tips/techniques you recommend for photos

[Eduard the weeb]

Okay so right now I am trying really hard to learn how to get better at photo and video but mostly photography and I have been trying really hard to soak up as much info as possiable

so I'd like to ask, Do you have any tips or anything also any video you recommenced, I will link a playlist I have made so I don't get people linking videos I have already watched.

 

 

[Ashiella]

I take better pictures with my phone than you do with a DSLR.

[Revamp]

This isn't a direct answer to your question in regards to videos, but I would HIGHLY recommend taking in-person classes.

For example, shutterfest is coming up in April and is 2 full days for $99. While it is indeed $99, it is VERY beneficial for photographers.

There is photoshop/lightroom based classes as well. With shutterfest you will learn a lot more than just watching videos. You will take shots, have masters in the art of photography give you pointers related directly to your style, etc.

[Eduard the weeb]

2 minutes ago, Ashiella said:

I take better pictures with my phone than you do with a DSLR.

7 year old DSLR 

and been doing photography for like 5 months atm 

Edited January 31, 2018 by Eduard the weeb

[Revamp]

1 minute ago, Ashiella said:

I take better pictures with my phone than you do with a DSLR.

Would definitely object  Can't really work with creative lighting with a phone.

Can't get a real depth of field with a phone (not talking about those 2 lens SIMULATED depth of field)

Can't blow up an image to nearly the size as you can with a DSLR

 

So much more you can do with a DSLR than a phone.

[Ashiella]

Just now, Eduard the weeb said:

7 year old DSLR 

I take better pictures with my 11 year old DSLR 8mp

[Eduard the weeb]

Just now, Ashiella said:

I take better pictures with my 11 year old DSLR 8mp

better is objective and I live in the woods only near a city not near the ocean,desert, and city at once lol

[Ashiella]

Just now, Revamp said:

Would definitely object  Can't really work with creative lighting with a phone.

Can't get a real depth of field with a phone (not talking about those 2 lens SIMULATED depth of field)

Can't blow up an image to nearly the size as you can with a DSLR

 

So much more you can do with a DSLR than a phone.

I mean, i can change the lighting quite a bit, and Im pretty good with lightroom. 

Take one out of focus image, take one thats in-focus, photoshop. There is also software to do that on android. (Using a galaxy s6)

yeah, about right, i noticed that even though the images are 8mb, 5500x3500 (or so) on a 1080p monitor, zoomed or not, they look like shit, but in a smaller format they look pretty nice.

sure, but with a really old dslr?

[Eduard the weeb]

4 minutes ago, Revamp said:

This isn't a direct answer to your question in regards to videos, but I would HIGHLY recommend taking in-person classes.

For example, shutterfest is coming up in April and is 2 full days for $99. While it is indeed $99, it is VERY beneficial for photographers.

There is photoshop/lightroom based classes as well. With shutterfest you will learn a lot more than just watching videos. You will take shots, have masters in the art of photography give you pointers related directly to your style, etc.

I'm rn taking a camera and movie class at school sadly I don't have money for that either rn because my subscriptions to things and getting presents for people has drained my Bank account lol

[Ashiella]

1 minute ago, Eduard the weeb said:

better is objective and I live in the woods only near a city not near the ocean,desert, and city at once lol

I live in new braunfels, next to san antonio, houston, austin, galveston, port alto (my beach front house location) no desert though, although elpaso and up near oklahoma is close. I also have lots of woods and wetlands. Dont forget rivers.

[Eduard the weeb]

anyway can we get back on topic and could anyone recommend anything purely for the camera, I don't have consistent access to Light room and photo shop so yeah its just in the playlist so once I do get a PC I can start to learn.  

[Revamp]

24 minutes ago, Eduard the weeb said:

7 year old DSLR 

and been doing photography for like 5 months atm 

Also besides my aforementioned registering for in-person classes another great way to learn is workshops.

Many people don't really know about workshops because they aren't publicly advertised, it's usually word of mouth.

 

Basically search FB for modeling pages specifically as this is where you'll mostly see workshops because they are looking for models. What happens is there will be anywhere from 3-10 photographers, and I've seen anywhere from 2-20 models show up. Generally it's 5-6 models and 4-5 photogs thoughs.

