The "Post a Picture You Took" thread

[Lhorn 5097]

On 2/25/2019 at 3:11 PM, Patricio Swayze said:

 

http:// https://www.lomography.com/magazine/219632-the-curious-debonair-super-lens-camera

I kid, I kid. But I do have one.

 

How do you like it?  I've heard of the plastic cameras that take 120 film but what's the point.  Using 120 film but light leaks and a plastic lens.

I checked out the 645 prices.  Some aren't too bad.....

 

For the guys that shoot film, what are you using to manipulate the scans you get back from the developer, Photoshop?  Are there other options?  I actually bought a used flatbed negative scanner so I need software that's capable of inverting the negative (if that's the right term).  I'm not looking to do anything crazy, just make adjustments to color, contrast, etc.  Ultimately I'd like to try macro photography with my digital camera and would like to be able to stack images.

 

Thanks

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

How do you like it?  I've heard of the plastic cameras that take 120 film but what's the point.  Using 120 film but light leaks and a plastic lens.
I checked out the 645 prices.  Some aren't too bad.....
 
For the guys that shoot film, what are you using to manipulate the scans you get back from the developer, Photoshop?  Are there other options?  I actually bought a used flatbed negative scanner so I need software that's capable of inverting the negative (if that's the right term).  I'm not looking to do anything crazy, just make adjustments to color, contrast, etc.  Ultimately I'd like to try macro photography with my digital camera and would like to be able to stack images.
 
Thanks

Ah, it’s gimmicky. When I get to a computer I will try to post a few pics. It’s a toy camera with a plastic lens, so it’s not really about quality and sharpness. You can rig to take 35mm which was kind of cool because you keep the sprocket holes. I haven’t used it in a year.

As far as editing goes for film, yeah, I will mess a bit with the contrast and black point and that’s about it. I imagine I am back in high school working in the darkroom and I try to keep my edits true to that.

Last week I sent a negative to a friend in SA for him to make prints for me to sell. It was fun to see some options of burn in time and choose one. Printed 11 and already sold 8. Pretty stoked about that.

[Lhorn 5097]

You take amazing photos.  I'd be proud to have taken any of the photos you post.  Where do you sell them?  Just curious.  

 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

You take amazing photos.  I'd be proud to have taken any of the photos you post.  Where do you sell them?  Just curious.  
 

Thank you. Sincerely appreciate that. I just posted the photo online and asked people to DM if interested.

I am currently traveling but I will try to post those medium format photos later. Got a couple of bird photos today that Doug might be proud of.

[naija 3064]

On 2/28/2019 at 7:52 PM, Lhorn said:

How do you like it?  I've heard of the plastic cameras that take 120 film but what's the point.  Using 120 film but light leaks and a plastic lens.

I checked out the 645 prices.  Some aren't too bad.....

 

For the guys that shoot film, what are you using to manipulate the scans you get back from the developer, Photoshop?  Are there other options?  I actually bought a used flatbed negative scanner so I need software that's capable of inverting the negative (if that's the right term).  I'm not looking to do anything crazy, just make adjustments to color, contrast, etc.  Ultimately I'd like to try macro photography with my digital camera and would like to be able to stack images.

 

Thanks

Not much manipulation but what I do, I do in Lightroom.

There are good tutorials on using a macro lens along with a digital camera to do it. Look up Matt Day on YouTube. He did a recent one.

I'm lucky to live in a city with a functional darkroom. Haven't been in a while but when I have the time, will gather my negatives and go print the old-fashioned way.

Regarding the plastic cameras that take 120 film, you are probably speaking of a Holga camera. You ask what's the point. Now, Micheal Kenna is absolutely one of the best photographers to ever grace the planet, so clearly not everyone can do this, but the recently released a photobook comprising pictures made with just the Holga. Look at some of the samples online.... when they say its the person behind the camera, sometimes that is true

[El Diablo 4232]

On 2/17/2019 at 12:42 PM, DougO said:

It's been a while since this was posted, but I was snooping around at Adorma just now and was thinking something like this would be a better way to get started and do a lot of shooting than a point-n-shoot.

