I hope some people do take your advice on cropping; it is often in need! Next up: how do we get through to some people that blurry images are not worth submitting? There is an astonishing number of them on this site.
I got my first digital camera this Christmas, and your tips about using the zoom features will prove helpful. I may have further questions for you as I learn the camera; I hope you'll be willing to help.
Thanks for the article, even if it does end up knocking mine off the featured list!
Bob
P.S. Thanks also for the compliment of posting two of my shots to your "Worth Another Look."
Mark Doiron - Dec 29, 2006 12:59 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Good article
Thanks, Bob! First digital camera? Oh boy, I thought I really held out! I expect you'll find it a real pleasure to use. The big thing to remember is it doesn't cost a thing to shoot, shoot and shoot some more! Try things you'd never try with film because you had no idea if it would work or not. With digital's immediate feedback and quick retake, it's easy to expand your skills into areas that you may have avoided before (for me, night photography has been a fun challenge to take on).
As for two of your images in "Worth Another Look", that was easy. Your photos are quite good, Bob! In fact, I am artificially limiting the images to two from any one photographer. And I'm trying to relocate some good images that are probably in the depths of the high-80s on votes to give them some deserving credit. It's been fun, anyway, putting that object together.
BTW: I see that you descended into Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Any chance that you have some images from that trip? It'd sure be nice to add them to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison page, especially any close-ups of the river rapids.
Pictures from in the canyon, yes-- good ones, no. I think I tossed the negatives years ago, and I wouldn't post the shots even if I could; they had too much wash-out since I tried catching the river as well as the first sunlight on the upper walls but without a neutral density filter. I was very disappointed, believe me. I do have a good shot I took from the rim the day before I hiked in. It is a telephoto shot of the river taken from near Cedar Point, and I think it shows the fore of the river and has some good lighting, too. I'll put it up soon and let you know when I do; I hope you'll like it.
And yes, I am slow to embrace new things. The reason is less a resistance to technology and more a wish not to do what everyone else is doing. I still don't have a cell phone and hope I never do!
I'm not convinced on the shot of Curtis, though--did you play with other "portrait" croppings that would get rid of the stuff on the left but keep the horizon? Seeing the entire back wall gives you a better idea of what we can't see (but Curtis can).
Mark Doiron - Dec 31, 2006 12:27 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Great article
Thanks, Arthur, for reading the article. As for the shot of Curtis: It was actually a "throw-away". For me that means that I copied the original image to CD and stored the CD in a box. I only keep "good" images on my hard drive.
After writing the Black Canyon of the Gunnison page, I went through those CDs to see if there were any images that I might now want to "recover" to add to the page. When I came across this one I zoomed in real close to check the focus (kind of an automatic first reaction when I'm considering an image) and the difference in the image knocked me over. I cropped it (the one you see), made a print, e-mailed it to Curtis to see if he wanted to add it to his laptop as wallpaper (he attends a resident high school here in Oklahoma for really smart kids), and placed it as my own desktop and laptop wallpaper.
With your suggestion I did go back and look at other crops, but I still really like this one. But that just goes to show you: Different strokes for different folks!
Mark; for the great article, well written and full of info that I intend to implement into my picture taking. I think a photography 101 course would help me too!
Mark Doiron - Jan 11, 2007 11:59 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Greta article
Hmm. Maybe I should change that. Both will find responses on the Internet, though the "rule of thirds" has more.
Yeah, there are other points in good photo composition that I didn't address, primarily because my initial assumption was that the photo is taken, now let's get something good with a crop.
I've used PaintShop Pro as my image editor since V1 (when it was shareware). I now use V7 (which is still a pretty old version) for most editing because I'm intimately familiar with it. With V8 they drastically changed the user-interface (even changed icons, which to me is like changing letters of the alphabet), so after trying it out for a couple weeks and hating it, I kept it for only a couple nice features (which are in any newer versions as well): Crop to specific sizes, and a nice image straighten tool.
If you're not using a good image editor, I suggest that you download the free, trial version. I believe that Corel owns the product line, now.
Thanks Mark,
Its always good to refresh my memory of things I instintevly do while looking thru my lens composing a picture. One thing I would add for the intermediate photographers is that if you plan on processing the photo in photoshop using Curves, Levels, or Channel mixer cropping first removes extraneous information for more accurate editing. It also makes your final file smaller.
jhp1004 - Dec 26, 2006 3:31 pm - Voted 10/10
Thank youfor a good lesson.
Jørgen
Mark Doiron - Dec 26, 2006 8:15 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Thank youYou're very welcome, Jørgen. Thanks for taking the time to read it! :-) --mark d.
lindasyh - Dec 26, 2006 11:58 pm - Voted 10/10
spelling of lens?Interesting and informative article but please check the spelling of lens ... no "e" on the end.
Mark Doiron - Dec 27, 2006 12:18 am - Hasn't voted
Re: spelling of lens?Thanks, Lindasyh, it's fixed. You'd think an amateur astronomer would know better! :-) --mark d.
Mark Doiron - Dec 27, 2006 4:01 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Great!You're welcome, Jfox, and thanks for reading the article. --mark d.
Bob Sihler - Dec 28, 2006 11:06 pm - Voted 10/10
Good articleI hope some people do take your advice on cropping; it is often in need! Next up: how do we get through to some people that blurry images are not worth submitting? There is an astonishing number of them on this site.
I got my first digital camera this Christmas, and your tips about using the zoom features will prove helpful. I may have further questions for you as I learn the camera; I hope you'll be willing to help.
Thanks for the article, even if it does end up knocking mine off the featured list!