 

typically there is usually a $1-$50 photog fee but it truly is a great learning experience if you go in with that mindset. You are taking pictures with photographers who will likely be much better than you. You will see how they get the right angle, bounce ideas off them, show them what you have and get pointers, etc.

 

Luckily my girlfriend models so my tog fee is usually waived for her participating.

 

EDIT: Photog fees are typically only a factor if the host of the event is renting studio space of has publicly available lighting setups so you're basically contributing to the studio rental, supplies for the shoot theme, and wear and tear on flash supplies.

 

There are just as many paid workshops as their are free though. Typically free workshops are just in a park or somewhere public with a cool scenery/setting and there isn't really a "Creative Theme" for the models to dress for. Still a great experience. A lot of times you meet models that are willing to do TFP shoots (time for print; aka their time is paid for by copies of your final image). So then you get to meet models you can call up and set up dates for shoots to test new lighting, poses, shooting style, etc firsthand.

 

 

16 minutes ago, Eduard the weeb said:

anyway can we get back on topic and could anyone recommend anything purely for the camera, I don't have consistent access to Light room and photo shop so yeah its just in the playlist so once I do get a PC I can start to learn.  

Oh also for consistant photoshop and lightroom, adobe has the photographer package for $10 a month for unlimited updates to LR/PS while you have the subscription. Really worth looking into if you're serious.

 

 

20 minutes ago, Ashiella said:

sure, but with a really old dslr?

My first camera was a Canon T2i with the 18-55 kit lens.... still use it to this day and it's like 8years old or so?

Photos look just the same as my current primary Canon 77D with a 70-200mm / f2.8. Main difference, is I can crop more or blow the images up larger from the 77D. I GARAUNTEE I can do way more especially with flash with my T2I that is 8years old and a kit lens, than you can with a smartphone.

 

Also keep in mind, getting a shot right right off the camera (with minor color correction) is 100x better and more professional than layering 2, 3, or even 4 images to get a simulated effect and then having to make your own flash contrast and such. I'd rather take one photo and spend 10 seconds applying a passport pro correction on it than spending 5-10mins photoshopping 4 images and 10 layers to get the same result.

[AlistairMcKeon]

On 1/31/2018 at 5:26 PM, Eduard the weeb said:

I am trying really hard to learn how to get better at photo and video but mostly photography and I have been trying really hard to soak up as much info as possiable

Try not to do many things at once, follow the KISS rule and practice.

 

On 1/31/2018 at 5:38 PM, Revamp said:

Also keep in mind, getting a shot right right off the camera (with minor color correction) is 100x better and more professional than layering 2, 3, or even 4 images to get a simulated effect and then having to make your own flash contrast and such. I'd rather take one photo and spend 10 seconds applying a passport pro correction on it than spending 5-10mins photoshopping 4 images and 10 layers to get the same result.

Agree and disagree.  It depends on what you want to create.  Some styles are difficult to do with just a single photo so you may need to take several and spend more time in the digital darkroom.  It doesn't make you more or less professional on whether you get the image right in the camera or after spending hours in front of the computer, only the final result matters.

[Revamp]

On ‎2‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 1:28 AM, AlistairMcKeon said:

Try not to do many things at once, follow the KISS rule and practice.

 

Agree and disagree.  It depends on what you want to create.  Some styles are difficult to do with just a single photo so you may need to take several and spend more time in the digital darkroom.  It doesn't make you more or less professional on whether you get the image right in the camera or after spending hours in front of the computer, only the final result matters.

 

You apparently just joined in the conversation and didn't take the time to read the previous posts. I will go ahead and update you on the context we were talking in.

He was comparing using a cell phone and taking multiple pictures and either stitching them, or overlaying the images to getting a single image comparable to that in which a DSLR can do in a single shot.

For example I mentioned flash, so when taking a photo during dusk with a dslr, I can slow the shutter speed to properly expose the background, then flash the subject and get an evenly exposed image in 1 shot. His comparison (in my words) was essentially saying take a picture of the background and the subject separately, Edit the background in lightroom to get it exposed properly, then take the subject and overlay them on the edited background, etc.

