[CaptainChardonnay]

(12-16-2018 03:01 PM)Jozi Wrote:  

(12-15-2018 06:00 PM)la passione Wrote:  

(12-14-2018 08:59 PM)Jozi Wrote:  

Also when taking selfies with a remote controller and tripod, any tips on how to best get in focus?

A trick I learned: get positioned where you will be in the shot and then using the camera focus on top of the tripod. Put the camera back on tripod and when you get positioned to take the shot the focus will be set to your face.

Understand (after seeing the video). I didn't know focus was about the distance from the camera, since there are many different spots on the screen you can put your manual focus on. Say I am shooting in 1.4 aperture and focus on someone's face, usually their upper and lower body will be out of focus. So I guess I will have to shoot in a wider aperture? Like 5.6 or something?

What you are thinking about is dept of field. With a bigger aperture your dept of field will be more narrow. This is good to make someones face or a feature like a persons eye stick out and have the back-round blur out. It's counterintuitive because a wider aperture is a lower number because the f stop is calculated as a fraction.

Generally speaking with a narrow aperature like f1.4, it will take a lot more skill or at least a person staying completely still to have their eye tac sharp. This is because getting the dept of field right on their eye level takes more skill.

You should be able to get a good sharp photo of someones whole face using f2.4 which would widen the dept of field to allow the persons whole face to be in focus.

As I said in an earlier post, a f1.2 or f1.4 can have someones face with one eye in focus and the other eye out of focus because the dept of field is so narrow.

Generally speaking, having a lens with a really narrow dept of field is more desirable and makes the lens more expensive with the backround having nicer "bokeh".

[la passione]

This is a great thread, thanks for starting it.

My goal is to have a side-business doing Tinder/online dating photos that actually get guys laid. There's gotta be a huge demand.

Also, I don't want to hire a photographer for my own photos, something in me wants to nail this down myself.

It seems to me in today's world competence over one's media image/brand is as necessary to men as dress, diet, fitness, self-defense, game, income or career, etc.

[sterling_archer]

@la passione

I like your idea and I wish you success with shaping it into reality.

@others

I uploaded two pics on my insta account and I want to share them here, in order to get advice and critiques. Really want feedback as this is probably the best way to grow as a photographer. I have thick skin and I don't mind brutal critiques.
But first, how should I upload them and how to remove info that could be traced back to me?

[CaptainChardonnay]

Heres a good video la passione.

[Beirut]

Thoughts on the canon SL2 for a total beginner?

For various reasons I prefer to buy new so used isn't an option.

[sterling_archer]

Bought tripod last week. Going to experiment today for the first time with it.

[la passione]

(12-29-2018 05:55 PM)Beirut Wrote:  

Thoughts on the canon SL2 for a total beginner?

For various reasons I prefer to buy new so used isn't an option.

Great beginner DSLR from what I can tell. I was thinking of getting the t7i, which is a couple hundred more. But if you're on a strict budget I don't see how you can go wrong

[ShotgunUppercuts]

Anyone shoot film?

What editing programs do you guys use?

[sterling_archer]

Not yet, but my camera has 4k capabilities and I am willing to at least try it some time in near future.

[mundele]

What you need and what you spend depends on your goals: nature, portrait, animals, safari, sports ..?

I currently use a Nikon D3300 and an 18-300 mm 3.5 - 5.6 as an allround lens. I do a lot of safari and birding and it's 'just' enough to take some pics and also for my travels and city trips. I recently purchased a 50 mm 1.4 and a soft box to start with portrait photography as a side project. I would like to buy a 400 - 500 mm lens for birding here in my garden or when goin on safari, but it's a bit pricey.

[TheUsual]

(01-03-2019 03:36 PM)ShotgunUppercuts Wrote:  

Anyone shoot film?

What editing programs do you guys use?

I shot about 10 rolls of 120 film on various medium format cameras last year. I used Lightroom and Photoshop to edit them as I would my digitals. I'm thinking about learning to develop my own film this year as it gets really expensive paying people to develop and scan it for you.

[CaptainChardonnay]

(12-29-2018 05:55 PM)Beirut Wrote:  

Thoughts on the canon SL2 for a total beginner?

For various reasons I prefer to buy new so used isn't an option.

[sterling_archer]

These guys always crack me up. Top Gear of photography world.

[ShotgunUppercuts]

I need to get my hands on a flatbed scanner. Started getting my film developed so in the meantime i could build a lightbox to get some on my phone.

Havent shot much since i got my cameras again but when I move i should have plenty to work with.pikes peak hillclimb is in june so i look forward to getting some shots there.

[sterling_archer]

Guys, how to take picture of lightning bolt and stars?

