1st Photo for C&C

[AeroClassics]

I have included a photo I took yesterday with my Canon XT and the kit lens. I have had my XT for 4 days now. This is not my first digital camera (I have a CoolPix 775, Canon S3IS and an Olympus 5060) but it is my first dSLR. I have been reading everything I can get my hands on to try and figure out what I call the "mechanics" of photography. Things like what ISO is better than another for a given situation, the whole aperture/shutter speed thing, wide angle vs telephoto etc. The one thing I am not sure I will ever get is the artistic side. Composition, backgrounds, depth of field, lighting and what not. I have seen some very amazing pictures on this forum. All that said I was out front yesterday afternoon trying to figure out the depth of field/aperture relationship. My daughter had one of the dogs out and I got this shot. I was zoomed in and shot it in the Sports Mode (I know I should be using the creative settings). I ran it through PSE5 to crop and PhotoRazor to bring it to an acceptable size. I would love feedback on what is right and what is wrong. The full size photo is in the Gallery.

Thanks!

[semperaggie]

I am about in the same place you are trying to learn everything I can! It is exciting and frustrating at the same time!

One thing I have learned is that when you have animal action shots you should give them more room (i.e. crop less) on the side in which they are moving to give them somewhere to go, so to speak.

[johnastovall]

It needs sharping in post process. A faster shutter speed would help. Clone out the distracting patch of payment in the upper right corner. Try not to shoot things which are the same color as the background with back quarter light. You need to develop post techinques which will pull the subject out of the background.

Really if you are trying to figure out the basics pick a simple basic still life and shot it all sorts of different camera setting. Do a hundred or so. Then shoot traffic to see how motion affects them. Try working in full manual for a month and study the EXIF data and analyse how they are affecting the image.

That's a start....

[ldelacruz]

Ditto what Stovall said...I got my camera in november and this site has been a wealth of information...when you take a photo you like, check the EXIF data...or if you see one that someone else took download it and open to view their EXIF data...this will show all the settings the camera used to capture the image. I also created a folder with images I liked and as I got more comfortable with my manual settings I would practice to get the same result.

Congrats and practice, practice, practice

[johnastovall]

You don't need to download images to check the EXIF if you use Firefox just add on one of several of the EXIF plug-in readers.

[AeroClassics]

Thank you all for the C&C! Most helpful. Here is my 2nd quick try. I opened up the crop and cloned out the sidewalk. I did not adjust the colors but I did adjust the lighting using the histogram. I pulled the sliders for white and black under the curve. I tried to adjust the sharpness but I am not was very successful. Stovall, your suggestion was try and pull the subject out of the backgroud. How? Adjusting the sharpness of the subject vs the whole picture? Just a suggestion or two to get me started would be appreciated. Off to the Dallas Arboretum to shoot pictures and ejoy the colors!

Thanks again!

[fstops]

douglas-here is another idea to ponder. this is a very quick rendering of what else can be done in post.

[afrikaner07]

I definitely like the second image you posted.
I personally learned quite a few things from the Elements website. I did learn something about creating a little bit of a added dof. Now this might be a little different for what your using, and I might not remember all of it, but give it a shot.

-You start off by duplicating the background
-Then you apply some Gaussian blur to the new layer.
-Next select all on that layer (Ctrl A)
-Then save the selection as a pattern. In elements its under Edit.
-You can delete this layer now.
-Create a duplicate layer again.
-Select the Pattern Stamp Tool
-Select the pattern you had just saved a few steps up and then just start painting in the layer where you want.

This might not be the best way to do it, but you can see my results on another thread.
http://www.texasphotoforum.com/forum...ad.php?t=69346
I used this technique on the second image, along with some cropping.

Anyways, hope this helps.
Cheers

here I applied it some ...


I probably could have done a more thorough job, but hopefully this will help you get the general idea of the technique.

[AeroClassics]

fstops,
Thanks! Very interesting. What is interesting to me is how I reacted to the changes. At first glance I didn't like it. But every time I go back and see it again I find I like more and more. Did you do this with PS or PSE? There is so incredibly much to learn between properly using the capabilities of the camera and the functionality of PP! And that is not even touching the creative side. Things like learning how to make best use of lighting and angles and framing! I get a headache thinking about how far I need to go! I see why folks tend to shoot the same style or type of subjects.

Thanks again!

Doug

[AeroClassics]

Afrikaner07,
Thanks for the feedback. I think my second quick try was better. I read your thread and when I get home tonight will give your method a try. It looks very interesting. I appreciate your help!

Doug

[afrikaner07]

I used Photoshop elements, but the technique I used and the motion blur can be done in both. Also, I definitely agree with you. I'm still only using a Canon Powershot S5 IS, with the sole purpose of learning the basics. I personally say focus on composition and understanding your camera and then leave the Photoshop to make a great shot even greater. At least that is my approach. Good luck, I am still overwhelmed...all the time...but slowly this forum and other people are helping make all this information more manageable and applicable =D
Cheers.

[AeroClassics]

I have Elements 5 at home so I will play with it. Your approach to figuring this out makes a lot of sense to me. Composition seems to be one of the key elements between a good picture and a not so good picture. Learning the camera and the art is the right way. I have had PSE5 for a long time and know very little beyond the very basics. I will learn more as time goes by. I am much more interested, at the moment, of getting to know my camera.

Doug

[fstops]

douglas-it was a very drastic change from your original shot. at the beginning, i was trying to pull the subject from the background with a simple blurring technique, but that did not yield satisfactory result. and, during this blurring process, the tree trunk started to look like a dark blob. so i removed the tree trunk and applied motion blur to enhance the action. by the way, i did this in photoshop.

i agreed with you, there is no limits of what you do with your camera and photoshop. i have been doing this for over 25 years and still learning. happy shooting.

[AeroClassics]

Thanks fstop!
One of my coworkers saw your work on my photo and really liked it. Everytime I look at it I like it more! So much to learn and so little time. If you are still learning after 25 years then...........wow! There must be a LOT to learn ;-)

Guess I had better get busy! I haven't really looked at what I took at the Arboretum last Saturday. May be a gem amoungst the duds! You never know!

Doug