 

Please tell me how you disagree with using a DSLR to capture the image properly the first time being a less professional oriented workflow compared to using a cell phone and taking 2, 3 or even 4 images on a cell phone, editing them separately, then cropping different aspects of each photo to layer them on top of one another.

 

On ‎1‎/‎31‎/‎2018 at 10:35 AM, Ashiella said:

I mean, i can change the lighting quite a bit, and Im pretty good with lightroom. 

Take one out of focus image, take one thats in-focus, photoshop. There is also software to do that on android. (Using a galaxy s6)

yeah, about right, i noticed that even though the images are 8mb, 5500x3500 (or so) on a 1080p monitor, zoomed or not, they look like shit, but in a smaller format they look pretty nice.

This was his post in regards to using a cell phone to take multiple shots both in and out of focus on a cell phone to photoshop them together to simulate the subject isolation bokeh effect of a DSLR. Please do elaborate on how using a DSLR and taking a single shot with proper subject focus being a less professional workflow than using a cell phone to layer 2-3 images to simulate the same shot artificially.

[Ashiella]

12 minutes ago, Revamp said:

 

You apparently just joined in the conversation and didn't take the time to read the previous posts. I will go ahead and update you on the context we were talking in.

He was comparing using a cell phone and taking multiple pictures and either stitching them, or overlaying the images to getting a single image comparable to that in which a DSLR can do in a single shot.

For example I mentioned flash, so when taking a photo during dusk with a dslr, I can slow the shutter speed to properly expose the background, then flash the subject and get an evenly exposed image in 1 shot. His comparison (in my words) was essentially saying take a picture of the background and the subject separately, Edit the background in lightroom to get it exposed properly, then take the subject and overlay them on the edited background, etc.

 

Please tell me how you disagree with using a DSLR to capture the image properly the first time being a less professional oriented workflow compared to using a cell phone and taking 2, 3 or even 4 images on a cell phone, editing them separately, then cropping different aspects of each photo to layer them on top of one another.

 

This was his post in regards to using a cell phone to take multiple shots both in and out of focus on a cell phone to photoshop them together to simulate the subject isolation bokeh effect of a DSLR. Please do elaborate on how using a DSLR and taking a single shot with proper subject focus being a less professional workflow than using a cell phone to layer 2-3 images to simulate the same shot artificially.

I never said it was less professional? I just state that I can or do, and its fine for most people? I know the op and we have shared pictures, he states mine are better lol.

[Revamp]

2 minutes ago, Ashiella said:

I never said it was less professional? I just state that I can or do, and its fine for most people? I know the op and we have shared pictures, he states mine are better lol.

ZZZ you apparently don't read previous comments either. My reply was directed at AlistairMcKeon who said he agreed and disagreed with my point on getting a image off the camera being more of a professional workflow than using a cell phone to layer multiple shots. I never once stated that you said it was less professional.

 

Not to mention, even after copying your quote to reference for AlistairMcKeon I used the verbiage "This was his post in regards...", when if I was talking to you directly I would have said "This was your post in regards...".

[xQubeZx]

This entire thread is just comical. Nothing you have said really answers the question. The statement ”I take better images with my phone than you do with a DSLR” is just silly. How does that even help OP? 

 

Now, OP, if you want to get nice looking images it certsinly helps to have a decent DSLR and some decent lenses. You can of course take good images with a phone composition wise and quite detaild and so in perfect conditions. But less ideal conditions a dedicated camera will be so much better with its larger sensor. Fast lenses will give you blurry backgrounds too if you want that. And no, you can’t replicate bokeh (out of focus background) in photoshop by just layering some images. 

 

Also the way of layering images and tons of photoshop work explained above is such a waste of time when you can do it properly at the start. A poor shot can’t be rescued by photoshoping it. A good shot out of camera can however be improved in photoshop but you can’t magically turn something shitty to something good. 

 

You would need to explain a bit more what you need help with but I would say always strive to get the image right out of the camera. Make sure to have perfect focus as an out of focus image really kills it. Don’t use focus and recompose if you can, its very flawed. If you understand basic maths you will know why. 

 

Also, don’t over edit images. It may look good in your eyes at the moment but usally you will cringe at it if you look on the images a few hours later and realise you went way to far on the saturation for example. Keep it simple. 