For stars, I thought of this:
F 2.8 + low focal length such as 25 mm + tripod + ISO 800 (highest without noise) + shutter speed exceeding 10 seconds (need to experiment a little)

For lightning, I though of this:
F 2.8 + 25 mm + tripod + ISO 800, but I am not sure of shutter. Do I use burst drive mode with fast shutter? But lighting is always in low light conditions so I am not sure how much light would I get in exposure.

[CaptainChardonnay]

Not too sure about the lightening but you basically have it with the stars. You will need to be somewhere remote for the best results. Also having a remote shutter button or setting a timer would be best so that you don't shake the camera at all.

The longer your exposure, the more the stars will drag into lines like this:



For lightning you would probably need to bump up ISO. The thing with night photography is that sometimes you need to up the ISO.

[sterling_archer]

I don't have remote shutter but I installed panasonic image app on phone which allows me to remotely control camera. I just focus stand back and click on my phone to take picture. I will experiment with ISO, but I still must do research on lightning bolts.

Btw, today is the full month since I bought the camera and I must say it is absolutely amazing how much one can learn starting from zero in that period. Of course I am miles away from being a serious photographer but it definitely pays off to take pictures almost every day, read literature and watch videos by experienced photographers. Even met some people by accident who gave me helpful advice.

[Beirut]

I got the SL2 with the 85 and 50 mm Prime lenses along with the kit lens which probably wasnt the smartest choices but i wanna focus on taking pics of people and not nature for now.

Obviously i have no idea what im doing but the camera is light as fuck and so far easy to use.


I got a course from Udemy but the guy has the thickets indian accent ever. Also got the Northrup whatever his name is book. Is there a standard renowned step by step resource (maybe the two i mentioned?) to get started instead of randomly looking up various topics?

[sterling_archer]

Irene Rudnyk, Jessica Kobeissi and Sorelle Amore might have good advice regarding portraits if you want to check them out. Also, books Digital Photography Complete Course by DK and Essential Elements of Portrait Photography by Bill Isrealson are a good info source. Also, check out this website:

https://digital-photography-school.com/

[CaptainChardonnay]

Peter Hurley's The Art of The Headshot is good. Same with Joey L who became a professional at a very young age.

[Beirut]

(12-16-2018 02:38 AM)la passione Wrote:  

Sorry if she's annoying, lots of good tips in here for self-portraits, especially the focus trick (I think selfies are one thing we can trust women's advice on ).

Edit: Sorry, I tried to time-stamp it- the focus tip starts at 5:43 in the video

That was great. Is there some drawback or inaccuracies using this?

Cause all the other videos suggest complicated techniques for self focusing yet this screechy bitch has a great simple solution. Women and selfies, as you said...

[ShotgunUppercuts]

Getting a computer next week so i can start editing my pictures.

For now im trying to learn how to take pictures at nighg without using a flash . Want to try a long exposure shot tonight to experiment with my camera .

[sterling_archer]

Guys, just ordered Zomei 52 mm ND filter for my camera from Ebay. 12$. ND2-400.

Did I pay for shit or is that a good price for having fun with blurring effects?

[Penta Sahi]

(01-12-2019 02:35 PM)sterling_archer Wrote:  

Guys, just ordered Zomei 52 mm ND filter for my camera from Ebay. 12$. ND2-400.

Did I pay for shit or is that a good price for having fun with blurring effects?

Variable ND filters are generally shit, since when turning to adjust the ND it can lead to weird color banding or color blobs/tints in the photos. I imagine there are some higher end variable NDs that actually work quite well, but they're probably pricey (certainly not $12). Anyways, don't feel bad, $12 is nothing, and it'll be probably fun to play around with.

If you want to play around with ND filters the most efficient set would be to get either a ND 3-6-9 or ND 2-4-8 pack from Amazon, a decent set with good reviews should be somewhere between $30-$50. With these 3 filters you should have any and all combinations covered because you can stack the filters (indeed, you can just get a ND 3-6 duo and stack them to make an ND 9 if needed. All bases covered). As you find out which ND filters work best for the type of photos you want to take you can then invest in the high end good stuff (think close to $100+ for a single filter).

Also get the largest filter diameter you need, and get step down rings to adapt them to your smaller lenses.

[sterling_archer]

I think even if it is probably shit, it would be fun to experiment with my camera. Not sure if you saw on previous pages but I bought bridge camera, so a non interchangable lens system. Doesn't really make sense to invest into high end filters with that camera as this camera is something to learn photography.
It would last me years of practice until I buy pro camera, which will of course have suitable expensive accessories such as proper filters, much sturdier tripod, flash and so on.