Help with composition and setup

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Jason Schoenrock - 26 Mar 2007 20:40 GMT

I am nothing but a pure novice, but would very much like to improve.. I
would appreciate some comments on a couple recent photos:

Camera - Canon EOS Rebel XT

07SB3012 - Photo of my family at the Lincoln Memorial - problems - I
couldn't figure a way to get the entire monument, plus my family in the
picture without standing below them and looking up - which throws off the
perspective - I tried straightening, but because I'm both low and to one
side, I can't see how to get it straight. Also, there was more detail in
the sky that day that appears to be washed out - should I use a polarizing
filter?
Camera settings: 1/200s, f3.5, ISO 200, Focal Length 24mm
http://www.myschoenrock.com/photos/07SB3012.jpg

Boat1016.jpg - Photo of my son taken with my 70-300mm lens - was actually
quite a bit larger, but I cropped it down,made it black and white, and
sharpened. Comments on composition, lighting, camera settings, etc?
Camera settings: 1/250s, f/5.6, ISO 100, Focal Length 75mm
http://www.myschoenrock.com/photos/Boat1016.jpg

I'm just using the basic Picasa tools for editing now, I've got the GIMP
installed, but find it's a bit cumbersome for me so far..

In general - I have a hard time balancing between shutter speed, aperture
and ISO to get the best quality shots. Is there some magic 'cheat sheet' or
guide that pros use? I'm mostly doing shots of my family - no real need
for pro landscape shots or anything like that.. Some examples I've played
with, but still don't have nailed down:

1. Bright daylight - action shots where I'd like to capture the action, but
also the idea that the subject is not frozen in time (when I use the Action
setting on the camera is sets the shutter to 1/2000s and the subject looks
frozen) - I'd also like to decide whether I'd like the background in focus
or not (aperture?)..

2. Nighttime - action shots (snap shots) where I'd like to catch people
doing whatever they are doing without the entire shot being washed out with
the built-in flash - and without the noise of ISO1600.. Too much to ask
without investing $$$$ in lenses and special flashes?

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Paul Furman - 27 Mar 2007 01:56 GMT

> I am nothing but a pure novice, but would very much like to improve.. I
> would appreciate some comments on a couple recent photos:
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> Camera settings: 1/200s, f3.5, ISO 200, Focal Length 24mm
> http://www.myschoenrock.com/photos/07SB3012.jpg

Well, it's not in the middle of the building & that makes it hard, plus
it's not quite level, I made a vertical guide & it matched the columns
way over on the left side. If you can turn on gridlines in the
viewfinder that helps. The perspective can be corrected in photoshop,
probably PS elements for a reasonable price. I don't know if it's
necessary to correct though, the perspective can add some drama but
here's what it would look like (including how much I had to stretch):
http://www.edgehill.net/temp/07SB3012.jpg

> Boat1016.jpg - Photo of my son taken with my 70-300mm lens - was actually
> quite a bit larger, but I cropped it down,made it black and white, and
> sharpened. Comments on composition, lighting, camera settings, etc?
> Camera settings: 1/250s, f/5.6, ISO 100, Focal Length 75mm
> http://www.myschoenrock.com/photos/Boat1016.jpg

Nice. The hair is blown out but it's a reasonable thing, the face is
more important and that looks fine in b&w. Normally portraits are done
pretty close to wide open, this is close enough but I think you could
have gone further with the shoulder out of focus & the eyeleashes more
in focus (you've got it reversed a little bit). The default focusing
will grab the closest object which isn't always correct.

> I'm just using the basic Picasa tools for editing now, I've got the GIMP
> installed, but find it's a bit cumbersome for me so far..
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> frozen) - I'd also like to decide whether I'd like the background in focus
> or not (aperture?)..

Yes, I almost always shoot in aperture priority mode, that's what
controls the depth of field and I see where the shutter speed is to make
a descision whether to boost ISO, decrease DOF or get the tripod out.

> 2. Nighttime - action shots (snap shots) where I'd like to catch people
> doing whatever they are doing without the entire shot being washed out with
> the built-in flash - and without the noise of ISO1600.. Too much to ask
> without investing $$$$ in lenses and special flashes?

