Am I a failure?

[catchlights]

First, you need to understand the basic of photography, than your equipment. your idea has to work with all these..


i tried taking picture of a clock on top of a TV and behind is the window with light spilling in. But no matter how i adjust the setting on my camera, the picture never came out the way i want. I want the clock to be sharp and yet the background light shining in. But my pictures all came out with the clock too dark or the background too bright.

the lighting range (the light falls on the clock and the light come from the window) is out of the latitude of your camera able to record, so you need to bring them closer.


I tried taking ceiling fan inside my house but the picture cannot come out the way i want. I want to show the movement of the fan so i slow down the shutter speed to 10mins....but it never show the movement. then maybe my hand shake they also came out blurry.

so now you know what is your limit of your handheld speed eg 1/60 or 1/30, you can use a tripod to go lower shutter spped, or you can increase the fan speed and still able to shoot handheld.


i wanted to take a picture of the calendar hanging on the wall. I want to give it a retro kind of feel but the picture came out too sharp. I tried various angles but they all came out wrong.

you have to understand the relationship between focal length, f-stops and depth of field.


so am i a failure? i tried many ways but all came out wrong. but i really want to master the skills....how?

No, you need to learn more, shoot more, explore more, nobody can be a master over a weekend, it takes time, not months, but many years.

 

[eikin]

do visit zoossh's thread http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=245883 i think it's like an encyclopedia already :thumbsup:

 

[blive]

hi hi,

i thought if the exposure bar is set to zero it will always be zero? i never take a look except for the shutter speed and aperture size....can i ask one question? if in manual mode i adjust the shutter speed and aperture size...the other setting will change itself based on the setting i have set? like if i change the shutter speed or aperture the exposure itself will change???

To answer your question, in manual mode, you set the aperture, shutter speed & ISO, plus other settings too. the camera will meter and tell you the exposure level, which you can read from the meter in your viewfinder. If there is sufficient light, then your photos will be exposed accordingly. So you have got to check the metering and adjust if there is insufficient light.

First off, read your manual, which gives you a basics in handling your camera. Go to the library to borrow photography books, any type depeding on your need and interest. This way, it gives you more information, as well as inspiration. Bring your camera out and shoot. After that check your pictures and the information, and see if there is a need to do adjustments. With more experience, you would be able to determine the kind of exposure you need for your photographs.

I would suggest attending a proper basic photography course or get someone more experience to discuss and learn about the basics/fundamental of photography.

Don't put yourself down. You have not even started out yet. Learn to walk before you fly. It takes time. be patient. BTW, I think you got to relearn the definition of "failure"

 

[zoossh]

do visit zoossh's thread http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=245883 i think it's like an encyclopedia already :thumbsup:

haven't even cover histogram yet. no la.

 

[ryuggen]

Its a very detailed thread. My must read thread though....

 

[cookiemon]

hi... i used to have this problem when I first borrowed a 400D from friend... after times of times of try and errors, finally realised WB,aperture, ISO are the main factors behind this. Try to operate A/P mode rather than using Auto.... you may expose to different area....

 

[WuffRuff]

Hi Cheekiang,

I am a newbie too. I'm also using 400D and only got mine a few months ago. I just want to share my experience and some advice with you.

1) Try not to use Auto but use Manul mode for shooting if you want to learn about exposure. Yes, the 3 factors to play with are ISO, shutter and aperture. They all affect one another. What I do is I set ISO first, according to how bright the environment is (100 for bright outdoor, 400 for not so bright outdoor or brighter indoor, 800 when its darker, 1600 for really dark [i try to avoid 1600]). Then I set aperture, according to how much depth of field i want my photo/ subject to have (f/4 for sharp subject n blurry background, f/11 onwards if u want everything to look sharp). Then i set my shutter. As a newbie, I don't really know what shutter speed to use for the settings I have done. If you look through the viewfinder, you will see this bar with lines below. The exposure is correct when you have the moveable line on the centre line. To the left its underexposed (dark photo), to the right its overexposed (too bright). So I just adjust my shutter until the line is in the middle. Ok, so now exposure is settled. Then, I select from the 9 AF points, which point i want to be in focus. The manual says the centre point is the most accurate so sometimes I focus using the centre point, then recompose my shot. Sometimes I use the auto (camera will select AF points). Now finally, I just need to compose my shot and press the shutter.

