First post - What's the difference between technique in these two pics

[Gshockneo]

Hello experts,

I am just getting started with digital photography and found this blog for beginners. So here goes my first post.

I took the picture below (Seattle skyline from Alki beach) with following settings:
Camera: Nikon D3300
F: F5.6
AP: F5.66
ISO: 800




But as you can see, it's not very sharp and looks blurry. My question is what techniques do people follow that there landscapes pics are so so clear. Take the example of this pic I found from Google search. This looks insanely sharp and clear. Is it due to processing of raw photo or use of tripod? Mine is without any processing.







Looking forward to suggestions.

Thanks

[pnodrog]

I cannot see your photograph but if you did not use a tripod or had your camera firmly supported in some way the movement will cause the photograph to be soft.

[Gshockneo]

I cannot see your photograph but if you did not use a tripod or had your camera firmly supported in some way the movement will cause the photograph to be soft.

You are not able to see the first pic - blurry one? That's mine. And yeah I did not use any tripod. But does the tripod can make that much difference?

[george013]

Hello experts,

I am just getting started with digital photography and found this blog for beginners. So here goes my first post.

I took the picture below (Seattle skyline from Alki beach) with following settings:
Camera: Nikon D3300
F: F5.6
AP: F5.66
ISO: 800



But as you can see, it's not very sharp and looks blurry. My question is what techniques do people follow that there landscapes pics are so so clear. Take the example of this pic I found from Google search. This looks insanely sharp and clear. Is it due to processing of raw photo or use of tripod? Mine is without any processing.




Looking forward to suggestions.

Thanks

Are you sure you uploaded the right picture? This one is made with a Canon and f/11 and 15s.
What does AP means?

George

[Gshockneo]

Are you sure you uploaded the right picture? This one is made with a Canon and f/11 and 15s.
What does AP means?

George

I am confused now. How can you tell if it was taken from Canon? First pic is mine which was taken from D-3300 and I uploaded it to the postimage.org website. Here is the actual link: http://postimg.org/image/3wxr6dtv7/. With AP I meant Aperture. I thought that's the shortcut for it.

Second one (one with 500px watermark) is what I am comparing my pic against.

Thanks

[pnodrog]

You are not able to see the first pic - blurry one? That's mine. And yeah I did not use any tripod. But does the tripod can make that much difference?

Yes, a tripod can make a huge difference. (As you have found out.....)

[IzzieK]

Yes, George how did you know it was taken by a Canon? Both images do not have any EXIF details...wonder why???

And oh, btw, by AP, he means "aperture" as you can probably guess.

George, so that you get asked by many about how you wanted to be referred to or called as, please go back to you PROFILE and fill in your name or nickname on the line that says "REAL NAME" and also your location. We are an informal group here and call and refer to each other by their first names. Thank you...

[pnodrog]

I am confused now. How can you tell if it was taken from Canon? First pic is mine which was taken from D-3300 and I uploaded it to the postimage.org website. Here is the actual link: http://postimg.org/image/3wxr6dtv7/. With AP I meant Aperture. I thought that's the shortcut for it.

Second one (one with 500px watermark) is what I am comparing my pic against.

Thanks

Some photographs on the web retain the EXIF data and if you have a reader you can see the details as below

[Gshockneo]

Some photographs on the web retain the EXIF data and if you have a reader you can see the details as below

Ah I see. Thanks for the info on this and the tripod. I also notice that the exposure time for 500px pic is 15. I assume that's 15 seconds. Is that normal for landscape photos in the night?

[pnodrog]

Yes, depending on ISO and aperture settings 5 - 60 seconds would be a typical range. All require a tripod...

[george013]

Ok,
Well, if AP means aperture what does F means?
Exif has been explained..
I still see 1 picture.
George

I just followed the link.

Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) {0x829A} = 20/10 second ===> 2 second
Lens F-Number / F-Stop {0x829D} = 56/10 ===> ƒ/5.6
Exposure Program {0x8822} = manual control (1)
ISO Speed Ratings {0x8827} = 800

George


@ Izziek, my real name is George, the same you use.

George

[jcuknz]

You appear to have been using the maximum zoom available to you which adds to your problems ... then assuming that you buy a tripod it is quite likely that with a 15 second exposure it will still be blurred ... a] due to an innitial rocking of the camera on pressing the trigger b] a cheap tripod can be less steady than hand holding unless it is a mini-tripod c] for your comfort you extended the centre column ... a tripod can be steady so long as you do not turn it into a pole/ monopod by raising the column. d] it was wi ndy and the wind disturbed your rig e) you kept hold of the camera during the exposure.

Unfortunately a lot of traps even if you follow advice and buy a tripod And in this kind of situation and many more when using a tripod I use the ten second release and having pressed the trigger I leave the camera and tripod untouched during the countdown.

Some people when it is windy hang a heavy weight from the underneath of the tripod ... rocks in your camera bag ?
If you can get closer to the subject it could help if you used the wide end of your zoom.
Nearly forgot because I shoot MFT without a mirror but that for time exposures of any length you consider raising the mirror prior to shooting rather than have it lift out of the way as you press the trigger ... others will advise you of the finer points of this as I have never had the facility ... just know careful people do this

So I hope you take note of these traps and your next shot comes out as you want it ... have fun !

edit .. I am suprised that nobody has told you it is against CiC rules to post somebody else's photo ... you should link to it
find the photo .. copy the URL [CTRL+C] and in the middle block of options here at CiC the first icon of the third block brings up a menu for you to post while you have a word or phrase highlighted ... that then becomes the link to the photo. [CTRL+V enters what you have copied]
Sorry if you already know all this

[Gshockneo]

You appear to have been using the maximum zoom available to you which adds to your problems ... then assuming that you buy a tripod it is quite likely that with a 15 second exposure it will still be blurred ... a] due to an innitial rocking of the camera on pressing the trigger b] a cheap tripod can be less steady than hand holding unless it is a mini-tripod c] for your comfort you extended the centre column ... a tripod can be steady so long as you do not turn it into a pole/ monopod by raising the column. d] it was wi ndy and the wind disturbed your rig e) you kept hold of the camera during the exposure.

