Rate the Photo Above you

[AkiraDaarkst]

1 hour ago, Mihle said:

I did already make the dark parts darker, but probably. I am still a noob, both taking photos, and editing.
The picture was taken in far from ideal place. I have limited lighting, and stuff to use to play around with. The wall is actually sort gray-light gray, and therefore it was hard to make it black with the lighting I had. I will try to take it again, but make it better

I am not implying "make the dark parts darker".  I mean, take a photo of the object with better lighting, use light that comes from a window or even the on-camera flash (with some sort of diffuser/bounce card in front), get a better exposure where even the parts you want to hide in the shadows/darkness are better exposed.  Then in Photoshop, use an adjustment brush and play with dodging and burning.

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11 minutes ago, AkiraDaarkst said:

I am not implying "make the dark parts darker".  I mean, take a photo of the object with better lighting, use light that comes from a window or even the on-camera flash (with some sort of diffuser/bounce card in front), get a better exposure where even the parts you want to hide in the shadows/darkness are better exposed.  Then in Photoshop, use an adjustment brush and play with dodging and burning.

Be careful with that technique though or you'll end up with nonsense like this  

 

[AkiraDaarkst]

3 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

Be careful with that technique though or you'll end up with nonsense like this  

 

It's all about how you apply it.  If you can get the lighting right in-camera as close to the final output as possible, great.  If not, work in post production is required.

[xQubeZx]

23 hours ago, Mihle said:

I dont really like it, its to cluttered for my taste. 5/10

This is me trying to do some sort of "product shot" of a thing I had laying around. I know the lighting isnt ideal, but I used what I had.
Bearing Product shot by Mihle Photography

pssst. The "light" I used is actually a monitor at full brightness.....

Sadly I have to agree with the others, it's very dark and tbh you don't really see what it is. Also the "rod" in the middle looks kinda out of place. Its nice experimenting though.

 

3/10

 

This is my shot then, during sunrise some week ago

 

 

 

[Mihle]

2 hours ago, AkiraDaarkst said:

I am not implying "make the dark parts darker".  I mean, take a photo of the object with better lighting, use light that comes from a window or even the on-camera flash (with some sort of diffuser/bounce card in front), get a better exposure where even the parts you want to hide in the shadows/darkness are better exposed.  Then in Photoshop, use an adjustment brush and play with dodging and burning.

I know, but I actually found something black thing I can use to make it easier. To do what I want. I wasn't using flash, but found another light I can use.

 

I don't have Photoshop

[Mihle]

1 hour ago, xQubeZx said:

Sadly I have to agree with the others, it's very dark and tbh you don't really see what it is. Also the "rod" in the middle looks kinda out of place. Its nice experimenting though.

I learn by mistakes at least I had problems with not having enough lightning, so I couldn't make the bearing lighter without it looking really weird... I am just using Rawtherapee and I'd a noon at it.

The "rod" shouldn't have been there, but it was the edge of the thing it was standing on that the light hit.

 

I feel like I am blind when looking at my own images sometimes.

 

Btw is it ok if I post another better version of the same image in this thread (re do it), another time? (Will ofc try to rate the picture previous when I do it as good as I can, even if I am not the best)

[AkiraDaarkst]

17 hours ago, Mihle said:

Btw is it ok if I post another better version of the same image in this thread (re do it), another time? (Will ofc try to rate the picture previous when I do it as good as I can, even if I am not the best)

Feel free to post as many versions as you want.  It actually helps us to provide better feedback for your work.

 

I do commercial photography for clients and even if I have a good idea of how I want the product to look like in the final photo and have a general idea of how to light it (due to experience) I still end up shooting several photos and experimenting by adjusting the light setups.  In the end I may end up with a few dozen to hundreds of photos from which I go through and select the ones I like.

 

Judging the looks of photos in the tiny LCD screen on the back of the camera is not easy or ideal.  So whenever possible I try to shoot tethered.  If you have Lightroom, just get a USB cable long enough to connect the camera to your computer and set Tethered Capture mode in LR.  There are other third party software or even first party software.  Canon I believe already includes tethered shooting capabilities with their EOS tools while with Nikon you need to buy the Nikon Camera Control software which costs around $150+.  I think CaptureOne also includes tethered capture mode.  I use it a lot in studio shoots where I can have my clients sitting in front of the computer screen and after a few shots we can sit down and discuss what they like, what they don't like, what we can do to get the style they are looking for.

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56 minutes ago, AkiraDaarkst said:

In the end I may end up with a few dozen to hundreds of photos from which I go through and select the ones I like.

I'm all for taking lots of shots, but when it's of one thing you have complete control over, I feel like that's just a tad excessive  

[AkiraDaarkst]

1 hour ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

I'm all for taking lots of shots, but when it's of one thing you have complete control over, I feel like that's just a tad excessive  

It depends on the product and the number of products that need to be photographed.  If the client wants me to take a photo of, for example business suits, and all he wants is the one same style of photo for each suit, then it may require a dozen or more shots to get the first one right (as in positioning of lights, camera shutter speeds, strobe power, etc.) and all subsequent shots are just clones with different suits going in front of the camera one after the other.