You should be able to dial down the flash to minimum output (I hate
flash) and shoot in aperture priority as wide as possible (small number
f/stop) then boost the ISO as needed. Keep practicing & it will become
second nature. It would be worth your while to get a 28mm f/2.8 or Sigma
30mm f/1.4 for these kinds of shots. Zooms won't get faster than f/2.8 &
even those will cost a fortune but a fixed lens is not outrageous &
faster. You could get a $90 50mm f/1.8 but that won't be wide enough for
common indoor scenes, more for portraits of people's faces. Going wider
gathers more light too but wider than 28mm & you'll get distortion that
makes people on the edge look fat & strange.

Another idea for flash at home is use a white business card to bounce
the flash up to the ceiling so you don't get those nasty halo shadows
that an on-camera flash produces.

Reply to this Message

Rob Morley - 27 Mar 2007 15:16 GMT

In article <bZZNh.18893$uo3.2712@newssvr14.news.prodigy.net>, Paul
Furman
paul-@-edgehill.net says...

> > 07SB3012 - Photo of my family at the Lincoln Memorial - problems - I
> > couldn't figure a way to get the entire monument, plus my family in the
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> > the sky that day that appears to be washed out - should I use a polarizing
> > filter?

I expect that was lost in the JPEG compression, but I know little about
digital.

> > Camera settings: 1/200s, f3.5, ISO 200, Focal Length 24mm
> > http://www.myschoenrock.com/photos/07SB3012.jpg
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> probably PS elements for a reasonable price. I don't know if it's
> necessary to correct though, the perspective can add some drama

In this case I think it distracts by drawing the viewer's eyes to the
right.

> but
> here's what it would look like (including how much I had to stretch):
> http://www.edgehill.net/temp/07SB3012.jpg

Much better, although maybe the step could do with de-barelling too.

<snip>

> Another idea for flash at home is use a white business card to bounce
> the flash up to the ceiling so you don't get those nasty halo shadows
> that an on-camera flash produces.

I've used a high-tech :-) cardboard diffuser like this one to good
effect:
www.photosig.com/articles/1153/article;jsessionid=ag8ObFBvYmsgjvVfK-
If you're using a flash that isn't tiltable you need to first direct the
light upwards by fixing a foil reflector in front of it.

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Jason Schoenrock - 27 Mar 2007 16:11 GMT

thanks for the tips - i appreciate the help ..

> In article <bZZNh.18893$uo3.2712@newssvr14.news.prodigy.net>, Paul
> Furman
[quoted text clipped - 44 lines]
> If you're using a flash that isn't tiltable you need to first direct the
> light upwards by fixing a foil reflector in front of it.

Reply to this Message

UC - 27 Mar 2007 14:53 GMT

> I am nothing but a pure novice, but would very much like to improve.. I
> would appreciate some comments on a couple recent photos:
[quoted text clipped - 34 lines]
> the built-in flash - and without the noise of ISO1600.. Too much to ask
> without investing $$$$ in lenses and special flashes?

You're serious?

Reply to this Message

Jason Schoenrock - 27 Mar 2007 16:36 GMT

>> I am nothing but a pure novice, but would very much like to improve.. I
>> would appreciate some comments on a couple recent photos:
[quoted text clipped - 47 lines]
>
> You're serious?

*plonk*

Reply to this Message

UC - 27 Mar 2007 19:53 GMT

> >> I am nothing but a pure novice, but would very much like to improve.. I
> >> would appreciate some comments on a couple recent photos:
[quoted text clipped - 49 lines]
>
> *plonk*

'Plonk' right back atcha!

You want help with 'composition' on snapshots of your family? How
utterly quaint! I thought people like you had become extinct by 1966!
What are we going to see next? Your geraniums? Want to learn "pro
photo secrets"? Ha ha ha ha! There is no such thing!

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www.kevinkienlein.com - 28 Mar 2007 04:55 GMT

Hints for you:
check out the daily critique at www.radiantvista.com and subscribe to
alt.binaries.photos.original and buy some photography books, or go to the
library, they will be a good start...

take TONS of pix, since getting back into photography in Sept. I have taken
over 5000+ shots.... of those I have about 20 that are Very good, a bunch
that are pretty good, and lots of learning pix... try different apertures,
speeds, and ISO... use the lowest one you can to get rid of noise and buy a
good lens, I now have a 85mm 1.8, man nice for band and other low light
shots (plus about 6 others sheesh, I am running out of funds!!)... hope this
helps... kk

PS, READ READ READ, the library has FREE magazines to read.... join a photo
club etc etc, you are on the internet, remember: GOOGLE is your best
friend.... Google, photo composition, beginning pix etc. etc....

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