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Thread: live and learn, no frame, subdued background, critiques?

  1. #1

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    live and learn, no frame, subdued background, critiques?

    live and learn, no frame, subdued background, critiques?

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    Stagecoach's Avatar
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    Re: live and learn, no frame, subdued background, critiques?

    Hi Brian,

    That was quick

    The high ISO of 800 has caused a fair amount of noise. You used a high shutter speed of 1/640s which has caused the high ISO.

    I'm not sure why you used this high shutter speed, was it because the camera mode you were using automatically chose it?

    The aperture of f3.1 has given you the OOF (out of focus) background helping to isolate the flower. Many lenses give a softer image when opened up to widest aperture so it is always something to be aware of.

    Now that's a better framing, you could go wider with it if you wanted to. For general info white petals are notoriously difficult to get right and show the fine texture.

    Grahame

    Edited - If using the 'Tiny Pic' process for posting images keep the size below 1600 pixels width say 1599 max. Otherwise it's auto downsizing can reduce image quality slightly.

    Edited again - Reading a review of this camera one of it's main drawbacks is noise at higher ISOs which is clearly evident between your two flower posts. Keep it low if you can.
    Last edited by Stagecoach; 6th October 2013 at 05:24 AM.

  3. #3

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    Re: live and learn, no frame, subdued background, critiques?

    I chose it because I have no idea of what I am doing in manual. But aside from the graininess when I use the automatic macro settings the field of depth is similar. I will work on keeping the ISO low. And i will post tinier tiny pics. But the up side is that it was more the framing i was hoping to improve and that i apparently managed to do. Live and learn.
    B

  4. #4

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    Re: live and learn, no frame, subdued background, critiques?

    Simple answer JBW ... don't use manual until you know what you are doing with it .... better to use for starters A [Av] to pick the aperture, small number is giving you a large opening which gives less depth of field. Then if you want depth of field you can use a smaller aperture [ larger number ] but when you do that you need to check the shutter speed the camera is giving you ... a slow shutter can cause camera shake. Ideally assuming you are pressing the trigger gently with care the minimum satisfactory shutter speed is the reciprocal of the effective lens focal length.

    So perhaps for a close-up like this you used the zoom to help get a tight framing which might be 80mm but with an APS-C [Canon] you multiply that by x1.6 to get 128 so a shutter speed of 1/128 is the maximum unless you have image stabilisation in the lens or camera.

    Then when the subject is moving you might need a high shutter speed to freeze the action so you use S {Tv} mode.
    But in less that bright light you may run out of aperture so then, and I would suggest not before, you increase ISO but as little as possible to maintain image quality.

    That is it basically with lots of ifs and buts I could add ....

    The main thing is not to think you are being 'professional' by using manual becuase while some do use manual all the time [and some masochistic amateurs IMO] most use A or S mode and mainly A mode and only when that is going to lead them astray do they use manual. But of course as a newbie you need to learn what manual can do for you but don't use it for important shots until you have the hang of it.

    I could also put a limit on how much Auto ISO can bump itself up and spoil images. You could start with 800 ISO and see how you go and hopefully most of your shots will be taken at lower ISO.

  5. #5

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    Re: live and learn, no frame, subdued background, critiques?

    As far as pictures through tinypic I know that an image 700 pixels across nicely fills these forum pages so I prepare a file specially for CiC and save it with a slightly different name .... usually W on the end to indicate it is a web use file.
    I also apply sharpening prior to posting after the resize as the process usually looses a bit of sharpness.
    So resize- sharpen- post

  6. #6

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    Re: live and learn, no frame, subdued background, critiques?

    As far as the image it is nice to be tight but one can be too tight and most objects need a bit of 'headroom' ...Any light tones can be a dstraction so I darkened them out ... yours were borderline compared to some I have seen.
    I realised I cropped it a little tight on the right hand side Sorry
    live and learn, no frame, subdued background, critiques?

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    Re: live and learn, no frame, subdued background, critiques?