 

If the client wants me to take a photo (or photos) of a luxury watch, with shiny reflective surfaces, you can end up with a few dozen shots just for each angle.  Some shots are done at bracketed exposures in order to do exposure fusion in post.

 

In commercial photography, there's rarely ever a "getting things right on the first try".

[AkiraDaarkst]

It's so satisfying printing photos yourself, and even more when you're being paid for them.

 

 

 

And the prints coming out of the printer.

[Yannik]

AkiraDaarkst, I love the combination of colors and the black and everything. I quit like it as you may see. 9/10

 

And one question, which printer are you using? I'm thinking about buying myself on (So my best friend dosn't need to do all the printing for me).

 

 

[AkiraDaarkst]

18 minutes ago, Yannik said:

AkiraDaarkst, I love the combination of colors and the black and everything. I quit like it as you may see. 9/10

 

And one question, which printer are you using? I'm thinking about buying myself on (So my best friend dosn't need to do all the printing for me).

 

 

I just needed to go back to some basics and do simple compositions, hence the black background.

 

I am using an Epson P800, as one of the printers we have in the studio.  If you need one, look at the P600 which is cheaper or something from Canon.  But the P800 or Canon ProGraf 1000 have larger ink tanks and can be cheaper on the cost per ML of ink.

[Emzijs]

@Yannik I like the colors and the whole picture so I will say 9/10

 

 

[AkiraDaarkst]

On 5/15/2017 at 1:12 PM, Yannik said:

AkiraDaarkst, I love the combination of colors and the black and everything. I quit like it as you may see. 9/10

 

And one question, which printer are you using? I'm thinking about buying myself on (So my best friend dosn't need to do all the printing for me).

 

 

I forgot to comment about your photo, I like it.  The composition of shooting through a window can also symbolize looking through a portal at something of another world.  The only thing that bothers me, personally, would be the reflections I guess.  It sort of looks like a double exposure.

 

 

19 hours ago, Emzijs said:

@Yannik I like the colors and the whole picture so I will say 9/10

 

 

Good photo.  Did you straighten the buildings in post or you set up the camera carefully?

[Yannik]

15 hours ago, AkiraDaarkst said:

I forgot to comment about your photo, I like it.  The composition of shooting through a window can also symbolize looking through a portal at something of another world.  The only thing that bothers me, personally, would be the reflections I guess.  It sort of looks like a double exposure.

@AkiraDaarkst Yeah, they bother me as well. But i was on a trip (This Picture is taken from inside the director room of the Bauhaus)  and I forgot my pol filter. 

[.spider.]

12 hours ago, Yannik said:

 and I forgot my pol filter. 

Would not have helped anyway. 

[m0k]

On 5/16/2017 at 3:26 PM, Emzijs said:

 

good composition 

clean lines + architecture always gets me good

9/10 because its a little noisy in the shadows

 

Here is my submission

 

[AkiraDaarkst]

On 5/18/2017 at 6:05 AM, Yannik said:

@AkiraDaarkst Yeah, they bother me as well. But i was on a trip (This Picture is taken from inside the director room of the Bauhaus)  and I forgot my pol filter. 

That's too bad, a CPL would've have helped a bit there.

[Emzijs]

On 5/17/2017 at 5:40 PM, AkiraDaarkst said:

 

Good photo.  Did you straighten the buildings in post or you set up the camera carefully?

Nah, it was just a lucky shot while I was lurking around the town. Wasn't intended or prepared to shoot something like that, especially with 50mm 1.8 prime.

[AkiraDaarkst]

15 hours ago, Emzijs said:

Nah, it was just a lucky shot while I was lurking around the town. Wasn't intended or prepared to shoot something like that, especially with 50mm 1.8 prime.

Well it's a good photo, I like that it plays with the parallel and diagonal lines, vertical and horizontal.  A couple of things that I don't like:

1. There seems to be some sort of graffiti near the 3.5m height warning sign.
2. The reflections of the tree and part of a building on the glass/reflective surfaces of the balcony (I assume it's some sort of balcony unless there is a proper architectural term for it) part.

[THeEmpire.01]

Taken on iPhone 6s on a boat near Tampa Bay. (I wasn't gone risk bringing my un-waterproof DSLR on this tiny shaky boat  )

[cc143]

5 hours ago, THeEmpire.01 said:

Taken on iPhone 6s on a boat near Tampa Bay. (I wasn't gone risk bringing my un-waterproof DSLR on this tiny shaky boat  )

Its a nice image, but you should have taken your DSLR. I assume this wasn't shot in RAW, you'd be able to do quite a lot in post to make this really pop. Don't baby your camera, if it gets wet so be it, It probably will be ok, DSLRs are tough stuff. I was just outside with my admittedly weather sealed 5d in the pouring rain, I think I was more damaged than the Camera. 