 

https://www.adorama.com/inkd3500k2a.html

 

41% Off

Nikon D3500 24MP DSLR Camera with NIKKOR 18-55mm and 70-300mm Lens With Free Kit

Final Price

$496.95 You save: $350.00 (41%)

Regular Price: $846.95 - Instant Rebate: $350.00 = $496.95 Get 497 Reward Points

 

I just pulled the trigger on this deal. I haven't shot a camera in about 35 years or so. I grew up with a Yashica 2x2 and owned a couple of Pentax and had a b/w darkroom until I got out of the parents house. I figure at this price I'll be able to get something out of it if I decide it's more than I want or need. Thanks for the heads up!

[Lhorn 5097]

My sister has that same kit.  You should be very happy. 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Lhorn, here are a couple of shots from that toy medium format camera.  These are cropped.  I have one more roll of 120 in the fridge that maybe I will shoot this year. 

Here are a few from my recent trip to New Mexico...

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[naija 3064]

5 hours ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Lhorn, here are a couple of shots from that toy medium format camera.  These are cropped.  I have one more roll of 120 in the fridge that maybe I will shoot this year. 

 

 

this is the thing film does for me that is hard to achieve with digital, at least not without some serious Photoshop time. imperfect but evocative nonetheless

[El Diablo 4232]

4 hours ago, naija said:

this is the thing film does for me that is hard to achieve with digital, at least not without some serious Photoshop time. imperfect but evocative nonetheless

This is one of the things I am afraid of, that my experience with a camera growing up and using film is not going to be the same with digital. We'll see I guess. Film is where the magic happened for me.

[Lhorn 5097]

Patricio, those are real nice pics. I especially like the ones of the desert at dusk. That camera is a completely auto?

you had them professionally developed, scanned and cropped the scan?

Edited March 4, 2019 by Lhorn

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Patricio, those are real nice pics. I especially like the ones of the desert at dusk. That camera is a completely auto?
you had them professionally developed, scanned and cropped the scan?

Thank you. So the medium format toy camera has two settings for exposure (sunny or cloudy) and three settings for focal distance (landscape, group of people, portrait). I forget the minimum focal distance. All film I have shot over the past few years I have had developed and scanned by www.thedarkroom.com. I forget the price for 120, but one roll of 35mm is $15 for processing, medium quality negative scan, uploading scans to their server for immediate download. There is a shipping fee to return negatives and a disc of scans. That $15 includes postage to their lab in California.

The other photos I posted from New Mexico were taken with my Canon EOS R. It’s Canon’s full frame mirrorless camera. Depending on what I am shooting, I may shoot full manual or aperture priority. I never shoot full auto. Over the years I have gotten lazy about shooting manual focus, although I occasionally still will. But it’s rare these days.

[naija 3064]

1 hour ago, El Diablo said:

This is one of the things I am afraid of, that my experience with a camera growing up and using film is not going to be the same with digital. We'll see I guess. Film is where the magic happened for me.

it won't be the same. there are things digital is great at that film isn't. best advice is to learn how to post-process upfront. it can be time-consuming, but unless you want to shoot JPEGS all day, it's worth it

[Anton Chigurh 3335]

You can also learn a LOT by just watching YouTube videos.

 

Tony Northrup has some good digital books about using Lightroom and Photoshop.

 

[El Diablo 4232]

1 hour ago, naija said:

it won't be the same. there are things digital is great at that film isn't. best advice is to learn how to post-process upfront. it can be time-consuming, but unless you want to shoot JPEGS all day, it's worth it

I don't want to turn this into a "teach me how to shoot pictures with a digital camera" thread but frankly I know jack squat about digital media. I'm old and therefore stupid in the ways of ones and zeros, lol. Your comment about JPEGS is...confusing? I'm not even sure what it means. I mean I know what a jpeg is but that's about it.

