Hi Guys,

I've had my XTi for about a month, and its my first venture into the world of photography besides the P & S. I'm at the point where I'm still learning the fundamentals like knowing when to use different ISO, or when to use Tv versus Av - and not quite at the point yet where I know how long I should leave the shutter open for, or how open the aperture. But I'm slowly learning. I'm even more clueless about Photoshop and post-processing, but I want to learn.

So here is what have been the best shots that I've taken so far - and I know they are far from comparable from what else is on the site but you gotta start somewhere right? I'd appreciate any tips/help you are willing to suggest.

[img width=800 height=534]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1128/1240590576_dc2b44f909_o.jpg[/img]

I was at a friend's cottage, and really used the camera for the first time "seriously". Here, I went to the falls at the completely wrong time of day (early morning) and the sun was rising behind the falls, where I know I should have gone later in the afternoon to have the sun fall on the rocks from behind me. The result is that the sky is blownout. I wanted to play around with a timed exposure to make the water look "soft"

[img width=800 height=534]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1357/1239726175_0a49d08bd9_o.jpg[/img]

different shot at the same location

[img width=800 height=534]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1200/1239726543_2e1088f34f_o.jpg[/img]


These few are a couple weeks later from the above pics at another friend's cottage.

[img width=800 height=533]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1213/1239727779_7821fdc50d_o.jpg[/img]

I think this could be a much better photo with some post-processing, and probably better exposure at the time it was taken.

[img width=800 height=533]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1150/1240591576_402da74427_o.jpg[/img]

Ah yes, the typical dock photo.



A try at B & W

[img width=800 height=533]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1347/1240592980_df95d007fb_o.jpg[/img]

Shooting off the back of a wakeboard boat with the kit lens. 1/500, 100 ISO, F5.6, 55mm, EV 0.

[img width=800 height=533]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1021/1240593390_7086b46847_o.jpg[/img]

1/500, F7.1, 55mm, ISO 100.

Horizon's not level


I'm planning on taking a course run by Henry's Camera store up here, but I just don't have the time yet. Please let me know what you think, and how I can improve. Thanks.

Mike

Originally Posted by Algonquin

Ah yes, the typical dock photo.



A try at B & W

This shot is great. You're definitely on the right track.

And welcome!

I like the shots, but definitely look into getting a circular polarizing filter, they're cheapish and will keep your skies blue and from looking so washed out. also, the dock pic with the two people is great, it just looks a few degrees crooked to me so it makes the whole photo seem less balanced than if it were completely level. I'd love for tardy to post his method for leveling out pics like in his dolphin/coast picture in that other thread.

Haha, I forgot about that thread. I need to go back with a different picture that has a more dramatic difference from beginning to end.

But there are two ways to level pics, 1 for jpg's, 1 for RAW.

For jpg's in PS, choose the "measure" or "ruler" tool, you may have to right click the eye dropper tool to find it. Click on any two points that you want to be level. Then go to Image/Rotate Canvas/Arbitrary and PS will fill in the correct amount of degrees for you. Click ok, then all you have to do is crop slightly to get your perpendicular edges back.

For RAW, it's much simpler. There is a level tool built in two the RAW converter from Bringe, just click twice and it does everything for you.

I guess my eye is much more tolerant for unlevel pics, as I didn't even notice that the dock pic was off ever so slightly.

1.05 degrees off, i fixed and rehosted the pic, check it out:


i didn't fix/clean up the edges so every can see the difference.

*EDIT*

i cropped the image, here it is finished with maybe 2 minutes of using Tardy's JPEG leveling method, thanks dude!!!

Originally Posted by tardypizza

But there are two ways to level pics, 1 for jpg's, 1 for RAW.

yeah, there's like a million ways to skin a cat...

My way to straighten a crooked horizon:
1) Turn on rulers.
2) Drag a "guide" in to the horizon (so it lines up with it at ~the center of the picture
3) Select All
4) Edit -> Transform -> Scew.
5) Drag the handles until it's level (or at least looks level).