Unfortunately a lot of traps even if you follow advice and buy a tripod And in this kind of situation and many more when using a tripod I use the ten second release and having pressed the trigger I leave the camera and tripod untouched during the countdown.

Some people when it is windy hang a heavy weight from the underneath of the tripod ... rocks in your camera bag ?
If you can get closer to the subject it could help if you used the wide end of your zoom.
Nearly forgot because I shoot MFT without a mirror but that for time exposures of any length you consider raising the mirror prior to shooting rather than have it lift out of the way as you press the trigger ... others will advise you of the finer points of this as I have never had the facility ... just know careful people do this

So I hope you take note of these traps and your next shot comes out as you want it ... have fun !

edit .. I am suprised that nobody has told you it is against CiC rules to post somebody else's photo ... you should link to it
find the photo .. copy the URL [CTRL+C] and in the middle block of options here at CiC the first icon of the third block brings up a menu for you to post while you have a word or phrase highlighted ... that then becomes the link to the photo. [CTRL+V enters what you have copied]
Sorry if you already know all this

Thanks for tip on tripod. I just ordered one. Hope to try it soon. And you guessed right. This is the maximum zoom. Unfortunately I can't go any closer because of ocean water.

Sorry I didn't know the rule and didn't quite follow your advice. Is there a standard help thread for linking other's images? I have gone through one but that mainly talked about uploading your own images.

[Manfred M]

Welcome to CiC, Jitu.

There is no way of directly inserting an image into your posts here on CiC. What should be done is that you give the original poster credit for his or her work, and as well the link would help other members when looking at how the original image was created.

Let me oversimplify a bit. The differences between a "good" and "less good" image of the same subject are often:

1. Technique,
2. Equipment; and
3. Post processing

1. Technique is really how you shoot and how you frame up. Good composition and proper technical execution of the shot all play a major role in the final image. Nicely said, this really is about how good a photographer you are. This also means you recognize that the conditions are optimal for the type of image you are trying to get.

2. Equipment - no tripod (or at least something to keep the camera steady enough) and a lens that does not have the reach you are looking for are not helping you get the shot.

3. Post-processing - straight out of the camera images are often simply not "good enough" and some form of post-processing is required to tweak your image. The image you linked to was processed in Lightroom.

Here is my version of your image that I tweaked in Photoshop CC, using a screen capture of your shot.





Notice a difference?

[Saorsa]

You are not able to see the first pic - blurry one? That's mine. And yeah I did not use any tripod. But does the tripod can make that much difference?

Yes, a tripod makes a bid difference. Look at the silky sheen of the water in the first picture compared to yours. There is also movement of lights along the shore and in the fountain. See the streaks?

Those are signs of a long exposure where the water was not still. Yours is blurry because of camera movement on a long exposure.

[xpatUSA]

Another difference I see is in resolution, not mentioned yet. The blurry picture is highly pixelated compared to the 500px.com one:



Almost as if the picture at right had been down-sized "nearest neighbor". Or taken with a very wide angle lens then cropped. I'm sure that there is a clue there somewhere.

Also do note the difference in original image sizes 2048px wide vs. 1279.

[rpcrowe]

Try using a steady camera rest (good tripod, beanbag, etc.) will drastically improve any image but especially images shot at long exposures such as night shots. With a long exposure, either use a remote shutter release or trip the shutter using the self timer. That way the movement generated by pressing the shutter button will not impact the image.

Post processing is another very necessary step BUT... you cannot FIX a blurry image with sharpening... The old adage "Trash-in, trash-out!" pertains to digital photography.

Finally, exposure is quite relevant in shooting night cityscapes. Usually, the problem is OVER rather than under exposure. When totally trusting the camera's meter, the exposure will be influenced to a great degree by the majority of black area in the image and will over-expose the lights.

[Saorsa]

Another difference I see is in resolution, not mentioned yet. The blurry picture is highly pixelated compared to the 500px.com one:



Almost as if the picture at right had been down-sized "nearest neighbor". Or taken with a very wide angle lens then cropped. I'm sure that there is a clue there somewhere.

Also do note the difference in original image sizes 2048px wide vs. 1279.

True. If I were trying for the effect I would have used a tripod and a telephoto lens and stitched multiple shots into a panorama.

[george013]

The picture is uploaded with 4000x6000, filesize 6.6MB.
Here is the full picture http://postimg.org/image/3wxr6dtv7/full/ and with the exif.
George

[Manfred M]

Post processing is another very necessary step BUT... you cannot FIX a blurry image with sharpening... The old adage "Trash-in, trash-out!" pertains to digital photography.

Finally, exposure is quite relevant in shooting night cityscapes. Usually, the problem is OVER rather than under exposure. When totally trusting the camera's meter, the exposure will be influenced to a great degree by the majority of black area in the image and will over-expose the lights.

No, but the Photoshop CC 2014 Shake Reduction filter is actually quite amazing and can fix minor shake issue. I used it on the version I posted.