Photography 101 Everyone should read

[Highbooost]

After years of seeing thousands of sh1tty photos on this web site and others I think a little schooling in how to take photos would help us all, especially when were are trying to diagnose problems with pics.

OK # 1. All digital cameras come with a close up feature button, just becuase you get close up to an item doesn't mean the pic will come out clear, you need to select this feature before taking the photo. The fetaure usually is only 1 click away, the manufactures are aware of this problem and made this one click feature for ease of picture taking. A lot of times the feature is a symbol of a flower, or small object siginifying you will be taking a close up pic. * IE "quarters"

#2. Don't you dare post a pic that came from a cell phone, are you in 3rd grade? Go buy a real camera with a shutter/focus/megapixels etc and then post the pic. No example.

#3. Make sure you take the pic on the highest resolution. More megs mean better pics, and it will help deplete all that hard drive you have as well. No example.

#4. Just like in business the saying goes, "location, location, location" in picture taking it is LIGHTING, LIGHTING, LIGHTING. This is very complicated subject and I am not an expert but my experience has tought me a few things. The best time to take pics is early in the morning or at dusk, not sure why but the light does it's magic to make things look their best. Be careful though because what the human eye easily picks up at dusk the camera can not, so you might want to snap a few pics 15-20 mins before peak dusk. The worst is high noon, sunlight reflects everwhere and it is over exposed. *IE. "V8Eater plate and side view pic at dusk" The are also 2 different pics of the same pose one was shot early in the morning and then again at noon.

#5. Give it a background if at all posssible when shooting a part. I like to see just the part and not the work bench with smokes, tools, oil, etc etc. Lay it on a solid lighter color such as cardboard or white sheet. * IE "turbo for sale on parts trader VS clean starter"

#6. Just like in basketball, ball- you- man. Shoot the same way as to put the shadow away from you. In comparison the ball should be the sun, the you should be you, and the man should be the car. * IE "black talon shot from each side of the car" This was the fisrt 2 pics I found in the photo section on tuners.

# 7. Always use the flash in the daytime, but not always at night. All the extra light in the day helps, but not so much at night. Since most of us work on our cars at night and in the garage where it is lit up you don't need a flash. Now there is a catch, the camera must be held perfectly still if you are in a dark place because of the shutter, even the slightest movement will make the pic fuzzy. So the way to do it is first mount/locate the camera how you want it and then use the timer (countdown) feature to take the pic, wha-la the camera was perfectly still when the photo was shot. Natural light is better than a flash. However if you were taking a pic under the car in the garage at night that flash is going to have to be used, but the flash reflects off anything shinny and usually looks bad.

Later Dr Turbo

 

[uni_gst]

Using the flash during daylight is not stupid.


Strobist

 

[Kakoriat]

I will go ahead and throw in my two cents on this subject as well to hopefully help inform more people.

It is very important to make sure that when you are placing the car in focus that you always check all four corners to make sure you are not cutting any part of the car out of the picture. A picture doesn't look as good with a nice shot of the front of the car with part of the rear bumper missing out of view. It is ok to take half pictures of the car if you wanted to focus on that particularly part but in most situations the photo will generally look better when the whole car is in frame.

 

[MrBoxx]

I'm sure if anybody has counter-points to Highboost's advice, they can do so in a mature manner, giving their argument in a clear, concise post, using as many reputable outside references as they can.

I'm confident I'm not hoping for too much here.

 

[nice97civic]

ok here goes again..hopefully in a more respectful, informative matter.

#1-saying not to get close to the subject because it will ALWAYS come out blurry is simply not true. Different cameras/lenses have different minimum focusing distances, that is, the shortest distance you can get from the subject and still be able to focus. on a point and shoot camera, the flower "macro" setting will allow more magnification into the lens for the "close up" style you're looking for but not necessarily allow you to get closer to the subject because the minimum focusing distance will be the same.

#2-every camera has a shutter, mp, etc. whether it be a camera phone or not. decent, respectable photos can be taken with a cell phone but it depends on what the photographer is going for and how "good" the photographer is. if its not terrible, post it up.

#3-using a higher resolution, if applicable, will not necessarily result in better photos. on a forum, telling the difference between a 4mp and 8mp shot will be nearly impossible if both photos are taken in the exact same way with the exact same settings. megapixel difference, or "pixel peeping" as its commonly referred to is more commonly done at full 100% crops which you'll most likely never see on this forum, or if you're printing your photos larger than 8x10. so, if you want to save space, go for it. most people wont be able to tell the difference.