$.02
YMMV

And great shots for "learning". Your waterfalls look good, you know what to do with your shutterspeed, you just need to dial your exposures in just right. Also, the "early morning" part of the day IS THE PERFECT time to shoot!

Keep it up!

I should have said "two easy ways". I always forget about guides as I've streamlined my workflow down to the least amount of mouse clicks possible.

Originally Posted by boosted84wagonmonster

I like the shots, but definitely look into getting a circular polarizing filter, they're cheapish and will keep your skies blue and from looking so washed out. also, the dock pic with the two people is great, it just looks a few degrees crooked to me so it makes the whole photo seem less balanced than if it were completely level. I'd love for tardy to post his method for leveling out pics like in his dolphin/coast picture in that other thread.

Thanks Chef! The first couple of little toys that I picked up, besides the extra memory cards and battery was a UV filter & a lens hood. I really like the landscape pics that have a brilliant blue to them (like many of Jacobsen's) - I'll have a look at the Polarizing filters.

Originally Posted by Algonquin

I really like the landscape pics that have a brilliant blue to them (like many of Jacobsen's) - I'll have a look at the Polarizing filters.

Doesn't own a single filter (yet*)!



<-- *has a set of Grad NDs in the mail as I type...

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

Originally Posted by tardypizza

But there are two ways to level pics, 1 for jpg's, 1 for RAW.

yeah, there's like a million ways to skin a cat...

My way to straighten a crooked horizon:
1) Turn on rulers.
2) Drag a "guide" in to the horizon (so it lines up with it at ~the center of the picture
3) Select All
4) Edit -> Transform -> Scew.
5) Drag the handles until it's level (or at least looks level).

$.02
YMMV

And great shots for "learning". Your waterfalls look good, you know what to do with your shutterspeed, you just need to dial your exposures in just right. Also, the "early morning" part of the day IS THE PERFECT time to shoot!

Keep it up!

Thanks! To be honest with you, my company publishes a book called The National Audubon Guide to Landscape Photography, so I read the section on waterfalls beforehand which provided the suggested shutterspeed to get the waterfall to look like that.

I definitely need to learn about using different exposure settings. So far I have only kept it at 0.

Originally Posted by Algonquin

Thanks! To be honest with you, my company publishes a book called The National Audubon Guide to Landscape Photography, so I read the section on waterfalls beforehand which provided the suggested shutterspeed to get the waterfall to look like that.

I definitely need to learn about using different exposure settings. So far I have only kept it at 0.

Watch the review once you take the shot. If it's blinking it's blown out. Set it to -1ev and re-shoot and recheck. My Cameras are all set up so the replay is the histogram so you can see it at one end or the other and I can adjust either way (the blinking only shows highlight issues).

Ben

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

Originally Posted by Algonquin

I really like the landscape pics that have a brilliant blue to them (like many of Jacobsen's) - I'll have a look at the Polarizing filters.

Doesn't own a single filter (yet*)!



<-- *has a set of Grad NDs in the mail as I type...

I truly can't believe you don't have a polarizing filter. In the film days I even used warming filters (no use for them now) and had a couple color correction filters for tungsten type lights.

yeah, I keep thinking I should get one, but then I check the prices and don't...

I finally broke down and got Grad NDs... So a polarizer will probably be next. I just hate the thought of having to take it on again/off again as I go inside -> outside....

also my issue with them is I don't feel they're all that natural... Yes they make skies much darker and better looking, but from my experience the shot w/o one is how they looked IRL... I do want to get one to prove this, but they won't work with the sigma UWA anyway... Also glass DOES reflect so getting rid of those reflections, while helpful, isn't what my eyes would have seen...

So part of it is due to my want to capture what my eyes actually saw there...

Also I hate polarized sunglasses from sailing. They work at 90 degrees, and 0 degree, but tilt your head to 45 degrees and they stop working. When sailing on a boat that's bouncing around they'll work, then they won't, then they will.... Gets old fast. They also make some displays solid black at the wrong angle. All annoying when sailing... Yes the effect is nice when it works on water, but when it comes and goes, it gets annoying fast.

$.02
YMMV