PHOTO COMPETITION — COMMENTS THREAD

boogieman

Funnily enough I've been doing some fungi shots lately too. The stuff on the tree was almost my submission for the Parklife competition......still don't know if I chose the right shot.

 

littlegreenman

I didn't actually take my pic specifically for the comp, just used one from last month I had on my phone that seemed to fit the brief.

I don't actually own a camera, just have whatever's on the Galaxy S10. Will try harder next time

Was originally planning on this one, but it looked too much like @Fretwired's one

Highkicking!

#wingingit

ThePrettyDamned

Bridgehouse said:

@ThePrettyDamned - that shroom shot is superb. 

You don’t seem to be very restricted by the 50mm. It’s my fave focal length.

It was taken on a borrowed 90mm macro...  

50mm is fine to be honest, I can make it work. And it cost less than 60 quid from mpb so who's complaining?  

ToneControl

dazzajl said:

Small minded, narrow sighted, uncreative, judgemental and nasty gear collectors are what drove me away from Photography forums. 

If you see shots in your mind that you’re unable to translate through your camera, then learning more about how your camera works and why is definitely the next step for you. If you’re happy keeping the camera on Idiots Auto and pointing it at stuff you like, then more power to you. 

I’m a working snapper and how my images are made is about the only thing in life I get precious about. I still stick a camera on full auto all the time if I’m grab shooting and don’t have a finished image in mind. 

Also, some of the people who’s photos I love the most have no idea what the camera is doing, they simply have a fantastic eye for balance and composition. These are the great photographers to me. 

I remember one friend getting his first autofocus compact 35mm camera around 1993-94, and starting to come up with well-composed pictures just from days out with his girlfriend after 3 rolls of film, and no training or research.

Contrast that with a guy who worked for me around 2007, who bought a decent Canon small-sensor DSLR, and took photography incredibly seriously, who was still taking truly awful photos at least 3 years later. Another guy from back then bought a 5D and all the glass, and took the most boring photos too. Mind you, that reflected his personality I think. 

ToneControl

skullfunkerry said:

Here's another question: looking through the photos thread it looks like most people shoot in 4:3... what are everyone's thoughts on 16:9? (Or am I overthinking this?)

I always crop in the editing software later, probably a habit from 35mm days, but if you know you want a different crop when you are taking the photo, that's the sign of a photographer who is thinking about the image - so must be a good thing.

Having said that, I wouldn't recommend using 16:9 for everything

ToneControl

Bridgehouse said:

Nowt wrong with full auto - some of my all time favourite cameras are auto only. Olympus Trip 35 for instance.

I totally agree with the view that technically understanding how every facet of a camera works inside out and having an opinion about its usage in photography doesn’t make a good photographer, nor does is guarantee any decent pictures at all..

I think it's a bit like learning to drive, ultimately it's about steering the car and stopping and accelerating at the right times, rather than how to use manual gearboxes

There's certainly some things you can do manually with a car or a camera that aren't normally possible in auto mode, but 95% of photos can be taken on auto.

I used to use a pro Nikon film scanner on my negatives, but I found that it was far easier to post-process DSLR images taken in RAW mode.

Therefore to most people starting out, I would recommend using auto but saving images in RAW mode.
Also, learning how to use a polarising filter and gradient filters should be near the top of the list of people wanting to take landscapes

boogieman

ToneControl said: I remember one friend getting his first autofocus compact 35mm camera around 1993-94, and starting to come up with well-composed pictures just from days out with his girlfriend after 3 rolls of film, and no training or research.

Contrast that with a guy who worked for me around 2007, who bought a decent Canon small-sensor DSLR, and took photography incredibly seriously, who was still taking truly awful photos at least 3 years later. Another guy from back then bought a 5D and all the glass, and took the most boring photos too. Mind you, that reflected his personality I think. 

My dad was the ultimate all the gear and no idea photographer. He had some nice cameras over the years but always managed to screw up the shots somehow, usually vastly overexposed or out of focus. He was also pretty mean with his film... when he died I was going through his stuff and found one 24 shot slide film that he’d somehow managed to eke out over two years, including a spectacular trip across the mountains from Switzerland into Italy. 

Contrast that with his brother, who only had a fairly modest SLR, but did all his own developing and printing and turned out some lovely shots. 

