ARTICLE: Good Picture (Equipment, Technique, Etc)
04-23-2007, 11:36 PM
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ARTICLE: Good Picture (Equipment, Technique, Etc) I'm far from an expert on photography, and I'm certainly not trying to act like I am, but I do believe in giving credit where credit is due. There are quite a few guys on here that post up some quality pictures and for those guys I am thankful as I really enjoy looking at nice pictures and I know alot of us here do. It offers us a way to see things in ways that we might not otherwise see them. I'm going to use some of my pictures as reference points in this article and may even type up a post with tips on how to get better pictures but for right now I just want to put this together.
What some people dont realize is that there is alot more to putting out quality images than just plunking down a ton of money on an expensive camera and pushing a shutter button. An inexpensive point-and-shoot in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing can produce a much better picture than that of someone who doesn't know what they're doing with thousands upon thousands upon thousands of photography equipment at their disposal.
Turning out good pictures is like building a house to me. You have to have the know-how (your technique), solid tools (your equipment, doesn't have to be the best but you have to know how to use it to get the results you want), you have to build a good foundation and framework (the picture), and then you have to present your vision through the house itself (post-processing).
Here are a few examples...
A picture I took over three years ago with a 4MP point-and-shoot:
A picture I took back in the fall with a 5MP point-and-shoot:
While I had a basic grasp of composing a portrait-style shot of a car even in the first picture (its not just a "walk out the front door and snap a picture in the driveway" shot) the second picture is obviously a much better and much more quality image. The difference you're seeing isn't all in the camera quality. Both cameras have the capability to produce a good image in this file size. But in the second shot I had better composition, I understood lighting better and how important it was and used that to my advantage, and I used the camera's settings as well as post-processing to achieve the results I wanted.
Even with a $2,000 camera walking outside and taking a picture next to a building or in a cool location isn't going to look good if you dont use the light (avoiding harsh light and shooting towards sunrise or sunset as general rules) and camera settings (things like shooting mode, aperture/f-stop, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, etc) and other equipment (things like tripods, lens hoods, filters, etc).
But even then capturing a good image is only half the battle. There aren't many if any successful magazines or other publications that put images straight from a camera onto their pages. Lighting isn't perfect and even the best base image still will need at least some minor touching up in almost every case. But that doesn't mean that you can take a horrible picture and make it amazing. "You can't polish a turd" and it's definitely a true saying. You have to have that solid foundation to begin working with to end up with the results that make you right click and set a picture as your desktop.
So you have your foundation and you're ready to put those final touches on it to really make it pop. But what program do you use? What exactly do you adjust? Those are all things you have to read up on, practice, and learn. For one of my full photoshoots for a car I spend 2-3 hours photographing the car in locations I've already scouted out for hours, days, or weeks in advance then I come back and spend another 2-6 hours in cropping, scaling, and post-processing just to get 10 or so final edits of the original vision I had in mind when I snapped the pictures.
Before post-processing:
After post-processing:
Before post-processing:
After post-processing:
So in conclusion, its not as easy as "getting a good camera" and "Photoshopping the picture" to get some of the results you see. So when you see some of these guys on here that turn out those pictures that we all drool over I encourage you to ask what camera they're using, what lens they shot with, what some of their settings were or what else they used, or anything else you're curious about, but please dont discredit and shortchange their work by just saying "that camera takes awesome pictures."
What some people dont realize is that there is alot more to putting out quality images than just plunking down a ton of money on an expensive camera and pushing a shutter button. An inexpensive point-and-shoot in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing can produce a much better picture than that of someone who doesn't know what they're doing with thousands upon thousands upon thousands of photography equipment at their disposal.
Turning out good pictures is like building a house to me. You have to have the know-how (your technique), solid tools (your equipment, doesn't have to be the best but you have to know how to use it to get the results you want), you have to build a good foundation and framework (the picture), and then you have to present your vision through the house itself (post-processing).
Here are a few examples...
A picture I took over three years ago with a 4MP point-and-shoot:
A picture I took back in the fall with a 5MP point-and-shoot:
While I had a basic grasp of composing a portrait-style shot of a car even in the first picture (its not just a "walk out the front door and snap a picture in the driveway" shot) the second picture is obviously a much better and much more quality image. The difference you're seeing isn't all in the camera quality. Both cameras have the capability to produce a good image in this file size. But in the second shot I had better composition, I understood lighting better and how important it was and used that to my advantage, and I used the camera's settings as well as post-processing to achieve the results I wanted.
Even with a $2,000 camera walking outside and taking a picture next to a building or in a cool location isn't going to look good if you dont use the light (avoiding harsh light and shooting towards sunrise or sunset as general rules) and camera settings (things like shooting mode, aperture/f-stop, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, etc) and other equipment (things like tripods, lens hoods, filters, etc).
