Photo Comps

A lot of posts, some that has been regurgitated every time a competition is run, I know, I used to say the same things.
I have stopped my belly-aching and entered in the spirit of the competition, to share my photo's and possibly win a prize.

I can definitely improve my skill with a few simple and free online courses/guides but I have not made the time.
I accept that we are intelligent enough to recognize good quality pictures and take into account skill, talent and any editing.

So let's see what is what and go from there.
 
This has to be one of the best threads i have seen in ages. Thanks for all the info. I played around with my A480 last night and found it is actually pretty awesome once you understand all the features etc. In terms of CHDK, i note they say you need a bootable SD card, is this a specific card or can you format any SD and make it bootable?

Thanks
 
BrendanMc said:
This has to be one of the best threads i have seen in ages. Thanks for all the info. I played around with my A480 last night and found it is actually pretty awesome once you understand all the features etc. In terms of CHDK, i note they say you need a bootable SD card, is this a specific card or can you format any SD and make it bootable?

Thanks
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I dunno why they'd say that. In essence, any SD Card should do. You're essentially just going to be dumping the files for your camera onto the card and then 'updating' the camera's firmware via its menus. As you've probably read already, it's not making any changes to the camera's actual firmware, the process just causes it to fool the camera into loading the files on the SD card so you can use all the nifty CHDK stuff.

Just make sure to follow the installation guide and you should be fine.
 
Thank you Nanonyous for leaving a very well written and descriptive response.

While I do agree with you in full, my point is just that a person will outgrow there current camera as they learn, and want more features,to experiment more and subsequently take better photos.

I never said that a better camera would accelerate learning, like you I firmly believe that its the exact opposite, but sooner or later a person will want/need a better camera to do more things, especially if they have evolved past a bridge camera.

I am at this point Ive use a Nikon P100(a bridge camera) for the past two years, I am well aware at this stage of it limitations, sadly they are mostly software limitations at this stage, when I got it I didnt do proper research and the camera just doesn't support chdk, so definitely no raw and very limited manual controls, so there is still a bunch for me to learn, I allso so want to explore different lenses, and experiment with macro, my camera just doesn't do well with it.
 
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Never thought to check whether Nikon cameras have a CHDK/Magic Lantern equivalent or not - didn't realise they pretty much don't. In that case, sure, upgrading to a camera that at least has raw file support is a good reason to want to upgrade at all if one understands why they'd want it.
 
rpm said:
Thanks for all the comments. Bwana’s comments reflect exactly how we feel about the photo competitions. Maybe just a few points from my side:

  • The competitions are aimed at creating a fun way for people to display their latest cool photos, and with the chance of winning a prize
  • The current voting system to select the winner is not flawless, but it is the best way for us to to get the community to select the winners. I think we are lucky to have mods who are knowledgeable photographers to create a shortlist, and with the final round of voting the members decide.
  • For some reason (I suspect Bwana has something to do with it) there are more photo competitions than other competitions. We really try to mix it up with different types of comps.
If you have a better suggestion on how to select the winners we are obviously keen to know. Just keep in mind that it must be easy to manage and the community must decide.
Click to expand...

I've not yet been over to see whether there's a short list been created. I have to say I don't mind how many photo comps there are, as they create such enjoyment for many of us who don't even enter. Keep 'em coming.... Jane
 
nanonyous said:
This usually involves photos of peoples' own kids, their pets or centered flowers from their back garden. For those of you reading this bit and getting annoyed by it, consider that you are proud of your kids and would like to show them off to the world, but that your kids are not anyone else's kids and people generally don't care as much about other people's kids as their own kids. Similarly, your pets don't mean as much to others as they do to you, though a beautiful photo of either could still easily present a visually appealing image. Similarly, a snapshot of a rose from your garden is as likely to look exactly the same as a snapshot of someone else's rose from their garden. Trust me, virtually everyone almost immediately begins taking photos of their pets or plants in their garden if they don't have kids to take photos of first, when they first get a new camera or lens.

Example of a good photo of your kid(s)
Example of a bad photo of your kid(s)

Example of a good photo of your pet(s)
Example of a bad photo of your pet(s)

Example of a good photo of a flower/flowers
And another good example just for good measure
Example of a bad photo of a flower/flowers
Click to expand...

I think people are easily confused. There seems to be a misconception that if a picture comes out 'clear', that it's a good picture.

But you're right, generally nobody cares about other people's kids/pets/garden flowers. It's almost never about a particular subject, but the overall effect.
 
Deckert said:
So has my road finished? I always used to say "never a DSLR, my SX10 does everything I need". I said the same with my 500D. But I find myself wanting to do more. When I photograph a parkour member doing a stunt I wish I had faster than 3FPS. The parkour guys are patient with me when I ask them to repeat their stunts over and over so I can get the "just right" shot, but they are human and they get tired.
Click to expand...

And that there is one of the huge differences between shooting with a cell phone and a fancy DSLR.

Not looking for extra credit here but my bee photo, to use an example, although an "easy" shot for the fancier cameras out there with high FPS shooting, remote triggers and zoom lenses, required me to sit for ages with my cell phone held steadily at full arm's length near the flower of choice until a bee decided to choose that spot to sit. I needed to be close - no zoom to use. I could not move - would scare the bees. Steady hands - no tripod. And I had to shoot many times before getting that one "perfect" shot where the timing was right as a shot to shot time of over a second meant no finger on the trigger shooting.

Just my opinion. Yeah, you can still get decent photos but it requires far more patience and effort :)
 
Mike Hoxbig said:
I think people are easily confused. There seems to be a misconception that if a picture comes out 'clear', that it's a good picture.

But you're right, generally nobody cares about other people's kids/pets/garden flowers. It's almost never about a particular subject, but the overall effect.
Click to expand...