[Anton Chigurh 3335]

I don't want to turn this into a "teach me how to shoot pictures with a digital camera" thread but frankly I know jack squat about digital media. I'm old and therefore stupid in the ways of ones and zeros, lol. Your comment about JPEGS is...confusing? I'm not even sure what it means. I mean I know what a jpeg is but that's about it.

 

Jpgs are processed by the camera. As in, the camera computer is processing the image the way it thinks it should look, and then recording the image as a finished jpg on your memory card. These don’t require additional processing (and you shouldn’t process jpgs anyway since they degrade in quality every time they are saved). Shooting in RAW format means you will perform this processing later on, using your own computer.

 

An unprocessed RAW file can actually look worse than a jpg straight out of the camera.

 

That’s why it’s a little irksome when people ask “is this edited”? Well, yeah, I edited it to make it look like it does in real life when I was there taking the photograph*.

 

*Astrophotography photos excepted.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

27 minutes ago, El Diablo said:

I don't want to turn this into a "teach me how to shoot pictures with a digital camera" thread but frankly I know jack squat about digital media. I'm old and therefore stupid in the ways of ones and zeros, lol. Your comment about JPEGS is...confusing? I'm not even sure what it means. I mean I know what a jpeg is but that's about it.

Over the years this thread has been one of my favorites.  Sharing creativity, expertise, consumer advice, etc.  So yeah, feel free to use this thread as such.  I think what Naija was trying to say is learn how to edit digital photos or you will never like them as much as film.  I somewhat agree.  I have been shooting film since 1994, and I very much enjoy digital photography.  I am also someone that feels like to heavy handed editing is more graphic design than photography, so I tend to keep my edits light.  In the last couple of years I have started getting a little heavier with it using the NIC collection.  I somewhat feel guilty, but whatever.  I still shoot about 3-4 rolls of film a year on an all manual camera.  I feel like I am still sticking true to my roots.

[naija 3064]

What Anton said. A jpeg (you will also see this written as SOOC - straight out of camera) is a file that the camera processor engine makes. Easiest way to go about it. But all the companies have different degrees of what the end product looks like. The Fujis are very nice and well known for producing excellent jpegs, especially with their film simulations. You can edit a jpeg later in Lightroom/Photoshop, but it has less latitude than a RAW file (think of RAW files as your digital negatives that will require some digital darkroom work. Each company has its propriety RAW format, except for Leica who use DNG which is an open standard). Many folks with Fuji start with a jpeg and make some minor edits to get to the final look of what they want.

 

[El Diablo 4232]

Thanks for the kind replies, they are appreciated. My first camera was a hand-me-down twin lens that didn't have a built in light meter. I learned the expensive way - by trial and error using film. I actually used that camera as a photographer for high school yearbook and took pics of everything including football games at night. I'll give this a shot.

[naija 3064]

Resources, in no particular order, to help with digital processing

1. Youtube - pros: free, can find very useful practical "how-to" to just accomplish one particular task. cons: can be overwhelming and difficult to separate the useful from garbage. 

2. Lynda - pros: great courses that will guide you through the entirety of Lightroom, and almost all of Photoshop. well sorted out. you will learn from people who get paid to teach this and have been employed by Adobe. cons: works off subscription model, so you don't own those lessons.

3. Creative Live - pros: like Lynda, you will find detailed, step by step how to guides for Lightroom, Photoshop. unlike Lynda.com, you buy the courses and you can download the videos/work material. they are yours forever. easier to go back and reference from time to time. cons: not free, but they run sales from time to time. You can buy hours of material for like $14-28 sometimes

4. Phlearn - pros: probably the most knowledgeable with regards to Lightroom/Photoshop. Arranged in a way that is tied to specific tasks, "how do I get a glowing sunset etc." cons: subscription model, but a better value than Lynda in my opinion

5. Adobe - remember there are tutorials on the Adobe website and probably the best place to start for the most basic stuff.