But even then capturing a good image is only half the battle. There aren't many if any successful magazines or other publications that put images straight from a camera onto their pages. Lighting isn't perfect and even the best base image still will need at least some minor touching up in almost every case. But that doesn't mean that you can take a horrible picture and make it amazing. "You can't polish a turd" and it's definitely a true saying. You have to have that solid foundation to begin working with to end up with the results that make you right click and set a picture as your desktop.
So you have your foundation and you're ready to put those final touches on it to really make it pop. But what program do you use? What exactly do you adjust? Those are all things you have to read up on, practice, and learn. For one of my full photoshoots for a car I spend 2-3 hours photographing the car in locations I've already scouted out for hours, days, or weeks in advance then I come back and spend another 2-6 hours in cropping, scaling, and post-processing just to get 10 or so final edits of the original vision I had in mind when I snapped the pictures.
Before post-processing:
After post-processing:
Before post-processing:
After post-processing:
So in conclusion, its not as easy as "getting a good camera" and "Photoshopping the picture" to get some of the results you see. So when you see some of these guys on here that turn out those pictures that we all drool over I encourage you to ask what camera they're using, what lens they shot with, what some of their settings were or what else they used, or anything else you're curious about, but please dont discredit and shortchange their work by just saying "that camera takes awesome pictures."
04-24-2007, 08:31 AM
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Good job man, it is insulting when I hear the "your camera is badass, it takes good photos". I always tell them the shot is not even halfway done yet and most never seem to understand. I don't know about you guys but I have spent 3-4 hours processing a raw file with acr/lightroom into a photo alone trying to get that look.
04-24-2007, 11:45 AM
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Hell yeah thanx Josh for the nice written and yeah the camera is not even your halfway skills as what GTRyan just mentioned you've to study the camera very well and know every single mode or setting just to realize the time, light, reflection..etc then avoid the problems by trying with another shutter time by time.
and yeah the finishing would be nice for photographers to show off their works as best look'n way. so i'm totally agree with you Josh i'm also spending lot of hours on editing the shadow, contrast, exposure ..etc even sometime adding some filters if they'll make the pictures more attractive ... my next step will be the lens so i hope to get it ASAP.
well done again all of you and yeah LS1tech.com has the most pro photographers so keep going and goodluck.
Peace
and yeah the finishing would be nice for photographers to show off their works as best look'n way. so i'm totally agree with you Josh i'm also spending lot of hours on editing the shadow, contrast, exposure ..etc even sometime adding some filters if they'll make the pictures more attractive ... my next step will be the lens so i hope to get it ASAP.
well done again all of you and yeah LS1tech.com has the most pro photographers so keep going and goodluck.
Peace
04-25-2007, 12:27 AM
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Thanks guys. It was something that needed to be said and I just wanted to help some people better understand photography. Thanks for the comments and compliments.
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04-26-2007, 03:47 PM
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Good write-up. Personally, post-processing is my favorite part. I could (I do) spend hours at a time Photoshopping.
Here are a few more examples:
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
04-26-2007, 07:13 PM
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I don't do the post processing. Only because I do not have the software, nor the patience to do so. lol. I wouldn't know what to do to begin with anyway, thats something I really do need to practice and learn. I have more fun behind the camera than actually trying to edit them anyway. So all of my pictures I post are unedited.
Example:
Camera used is a 6.0 MP "bridge" point and shoot. Sony Cybershot DSC-H2.
You photoshop-savvy people can edit this photo if you want to show the benefits of it. I like it how it is though.
Example:
Camera used is a 6.0 MP "bridge" point and shoot. Sony Cybershot DSC-H2.
You photoshop-savvy people can edit this photo if you want to show the benefits of it. I like it how it is though.
Last edited by bdr_ws6; 04-26-2007 at 07:27 PM.
04-26-2007, 07:29 PM
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Originally Posted by bad95killer
is this thread for the real pro photographers .. we all meet here LOL
Me, Josh99ta, Amsterdamn, bdr_ws6...etc.
good thread and works guys
Peace
Me, Josh99ta, Amsterdamn, bdr_ws6...etc.
good thread and works guys
Peace
I am flattered you did though
04-26-2007, 08:38 PM
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Absolute truth. People need to read this and know that its not all about the camera or other equipment but it is about taking the time and having the fun while putting together a good picture that expressed what you'd like it to. While it may seem like a daunting task at first and seems like alot to undertake and learn everyone should be encouraged to go out there, try new techniques, and just have fun improving.
04-26-2007, 08:52 PM
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And its the truth that I have learned a lot just by looking at the pictures a lot of people post up on here. I see different angles and things and decided to experiment with similar angles and usually I like the results. I learned a lot on my own too but some of the learning was helped and sped up from just looking at the photos on here.