Jonesu's thread of amateur photography!

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Jonesu
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Jonesu's thread of amateur photography!

#1 Post by Jonesu »

So, critiquing aj's photography has inspired me to start my own photo thread. 8D I'm nowhere near a professional photgrapher, and I wouldn't really even consider it a hobby... Just sometimes, I get the chance to go to really neat places and I take my camera with me, and take some neat shots. Most of the photos are unedited (though I'll tell you if they are). And some photos will be REALLY old 8D

First, we'll start out with some pictures I took on my trip to Hawaii in the summer of 2006 (yeah, old XD). I'll only post a few, since they're old.

Image

This was my FAVORITE part of the trip. We got up at, like, two in the morning and got in a van (I was with my Girl Scout troop 8D) and went to the top of Haleakala, an extinct (yet not? O.o) volcano on Maui, which was... *Trying to remember* 20,000 feet above sea level? Anywho, it was above the clouds, and e watched the sunrise, and it was the most amazing thing ever. So, this is the sun coming up, above the clouds.

Image

This was a lucky shot. XD I zoomed in, and just snapped it, and actually got a cool picture of this guy wind surfing.

Here are some more (Guest password is Hawaii2006)

I'll post some more later. I'm ADDing. XD

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Re: Jonesu's thread of amature photography!

#2 Post by aj »

I has to critique too. :P

Image
^ Love the angle/perspective on this... With the cables running to the bottom of the image, it looks like the camera is being pointed up, and the cables are supporting/holding whatever it is.

Image
^ I like this one the best of the series of 3 you posted. I found that this type of photo is hard to do well... You want to get the sun reflecting on the water, but you also want to get the lovely sky, and you only have so wide a lens. Also, in this particular case, the light from behind the clouds leads the eye into the left part of the image, so it looks nicer. Only thing I would do would be to point the camera up a bit to follow the rule of thirds.

Image
^ This looks strange to me because there's nothing leading to the right side - I like photos to be balanced, if that makes any sense. Also, I prefer any photos of the sky, especially sunrise or sunsets to have the sky dominating the photo, which this doesn't.

Image
^ I don't like this one because the sun is at a strange place - if I do photos like this where there's one sole point of interest/central focus (the sun, in this case), I try to follow the rule of thirds - mentally divide the photo into thirds, and try to put the point of interest somewhere on a third 'line', even better if you can get it on an intersection. Problem with this photo, I'm guessing you couldn't put the sun on a third 'line' without bringing some of the water, which would look strange because the image wouldn't be divided along a third line (the dark water would contrast sharply with the bright sky, which is jarring - same problem that I had with my last photo. :?)

Image
^ This one is nice where the bird is in perfect focus, but the background is out of focus, emphasizing the distance between the two things.
Also, the bird's expression is wonderful. :D~ ("WTF are you doing!?" |D)

Image
^ Sunrise, I presume, from the volcano? Only problem I see is that the sky is a bit overexposed - the sun has been washed out and become white. Quick way to get around that (which usually works), point your camera at the sun (center the screen over the brightest part), half press the shutter button, then reframe the photo and fully depress the shutter button. This works because most cameras use center-weighted averaging as a default (AFAIK), which meters the brightness based on how bright the center of the image is. So, by centering the brightest part, you force the camera to meter for that part correctly, and take a photo that should expose the brightest area correctly. This also means that other areas of the image would probably be darker though. (This also works vice versa - if you want to wash out the bright parts of a photo, center it on a dark part.)
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Re: Jonesu's thread of amature photography!

#3 Post by Jonesu »