Jonathangus

Tremendous fungi pics, @boogieman !

@ThePrettyDamned - I can see yours on my phone but for some reason they're not showing on my PC, so I can't see them in all their glory.

Jimbro66

boogieman said:

Agreed, some great shots. I almost went for Poopot as the winner again, the only thing that put me off was the background blur looked slightly manufactured, almost as if it was done in post. 

Yes, I had only seen it on my mobile but when I was able to view it on my Eizo monitor the background blur did seem to happen rather unnaturally. It would be interesting to know the details of the shot. Despite that it remained my personal favourite overall in a very close-run race.

The Instagram entry from ThePrettyDammed was tiny on my phone and even on my desktop monitor was much smaller than all the other entries and so unfortunately very difficult to compare.

FWIW I actually preferred boogieman's beautiful tree fungus shot to the submitted image, which just goes to show how much assessing the entries is a matter of personal preference

I'll just say well done to everyone who entered. Can't wait for the December comp

boogieman

Jimbro66 said:

boogieman said:

Agreed, some great shots. I almost went for Poopot as the winner again, the only thing that put me off was the background blur looked slightly manufactured, almost as if it was done in post. 

Yes, I had only seen it on my mobile but when I was able to view it on my Eizo monitor the background blur did seem to happen rather unnaturally. It would be interesting to know the details of the shot. Despite that it remained my personal favourite overall in a very close-run race.

The Instagram entry from ThePrettyDammed was tiny on my phone and even on my desktop monitor was much smaller than all the other entries and so unfortunately very difficult to compare.

FWIW I actually preferred boogieman's beautiful tree fungus shot to the submitted image, which just goes to show how much assessing the entries is a matter of personal preference

I'll just say well done to everyone who entered. Can't wait for the December comp

Thanks for the comment @Jimbro66. I thought the dog shot fitted the brief better but I liked both pics...it was a hard choice. Both were taken with my new (to me) Sony Rx100 rather than my usual Canon 5d3. It’s a cracking  thing, the image quality is stunning for such a tiny little camera. 

ThePrettyDamned

Won't use insta next time. It's hard submitting with a phone... 

Jimbro66

boogieman said:
Thanks for the comment @Jimbro66. I thought the dog shot fitted the brief better but I liked both pics...it was a hard choice. Both were taken with my new (to me) Sony Rx100 rather than my usual Canon 5d3. It’s a cracking  thing, the image quality is stunning for such a tiny little camera. 

@boogieman I’m amazed that a camera with a sensor maybe a fifth the size (?) of your 5D3’s produces such impressive images. Incredible technology. I have to say that I have all but given up on my bulky DSLR and lenses kit in favour of a little Fuji X-E3 with a few small prime lenses. As they say, the best camera is the one you have with you.

When looking at the comp entries I was silently lamenting the lack of details of camera and settings for each shot since they were banished to the comments thread (never to be seen again). I intensely dislike any form of camera snobbery, and I don’t think it is at all likely to raise its head on this forum, but it is always interesting to know the variety of cameras (and mobiles) in use and knowing what the settings for a particular shot are can be quite helpful to those taking their early steps in photography.

boogieman

Jimbro66 said:

boogieman said:
Thanks for the comment @Jimbro66. I thought the dog shot fitted the brief better but I liked both pics...it was a hard choice. Both were taken with my new (to me) Sony Rx100 rather than my usual Canon 5d3. It’s a cracking  thing, the image quality is stunning for such a tiny little camera. 

@boogieman I’m amazed that a camera with a sensor maybe a fifth the size (?) of your 5D3’s produces such impressive images. Incredible technology. I have to say that I have all but given up on my bulky DSLR and lenses kit in favour of a little Fuji X-E3 with a few small prime lenses. As they say, the best camera is the one you have with you.

When looking at the comp entries I was silently lamenting the lack of details of camera and settings for each shot since they were banished to the comments thread (never to be seen again). I intensely dislike any form of camera snobbery, and I don’t think it is at all likely to raise its head on this forum, but it is always interesting to know the variety of cameras (and mobiles) in use and knowing what the settings for a particular shot are can be quite helpful to those taking their early steps in photography.