Not the end. After taking the photo, I review the shot and adjust any of those settings if I'm not happy. Sometimes, I'll take the same shot with different settings to see wha the effect will turn out. Just experiment with all these parameters. Take the same shot with all kinds of different settings and review them on your computer as you look at the settings. From this, you will learn about what ISO, aperture and shutter does. These are just the basic. I am also still learning.

2) I noticed that my photos tend to be slightly underexposed (dark). I started a thread about this actually and people say that this is a known problem with the 400D. Not all units will do this but some units will underexpose your shots. They told me they had sent their camera to Canon and they fixed it for them. No cost if its still under warranty. I am going to bring my camera in soon.

3) Check out the canon website. They are giving a free basic photography lesson to people who have bought Canon SLR within the last 4 months. Go for this class. I am going to sign up for it after I get my camera fixed too.

4) All the best. Just keep shooting. Don't give up! Its also important to review the pictures together with the settings to learn about photography.

 

[Leykid1634]

Well, if u said u r a failure. Than i am totally a failure.
I started out with film slr some 12 yrs back. 5 yrs ago, i venture into digital. Now, sometime i still do took photos of what u have describle.

Am i totally totally a failure? :cry: :cry:
No i tell myself, i am still learning. So every time i take a picture, look at the preview and correct it with the 3 important functions : Shutter, Apenture & ISO...

No one is perfect mah.... :bsmilie: :bsmilie:

 

[user111]

upgrade to the mark3 :thumbsup:

 

[Leykid1634]

upgrade to the mark3 :thumbsup:

OooKay...
there is this quote : 'if you are good, a P&S camera may produce a picture, that looks like being capture by a pro cam'.

What about that?

 

[CLQ]

Hi,

It has been months since I bought my canon 400D and had read quite a few of books...but whenever i tried to take a picture...it all came out wrong? am i a failure?

i tried taking picture of a clock on top of a TV and behind is the window with light spilling in. But no matter how i adjust the setting on my camera, the picture never came out the way i want. I want the clock to be sharp and yet the background light shining in. But my pictures all came out with the clock too dark or the background too bright.

I tried taking ceiling fan inside my house but the picture cannot come out the way i want. I want to show the movement of the fan so i slow down the shutter speed to 10mins....but it never show the movement. then maybe my hand shake they also came out blurry.

i wanted to take a picture of the calendar hanging on the wall. I want to give it a retro kind of feel but the picture came out too sharp. I tried various angles but they all came out wrong.

so am i a failure? i tried many ways but all came out wrong. but i really want to master the skills....how?

i think you mean 10s instead of 10mins right? anyway did you use tripod for this shot? any shutter speed longer then 1/15s requires a tripod in imo. Unless you have very steady hands, and to hold for 10s, you would need robitic arms...

 

[deanz]

Benji77 Okay, you need to take step back and slowly think this through.

Dont worry about your composition for now.
Your immediate priority is to understand exposure.
Exposure is the calculation of light/dark that you have to control via
your APERTURE, ISO & SHUTTER SPEED.

Used together, each change in each component affect each other.
HOW they affect each other is what you need to know.

WHEN you want to use each of them (exploit) is your key.
WHY you choose the component is up to YOU.

This is the advantage of MANUAL mode.
It allows you to do what YOU want.

put your cam on a tripod or table.
focus on anything.
Set to manual, adjust any of the 3 components till you get a 0 (zero)
rating in your exposure reading.

Check what you get. it should be correctly exposed.

now using what YOU want to achieve in the shot, use the WHEN & HOW to get what you want

Tried it................and it works..........will be shooting Manual from today:thumbsup:

 

[JamesW]

Nope you are not a failure. A failure is someone who just gives up and stop trying. Keep on shooting!

 

[JamesW]

upgrade to the mark3 :thumbsup:

I fail to see how it will be a remedy to TS's problem.

 

[fv18m]

Cheekiang,

Hope this table helps. Gotten if from WIKI. Actually, think the books are good to buy & read. However, WIKI wil give you lotsa basic info too...

Need not remember every single combi, but basically, there's a total of 23 EVs (ranging from -6 to +16) *am I right?* Will any "Old Birdies" out there correct me if I'm wrong...