But my kids are really cute :D
 
nanonyous said:
Before procesing
After Processing
Click to expand...

nanonyous, can you help me with processing? I have SO many photos from my trips, but some of them I think are pretty good, and by that I mean like how I positioned the subject, or the landscape etc, BUT, as I got the camera on short notice before my trip there was not alot of time to practice, and I think with some touching up some of them can actually be great! How would I do all this now? What program must I get?
 
Nicci said:
nanonyous, can you help me with processing? I have SO many photos from my trips, but some of them I think are pretty good, and by that I mean like how I positioned the subject, or the landscape etc, BUT, as I got the camera on short notice before my trip there was not alot of time to practice, and I think with some touching up some of them can actually be great! How would I do all this now? What program must I get?
Click to expand...
You can pay for a Photoshop product, or you can use an open source alternative like Gimp.
 
Personally I use Lightroom almost exclusively. A free alternative is 'Raw Therapee', but its UI was done by typical programmers, not graphic designers, photographers or general image-processing requiring people. Consequently there are literally dozens of items in its UI that just don't belong. Otherwise it looks and operates very, very similarly to Lightroom, minus that its changes look different - not bad different, just you-can't-change-over-to-it-and-expect-things-to-come-out-the-same different.

You could get the trial version of Lightroom, which lasts 30 days, and see if you like how it works. As for the actual processing, that's generally a highly subjective affair, though understanding how the individual sliders (or changes) will affect your image, combined with practise, will get you used to processing things to turn out how you want them to.

If you have raw files and the connection speed and cap, you can upload a few example photos that I'll process roughly how I'd do, then I send you the .xmp file back. The .xmp file is a small 'sidecar' file generated when modifications to the raw file are made which essentially apply those modifications for jpeg previews of the raw image. By placing that file alongside your photo (or overwriting an existing one), Lightroom would then show you the changes I'd made with all the sliders slid and thingies thunged.

Sorry if I'm explaining things you already understand, just figured I might as well to avoid confusion.
 
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ClintZA said:
And that there is one of the huge differences between shooting with a cell phone and a fancy DSLR.

Not looking for extra credit here but my bee photo, to use an example, although an "easy" shot for the fancier cameras out there with high FPS shooting, remote triggers and zoom lenses, required me to sit for ages with my cell phone held steadily at full arm's length near the flower of choice until a bee decided to choose that spot to sit. I needed to be close - no zoom to use. I could not move - would scare the bees. Steady hands - no tripod. And I had to shoot many times before getting that one "perfect" shot where the timing was right as a shot to shot time of over a second meant no finger on the trigger shooting.

Just my opinion. Yeah, you can still get decent photos but it requires far more patience and effort :)
Click to expand...



Actually, that's not the difference between a cell phone camera and a "fancy DSLR".

The difference isn't only the FPS (for example, some cellphones now claim it can take up to 20 photos per second, my "fancy" DSLR can only do 8 fps).

Remote trigger: get past this "obstacle" by putting it on self-timer.

"Zoom lenses": I don't use zoom lenses, mostly primes (I have one "zoom lens" - a 10-20mm wide angle). Some point&shoots claim 20x zoom, equivalent to more than 600mm focal length. My longest lens is only 105mm (macro lens). I do from time to time rent longer lenses as and when needed though.


The REAL difference is sensor size, which for most part controls three things: image quality, low-light performance, and depth-of-field. You can for example get much shallower Depth of Field with a DSLR, which isn't always an advantage, as you have to stop down to f/16 or even smaller to get get everything in focus, but this then comes at the expense of a much slower shutter speed.



The real thing is this: know the limitations of your camera, stay within these and you can produce great images with any camera.

Also, the best camera is the one currently in your hand. No use having a Hasselblad (selling for about R 300,000) but you don't have it with you and miss that great moment of your baby's first steps.
 
Please note how I said one of the huge differences :) Although you claim some phones now have those features, mine didn't. A timer would not have helped with the bee shot and would have required a makeshift tripod of sorts.

Sensor size is indeed another big difference. There are many but I focused on one that someone else raised. The only level playing field is composition but even then you need to get physically closer to the subject if needed.
 
ClintZA said:
Please note how I said one of the huge differences :) Although you claim some phones now have those features, mine didn't. A timer would not have helped with the bee shot and would have required a makeshift tripod of sorts.

Sensor size is indeed another big difference. There are many but I focused on one that someone else raised. The only level playing field is composition but even then you need to get physically closer to the subject if needed.
Click to expand...



Nope, the only level playing field is knowledge of photography (which includes the camera you use).

Make-shift tripods: I have used that, and still do - sometimes prefer it over my R 3000 tripod. And wanna know how much the make-shift tripod cost me? Nothing nada niks. I filled one of those bags you get from the banks for change, with polyethylene raw material. Works like a charm.

Getting closer? I can assure you, I will have to get much closer than you if I have my 10-20mm lens on my camera. :D

Like I said, know the limitations of your camera. You will for instance struggle to get that bee photo with your cellphone's camera. It just isn't fast enough, have shutter lag, not a long enough focal length etc. etc.. But try taking a good landscape photo, in great light, using good composition basics, and you will be surprised at the result.

With my camera: longest focal length lens I have now is a 105mm macro. I therefore stand no chance to get a decent, close-up photo of a lion 500m away from me, like the guys with the 600mm f/4 lenses with 2x converters can. The guys with the bridge cameras with 20x zoom will get better photos of that lion than me.


Know the basics of photography: lighting, composition, camera settings.....and most importantly, what your camera can and cannot do.

And remember the ABC of photography: A**hole Behind Camera. THAT's what makes a great photo.
 
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