It’s about a third of the size compared to the 5d, although the pixel count is close : 20 on the Sony, 22 on the Canon. But yes, the IQ is very impressive. I still prefer the feel of the Canon but it’s obviously a lot more bulky and heavy. The RX feels like a toy in comparison but it’s a brilliant thing to stick in your pocket. 

stickyfiddle

@Jimbro66 it's funny, you mention "well observed", but I actually didn't really register the significance of the sign until I had the day's shots on my ipad. I was following that heron for a good 5 or 10 minutes, only a few feet away. He was easily the tamest I've ever come across, and not bothered by me being there at all. 

Jimbro66

stickyfiddle said:

@Jimbro66 it's funny, you mention "well observed", but I actually didn't really register the significance of the sign until I had the day's shots on my ipad.....

In that case you are relegated to third place  

Jonathangus

ThePrettyDamned said:

Won't use insta next time. It's hard submitting with a phone... 

Turns out it was one of my Firefox add-ons blocking Instagram.  Can see them in Chrome - great pics!

LastMantra

Great stuff here. I'm a "keen amateur" (read "crap") and learning a lot. Thanks 
Cool learning about different settings and wotnot, I often find I don't have time to set things up from scratch manually though. What do you guys do if it's a bird that could fly away at any second for example? Just use auto?


Something I have been having fun with are the little clip-on lenses for phones. They're only a few quid and actually work really well. Good for close-ups and a cool fish-eye type job. Give them a go!

I put the magnifying one on and actually stuck a wee magnifying glass in front of that. Got some really cool, for me anyway!, pics of water globules on a flower. Awesome detail!

Just make sure they're going to fit your device. The legs aren't long enough for some things. Work on my Xperia. 

dazzajl

LastMantra said:

Great stuff here. I'm a "keen amateur" (read "crap") and learning a lot. Thanks 
Cool learning about different settings and wotnot, I often find I don't have time to set things up from scratch manually though. What do you guys do if it's a bird that could fly away at any second for example? Just use auto?


Something I have been having fun with are the little clip-on lenses for phones. They're only a few quid and actually work really well. Good for close-ups and a cool fish-eye type job. Give them a go!

I put the magnifying one on and actually stuck a wee magnifying glass in front of that. Got some really cool, for me anyway!, pics of water globules on a flower. Awesome detail!

Just make sure they're going to fit your device. The legs aren't long enough for some things. Work on my Xperia. 

Absolutely stick it on auto if you don’t have time to think through, set or experiment. It’s not a bad idea to put your camera away on full auto either. If you see a great photo op that going to be over as quickly as you’ve seen it, having your camera ready to get something the moment it powers up is very satisfying. 

As for little clip on toys and bits of plastic to shoot through, I’ve always loved them. Much prefer a silly toy that makes me want to experiment and have fun, to a vastly expensive specialist lens that just sits at home. 

stickyfiddle

dazzajl said:

LastMantra said:

Great stuff here. I'm a "keen amateur" (read "crap") and learning a lot. Thanks 
Cool learning about different settings and wotnot, I often find I don't have time to set things up from scratch manually though. What do you guys do if it's a bird that could fly away at any second for example? Just use auto?


Something I have been having fun with are the little clip-on lenses for phones. They're only a few quid and actually work really well. Good for close-ups and a cool fish-eye type job. Give them a go!

I put the magnifying one on and actually stuck a wee magnifying glass in front of that. Got some really cool, for me anyway!, pics of water globules on a flower. Awesome detail!

Just make sure they're going to fit your device. The legs aren't long enough for some things. Work on my Xperia. 

Absolutely stick it on auto if you don’t have time to think through, set or experiment. It’s not a bad idea to put your camera away on full auto either. If you see a great photo op that going to be over as quickly as you’ve seen it, having your camera ready to get something the moment it powers up is very satisfying. 

As for little clip on toys and bits of plastic to shoot through, I’ve always loved them. Much prefer a silly toy that makes me want to experiment and have fun, to a vastly expensive specialist lens that just sits at home. 

Massively agree with this. Any well-composed photo with good light that you *do* take is *infinitely* better than the potential photo that you miss because you don't have your settings sorted and spend too long fiddling. 

I put my camera  away with ISO and shutter speed on auto and aperture at its widest, as my hand is naturally on the aperture ring when I'm holding the camera anyway (I heart Fuji...)

LastMantra

Cool, thanks. I do usually have it set to auto so that's reassuring.