PF Photography: Tips, Tricks, & Photo Sharing

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Discussion Overview

This thread focuses on various aspects of photography, including tips for taking better photos, sharing personal images, and discussing techniques for image manipulation. Participants share their experiences, seek advice, and showcase their work, covering both technical and creative elements of photography.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a desire for pointers in photography, noting their inexperience.
  • Several participants share links to their photos, discussing the qualities of their images, such as focus and background.
  • There are suggestions for image hosting services and guidelines for photo sizes to avoid clutter.
  • Image manipulation software, specifically GIMP, is recommended for enhancing photos.
  • One participant notes that their dog photo appears dull and seeks advice on improving its appearance.
  • Another participant points out a blue tint in a dog photo and suggests adjusting the color balance to warm it up.
  • Participants discuss the challenges of photographing wildlife, with some sharing their experiences and techniques.
  • There are discussions about the use of high f-stop settings to achieve specific effects in photographs.
  • Some participants express admiration for each other's work, highlighting specific aspects like detail and composition.
  • Advice is given on joining photography groups for constructive criticism to improve skills.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share tips and experiences, but there are varying opinions on techniques and preferences for photo editing and styles. The discussion includes both agreement on the value of certain tools and differing views on how to achieve desired effects in photography.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention specific technical aspects, such as focal lengths and f-stop settings, but there is no consensus on the best practices for all scenarios. The discussion also reflects a range of skill levels and personal preferences in photography.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in photography, from beginners seeking advice to more experienced photographers looking for community feedback and tips on improving their work.

_Mayday_
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This thread is for anything related to Photography. I am quite new to photography and I do not know a lot about it, so any pointers would be great. I've seen some really great shots in the competition threads, so let's see what PF has to offer :cool:

Hosting your Photos

I use http://imageshack.us/", it hosts your Image and can also resize the image. I think as a general guideline we should stick to a maximum image size of 640x480 so that the thread doesn't become cluttered and take ages to load up. If you feel that the image would look better a bit bigger then I'm sure that is fine.
This is my dog Pie, as you can see she loves her Tennis Balls. :smile:
http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/2123/pie3er7.jpg

This one is out in the garden. I had a play around with the focus but I think there is still
some room for improvement, I tried to use the bricks a backround just to add some definition.
http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/456/edited1xh6.jpg

This one makes me want to cry. It was such a great opportunity to take a great shot, but
its come out a bit fuzzy, its one of those moments I can't imagine come around to often :cry:
For anyone that is interested it's in South Africa.
http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/7043/cheetahrf1.jpg

This should be good :smile:
 
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Physics news on Phys.org
Cute dog! Nice photos!
 
I've posted this on PF before, but it's one of my favorites.

squirrels.jpg
 
Awww, that's so cute!
 
The chipmunks will come to me and climb on me to look in my hands and pockets for seeds, but the squirrels always act very suspicious. They don't run away because they want to stay near the bird feeders, but they'll retreat to a place where they can keep an eye me until I move off. This was shot at a focal length of 360 mm, with a 35mm film equivalent focal length of 577 mm, so you can see I was some distance away from them and still they were nervous.
 
Evo
Thanks :smile:

Turbo-1
That's an awesome shot! Is this in your Garden? I sometimes struggle with photos like this of wildlife as a lot of the time it can look quite dull, but yours works really nicely :smile:
 
I've just come across an Image Manipulation programme, It is quite nice for touching up your photos. It's called http://www.gimp.org/" . and it's free. You might want to check it out the site has screenshots and shows you what it does.

Just a question concerning my Photo of the dog. It looks a bit dull, I am very pleased with what is in the Photo but it is lacking something? Anyone got any ideas?
 
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_Mayday_ said:
I've just come across an Image Manipulation programme, It is quite nice for touching up your photos. It's called http://www.gimp.org/" . and it's free. You might want to check it out the site has screenshots and shows you what it does.

Just a question concerning my Photo of the dog. It looks a bit dull, I am very pleased with what is in the Photo but it is lacking something? Anyone got any ideas?

The dog photo is adorable but it has a blue tint to it. Notice how the dogs fur is bluish instead of white. The photo needs to be "warmed up" by adjusting the color balance. Not sure how to do this with GIMP. To prevent this in the future you can set your camera's white balance to "Cloudy" to warm up your photos.
 
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Hope you don't mind, I played with the image to show you what can be done. The warmer version is the top one and the bottom one is your original.

2261774280_68d48ce4a7_o.jpg
http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/2123/pie3er7.jpg
 
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  • #10
Cheers, I've done something similar myself. Thanks for the advice though!
 