    As far as the image it is nice to be tight but one can be too tight and most objects need a bit of 'headroom' ...Any light tones can be a dstraction so I darkened them out ... yours were borderline compared to some I have seen.
    I realised I cropped it a little tight on the right hand side Sorry
    live and learn, no frame, subdued background, critiques?
    If I cannot get CiC to delete the earlier version my apologises but CiC is not behaving how it should and usually does.

  8. #8

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    Re: live and learn, no frame, subdued background, critiques?

    okay how did you darken and head room is a thought.

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    Re: live and learn, no frame, subdued background, critiques?

    Photo Nut that is the type of basic 'nuts and bolts' (sorry) that I need. It must have been a lot more expensive in the time before digital to explore the possibilities. the good side for me is that we have created over the few years a pleasant garden with many targets so I get to re-shoot most shots or at least types of shots to my hearts content.

    We bought the Finepix S4200 as a learning tool. I am planning to give it a year or so to get comfortable with the manual side of things. If i get good then an upgrade. But for now I have a lot to lern and this group is turning into a blessing.
    B

  10. #10
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    Re: live and learn, no frame, subdued background, critiques?

    It's a bit puzzling that the title says "no frame" but the image has a very thick white border line. This is probably just a matter of opinion, but I would prefer either a very thin white line, or a proper border (as though it was a print displayed on a white mount board).

    The framing of the image subject here is fine, but the subject itself is less than ideal and does not help you, because the petal that has flopped down over the flower is not only obscuring another interesting petal, but it is also grabbing a lot of very bright light.

    Philip

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    Re: live and learn, no frame, subdued background, critiques?

    Philip, i am a newbie and have been putting fancy frames on my postings. It was pointed out that it would make more sense ro concentrate on the content rather than the package. The white border just seemed to show up. I know the floppy petal is grabbing the light that is why i liked it.

  12. #12
    MrB's Avatar
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    Re: live and learn, no frame, subdued background, critiques?

    That's fine, Brian - it would be rather boring if everyone had the same ideas about their images. You are a very keen newbie and, in your enthusiasm to learn, you are exploring the ideas others suggest - if you don't like the results, that's fine too. The technical side of photography is pretty secure scientific fact, but the artistic content and quality of an image will always be open to opinion and interpretation.

    Philip

  13. #13

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    Re: live and learn, no frame, subdued background, critiques?

    Philip, absolutely correct. Like flying and visual astronomy, some science some art, lots of learning. All in all a lo of fun.

  14. #14
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    Re: live and learn, no frame, subdued background, critiques?

    Good; i really liked its reach out effect

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    Re: live and learn, no frame, subdued background, critiques?

    JBW ... your editor should have a 'canvas size' tool where you increase the pixel size and tell the computer to add the extra pixels on top,sides,bottom or equally all around ... or place the original in a corner.

    With my failing eyesight in the evening the first effort shows a lot of problems in cloning if one is not careful which I was not originally and I was disturbed when I saw it posted. When you have made a clone you should look for repetative shapes, tones and clone them away .... the exception to that is at the edge of a photo with detail which can be extended to fill the extra space one has organised, your photo needed both approaches ... basically it is appreciating what 'looks right'

    I also have a 'darken/lighten' tool with adjustable sized 'brush'. an alternative approach is to duplicate the original, darken it and then erase with a soft edged brush [ something which PSP maakes easy but maybe absent in PS or not obvious] to reveal the lighter version in the layer below .... this approach also works when you want a soft surround.

    You seem to have a bridge camera [ I have not checked ] like in my avatar and a lot of my approach in editing is as a result of using a short focal length lens which cannot limit DoF as well as bigger cameras with longer lenses.... having found my solution I don't bother unduely about DoF.

  16. #16

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    Re: live and learn, no frame, subdued background, critiques?

    HI PN, the reviews call the PinePix S4200 a bridge camera. I am going to have to try to figure out Gimp it seems to have all of the capabilities you are referring to.
    B

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