 

Follow rule of thirds in the beginning too as that will help you with compositions. 

[Revamp]

1 hour ago, xQubeZx said:

And no, you can’t replicate bokeh (out of focus background) in photoshop by just layering some images. 

 

Also the way of layering images and tons of photoshop work explained above is such a waste of time when you can do it properly at the start. A poor shot can’t be rescued by photoshoping it.

 

always strive to get the image right out of the camera.

My exact points, thank you very much!

 

However unlike the others, I DID actually provide the OP with sound advice, such as attending local workshops for free to get in person pointers and such.

[AlistairMcKeon]

While it is indeed always a good idea to try to get things right, or as close as possible to being right, in camera first there are some instances when working in the digital darkroom is necessary.  It doesn't matter if the camera used was a phone, a compact point and shoot, or a DSLR, or even super expensive digital medium format camera.  Perhaps the photographer wants to create a photo composition that requires taking photos of different scenes first.

 

The important things are:

1. being familiar with how to use the tools available to you. (phone camera, DSLR, point and shoot, disposable film camera, whatever and along with understanding the tool's weaknesses and strengths)
2. knowing what you, as the photographer, want to create.  Being creative.
3. figuring out what styles or techniques you would use to achieve the goal.
4. remembering that the camera and accessories are just tools to help you create something you can share with others.
5. getting it done.

Something like the image below as an example would be difficult to do with a single shot right out of the camera.

 

If you want to become a better photographer, not only should you attend workshops or join/participate in clubs/communities, take courses, watch videos, etc.  You should also study what makes good art, what makes good photos, study composition, how light behaves and works and many more things.  Photo exhibitions and books are another great resource to learn and get inspiration. Enter competitions, compare your works/entries with others.  National Geographic has a free online "competition" they run on almost a weekly basis with different themes where you get to observe photos submitted by thousands of other photographers from around the world.

 

Don't be afraid of trying something new, don't fall into stereotypes like natural light is always better than artificial light or that you need to always get everything right in the camera.  But try not to overload yourself by trying to do everything or master everything at once.

 

But unless you are working to earn a living and have clients who demand you produce certain specific results, the important thing is to have fun, keep enjoying the artistry of photography, and produce results you like.

[xQubeZx]

15 hours ago, AlistairMcKeon said:

While it is indeed always a good idea to try to get things right, or as close as possible to being right, in camera first there are some instances when working in the digital darkroom is necessary.  It doesn't matter if the camera used was a phone, a compact point and shoot, or a DSLR, or even super expensive digital medium format camera.  Perhaps the photographer wants to create a photo composition that requires taking photos of different scenes first.

 

The important things are:

1. being familiar with how to use the tools available to you. (phone camera, DSLR, point and shoot, disposable film camera, whatever and along with understanding the tool's weaknesses and strengths)
2. knowing what you, as the photographer, want to create.  Being creative.
3. figuring out what styles or techniques you would use to achieve the goal.
4. remembering that the camera and accessories are just tools to help you create something you can share with others.
5. getting it done.

Something like the image below as an example would be difficult to do with a single shot right out of the camera.

 

If you want to become a better photographer, not only should you attend workshops or join/participate in clubs/communities, take courses, watch videos, etc.  You should also study what makes good art, what makes good photos, study composition, how light behaves and works and many more things.  Photo exhibitions and books are another great resource to learn and get inspiration. Enter competitions, compare your works/entries with others.  National Geographic has a free online "competition" they run on almost a weekly basis with different themes where you get to observe photos submitted by thousands of other photographers from around the world.

 

Don't be afraid of trying something new, don't fall into stereotypes like natural light is always better than artificial light or that you need to always get everything right in the camera.  But try not to overload yourself by trying to do everything or master everything at once.

 

But unless you are working to earn a living and have clients who demand you produce certain specific results, the important thing is to have fun, keep enjoying the artistry of photography, and produce results you like.

I agree with this. Of course you need photoshop to create composites and so on. But as said, a bad shot can’t be rescued in photoshop really. Several good ones can of course be incoperated together to make a composite like the one shown above. 

[AlistairMcKeon]

50 minutes ago, xQubeZx said:

a bad shot can’t be rescued in photoshop really

I don't disagree with this statement.