  • #11
_Mayday_ said:
Evo
Thanks :smile:

Turbo-1
That's an awesome shot! Is this in your Garden? I sometimes struggle with photos like this of wildlife as a lot of the time it can look quite dull, but yours works really nicely :smile:
Thanks! The squirrels are sitting on the ledge of my log house, overlooking our vegetable garden. I liked the scene in part because the squirrels blend in quite well with the weathered logs, and in part because it looks like the standing squirrel is reassuring its sibling.
 
  • #12
Yeah, it's that reassuring paw that makes the picture "talk".
 
  • #13
Baby Blues

2251987124_432277a0c6.jpg
 
  • #14
Ooh! nice detail!
 
  • #15
Since I have lots of squirrels stealing my bird food, I make them pay by modeling for me. This one is a baby, probably recently weaned.

babysquirrel.jpg
 
  • #16
turbo-1 said:
Ooh! nice detail!
I'm lovin my new macro lens!
 
  • #17
Your squirrels are just so cute Turbo!
 
  • #18
Larkspur, that is a great shot of your cat. Because of that, I have to share my main fuzzy man...Elvis.
http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/4835/elviskittytreesmallwm2.jpg

And here is my favorite of Wyatt. I just like how the lighting worked out with the colors.
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/9383/wyattsleepinginthesun2zh7.jpg
 
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  • #19
FredGarvin said:
Larkspur, that is a great shot of your cat. Because of that, I have to share my main fuzzy man...Elvis.
http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/4835/elviskittytreesmallwm2.jpg
[/URL]

Gorgeous cat Fred!
 
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  • #20
FredGarvin said:
Larkspur, that is a great shot of your cat. Because of that, I have to share my main fuzzy man...Elvis.
http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/4835/elviskittytreesmallwm2.jpg
[/URL]

Great shot Fred.

He looks like he's wondering about you.
 
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  • #21
Are non-cute photos allowed?
2218562061_c6cbb50a69.jpg

MoreLove the cat close-up Larkspur!
 
  • #22
larkspur Nice shot, I like it how the eyes are clear and sharp with the soft smooth background of the cats fur.

turbo-1 I like that shot more actually, the wood grain works so nicely. I'm having trouble with my focus, I can change it an make it work but only short range. The focus in your shot is great, but how did you manage it?
 
  • #23
larkspur said:
2251987124_432277a0c6.jpg
Is this picture done with a really high f-stop? I love how her fur just seems to fade into the background. Even your most basic pictures amaze me.
 
  • #24
Astronuc said:
Great shot Fred.

He looks like he's wondering about you.
Thanks. I often think if Elvis wonders about me and just what the heck I am doing. He is one photogenic cat (I think).
 
  • #25
FredGarvin said:
Is this picture done with a really high f-stop? I love how her fur just seems to fade into the background. Even your most basic pictures amaze me.

Thanks Fred.
Yes, it was f/3.2
 
  • #26
2193019018_d11ec12f0e.jpg


The photos I dare to share with the rest of the world are stored http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunch_of_photons/" . C&C, advice, tips, etc. are most welcome...I have a LOT to learn.
 
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  • #27
neutrino said:
The photos I dare to share with the rest of the world are stored http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunch_of_photons/" . C&C, advice, tips, etc. are most welcome...I have a LOT to learn.
Yeah, sure! In the short time you've had that camera, you've posted some great pictures. I love the silhouetted crows.
 
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  • #28
neutrino said:
2193019018_d11ec12f0e.jpg


The photos I dare to share with the rest of the world are stored http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunch_of_photons/" . C&C, advice, tips, etc. are most welcome...I have a LOT to learn.


You have some very nice shots in your group Nutrino.

If you really want to learn how to improve I would suggest joining the Flickr group Photowalkthrough. Then post a photo in the discussion section with the title RIA. ( Rip It Apart.) They will be brutally honest but that helps you learn faster when someone points out the flaws and tells you how to improve.


Another group that will be brutally honest is http://www.photosig.com" . If you can take the constructive criticism you will improve rapidly.
Just reading the criticisms of other peoples work will help you.

I am not a very good critic because I am too positive and I hate to hurt someones feelings with critical remarks (even if I can sugar coat it)...these groups don't care about feelings. They just want to get quality work from you.
 
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  • #29
Cool, I like to post pictures now and then...

My current background on my computer:

Intuition.jpg
 
  • #30
Larkspur I might have a look at that group, thanks for the link.

Mech_Engineer Great shot, the focus is pefect.

I have a few I've taken recently both have a few minor issues.

I don't think the focus is quite right, and I think the photo is a bit too rich in colour and contrast, but I am happy with what is in the shot
http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/9345/flower2yn0.jpg

Sheep!
http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/2544/sheepwr5.jpg
 
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