Bob
P.S. Thanks also for the compliment of posting two of my shots to your "Worth Another Look."
Mark Doiron - Dec 29, 2006 12:59 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Good articleThanks, Bob! First digital camera? Oh boy, I thought I really held out! I expect you'll find it a real pleasure to use. The big thing to remember is it doesn't cost a thing to shoot, shoot and shoot some more! Try things you'd never try with film because you had no idea if it would work or not. With digital's immediate feedback and quick retake, it's easy to expand your skills into areas that you may have avoided before (for me, night photography has been a fun challenge to take on).
As for two of your images in "Worth Another Look", that was easy. Your photos are quite good, Bob! In fact, I am artificially limiting the images to two from any one photographer. And I'm trying to relocate some good images that are probably in the depths of the high-80s on votes to give them some deserving credit. It's been fun, anyway, putting that object together.
BTW: I see that you descended into Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Any chance that you have some images from that trip? It'd sure be nice to add them to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison page, especially any close-ups of the river rapids.
mark d.
Bob Sihler - Dec 29, 2006 8:03 pm - Voted 10/10
Re: Good articlePictures from in the canyon, yes-- good ones, no. I think I tossed the negatives years ago, and I wouldn't post the shots even if I could; they had too much wash-out since I tried catching the river as well as the first sunlight on the upper walls but without a neutral density filter. I was very disappointed, believe me. I do have a good shot I took from the rim the day before I hiked in. It is a telephoto shot of the river taken from near Cedar Point, and I think it shows the fore of the river and has some good lighting, too. I'll put it up soon and let you know when I do; I hope you'll like it.
And yes, I am slow to embrace new things. The reason is less a resistance to technology and more a wish not to do what everyone else is doing. I still don't have a cell phone and hope I never do!
Bob
Arthur Digbee - Dec 30, 2006 10:15 pm - Voted 10/10
Great articleThanks, Mark, for lots of helpful ideas.
I'm not convinced on the shot of Curtis, though--did you play with other "portrait" croppings that would get rid of the stuff on the left but keep the horizon? Seeing the entire back wall gives you a better idea of what we can't see (but Curtis can).
Mark Doiron - Dec 31, 2006 12:27 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Great articleThanks, Arthur, for reading the article. As for the shot of Curtis: It was actually a "throw-away". For me that means that I copied the original image to CD and stored the CD in a box. I only keep "good" images on my hard drive.
After writing the Black Canyon of the Gunnison page, I went through those CDs to see if there were any images that I might now want to "recover" to add to the page. When I came across this one I zoomed in real close to check the focus (kind of an automatic first reaction when I'm considering an image) and the difference in the image knocked me over. I cropped it (the one you see), made a print, e-mailed it to Curtis to see if he wanted to add it to his laptop as wallpaper (he attends a resident high school here in Oklahoma for really smart kids), and placed it as my own desktop and laptop wallpaper.
With your suggestion I did go back and look at other crops, but I still really like this one. But that just goes to show you: Different strokes for different folks!
Thanks for reading and for commenting!
--mark d.
Jeroen Vels - Jan 4, 2007 8:02 pm - Hasn't voted
Here's one...that deserves a good crop:
http://www.summitpost.org/view_object.php?object_id=235941&context_id=150810
Thank's for the article.
Mark Doiron - Jan 4, 2007 10:53 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Here's one...LOL. You're right, of course. --mark d.
T Sharp - Jan 6, 2007 3:50 am - Voted 10/10
ThanksMark; for the great article, well written and full of info that I intend to implement into my picture taking. I think a photography 101 course would help me too!
Mark Doiron - Jan 6, 2007 11:11 am - Hasn't voted
Re: ThanksYou're welcome, T Sharp. I hope that it proves helpful! --mark d.
tommi - Jan 8, 2007 8:03 am - Voted 10/10
Very goodThank you for the very good article, its very helpful.
Mark Doiron - Jan 8, 2007 11:12 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Very goodThank you, Tommi, for stopping by. :-) --mark d.
Mark Doiron - Jan 11, 2007 11:59 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Greta articleHmm. Maybe I should change that. Both will find responses on the Internet, though the "rule of thirds" has more.
Yeah, there are other points in good photo composition that I didn't address, primarily because my initial assumption was that the photo is taken, now let's get something good with a crop.
Thanks for reading and for the comments!
--mark d.
Bill Jirousek - Jan 12, 2007 2:23 am - Hasn't voted
Good readThanks for posting. One question if you don't mind - what is the easiest way (program) to crop to certain ratios and keep the highest resolution?
Mark Doiron - Jan 12, 2007 9:47 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Good readBill--Thanks for reading the article!
I've used PaintShop Pro as my image editor since V1 (when it was shareware). I now use V7 (which is still a pretty old version) for most editing because I'm intimately familiar with it. With V8 they drastically changed the user-interface (even changed icons, which to me is like changing letters of the alphabet), so after trying it out for a couple weeks and hating it, I kept it for only a couple nice features (which are in any newer versions as well): Crop to specific sizes, and a nice image straighten tool.
If you're not using a good image editor, I suggest that you download the free, trial version. I believe that Corel owns the product line, now.
--mark d.
Robertthethird - Jan 13, 2007 6:05 pm - Hasn't voted
Good InfoThanks Mark,
Its always good to refresh my memory of things I instintevly do while looking thru my lens composing a picture. One thing I would add for the intermediate photographers is that if you plan on processing the photo in photoshop using Curves, Levels, or Channel mixer cropping first removes extraneous information for more accurate editing. It also makes your final file smaller.