#4-lighting is very important and one of the hardest things to nail down. shoot with the sun to your back, do your best to avoid glare and hotspots if shooting mid-day with a high sun. dusk/dawn are good if you catch them at the right spot, otherwise you may not have enough light to work with. figuring out lighting is all about practice. you have to get out and shoot to figure out what settings to use in what situation.

#5-having a simple background is important. a busy background will distract the viewer from the subject of the photo and will just create a "clustered" look.

#6-this goes back to #4. keeping the sun behind you will, in most cases, eliminate any shadows that are going to effect your shots negatively. if you see a shadow that is distracting, move yourself and your gear to eliminate the shadow from your shot.

#7-use the flash where necessary. a flash during the day, and at night can be both beneficial and harmful if used improperly. again this is something that will take practice to get right. using a flash during the day is not ALWAYS necessary, however, can be helpful if used to eliminate a shadow or something of that nature. likewise, using a flash at night can be helpful/harmful. using a flash off the camera can help light up a dark spot that wouldnt get sufficient lighting with a long exposure. using an on camera flash at night can be harmful as it could create a harsh hotspot if not aimed correctly or could bounce off of something shiny and create unwanted glare. again, practice, practice, practice.

hopefully that helped clear some things up and add some more insight.

 

[beezwax]

is it me or is the OP wrong on a few levels.

you might want to read up on some photog stuff before posting incorrect information.


lighting is NOT eveything... proper Exposure can be obtained in teh worst lighting conditions imaginable.

the larger the file NEVER means the better the photo.... thats just an ignorant comment all together



this thread might help you understand the basic elements of photog.
Ben's Newbie Guide to Digital SLR Photography - Canon Digital Photography Forums



<----- I am a photographer.... a Canonite actually


also remember that there is a huge difference when using a cheap PNS vs a DSLR or any sort. shooting Green box you have zero control over you lighting and exposure... your camera selects optimum settings. venturing out into other modes like Av(Apeture Priority), Tv(Shutter Priority), M(Manual) will all yeild different results if you know how to use your camera.

Some of the advice you gave is true... how ever, w/o a clear and well understood as to WHY your photo looks the way it does, the camera user will never be able to grasp the idea of photog.

learn the 3 basic elements:

Apeture
Shutter Speed
ISO Rating

most cameras have an Auto White Balance that does a decent job. keep it on auto unless you now how to properly white balance it, using a GRAY card.

 

[MyBoostedGST]

Quite a bit of the advice given in this thread seems to be contradictory to what I have been reading lately. The link above is great. Has all the basic info you could want.

 

[blcknspo0ln]

is it me or is the OP wrong on a few levels.

you might want to read up on some photog stuff before posting incorrect information.


lighting is NOT eveything... proper Exposure can be obtained in teh worst lighting conditions imaginable.

the larger the file NEVER means the better the photo.... thats just an ignorant comment all together



this thread might help you understand the basic elements of photog.
Ben's Newbie Guide to Digital SLR Photography - Canon Digital Photography Forums



<----- I am a photographer.... a Canonite actually


also remember that there is a huge difference when using a cheap PNS vs a DSLR or any sort. shooting Green box you have zero control over you lighting and exposure... your camera selects optimum settings. venturing out into other modes like Av(Apeture Priority), Tv(Shutter Priority), M(Manual) will all yeild different results if you know how to use your camera.

Some of the advice you gave is true... how ever, w/o a clear and well understood as to WHY your photo looks the way it does, the camera user will never be able to grasp the idea of photog.

learn the 3 basic elements:

Apeture
Shutter Speed
ISO Rating

most cameras have an Auto White Balance that does a decent job. keep it on auto unless you now how to properly white balance it, using a GRAY card.

Ah, the battle goes on, Nikonian forever! I agree with your post. OP did ok at explaining, but to someone who doesn't understand photography, it may be a bit confusing. Using myself as an example, I have personally outshot a guy with a Nikon D2X + 17-35 pro glass with my dinky little SD600, all because he didn't know how to use it. Quote "A camera is merely a device to record what you see, but you have to see first". If you don't have the eye for a good photo, no grade of camera will help you.

