/T100/T100DAT.HTM

[rhitwick]

hey I'm an enthusiastic in that field any type of tips would be appreciated.

[INS-ANI]

its quite good specs.

buddy..i am not a specialist..but what i have learnt..lighting plays a very imp role in quality of ur pics. fr indoor pics(as uploaded above) i have used a table lamp and a white dotmatrix page sheet as background.

[sujoyp]

if u r bit good at manual settings...try taking moon pic at night without any blur or even sunrise or water waves at night (balti me bhi chalega) ...plzz try any

[pimpom]

Originally Posted by sujoyp

i wish i had a SLR so that I could take a pic of full moon...

I am just unable to take full moon pic with any of my digital cams...I have 2 digicams and 3 cam phones... i could never take a clear pic all blurred..tried all settings

An SLR is not essential for taking photos of the moon. You just need to set the proper exposure values and a good lens, preferably one with a long focal length. Here's a composite of some pictures I took of the moon with four different cameras, NONE of which is an SLR.



Another point is that while most beginners want to take a photo of the moon when it's full, it's actually not the best time. At full moon, the surface is evenly lit and comes out flat without interesting shades of light and dark.

[izzikio_rage]

@pimpom : cool dude.....

I have a sony W150, photography is a long time hobby ....guys post the links of any good photography tips and tricks websites that you find ...

[sujoyp]

@pimpom...great man.

Soo full moon is not the right time and u have taken all in B&W...dows B&W look better then coloured..

2ndly did u edited the pic or these r original ones.

[pimpom]

Actually, the shots were taken in colour. They were edited, somewhat sharpened with Photoshop and converted to greyscale (B&W) with Irfanview. I did the editing in a hurry and oversharpened the top left shot, making it look unnatural.

Whether it's better to put it in B&W or colour depends on the picture and the effect one wants to create. Here's one in colour, taken with a Panasonic FZ30.

I shot this one last November at about 4 am as I was heading for the bedroom half-asleep. I happened to glance out the window and saw the setting moon with the unusual red-orange colour caused by thick haze near the horizon, grabbed my camera and took a couple of shots. This one's also sharpened a bit.

[sujoyp]

I tried but again unsuccessful....do u use iso settings or normal screen selections

[pimpom]

OK. Here are some tips.

It's difficult to take a clear picture of the moon at night, especially with automatic exposure, because the moon is a small bright object against a large dark background. The camera tries to compensate for the dark background by increasing the exposure. The increased exposure is too high (too much light) for the moon and it comes out as a blurry bright white object. Is that the result you get?

The camera will also find it difficult to focus.

The best way to get a clear shot is to use manual exposure settings. But unfortunately, your camera doesn't have manual exposure settings. You could try this:

Set your camera to spot focus and spot metering. This will make it try to focus on the object in the centre and also measure the brightness of the object in the centre. Aim the camera with the moon in the exact centre. Let it take focus and meter by half-pressing the button. Then take a trial shot by fully pressing the button.

If the moon still comes out too bright, dim it by adjusting the EV (Exposure value). Your camera can be adjusted down to -2 in 1/3 steps.

Post your shot here and I'll help you evaluate the result.

[x3060]

hey... those are excellent pics ...and this thread is definitely going in the right direction .

good to see photographers here

[izzikio_rage]

check out my photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/izzikiorage would love to have your comments....

[sujoyp]

Originally Posted by pimpom

OK. Here are some tips.

It's difficult to take a clear picture of the moon at night, especially with automatic exposure, because the moon is a small bright object against a large dark background. The camera tries to compensate for the dark background by increasing the exposure. The increased exposure is too high (too much light) for the moon and it comes out as a blurry bright white object. Is that the result you get?

The camera will also find it difficult to focus.

The best way to get a clear shot is to use manual exposure settings. But unfortunately, your camera doesn't have manual exposure settings. You could try this:

Set your camera to spot focus and spot metering. This will make it try to focus on the object in the centre and also measure the brightness of the object in the centre. Aim the camera with the moon in the exact centre. Let it take focus and meter by half-pressing the button. Then take a trial shot by fully pressing the button.

If the moon still comes out too bright, dim it by adjusting the EV (Exposure value). Your camera can be adjusted down to -2 in 1/3 steps.

Post your shot here and I'll help you evaluate the result.

Great will try today night...thanks for the tips

[pimpom]

One more thing: It will be best if you also set the sensitivity (ISO) manually. Try ISO 80 or 100.

[sujoyp]

only 80 or 100...my phone support upto 3200

[rhitwick]

Originally Posted by sujoyp

only 80 or 100...my phone support upto 3200

hmmm......

In photography if u want take pictures in low light always use low ISO settings.
In low ISO settings the lense aperature increases and lets it enter more light (correct me if I'm wrong, experts).

[izzikio_rage]

@rithwick: to an extent that is true...most digital cameras compensate for a low ISO by increasing the aperture or by increasing the exposure time...ISO basically means how much the light received by the camera's sensor is amplified by the in camera processor...this leads to brighter photos even in dark conditions with low exposure but the photos have a lot of noise since a low quality signal is being amplified ....

if your camera supports long exposure times and during the photo you can keep the camera stable then go for the lowest ISO possible if not then increase the ISO ...but most cameras give really bad images at ISO settings of more than 800

[pimpom]

A high ISO lets you take pictures in low light, but produce more image noise, especially with small-sensor cameras like compacts and phone cameras. ISOs of 1600 or 3200 are mostly gimmicks and should be used only in an emergency where a bad picture is better than no picture at all.

This is why I suggested setting the ISO number manually so that the camera will not try to use a higher setting.

DSLRs have larger sensors and have less noise because the individual pixels on the sensor are larger. Moreover, the CMOS sensors they use are less noisy than the CCD sensors of compacts. Even then, as a general rule, it is better to go no higher than 800 unless lighting conditions make it necessary to use a higher ISO.

With point-and-shoot cameras, noise is usually noticeable at ISO 200 and gets worse at higher settings. The effect is less in good light but it's still there.

The disadvantage of using low ISO is that it needs a longer exposure (slow shutter speed). In low light, this can produce a blurred image due to camera shake or subject movement.

Going back to moon shots, most inexperienced photographers think they need a high exposure because the rest of the scene is dark. But the surface of the moon is as bright as a sunlit landscape here on earth. So exposure requirements are approximately the same as a daylight shot, though pollution and haze can change that.

The camera thinks the same way as an inexperienced photographer if it is set for auto-exposure with scene-average metering. That's why we have to use manual settings or spot metering.

Spot metering measures the amount of light in a small selected area. With simple P&S cameras, the selected area is in the centre, while advanced cameras offer the option of choosing other spots in the scene.

[swordfish]

he guys check this

[swordfish]

taken by canon d450

[pimpom]

Canon doesn't have a D450 model.

[izzikio_rage]

@swordfish: good photos dude.....especially the chivas one ...great highlights near the edges of the cap

@ all ...this is my first post in the think digit forum,,i was drawn in to post specially because of this topic...
so here we go..
@ pimpom...
canon does have dslr by the name of EOS 450D..its an entry level dslr and would cost you around 40-45 k...if u need to read a review here's one.,,
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos450d/

and i specially liked the moon photos u'v posted..just a query...do u own all d 4 cameras u mentioned??

@ izzikio_rage,..hurr,...grt pics dude...shd have sent dem to d google theme contest...

this is a link to my flickr album..again comments are welcome..i havent updated the album for a while .but some i guess u guys wd like the techniques used in the pics..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mysticjayant