Edited March 4, 2019 by naija

[El Diablo 4232]

Thanks again. One reason I bought the camera that @DougO linked upthread is I have an aquarium and will sometimes take pictures of its inhabitants. Weird? Maybe Yes and I've not been very satisfied with what I've been getting with the 10 year old Sony Cybershot that I currently use. But one thing I see as a plus with shooting fish pictures (he really said that?) is it is always there and can be used as a subject with complete consistency, i.e., I can shoot hundreds of pictures of it while playing with settings and compare the results side by side. 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

A few more from New Mexico.

Edited March 4, 2019 by Patricio Swayze

[DougO 5266]

3 hours ago, El Diablo said:

Thanks again. One reason I bought the camera that @DougO linked upthread is I have an aquarium and will sometimes take pictures of its inhabitants. Weird? Maybe Yes and I've not been very satisfied with what I've been getting with the 10 year old Sony Cybershot that I currently use. But one thing I see as a plus with shooting fish pictures (he really said that?) is it is always there and can be used as a subject with complete consistency, i.e., I can shoot hundreds of pictures of it while playing with settings and compare the results side by side. 

Seems like a good subject to learn with. I haven't had a chance to get to that area where the tree is you were asking about, but I will soon if the weather will cooperate.

As far as processing, I probably can't be that much help. I learned it mostly from trial and error. I started back in the early computer days with Coreldraw and Photopaint, and learned some basics before I moved to Photoshop. It took me a couple of years to really get comfortable with photoshop. I read a lot of advice from photographers and some of it was helpful, and much of it was the opposite. The basic concepts are the same, but the execution can be done in different ways, and what works best may depend on how your individual brain works.

If you want to delve into photoshop, you can probably do about anything you need to do with Elements or other basic cheapish builds. Or you can go with Lightroom, which is a really different kind of approach, maybe it works for you.

Just keep your unedited originals that you don't want to throw out, back up all of your photos on an extra drive, that's a top priority. Only work on copies so you can't screw them up beyond repair. You can always go back and try again. Thats kinda what Lightroom does, but I hate the interface.

When you start thinking about setting up lighting your photos, rather than just shooting with ambient light, i highly recommend you read through the lessons at David Hobby's lighting blog: https://strobist.blogspot.com/

[DougO 5266]

I only shoot jpeg. Raw is great if you have the massive drive space, expense and desire to mess with it, which I don't. It doesn't work well for almost everything I do photographically, sports and action stuff where you need your camera to respond instantly. Raw can be a real bitch in the field.

Even if you want to be that intensive eventually, I think it's best to learn shooting jpeg, then you will be more focused on getting the best exposure possible in the shortest time, you have to think about what you're doing instead of just thinking "I'll fix it later." It's just like shooting film in the old days, except now with digital you have the benefit of instant feedback after every shot you take, which is a godsend to learning photography.

 

Edited March 4, 2019 by DougO

[DougO 5266]

Basic musts for shooting digital on the fly:

1. Use the histogram on your camera monitor and in processing, and learn what it's telling you, at least to some degree. You'll get the hang of it.

2. Don't overexpose. Blow our your highlights, and there's not a lot you can do to fix it. I tend to underexpose a smidge. You can open up tones without a lot of processing, but you can't recover data that has been blasted into oblivion by too much light.

[El Diablo 4232]

1 hour ago, DougO said:

Basic musts for shooting digital on the fly:

1. Use the histogram on your camera monitor and in processing, and learn what it's telling you, at least to some degree. You'll get the hang of it.

2. Don't overexpose. Blow our your highlights, and there's not a lot you can do to fix it. I tend to underexpose a smidge. You can open up tones without a lot of processing, but you can't recover data that has been blasted into oblivion by too much light.

Sounds like good advice. The camera that I have I've been shooting in bursts of 3 with -.3 ev steps. Obv can't do that if shooting fast motion where you'll miss they money shot at least not with the camera I've got but it's nice to see the differences. Shit, I don't remember even hearing of eV when I was a kid and only learned of it recently as a "thing". Stopping the camera down, yes, but not ev as a term. One of the many problems with being self taught and going to a small school where there weren't enough nerds with similar interests..