aj wrote:Love the angle/perspective on this... With the cables running to the bottom of the image, it looks like the camera is being pointed up, and the cables are supporting/holding whatever it is.
We went to Pearl Harbor (how could we not? I hate history, so this was probably my least favorite part of the trip. D| I took a crapload of pictures for my dad, though). We were on a battleship, and this was from standing under the guns, so the camera was being pointed up.
aj wrote:I like this one the best of the series of 3 you posted. I found that this type of photo is hard to do well... You want to get the sun reflecting on the water, but you also want to get the lovely sky, and you only have so wide a lens. Also, in this particular case, the light from behind the clouds leads the eye into the left part of the image, so it looks nicer. Only thing I would do would be to point the camera up a bit to follow the rule of thirds.
That one was also my favorite. :D And, yeah, in retrospect, I wish I would have moved the camera up. Not only because I now know of the Rule of Thirds, but also because the tiny little bit of beach in the corner is annoying the piss out of me. DX
aj wrote:This looks strange to me because there's nothing leading to the right side - I like photos to be balanced, if that makes any sense. Also, I prefer any photos of the sky, especially sunrise or sunsets to have the sky dominating the photo, which this doesn't.
I took so many pictures of that sunset that I wasn't even thinking. I just remember trying to get different relationships between the sun and the island (which is mostly covered by clouds and shadows in this one)
aj wrote:I don't like this one because the sun is at a strange place - if I do photos like this where there's one sole point of interest/central focus (the sun, in this case), I try to follow the rule of thirds - mentally divide the photo into thirds, and try to put the point of interest somewhere on a third 'line', even better if you can get it on an intersection. Problem with this photo, I'm guessing you couldn't put the sun on a third 'line' without bringing some of the water, which would look strange because the image wouldn't be divided along a third line (the dark water would contrast sharply with the bright sky, which is jarring - same problem that I had with my last photo. :?)
I actually didn't come across the Rule of Thirds until a year or so ago, so I didn't even think about it at the time. Like you said, I was trying to get just the sky and none of the water. If I had thought about this at the beginning of the adventure, I would have taken this picture first so that the sun was higher, but, alas, I did not. :/ I intend on going out at some point and taking sunset pictures on the Mississippi or with the city, so I'll definitely remember this. :D
aj wrote:^ This one is nice where the bird is in perfect focus, but the background is out of focus, emphasizing the distance between the two things.
Also, the bird's expression is wonderful. :D~ ("WTF are you doing!?" |D)
I think this was the very first picture I took in Hawaii. We named the bird Francis, I think (we named everything Francis XD). I had never seen a white pigeon, so I thought it was cool. XD You can thank my camera for the lovely focusing. d: This was shot from the balcony of our hotel in...Waikiki, I think? 8D
aj wrote:Sunrise, I presume, from the volcano? Only problem I see is that the sky is a bit overexposed - the sun has been washed out and become white. Quick way to get around that (which usually works), point your camera at the sun (center the screen over the brightest part), half press the shutter button, then reframe the photo and fully depress the shutter button. This works because most cameras use center-weighted averaging as a default (AFAIK), which meters the brightness based on how bright the center of the image is. So, by centering the brightest part, you force the camera to meter for that part correctly, and take a photo that should expose the brightest area correctly. This also means that other areas of the image would probably be darker though. (This also works vice versa - if you want to wash out the bright parts of a photo, center it on a dark part.)
Your assumption is correct. 8D This was actually right before the sun came over the horizon, so it wasn't quite out yet. I've actually used this trick for focusing. XD' I never thought about using it for exposure, but a guy I was talking to, who's a semi-professional photographer, had actually mentioned it during a discussion the other day. This is definitely something that I want to play with. :3



All in all, thanks for the feedback, aj! :D Even though this batch is old, I've still got some things to consider next time I go out photo-taking. ^_^ I'll post some more recent stuff later.

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Re: Jonesu's thread of amature photography!

#4 Post by aj »

Jonesu wrote:>clipped<
All in all, thanks for the feedback, aj! :D Even though this batch is old, I've still got some things to consider next time I go out photo-taking. ^_^ I'll post some more recent stuff later.
It's no trouble at all... I really don't mind giving feedback on things like this. :D~ Makes me think about my own photos too, and how I take them. :P

And, yes, more recent photos! You improve the more you do something! |D
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Re: Jonesu's thread of amature photography!

#5 Post by Nuff »

That first sunrise picture you posted looks beautiful, I wish i could have seen it with my own eyes. God I need to go and see some of these wonderful places...

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Re: Jonesu's thread of amature photography!

#6 Post by Jonesu »

Yes, the picture does that sunrise absolutely no justice at all. If you're keeping a list of things to do before you die, definitely add "watch sunrise from above the clouds" to it. I had never felt more amazing in my life. If I know I'm going to die soon, I'm gonna drag my dying self to the top of a mountain and watch the sunrise, then die happily. XD

ANYwho, emotions aside! XD Moar pictoors!

