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**mesquitecountry** · 06-19-2009, 09:25 PM

Good grief I need to reread my post before I hit reply. That first post has more grammatical errors than tnik!!!!!

Sorry for the horrible reading.

**WyoBull** · 06-20-2009, 05:28 AM

Travis, you need to give yourself more credit and "believe" that you are a better photographer than you think.
I just started getting into doing post processing in the last several weeks when I bought Lightroom2 so there is a lot I have to learn yet as well, just like most of us on this site. There is not a person on this site who posts photos that people really like who is not using post processing to manipulate the original image.
Photography is a personal thing and if you like it, that is what matters. Some people like more saturation in their photos while others like the more muted side.
While there are technical things and sound practices we can all follow like learning about light and composition, beyond that it is all up to you.
For me, the number one most important thing to capturing a good photo is having the right light. After that, is what I am photgraphing a defineable subject that will speak to the viewer what I am wanting to convey? If so, then I have a wall hanger. If not, it does not mean the photo is bad, just not up to my expectations.
I have had people love some of my photos that I would have put in the round file but for whatever reason, they liked it and that is what mattered. So, what I would say is don't be too critical of yourself and get out there and enjoy your photography.

In your shot of the structure where you asked about making the sky more blue, you can use a circular polarizer and that will help. You can underexpose the photo in your camera and see how that looks for you and then you can also do the same in post processing with exposure etc. I don't use CS3 so I can't help you there but I am sure some of the guys who use it can help you. I know with LR2 there are tons of free help online.
Your precious daughter in the bluebonnets is a good example of harsh lighting. If you could have taken that photo first thing in the morning or later in the evening that shot would have come out great. You could also have used a diffuser screen/sunshade to take away the direct sun as well. Your highlights/direct sun are overexposed and once you do that there is no way to get back any of the details.
The inside shot of her on the other hand is very well balanced and I like it a lot.
Your dog is an interesting shot and I like it as well. The deer is a little on the blue side for my tastes as I like the warmer tones but technically it is a very sound photo.
Your last question about blurring motion takes practice. It is a shutter speed issue and the trick is shooting a slower shutter speed to blur the motion but still keeping the subject in motion. It is harder than people think to get it right. I posted a pic on the this months "speed" contest of a biker and his girlfriend. I shot is last weekend as they were riding past me. It was a quick shot and I did not get them in sharp focus but I did get the effect of motion I was looking for.
Best advice I could ever give is to go out early, stay out late and shoot, shoot, shoot!

**brshcntryhntr** · 06-20-2009, 06:11 AM

I'm new also to photography but your pics look great to me. I like the black and white band pics.

**Snakelover** · 06-20-2009, 07:08 AM

Travis, I feel like I'm just learning this stuff myself, so I don't feel qualified to critique. But, like everyone, I have an opinion and know what I like. I like the black and while of the band on the porch. The pixels on the left side guitar are a tad blown out, but you kept the faces in good exposure level, so I think that's good. I also like the black and white at the engagement party. I especially like the low angle you chose for that shot. It's a very flattering angle and the couple looks happy... kind of the point of an engagement shoot. I like.

You are blessed with two beautiful subjects at home. Now that you have a pro account, I suspect we'll see lots of portraits and candids of them. I hope so. As much as I love nature and still life, people are still my favorite.

The only advice I would give you regarding your pro account is to use lots of tags and subscribe and enter your photos in groups. Your tags will come into play when people search. Thus that gives you more hits. And it's easy to find groups that pertain to your photos. Case in point...

Band Promos

http://www.flickr.com/groups/22898515@N00/

Do you shoot band promos or editorial band portraits? This is your group. If you're new to band portraits, feel free to join in the discussion and ask questions. For the established shooters, feel free to share your tips, setups, and workflow. In the pool we want to see planned and deliberate setups; no live concert photography, please.

You should post your band promos to that group. By exposing your photos to those who are most interested in the particular subject matter, style, etc., you give yourself more hits and your stats go up. Also you get more feedback, helping you in turn improve your techniques. Yes, this is sort of "self-promotion," but you took pictures for people to see them. So get them out there and let them be seen. This is something I need to do more myself, so I'm right there with you.