[Armybrat 41420]

Red Rock Canyon near Las Vegas, Nevada. Taken Oct. 2017 with my cheap iPad:

[BearSchlong 8248]

Red Rock Canyon near Las Vegas, Nevada. Taken Oct. 2017 with my cheap iPad:

Pretty. My sister lived about 15 minutes from there for years, in Summerlin. I'd usually hike there on Christmas mornings before a tremendous gourmet meal.

[DougO 5266]

At least half of good photography is being there and seeing what's in front of you. Probably a lot more.

[Jerry Callo 8965]

I was just there and saw cool colors.

[El Diablo 4232]

8 hours ago, DougO said:

At least half of good photography is being there and seeing what's in front of you. Probably a lot more.

Yeah, in my short high school "career" the pictures that I had published in the yearbook were all what I'd call snapshots. Classrooms, cafeteria, what have you. Another guy came from a family with money and he had a new Nikon with all the toys and they'd get him to take pictures of staged events, people posing with awards, things like that. But the pictures that captured the kids being kids were the ones I took. 

Got email from Adorama today, camera shipped. Much excite!

[El Diablo 4232]

Hey, uh, couple of quick questions before the new toy arrives; what sort of battery life can I expect and what type of media are the files on/what's the best way to transfer to the computer?

TIA

Diablo

[Anton Chigurh 3335]

Hey, uh, couple of quick questions before the new toy arrives; what sort of battery life can I expect and what type of media are the files on/what's the best way to transfer to the computer?
TIA
Diablo

Pretty decent battery life, and for you it will be an SD card. Get a card reader if your computer doesn’t have one built in already. You can plug the camera in directly but I have always used a card reader because it’s easy.

Use Lightroom or Camera Raw. I still recommend Lightroom.

Also, a good practice is to format your SD card before shooting every time. Gives it a fresh slate and lower chance of file corruption or card failure.

[El Diablo 4232]

2 hours ago, Anton Chigurh said:

 

 

Pretty decent battery life, and for you it will be an SD card. Get a card reader if your computer doesn’t have one built in already. You can plug the camera in directly but I have always used a card reader because it’s easy.

Use Lightroom or Camera Raw. I still recommend Lightroom.

Also, a good practice is to format your SD card before shooting every time. Gives it a fresh slate and lower chance of file corruption or card failure.

 

Format? Lol, I haven't formatted squat in ages and don't even know how I would do that in Windows 10. Help?

ETA: I have all sorts of card readers of the USB plugin variety, not sure if the computer has one. It's a desktop that's less than a year old, I've just never looked for one. The Sony uses a proprietary media and so I bought a reader for that, it uses USB.

Edited March 6, 2019 by El Diablo

[Anton Chigurh 3335]

Format? Lol, I haven't formatted squat in ages and don't even know how I would do that in Windows 10. Help?
ETA: I have all sorts of card readers of the USB plugin variety, not sure if the computer has one. It's a desktop that's less than a year old, I've just never looked for one. The Sony uses a proprietary media and so I bought a reader for that, it uses USB.

You format the card in camera.

Just give yourself 45 minutes and sit down with it and watch this video, and maybe a few others if you feel like you still aren’t 100%.

[El Diablo 4232]

Thanks. I'm in the habit of wiping the card that I use between shoots but not formatting it. Not the same I know, I just hate having a shitload of pictures to sort thru/select when moving to the computer so this won't be a hard habit to get into.

[DougO 5266]

[DougO 5266]

I shot this one a few weeks ago while birding at a local park. I don't shoot much stuff like this, but I noticed the top of the courthouse through the pecan trees. I never would have thought to shoot it ahead of time. I kinda like it.

 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

I like the composition for sure.  Nice shot.

[stc 1500]

took a trip to big bend a couple weeks ago and was all excited to shoot some film...shutter stuck on the very first shot and continued sticking. so i got a bunch of cell phone pics. 

imgur

imgur

imgur

imgur

imgur

imgur

 

Edited March 7, 2019 by stc

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

STC, I can’t see any of those pics in tapa. When I go to web view, on the first one of the bridge over the Pecos shows up.