Okeh, during Hurricane Gustov, I evacuated with my roommate to this random farm that her family owns. Here're some random pictures!

These were taken at the beginning of my stay (we were there for a week) and I was still too scared to go very far from the house. XD It took me a couple days to even go outside. d: But eventually, I explored most of the backyard AND RODE A HORSE. XD

Image

Image

Image

They're all pictures of a tree and stuff around the tree that was right outside the window of the room I was staying in. Actually, here:

Image

Yay.

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Re: Jonesu's thread of amature photography!

#7 Post by aj »

Jonesu wrote:Yes, the picture does that sunrise absolutely no justice at all. If you're keeping a list of things to do before you die, definitely add "watch sunrise from above the clouds" to it. I had never felt more amazing in my life. If I know I'm going to die soon, I'm gonna drag my dying self to the top of a mountain and watch the sunrise, then die happily. XD

ANYwho, emotions aside! XD Moar pictoors!

Okeh, during Hurricane Gustov, I evacuated with my roommate to this random farm that her family owns. Here're some random pictures!

These were taken at the beginning of my stay (we were there for a week) and I was still too scared to go very far from the house. XD It took me a couple days to even go outside. d: But eventually, I explored most of the backyard AND RODE A HORSE. XD

Image
Focus on this is good (the actual term is bokeh), but the photo is a bit overexposed with the sun bouncing off the leaf. Looks a bit blurry though. Good composition.
Jonesu wrote:Image
This a bit less so though for the composition. The yellow plant/flower thing distracts from the green plant, which is what I assume you're trying to focus on, judging by its central position... The exposure on this looks fine though.
Jonesu wrote:Image
Neat photo - the purple and green berries especially contrast, and the purple stem complements that. It has the same blurring problem as the first one though - maybe try switching your camera to a macro mode if it has one, and try not to move your head while taking the photo (if you use the viewfinder). Otherwise, hold your arms close to your chest when you take a photo if you use the screen.

I posted this link in my thread, but I'll recommend it to you specifically; should help with composing your photos. |D http://www.alexsohphotography.com/photo ... /tips.html
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Re: Jonesu's thread of amature photography!

#8 Post by Jonesu »

aj wrote:Focus on this is good (the actual term is bokeh), but the photo is a bit overexposed with the sun bouncing off the leaf. Looks a bit blurry though. Good composition.
I had no idea that there was an actual name for this. 8D' It's definitely one of my favorite things to do. C: I want to take this photo into Photoshop to see if I can make it nicer. One day. XD
aj wrote:This a bit less so though for the composition. The yellow plant/flower thing distracts from the green plant, which is what I assume you're trying to focus on, judging by its central position... The exposure on this looks fine though.
I don't really know what the central focus was... >_>' I just thought the yellow thing was cool, so I guess that was the focus? I dunno, that's just where my eye is drawn. I feel like there are just too many little green plants to pick just one to focus on.
aj wrote:Neat photo - the purple and green berries especially contrast, and the purple stem complements that. It has the same blurring problem as the first one though - maybe try switching your camera to a macro mode if it has one, and try not to move your head while taking the photo (if you use the viewfinder). Otherwise, hold your arms close to your chest when you take a photo if you use the screen.
What's macro mode? 8D I believe I was using the close-up mode. I never thought about steadying the camera more... >_>' I feel like an idiot. XD I use the screen (I would use the viewfinder if it was an actual viewfinder, but it's just a LCD screen only teeny tiny >.< ), so, yeah. I'll definitely try the whole holding it closer thing. 8D


Okeh, new pictures~

These are my newest pictures. I went down to Bayou Barataria with one of my classes, and it was an amazing experience. We talked with some people who were local shrimpers and whatnot that had lived there for generations. It was pretty neat. :D

Most of these pictures were taken while on a moving boat... So I apologize for any blurriness. >.<

Image
Out on the bayou. :D Funky pole thing. >_>'

Image
Icky private property that oil companies destroyed. >:C

Image
Off the boat and onto dry land. :D

Image
Broken tree (probably taken out by Rita a few years back, looks too dead to have been caused by Ike) with a power thing in the background


And, of course, here are more from the trip. They get a bit redundant. >.<

Also, I wish I had some of my older pictures (between summer of '06 and fall of '08) but most of them are on my desktop computer, which (though I have here at college) is packed away in my closet because it stopped functioning the day Igot here... D| So I'm a little bummed, but I'll try to get some stuff off of it at some point. :/ I'd be sad if it all was lost. D|

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Re: Jonesu's thread of amature photography!