Check out this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposure_value

As they say - "When you do not acheive results, you did not SUCCEED. If you stop trying, you have FAILED..."

hi hi,

i thought if the exposure bar is set to zero it will always be zero? i never take a look except for the shutter speed and aperture size....can i ask one question? if in manual mode i adjust the shutter speed and aperture size...the other setting will change itself based on the setting i have set? like if i change the shutter speed or aperture the exposure itself will change???

 

[Stereobox]

Hi,

It has been months since I bought my canon 400D and had read quite a few of books...but whenever i tried to take a picture...it all came out wrong? am i a failure?

i tried taking picture of a clock on top of a TV and behind is the window with light spilling in. But no matter how i adjust the setting on my camera, the picture never came out the way i want. I want the clock to be sharp and yet the background light shining in. But my pictures all came out with the clock too dark or the background too bright.

I tried taking ceiling fan inside my house but the picture cannot come out the way i want. I want to show the movement of the fan so i slow down the shutter speed to 10mins....but it never show the movement. then maybe my hand shake they also came out blurry.

i wanted to take a picture of the calendar hanging on the wall. I want to give it a retro kind of feel but the picture came out too sharp. I tried various angles but they all came out wrong.

so am i a failure? i tried many ways but all came out wrong. but i really want to master the skills....how?

if i may say so...you have made the fundamental mistake/assumption that most fledgling photographers make (inclusive of myself):

that the camera sees and records what our eyes see.

of course, we all know that it simply not true at all. our brain and the camera sensor/film work very differently. we also interpret light signals more profoundly than the way cameras interpret electronically or chemically.

to understand that difference, and know how to work with it, is just part of what makes a photographer. don't ignore the other aspects of being a photographer!

don't forget - asking the right questions will lead you to the right answers. i'm sure you have gotten quite a number of helpful tips from the people here already, so don't give up!

nobody knows the answer to "so am i a failure?", but yourself!

 

[cheekiang]

hi,

thanks for all your advice...will keep shooting....

hoho

 

[clouser_minnow]

hi,

thanks for all your advice...will keep shooting....

hoho

hoho... i take photos pretty often so when i next go photo taking, i could bring you along. i've just started out not long ago and have much room for improvement. anyway, play about with your camera, try all the different modes and stuff. and of course, keep shooting and don't give up. some of my early photos were totally hopeless with a capital H.

Regards
Minnow

 

[LOTUSfairy]

Darling, dun be sad ....tell u something ..

i am only 3 months in photography..

1. I cannot be a Pro overnite....

2. I enjoy the "f88k-urp" pics...cos when I see other taken pics so nice, I have this feeling... I must get that kind of shot. Knock my own head, why i ddnt see it hah. You should see be fumbling with the A-ah, S-ah, M-ah...talking to my cam..

3. Shoot everything...it's fun...of all pics I took (400 maybe), 3 or 4 came out nice, my tear drops fall liao..(so happy). Then maybe from there, see what i am better with.

4. Its good exercise for the body and brain...(better than jogging). I hope to slim down.

5. I learned to save money to buy more cam eqpt to experiment and at the same time be rational about spending..

Most important, I found good friends...especially the Clubsnappers who gave me precious advise and encouragement.

I have now Clubsnappers kaki to go shooting and gathering too.

Let us Cha-yu! :heart:

 

[Leykid1634]

Darling, dun be sad ....tell u something ..

i am only 3 months in photography..

1. I cannot be a Pro overnite....

2. I enjoy the "f88k-urp" pics...cos when I see other taken pics so nice, I have this feeling... I must get that kind of shot. Knock my own head, why i ddnt see it hah. You should see be fumbling with the A-ah, S-ah, M-ah...talking to my cam..

3. Shoot everything...it's fun...of all pics I took (400 maybe), 3 or 4 came out nice, my tear drops fall liao..(so happy). Then maybe from there, see what i am better with.

4. Its good exercise for the body and brain...(better than jogging). I hope to slim down.

5. I learned to save money to buy more cam eqpt to experiment and at the same time be rational about spending..

Most important, I found good friends...especially the Clubsnappers who gave me precious advise and encouragement.

I have now Clubsnappers kaki to go shooting and gathering too.

Let us Cha-yu! :heart:

Great encouragement! Never say die attitude ! :thumbsup:
All the best to your photos.
Hope to see your photos here.