 

The lighting is a bit off, the bridge is too dark and the highlight in the middle is too blown, you can also see that the middle pillar that's right in front of the sun is too blown out. the sea in the foreground is a bit too dark. Try importing it in LR and you should get a much better result with a grad and some slider adjustments, although if it is indeed in JPG, not much can be done (I believe some phones do shoot raw, not sure if the 6s does though.) 6/10. 

 

Here's mine, earlier today, before it started pouring in a local drink shop, "Valhalla's Goat."

[AkiraDaarkst]

9 hours ago, THeEmpire.01 said:

Taken on iPhone 6s on a boat near Tampa Bay. (I wasn't gone risk bringing my un-waterproof DSLR on this tiny shaky boat  )

It's a good photo.

3 hours ago, cc143 said:

The lighting is a bit off, the bridge is too dark and the highlight in the middle is too blown, you can also see that the middle pillar that's right in front of the sun is too blown out. the sea in the foreground is a bit too dark. Try importing it in LR and you should get a much better result with a grad and some slider adjustments, although if it is indeed in JPG, not much can be done (I believe some phones do shoot raw, not sure if the 6s does though.)

It's a good photo (period!).  Don't get unnecessarily technical.  Shooting against the sun, the bridge being dark like a silhouette is alright.

 

3 hours ago, cc143 said:

Its a nice image, but you should have taken your DSLR. I assume this wasn't shot in RAW, you'd be able to do quite a lot in post to make this really pop. Don't baby your camera, if it gets wet so be it, It probably will be ok, DSLRs are tough stuff. I was just outside with my admittedly weather sealed 5d in the pouring rain, I think I was more damaged than the Camera. 

 

The lighting is a bit off, the bridge is too dark and the highlight in the middle is too blown, you can also see that the middle pillar that's right in front of the sun is too blown out. the sea in the foreground is a bit too dark. Try importing it in LR and you should get a much better result with a grad and some slider adjustments, although if it is indeed in JPG, not much can be done (I believe some phones do shoot raw, not sure if the 6s does though.) 6/10. 

 

Here's mine, earlier today, before it started pouring in a local drink shop, "Valhalla's Goat."

Use a plugin like DxO Viewpoint and straighten the vertical lines.

[cc143]

48 minutes ago, AkiraDaarkst said:

It's a good photo.

It's a good photo (period!).  Don't get unnecessarily technical.  Shooting against the sun, the bridge being dark like a silhouette is alright.

 

Use a plugin like DxO Viewpoint and straighten the vertical lines.

Yes, I know, the point is that you are better off selling your gear if you are going to use your phone anyway. I was pointing out that there are ways this could be improved a lot in post, easy ways, that would be much more possible if the image was shot in RAW instead of JPG. Afterall, I know firsthand, as I believe all of us do, how it feels like when what you capture doesn't fulfill its entire potential and wanted to point out how it could be improved, even with a JPG with 5 minutes in LR. 

 

I don't have DxO Viewpoint and can't really afford it atm, for obvious reasons I'd rather not pirate it, but I would like to get it at some point, it seems to be something I could really use. 

 

Here's another one I got from the same store btw. I couldn't choose which of the 2 to post. 

[AkiraDaarkst]

52 minutes ago, cc143 said:

Yes, I know, the point is that you are better off selling your gear if you are going to use your phone anyway. I was pointing out that there are ways this could be improved a lot in post, easy ways, that would be much more possible if the image was shot in RAW instead of JPG. Afterall, I know firsthand, as I believe all of us do, how it feels like when what you capture doesn't fulfill its entire potential and wanted to point out how it could be improved, even with a JPG with 5 minutes in LR. 

 

I don't have DxO Viewpoint and can't really afford it atm, for obvious reasons I'd rather not pirate it, but I would like to get it at some point, it seems to be something I could really use. 

 

Here's another one I got from the same store btw. I couldn't choose which of the 2 to post. 

He captured a beautiful image and had his reasons for not taking his camera, though it's not a reason I would've used as an excuse.  And not so surprisingly (since the camera inside the later iPhones are pretty good for cameras with tiny sensors) the photo turned out well.  The highlights are not too overblown, the sky looks gorgeous.  The biggest issue is the noise and blotchy texture if you look at the image at 100% size whereas a camera with a larger (and perhaps better) sensor would've done a better job.

 

What I would've done with this iPhone photo:

• resized it down so that the noise and detail loss would be less noticeable.
• cropped a bit of the top and bottom to make the image look more panoramic.

For your second photo, it's nice but I would've tried to capture with a deeper DOF via a narrow aperture.  Alternatively you could, if you had one, use a tilt-shift lens to change the focal plane which would let you keep a wider aperture but mimic the appearance of a deeper DOF.