#9 Post by aj »

Jonesu wrote:
aj wrote:Focus on this is good (the actual term is bokeh), but the photo is a bit overexposed with the sun bouncing off the leaf. Looks a bit blurry though. Good composition.
I had no idea that there was an actual name for this. 8D' It's definitely one of my favorite things to do. C: I want to take this photo into Photoshop to see if I can make it nicer. One day. XD
Neither did I, then one day my friend used it and I was like "what? isn't that some sort of anime or something?" :D~ I still don't know the difference (between anime thing-ys), because I know that if I watch one episode, chances are I'd be hooked, and my schoolwork will drop like a stone.

As for the photoshop thing, I'd suggest changing the brightness/contrast... down the brightness, up the contrast. That's as far as my knowledge of photoshop goes. :P (Really, I'm not kidding. >.>)
Jonesu wrote:
aj wrote:This a bit less so though for the composition. The yellow plant/flower thing distracts from the green plant, which is what I assume you're trying to focus on, judging by its central position... The exposure on this looks fine though.
I don't really know what the central focus was... >_>' I just thought the yellow thing was cool, so I guess that was the focus? I dunno, that's just where my eye is drawn. I feel like there are just too many little green plants to pick just one to focus on.
Yeah... that's kind of the problem - the photo's a bit crowded. One way that might work: don't try it from directly overhead? 60 degrees or 45 degrees might work a bit better - and you get a sense of depth too. And the bokeh might help too...
Jonesu wrote:
aj wrote:Neat photo - the purple and green berries especially contrast, and the purple stem complements that. It has the same blurring problem as the first one though - maybe try switching your camera to a macro mode if it has one, and try not to move your head while taking the photo (if you use the viewfinder). Otherwise, hold your arms close to your chest when you take a photo if you use the screen.
What's macro mode? 8D I believe I was using the close-up mode. I never thought about steadying the camera more... >_>' I feel like an idiot. XD I use the screen (I would use the viewfinder if it was an actual viewfinder, but it's just a LCD screen only teeny tiny >.< ), so, yeah. I'll definitely try the whole holding it closer thing. 8D
Yeah, macro mode=close-up mode. Which is somewhat ironic, because (in my mind) macro=large~=wide-angle. Except that the thing you're taking becomes large in the photo, so, I guess it makes sense.

Though I used macro as meaning a close focus, not the blowing up to large than lifesize, which is technically correct.

And holding it close to your body gives it a bit more support. Though it is tempting to hold it a bit farther away. Final tip on this: Breathe in halfway, shoot the photo, breathe out. I'm told it is kind of like using a sniper rifle. Makes sense - you need to hold a rifle steady.
Jonesu wrote:Okeh, new pictures~

These are my newest pictures. I went down to Bayou Barataria with one of my classes, and it was an amazing experience. We talked with some people who were local shrimpers and whatnot that had lived there for generations. It was pretty neat. :D

Most of these pictures were taken while on a moving boat... So I apologize for any blurriness. >.<