[stc 1500]

oh right, no imgur. i'll fix that. 

[stc 1500]

Stupid fucking site

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Very nice colors and shots. Really jealous. I need to get back there much sooner than later.

[Lhorn 5097]

Damn those are nice photos for a cellphone or any camera really.

[El Diablo 4232]

On 3/6/2019 at 10:07 AM, Anton Chigurh said:

 

You format the card in camera.

Just give yourself 45 minutes and sit down with it and watch this video, and maybe a few others if you feel like you still aren’t 100%.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can't say thank you enough for that video. Camera was here when I got off work today. I was like a kid at Christmas for the first time since I was a kid, at Christmas. Instructions? I don't need no stinking instructions! I looked it over and figured out where everything went, stuck the battery in, stuck the card in, attached a lens and powered it up. The battery had just enough juice that I was able to shoot about 20 pictures here in the living room just getting familiar with it. Watched a bit of that video which was much easier than trying to read the tiny print in the manual. I'll watch the rest of it but just wanted to drop by to say "Thanks!". 

The battery in on the charger now so I'll be able to play like crazy tomorrow night. The pictures I took were all really shitty, lol but I did save one of them because it's the first one. 

[Lhorn 5097]

I’m coming in to Austin next week to visit the family. Dad just got a Nikon D5x00 (not sure which one) and I’ve got an old D3100.

im interested in taking some night photos. Things like the capital, the tower etc. I’d really like to try photographing light trails by the Pennybacker bridge (360 bridge). 

Anyone have recommendations for this?  ISO, F-stop etc. then I’ll just play with shutter speed. Got a tripod and a remote shutter release

 

also specific high yield places to shoot from  

Thanks 

 

Edited March 9, 2019 by Lhorn

[El Diablo 4232]

Alrighty then! I watched that video thru once just sort of glancing at my camera then watched it a second time paying closer attention to the items that caught my interest the first time thru and then watched it a THIRD time just to make sure I felt comfortable making changes and knowing where I made them and how to get back without having to watch the video again. Whew, I'm tired! I was shooting last night with it on Auto just to get a picture out of the thing. Did the same today when I first got home and fumbled around with it a bit more. After digesting the videos I went full Manual and don't know if I'll ever go back. I can't believe I've waited this long to get one of these things. My experience with the point and shoot variety had me convinced that they just couldn't compare to film but I think this thing can. Pretty impressed so far. I'll need to brush up on my skills, a LOT but hey, I'm not having to process rolls of film to get my jollies and ain't that a relief?

Eh, I shot a snail.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

17 minutes ago, Lhorn said:

I’m coming in to Austin next week to visit the family. Dad just got a Nikon D5x00 (not sure which one) and I’ve got an old D3100.
im interested in taking some night photos. Things like the capital, the tower etc. I’d really like to try photographing light trails by the Pennybacker bridge (360 bridge). 
Anyone have recommendations for this?  ISO, F-stop etc. then I’ll just play with shutter speed. Got a tripod and a remote shutter release
 
also specific high yield places to shoot from  
Thanks 
 

I’ll post some photos in a minute. Part of the aperture decision will be based on how long you need to expose for. But anywhere between 7.1 and 13 will be good. You want 15-25 seconds of exposure to get really nice light trails. I always try to shoot at ISO 100 at night te reduce noise (and this also factors into your exposure time.

ISO 100, f7.1, Shutter 20 seconds:

ISO 400, f7.1, Shutter 25 seconds:

ISO 100, f13, Shutter 20 seconds (I think this is better than the one of Houston above where the headlights wash together too much):

ISO 250, f4.5, Shutter 20 seconds (by the way, I think some jackass spray painted this tree, so maybe you want to try from the other cliff):

Edited March 9, 2019 by Patricio Swayze

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

I should add that a lot of the time that I do this kind of photography I end up adjusting the temperature in photoshop so that the headlights are white and the tail lights are red in a truer sense.