Lastly, as the link to strobist was already put, there's a certain little thing called slow sync and rear curtain flash that most of us use when taking a dimly lit subject and still properly exposing for the bg

 

[Defiant]

The only camera that does any good is the one you have with you.

 

[beezwax]

The only camera that does any good is the one you have with you.

that is correct.. as a matter of fact. I've taken some better pics or "snapshots" with my cheap ass Radio Shack PnS than I have with my 400D, of course...that was about 3 years ago before I learned about the SLR

 

[ekips009]

The only camera that does any good is the one you have with you.

i always end up getting the best shots with my Phone, just for the simple reason it goes everywhere with me, because my best picture seem to be more spontanious than any! oh and thanks for the link above ^ great site! : )

 

[Highbooost]

You are kidding I hope, the larger the pic the more megs you need, you should know this of all people, yes in a thumbnail it means nothing but when you explode the pic to full size of a screen it is most important, and even more so if you want to blow a pic for printing. If you still want to disagree lets compare a large screen TVs with lots of DPI versus a little, High def mean anything?

No you are wrong again about lighting, unless you have some fancy equipment to create light you have to take pics at what is avaialbe. And there is NOTHING you can do about taking pics in the middle of the day, the sun is what it is. Cars to the naked eye look better at dusk, it hides inperfections, so are you going to argue the human eye next.

I may not be a photography student, and I certainly do not know all the technical terms, but after taking 1000s of pics in my life I have become an expert in my own way, thanks for the input.

Later Dr Turbo

is it me or is the OP wrong on a few levels.

you might want to read up on some photog stuff before posting incorrect information.


lighting is NOT eveything... proper Exposure can be obtained in teh worst lighting conditions imaginable.

the larger the file NEVER means the better the photo.... thats just an ignorant comment all together

 

[Defiant]

You are kidding I hope, the larger the pic the more megs you need, you should know this of all people, yes in a thumbnail it means nothing but when you explode the pic to full size of a screen it is most important, and even more so if you want to blow a pic for printing. If you still want to disagree lets compare a large screen TVs with lots of DPI versus a little, High def mean anything?

Try this:
The Megapixel Myth

"Printing"? WTF
Anyone wanting to see my pics had better find a screen. It's the 21st Century. Get on the boat.

 

[420aNEWB]

wow those are pretty nice pictures ....i should mess with my camera too..to get those quality pics!

 

[TunaTalon]

Hmmmmmm.

The megapixel myth is also prevalent because men always want a single number by which something's goodness can be judged.

Is that something like "my mega pixels are bigger than your mega pixels"?

The screen I'm using is set at 1200 X 800 or less than one mega pixel. But my camera has eight mega pixels. The excess resolution of the camera is useful when using a tripod, image stabilizer, and a low ISO setting. Letting the ISO go above 400 just gives me high resolution sensor noise.

 

[boostonboard]

I should get my dad on here, he would love this haha. (he was a photography major)

 

[LandoAWD]

Try this:
The Megapixel Myth

Beat me to it.

I promise that if you take a 12mp pic and a 6mp pic, print them in 8.5x11 or 20x30, you won't be able to tell the difference. (same exposure, ISO, etc)

 

[B005T3D_1]

i took all my pics with my phone... too busy putting my money into my dsm haha cant just go out and buy an expensive camera... some of the pics come out crappy, but i just dont post those, or wait till daylight and take it and it usually comes out fine...??????

 

[beezwax]

You are kidding I hope, the larger the pic the more megs you need, you should know this of all people, yes in a thumbnail it means nothing but when you explode the pic to full size of a screen it is most important, and even more so if you want to blow a pic for printing. If you still want to disagree lets compare a large screen TVs with lots of DPI versus a little, High def mean anything?

No you are wrong again about lighting, unless you have some fancy equipment to create light you have to take pics at what is avaialbe. And there is NOTHING you can do about taking pics in the middle of the day, the sun is what it is. Cars to the naked eye look better at dusk, it hides inperfections, so are you going to argue the human eye next.

I may not be a photography student, and I certainly do not know all the technical terms, but after taking 1000s of pics in my life I have become an expert in my own way, thanks for the input.

Later Dr Turbo

who needs fancy lighting equipment?