Image
Out on the bayou. :D Funky pole thing. >_>'
No blur here. :D Very good composition - the wooden thing captures the person's attention, and the background doesn't distract from it. Only thing I can think of would be lighten up the pole so you can see some of the texture, but for shooting it from a moving boat, it's really good. I think it would be hard for anyone to do better. :)
Jonesu wrote:Image
Icky private property that oil companies destroyed. >:C
Unfortunately, you can't really see the wreckage (I'm assuming the seemingly twisted pieces of metal is wreckage of some sort), but the no trespassing sign gives a impression of what's going on in the photo. And the bright light kind of makes you think it's a nice photo - Make the photo a bit darker, and the metal hidden in the trees should take on a different tone, one a bit more suitable to what I think you're trying to do with the photo. Maybe even crop the photo so you don't get so much sky - usually creates kind of a claustrophobic impression. :|
Jonesu wrote:Image
Off the boat and onto dry land. :D
I would shift a bit more to the left and up, but other than that it looks perfect! The left-leaning stem leads the eye to the left, the sky is a good colour, exposure is spot on, etc. Ish good. :grin:
Jonesu wrote:Image
Broken tree (probably taken out by Rita a few years back, looks too dead to have been caused by Ike) with a power thing in the background
This one less so... overexposed by metering for the dark tree. Interesting subject matter, but you might want to try moving around to get the 'power tower' in a different position to make it more interesting;or it could be that you specifically wanted this angle of the tree - not too sure. More good composition too - the branches of the surrounding tree(s) makes a good frame.

Jonesu wrote:And, of course, here are more from the trip. They get a bit redundant. >.<
100 photos? Can't do anything than bullet point responses then, and I prefer not to. Too impersonal. :| Unless you really want me to...

I'll pick out the neater ones though, and do up a post later though. Remind me if I don't get around to it. :wink:
Jonesu wrote:Also, I wish I had some of my older pictures (between summer of '06 and fall of '08) but most of them are on my desktop computer, which (though I have here at college) is packed away in my closet because it stopped functioning the day Igot here... D| So I'm a little bummed, but I'll try to get some stuff off of it at some point. :/ I'd be sad if it all was lost. D|
Get/borrow something like this. I have one, and it's saved me more than a few times. Should work, unless the drive is physically broken. Even then, sticking the drive in a freezer (double bagging in 2 ziplock bags recommended) and running the cable out to another computer might work. And it's a conversation piece if someone comes over while you're doing it. |D

Also, you might want to correct the spelling in the title. I tried to use Google to find the correct spelling for "amature", and got a bunch of porn links. You have to edit your first post and change the title to "Jonesu's thread of amateur photography!"
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Re: Jonesu's thread of amature photography!

#10 Post by Jonesu »

aj wrote:Get/borrow something like this. I have one, and it's saved me more than a few times. Should work, unless the drive is physically broken. Even then, sticking the drive in a freezer (double bagging in 2 ziplock bags recommended) and running the cable out to another computer might work. And it's a conversation piece if someone comes over while you're doing it. |D

Also, you might want to correct the spelling in the title. I tried to use Google to find the correct spelling for "amature", and got a bunch of porn links. You have to edit your first post and change the title to "Jonesu's thread of amateur photography!"
The computer isn't as bad as I make it sounds, really. I'm just lazy and don't feel like dealing with it... XD'' It's an old piece of crap that was contaminated with viruses, but functioned fine when not connected to the internet, and then I made the mistake of hooking it up to the ethernet cable, and, yeah.... -_-'

And, uhm, yeah, I'll fix that... >_> That word and I have history, and I never realls get it. XD

I'll reply to everything else later...

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Re: Jonesu's thread of amature photography!

#11 Post by aj »

Jonesu wrote:
aj wrote:Get/borrow something like this. I have one, and it's saved me more than a few times. Should work, unless the drive is physically broken. Even then, sticking the drive in a freezer (double bagging in 2 ziplock bags recommended) and running the cable out to another computer might work. And it's a conversation piece if someone comes over while you're doing it. |D

Also, you might want to correct the spelling in the title. I tried to use Google to find the correct spelling for "amature", and got a bunch of porn links. You have to edit your first post and change the title to "Jonesu's thread of amateur photography!"
The computer isn't as bad as I make it sounds, really. I'm just lazy and don't feel like dealing with it... XD'' It's an old piece of crap that was contaminated with viruses, but functioned fine when not connected to the internet, and then I made the mistake of hooking it up to the ethernet cable, and, yeah.... -_-'
Ahh. I see. Well, if you has problems, post in the Tech Board... someone could probably help you. :P
Jonesu wrote:And, uhm, yeah, I'll fix that... >_> That word and I have history, and I never realls get it. XD

I'll reply to everything else later...
Ditto. Hence the google search to see how it's spelt. >.<

And I'll check again in the morning then... *goes off to sleep*
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