I get a lot of accolades about my photography, but mostly from people who aren't into photography themselves. Getting a pat on the back from someone who knows a thing or two about photography feels a lot better. That's part of what Flickr is about. I definitely think being on Flickr has promoted my interest and improved my photography. I'm really glad Legdog turned me on to Flickr. I think it's a big deal.

As far as a new camera making your shots better... I don't know if it will make your shots better, but if you can afford it and this is something you want to spend a lot of time doing, I say go for it. For one thing, a camera is a lot to learn. I mean there are a lot of bells and whistles on my new 50D. So if I'm going to learn a bunch of controls, I'd like to think I'm learning on something I'm going to be using for a long time. So I basically want the best I can afford. I would not get a 30D at this point. In fact, a 30D is what I had before I got my 50D. If you're going to do it, go straight to the 50D and be done with it for a while. I am not familiar with your camera, but I know my mom's Rebel does not take my L glass lenses well. Just too small and flimsy. I mean, you can literally feel the camera body flex under the weight of my 70-200mm. The 50D is a much heavier bodied camera, fits better in the hands, and stands up to heavy glass. I really, REALLY like my 50D!

Mainly, just keep taking pictures. Lots and lots of pictures! I approach photography with the philospophy that if I can just take enough exposures, some of them are bound to be good. The shotgun approach, if you will!

As Legdog once told me, "Keep a battery on the charger and your finger on the shutter."

**no1hogkiller** · 06-20-2009, 07:50 AM

""
When it comes to the "speed" blurred pics. Is it simply slowing down my shutter speed and following through my shot while keeping my focal point on my subject? I havent been able to master this yet??""

Didn't see any of those pics. Depends on what your shooting. Have done em at 30, 60 and /125sec. Depth of field to be considered too. Like a group of kids running, pick one and open the appature, focus, move with subject and click. Should be good

Travis, have you tried this? Click the shutter while zooming in. Works better with push/pull type lens.

The band, a thought, in Confederate Uniforms with seeing more of their guitars.

**brshcntryhntr** · 06-20-2009, 08:15 AM

I have a flickr account but not the pro. What is the difference and what are the advantages? Might need to upgrade.

**Justin** · 06-20-2009, 08:55 AM

Personally, I don't think upgrading the camera would make any difference in your pics. If you compare the XTI to the others, there are differences, but they are small in my opinion. I would keep shooting with the XTI and learn to master it first. From there, look to upgrading with the little extra features that you can gain by going to a different camera body. I don't have any other lenses than my kit lens that came with the camera, but it I had a different body I would still have the same adjustments to make to get the picture.

I guess I need to upgrade to Pro as well. I didn't realize it was $25 for a year and not a monthly charge. I haven't used it in a while and just added some more pics last week. Hope to start using it a little more.

Brshcntryhntr, the pro account allows you to upload unlimited pictures and video, and you get to see your stats, and whatnot. If you aren't on a pro account you are limited to 100Mb of pic uploads a month and 2 video's I believe. I used to have a pro account with my DSL, but they quit doing providing it for AT&T Yahoo! DSL subscribers.

I like the pics you posted. The only thing you might try is putting the subject of the pic a little offcenter using the rule of thirds on some of them. I would like to see the pic of the dog and your friends cropped to where they are left or right of where they are in the center of the pic.

**mesquitecountry** · 06-20-2009, 01:22 PM

It sounds like so far I've been picking up the critiques that yall have mentioned. I see alot of the same things you're saying just need to work on my delivery. I've taken more photos in the last few months than I have in years. People are starting to look at me crazy.

I'm a big fan of the rule of thirds thanks to Casey. I love to shoot, actually more than I like to hunt.

Any other hints about the blue skies?

**Justin** · 06-20-2009, 01:33 PM

I think the way they get those blues is with a polarizing filter. I've been wanting to pick one up myself for that reason.

Casey is the one that got me watching for that as well. The bald one knows what he is doing.

**Shane** · 06-21-2009, 08:39 PM

Travis, I'll 2nd the recommendation for a polarizer for skies. I don't know if it would make a huge difference on the almost overcast sky in the picture you asked about though. There are a lot of heavy-looking clouds in that shot. A polarizer would bring out some definition and detail in the clouds, but it's not going to turn them into blue sky.