DIY Flash diffusers ave been around to use built on flash to bounce and flash fill for years. I shot with my XTI and a DYI diffuer for about a year. I only upgraded to EXT flash because it offers so much more control tht built on flash.

and I NEVER said, the more MP's you need for a bigger picture. I specifically stated "the larger the file NEVER means the better the photo.... thats just an ignorant comment all together".

Better =/= higher MP's

just about ANY PnS off the shelf camera will shoot a picture thats 16x20 in size... no matter what MP's the camera is, that is the original size of the photo.. NOT FILE SIZE. The Canon 1DsMK shoots at over 20MP's.... that does not mean that it takes better photos than my XTi that is 10.1MP. That is a common misunderstanding of photog. it's all in the user and the users abilities to perform and properly expose a photo.

- Roads closed pizza boy!!! -

I thank ya!!!

i took all my pics with my phone... too busy putting my money into my dsm haha cant just go out and buy an expensive camera... some of the pics come out crappy, but i just dont post those, or wait till daylight and take it and it usually comes out fine...??????

It doesn't take buying a $1K+ camera to take exceptional photos man. Some of the PnS's out there are 8-10MP and sell for less than $300. and to tell you the truth... they are fantastic cameras. no if's and or but's about it.

for years manufacturers having been making PnS's that perform and deliver exceptional quality... some compare them to SLR's... for example the Canon S1, S3, and S5... they are bad ass camera's but still considered a PnS.


I'm not really in an agrument with anyone... I dont know cars all that well but I do know photog somewhat

 

[blcknspo0ln]

I'm not really in an agrument with anyone... I dont know cars all that well but I do know photog somewhat

Judging by highboost's response and argument, I can already ask why bother arguing? It's very evident that photography is not OP's focus nor understanding.

1. Lighting can be made cheap and easily. Yes, ambient light is key, but you can produce light in a nice handheld package just the same (2 radio triggers & 2 flashes = <$300). If you aren't prepared to spend that much, you aren't prepare to gain the better results.

2. Kris is right, MP's mean dick if you're not blowing up past 20x30 (even thought that might be a little scary!).

3. Taking pictures in the middle of the day? Sure can. Use a 2-4 stop ND grad with a circular polarizer and you're set. Again, OP has no idea what I'm talking about, so I'm sure that's why he contests this.

I could go on for days, but I wont.

 

[beezwax]

Judging by highboost's response and argument, I can already ask why bother arguing? It's very evident that photography is not OP's focus nor understanding.

1. Lighting can be made cheap and easily. Yes, ambient light is key, but you can produce light in a nice handheld package just the same (2 radio triggers & 2 flashes = <$300). If you aren't prepared to spend that much, you aren't prepare to gain the better results.

2. Kris is right, MP's mean dick if you're not blowing up past 20x30 (even thought that might be a little scary!).

3. Taking pictures in the middle of the day? Sure can. Use a 2-4 stop ND grad with a circular polarizer and you're set. Again, OP has no idea what I'm talking about, so I'm sure that's why he contests this.

I could go on for days, but I wont.

and you sir

 

[Highbooost]

I love all the internet warriors, everyone of you missed the whole idea of the post. Everyone is so critical to point out a flaw if someone isn't a PHD in a subject. The reason for the post was take a normal guy that gave a few basic tips to takin better pictures for people who also are not photography majors. I have a $150 camera with no lenses or special flash equipment. You nerds are taking it too far. Ok I may have exagerated with the megapixels a bit but if you PRINT like a poster size pic megs do come into play, and it was more of the cell phone megs issue where there is a siginifgant difference between 1meg and 6meg, but there really isn't much of a diff between a 6meg and 10 meg shot. My camera is only 3 and it is fine, but remember there is a setting difference and people can select what they use.

You can all dis what I have/had to say but all these tips have helped me take better pis, and most of them aint' to shabby, so stick it in your pipes and smoke it. More specifically BLACKSPPOOLIN I saw your photos in you profile and I would have to say with your EXPERTISE knowledge I can honestly say that your pictures don't look any better than mine. Most of mine were just shot on the fly no special work either in fact some of them were taking on film, printed, and then scanned since I was DSMing before there was digital cameras.

Later Dr Turbo..notice the DR is in turbos, not pictures. We all have are expertises. I just wanted to help others to be able to provide better pics for the users on this site. How about some support and better suggestions and non techinical jargon.