Help and comments needed pls? :)

[misegayoong]

Hi all, i'm a 2months old amateur with Canon EOS 500D, Kit II lens and a Macro 60mm lens.
This picture is taken with AV mode, ISO 3200 but i still find it abit too dark. Can i know how to further enhance it?

Taken with camera's Landscape mode. Seem brighter with abit more details?

Please advise? thanks!

Main purpose of getting this DSLR is for food photography and potraits.

Please visit my flicker site and comment.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39575784@N02/

 

[Rashkae]

1. Why on earth are you shooting at ISO 3200???
2. The #1 reason the second pic looks better is because you have the horizon straight.

 

[jaRv1s]

this is high dynamic range photo... either you use a GND photo or use HDR software... else it's not quite possible to bring out the details in the darker area...

google or use the search function in CS... hope this helps...

 

[catchlights]

#1, think before you take, not take already think what to do about the photos.

#2,

 

[Lomographer]

i think some technical knowledge would help.

the book catchlights mention is good to take a look at,

if not, you can google "exposure" and there will be articles on it, FOC.

after reading, it may answer your queries, but if you still have any, feel free to ask them here.

and agree with rashkae, why shoot ISO 3200 in broad daylight??

 

[gargle]

hi i'm equally new to photography - just a few months. While the senior forumers are trying to make you think (i know its the best way) but to prevent you from getting too discouraged, maybe you can ask the couple of questions such as:

1. What did you want to achieve with this photo? - thus the think before you take statement personally i feel the landscape is rather pleasant, but nothing that catches my attention or makes a statement to me. Why did you pick this place?
2. i think you were trying to increase the ISO to make the dark parts brighter. This is not necessary for day shots - thus the comment WHY ISO 3200?? I make several shots usually and at different settings before i start on my main shots. This helps me get the basic settings right, and then i refine as i go along. Tedious, but it will pay off in the longer run. Try checking White Balance, use a tripod (very easy and the improvements can be quite dramatic), play with exposure compensation. I sense that there is a substantial amount of shake with this shot, so work on your snapping technique, i know its something i work on constantly ;p
3. What was lighting like? Sometimes lighting (poor lighting) can kill a shot, so think about the magical times (sunrise/sunset) and test your capabilities then. You may be surprised with the results.
4. Tell us what your settings were - it will help get more feedback from the forum.

Most of all - keep shooting! you will get familiar with the settings that you like very soon! The initial learning curve is steep, but rewarding

 

[gargle]

Was just browsing through the forum and saw this which i found very useful! Kind of sums up a lot of things we need to think about when taking a shot

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=309544

 

[ortega]

the foreground is in the shade and thus will be darker than the background

wait for better light and shoot again

 

[confession]

Had a look at your Flickr exif data.

First pic:

ISO 3200. F22

Second pic:
ISO 100. F10.

I think you have your answer.

 

[ziploc]

Had a look at your Flickr exif data.

First pic:

ISO 3200. F22

Second pic:
ISO 100. F10.

I think you have your answer.

Really? Both pics shutter speed is at 1/100s. ISO & f-stop are as you mentioned. ISO100 to 3200 is 5 stops increment. f/10 to f/22 is 2 1/3 stops reduction. So 1st pic should be a lot more overexposed then 2nd pic. But looking at pics above, 2nd pic is more overexposed then 1st. Why? :think:

 

[hongwen37]

Had a look at your Flickr exif data.

First pic:

ISO 3200. F22

Second pic:
ISO 100. F10.

I think you have your answer.

Really? Both pics shutter speed is at 1/100s. ISO & f-stop are as you mentioned. ISO100 to 3200 is 5 stops increment. f/10 to f/22 is 2 1/3 stops reduction. So 1st pic should be a lot more overexposed then 2nd pic. But looking at pics above, 2nd pic is more overexposed then 1st. Why? :think:

I took a look at the EXIF data.

1st Pic: iso400, f/22, 1/100 sec, 20mm

2nd Pic: iso100, f/10, 1/100sec, 24mm

The iso is not what TS claimed to be 3200... maybe that explain why the 1st pic is darker?

 

[ziploc]

I took a look at the EXIF data.

1st Pic: iso400, f/22, 1/100 sec, 20mm

2nd Pic: iso100, f/10, 1/100sec, 24mm

The iso is not what TS claimed to be 3200... maybe that explain why the 1st pic is darker?

Yes you're correct. I rechecked the EXIF at flickr, the 1st pic is indeed ISO400 not 3200. In that case pic1 is 1/3 stop less then 2nd pic. Anyway 1st pic exposure is better then the 2nd one which has some blown hightlights.

 

[Del_CtrlnoAlt]

Yes you're correct. I rechecked the EXIF at flickr, the 1st pic is indeed ISO400 not 3200. In that case pic1 is 1/3 stop less then 2nd pic. Anyway 1st pic exposure is better then the 2nd one which has some blown hightlights.

2nd pic got better trees... which can be salvage with a bit of contrast boost, but 1st pic is overall quite dark as its been severely underexposed, hence you'll lose the details. (but still, 1st pic got more white, hence all the blown outs are gone forever)

 

[misegayoong]

Thanks all seniors for the comments, will read up and practice more!
Thanks Gargle for the encouragements!!
"think before you take" is definitely something to remember. I didnt spend much time thinking about why i wanna take this pic. I just wanna try out my camera on some landscape shots.
I was always a biology student back in school, reading up on photography seem so technical and foreign to me.. keke!

 

[daredevil123]

Take a photography class or something. Make sure it is a beginner one. It will be the best 150-200 SGD you spend ever. More worth it than any gear you would ever buy.

 

[spheredome]

Tough scene. Meter the dark area and you blow the sky. :dunno:

Salvage the picture? Make it black and white or apply IR filter mode.

 

[kshen]

errm... side track abit.. i went to see his flickr... i realise that all his landscape pic is very bluey...

misegayoong: you may want to check your WB... i see that your exif your WB are set at 5200K which is towards the bluey(cooler) side... when in doubt i think is better to set WB to auto...

 

[ziploc]

Tough scene. Meter the dark area and you blow the sky. :dunno:

Salvage the picture? Make it black and white or apply IR filter mode.

For scenes with high dynamic range, you can either do an HDR, or use the Fuji S5. You'll be surprised how much details can be recovered from the image taken with S5.

On the left is the original pic produced by the S5. The pic on the right is produced by simple curve tweaking in PS.

 

[misegayoong]

Kshen: Thanks! I will look into my WB.
I am currently residing overseas, would love to take up a course when i'm back in spore for good next year!!
by the way.. i'm a She.

 

[shutterpeep]

Kshen: Thanks! I will look into my WB.
I am currently residing overseas, would love to take up a course when i'm back in spore for good next year!!
by the way.. i'm a She.

and everyone thought otherwise.

shoot more and experiment.