A polarizer would be useful in shots like your daughter in the bluebonnets as well - or just flowers alone or harsh lighting situations with bright colors and/or white. A polarizer cuts glare, so it will rescue some bright areas that would otherwise end up blown out. It'll make for nice saturated colors too. I'm a fan of saturated color. I've mentioned it before, but I think it's because I see the world through polarized sunglasses every day.

As for a new camera....you have PLENTY good equipment already to get top notch shots. A more advanced camera would help you get some shots better, but most of the time your current camera is capable of getting the same shot that a top of the line body can get. There are most certainly situations where a more advanced camera will get something done that a cheaper camera can't, but probably 99% of the time you're already good to go. A lens with f/2.8 or larger will do things that an f/5.6 or even an f/4 lens absolutely can not do, so I think you should probably focus on the lens (no pun intended).

I'm not saying you shouldn't get a new camera, but a new camera would make all your pictures suddenly twice as good. Your eye and timing will be the same no matter what camera you're holding. I'm finding that practice and some knowledge are much more useful in getting my eye and timing to improve. I need a LOT more of that.

Post processing is an essential part of digital photography, just like developing film is to film photography. A lot of film pros didn't have their own darkrooms because they liked the smell of the chemicals. They wanted to control and influence the final image that came out of their cameras. They didn't want to drop their film off at the 1-hour photo place and come back and pick up the prints. There are as many different ways to process a picture as there are photographers, so it's definitely more art than science. If you get an image that pleases you and is what you were shooting for, then you did it right. No matter how you process an image, somebody isn't going to like it, so don't sweat that. Listen to comments and learn and experiment, but (if you ask me) digital photography is about the art. When the final image looks cool, then it was a good picture that was processed well.

**Hillary** · 06-21-2009, 09:31 PM

Travis!!
First off, thanks for the super-compliment here:

I know some of you have the knack. Hill, Leggy, Gerald, Shane, David, Casey, Michael, just name a few!!!!!!!!!

Just to be put in the category with them is pretty humbling, so thanks

Ok, so here is my .02

Here are a few of what I think are my decent pics. Of course I think all of my pics are at best mediocre. Would upgrading my camera from the Rebel XTi to a 30D or 50D instantly make my shots better? Or am I fine for now? I'm using good glass. 24-105 F4.0 L-IS and a 70-200 F2.8 L-IS.

As most of yall know, I am a firm believer in 2 things. #1 - Good glass.... infact super great glass will improve a photo and help the photographer learn what he or she likes to shoot....
Case and point, the first one of the lizard was taken with the kit lens, the 2nd was taken with my $900 macro. Granted there is different light and different scenes, but the glass made all the difference in the fact of where I could set up my shot and how close I could get to my subject. As well as the DOF... And both of these are not edited in Photoshop....

The #2 thing I stress is the book Understanding Exposure, by Bryan Peterson... I know that yall are sick of hearing it, but it is al realllly great read and I learned tons from it... GET IT TRAVIS!

Question, How do I make this sky super blue like I see so many of you doing???? I have CS3, can I do this post production or do I not have the right filters or what????

There is a way to do it by setting a gradient in the sky... I just got CS4 and I am trying to get back in the groove of photoshop, when I figure it out I will let you know

My little angel.

She is getting big, and she is a cutie... keep shooting her, those 2 are great.

When it comes to the "speed" blurred pics. Is it simply slowing down my shutter speed and following through my shot while keeping my focal point on my subject? I havent been able to master this yet??

Think of it like shooting a bird with a shot gun. You follow the bird with the gun and after the shot you follow through, right?
The same concept applies to "panning", follow your subject, snap the shot while you are still following and follow through after the shutter is closed. Makes for good habit because if you stop before you are done shooting you will get a blurred mess....

Here, mister "pro-flickr"

, is a group you can check out.http://www.flickr.com/groups/panningonly/
Look at ehe EXIF data from some of the shots and get a handle on what they set their cameras too...

Hope that helps brotha

Keep shooting!!

**mesquitecountry** · 06-22-2009, 05:16 AM

LOL. Thanks Hill and Shane!

Announcement

So, I finally went Flickr Pro. Need some honest critiquing.

So, I finally went Flickr Pro. Need some honest critiquing.

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