My New D-SLR!

[ScoutR]

Errr.. Wendy, I had set the camera mode to S and set the shutter speed. Nothing more to it. I have always had a thing for long exposure shots.

Thanks Sahil, sorry for the silly question. I've never done night photography, so I was just curious if I could use the auto settings.

Have fun
Wendy

[Sahil]

Hey Wendy, your question wasn't silly at all.

[Hans]

Congrats Sahil,

Love your shots and enthusiasm. Look forward to seeing more of your work

My advice is that you master what you have available to you now - your camera and your lens. You work within the limitations set by them, but stretch those capabilities as far as you can. And keep enjoying what you do.

Can't go wrong with this advice. I'm assuming the lens is 18-55mm?

[Sahil]

Thanks Hans.

Yes, its a 18-55mm lens, which I am finding to be pretty good. Nothing more I would ask for, for a year at least

[RonH]

Greetings Sahil from another D3000 amateur and newbee to these Cambridge experts. Just to say that I too think your early pic postings are really good.
Night pics seem a good way to go (since we get a lot of night up here during our Norwegian winters!) but I reckon either my camera would cease up if out in these freezing conditions for more than a few minutes or I would need windscreen antifreeze on the front lens plus a wiper!

[Sahil]

Greeting to you too, ROnH. Awww, so unfortunate that you cannot go out at night and take some real interesting shots. There are so many ifs and buts to photography, but I guess, thats what makes it so interesting and unique. Its cold here also, but I don't think its as bad as it must be at your place. The temp here is down to 2-5 degrees Celsius.

[Shadowman]

I have a friend who laughs at me when I tell him that the air feels colder at 20 degrees F than at 5 degrees F but I can only get about two shots before my fingers start to get numb at those temperatures.

[PopsPhotos]

When I was in Alaska, North of the Circle, I was shooting with a 4x5 Speed Grafic. I made a bag with a false bottom to carry the camera. The false bottom had a small hole in the center, through both pieces of material, lined up with the tripod mount hole in the bottom of the camera. In the false bottom, I would put a pair of hand warmers of the type which run on naptha (lighter fuel.) I then took wire and made a frame the size of the camera and attached it to the tripod. I would aim this contraption until I got the shot framed and then place the camera, bag and all on the tripod. I'd peel the bag down, clearing the camera so I could reach the controls and take the shot. Then I'd cover the camera, reach inside, change the film holder and continue on.

Clumsy, but it worked. It wasn't very practical for Hare, Caribou and Ptarmigan, but was practical for landscape. Which is the 4x5 specialty, anyway.

Pops

[Donald]

When I was in Alaska,....Then I'd cover the camera, reach inside, change the film holder and continue on.

And that's what's called dedication, determination and commitment!!

[RonH]

Start up here in Norway today was -21C and a bit further north -43C. Hmm, just maybe my camera could get one shot off but I will be the limitation! Looking out through double or triple glazed windows is my way! Will have to practice on indoor pics.

[Donald]

UK is right into a prolonged cold spell at the moment as well, although the way our media are dealing with it, you think we were the only nation ever to experience such weather.

Up in Scotland, we're used to the -5 to -10 range. But things, UK wide, are going below that at the moment. Heard reports of -17/-18 in some parts this morning. Does go for the fingers a bit!

[Sahil]

Brrr... The thread is getting cold.

Two candid shots I took 2 days back. Unprivileged ones enjoying privileged moments.

[Radu Dinu Cordeanu]

Hi Sahil

B R A V O !

Radu Dinu

[Sahil]

Hi,

I took this shot a few days back. I couldn't take it the way I wanted to. I am posting a post photo-shopped image along with it. I just cropped it and added a warm filter. Is this pic any good? Looking for C & C.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Sahil,

It's not bad at all, but I had a little play (with Elements 6), what do you think?


I left the basic crop alone, because I thought you had got that OK. However, there were some compositional problems over which you had no control at shooting time, so I had a go in PP.

I moved the two people on the edges of frame inwards a little and cloned out some extraneous stuff that wasn't helping; a foreground shadow, an arm on the right hand edge and a few other odd things.
I also de-saturated and toned down the magazine the chap on the right is hiding from your camera with To be honest, I'm not that happy with my work on that, but with a small jpg, it wasn't worth more effort - it at least gives you an idea. Ideally of course, take one with someone less shy in shot

Oh, and the first thing I did was noise reduce, it is not completely gone, but some people like extra noisy/grainy foggy shots; so you, or others, may disagree with me there.

I also did a slight Local Contrast Enhance and slight sharpen, just while I was there.

I wanted to make the distant 'pool of light' the same colour temp as the nearer ones to match, but with my rudimentary skills, I just made it worse, so I gave up and undid those changes

Still, it has potential and I am sure I have not realised it fully on the atmospherics, etc.

I think mine is only marginally better than yours, so yes, yours was fine.

Cheers,

[Donald]

Sahil

I think Dave's adjustments to your image help strengthen it. Your concept was imaginative and the image captures atmosphere very well. For me, the problem was that it did not have a clear focus of interest. I found myself asking, 'What is the subject?', 'Why was this photograph taken?'

Through the small adjustments that he has made, Dave has, I believe, made the person carrying the magazine the clear main focus of interest. The street lighting and the other people now balance and complement the overall image much more than they did beforehand.

So, it seems to me that you already have developed your eye for mood and atmosphere in images. The rest will, I am sure, start falling into place the more that you practice.

[Sahil]

Hats off, Dave.
You have given me so much to think of. Such fine detailing and small-small things you have taken care of, like the two people on the left and the hand on the right.
Noise reduction & Local Contrast Enhance, I have to learn about. I think those are the things that have given the image a soft look. Thanks a lot, Dave.

[Sahil]

Errr... Donald, while taking the shot I intended to capture the lamp posts and the foggy effect. But I wasn't quite good at it. So cropped it down a bit, to have the lamp posts and the man on the right side as subjects. After cropping it I realised that even I have started thinking of having focal points. And I thought mine were fine enough .
I read somewhere on this forum (Pardon my memory, don't remember who posted it) that one should never delete an image without having look at it on the computer. I stuck to it and I am kinda happy about it now.

[Donald]

After cropping it I realised that even I have started thinking of having focal points. And I thought mine were fine enough

Sahil
Apologies for creating any misunderstanding. It is very clear what you were doing in terms of creating the focal points. What I my previous posting was suggesting is that by having them moved more into the frame (i.e. a different cropping applied), it increases their impact as focal points.

[Sahil]

Oh! No need for apologies, Donald. I got little embarrassed. You are way too senior. I seek to learn from you. And it never occured to me that I could go to the extent of cropping subjects too

Thanks.