[lambtron]

Just picked up the camera the other day; I'm a newb to this stuff, so please pick these photos apart! I haven't edited any of them other than changing the size so I could upload em here. Thanks Oh, and I'm using an XSi with the Canon EFS 10-22mm ultrawide - camera is set to Av.

[rodi]

those reflections on the buildings across the street.
those are cool. expose for them. make them your subject.

go forth and bring us new images.

[lambtron]

Originally Posted by rodi

those reflections on the buildings across the street.
those are cool. expose for them. make them your subject.

go forth and bring us new images.

Can you explain this barney style for a newb like me? How might I go about exposing them?

[scollins]

The vantage point for the 2nd and 3rd shots is just BEGGING for a Tilt-Shift lens!!

[lambtron]

Originally Posted by scollins

The vantage point for the 2nd and 3rd shots is just BEGGING for a Tilt-Shift lens!!

All three pictures were taken from the exact same spot: my stupid little "french balcony" from my 5th floor apartment. Don't know exactly what a tilt-shift lens does, but a quick google search informed me that they are expensive,haha.

[scollins]

Originally Posted by lambtron

All three pictures were taken from the exact same spot: my stupid little "french balcony" from my 5th floor apartment. Don't know exactly what a tilt-shift lens does, but a quick google search informed me that they are expensive,haha.

Yeah, they are spendy, but you can probably rent one from a camera shop, or from www.borrowlenses.com. The image it would create would give you the sense that what you are looking at is a scale model, and not a full size real life place.

This is a great example found via Google:

[lambtron]

Oooh that's cool.

[oneintheory]

Originally Posted by lambtron

Can you explain this barney style for a newb like me? How might I go about exposing them?

what he means is this: you've set your camera (shutter speed, ISO, aperture) to properly expose the sky. meaning you wanted the sky to be that nice rich, full, blue with good contrast. rather than that, what you should do is adjust your settings to bring out the reflections on the wall of the building across the street. that means bringing your shutter speed down a bit, in all likelihood.


i'll add a couple things of my own.

picture 1: composition is just as important as the other technical aspects of the image. you have way too much sky going on. there is literally nothing happening after 3/4 of the way up. crop that thing down, and it brings a lot more attention to the remainder of the image.

pictures 2 & 3: i really don't care for either one, but i suppose 2 is the best option. you have some blue sky in that one. unfortunately, your white balance is bad. waaaaay too yellow. that happens in almost every long exposure shot of the city i've seen. it's an easy fix though, as long as you shoot in RAW.

[Chewy734]

Originally Posted by scollins

Yeah, they are spendy, but you can probably rent one from a camera shop, or from www.borrowlenses.com. The image it would create would give you the sense that what you are looking at is a scale model, and not a full size real life place.

This is a great example found via Google:

Holy crap dude! That's where I work! small world...

[rodi]

scott, unfortunately, that's a fake photoshop tilt-shift effect. you can tell by the line of the gradient. and a couple other things that are hard to explain: the height of objects and where they fall on the ground plane relative to where they're sharp focus. blah.


the main reason tilt-shifts are used: to keep vertical lines vertical instead of slanted because of a wide-angle lens: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mc9/3094965982/

[MrRoboto]

Love the color of the sky in the second pic.

[Dr_Jones]

Originally Posted by MrRoboto

Love the color of the sky in the second pic.

+1 to that

[lambtron]

Originally Posted by Dr_Jones

+1 to that

I wish I could say I knew what I was doing. LOL

[scollins]

Originally Posted by rodi

scott, unfortunately, that's a fake photoshop tilt-shift effect. you can tell by the line of the gradient. and a couple other things that are hard to explain: the height of objects and where they fall on the ground plane relative to where they're sharp focus. blah.


the main reason tilt-shifts are used: to keep vertical lines vertical instead of slanted because of a wide-angle lens: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mc9/3094965982/

DAMN PHOTOSHOPPERS!!!!!



Yeah, I know that to keep vertical lines, well, vertical, the image sensor plane has to be parallel to the item being photographed. So the tilt-shift (Perspective Control for us Nikkor shooters) keeps you from having to tilt the image sensor plane, just tilt the lens instead.

[GreenPlease]

That scene looks familiar... is that where they shot Dr. Dolittle? Seriously. That brick midrise looks really familiar.

[lambtron]

Originally Posted by GreenPlease

That scene looks familiar... is that where they shot Dr. Dolittle? Seriously. That brick midrise looks really familiar.

No idea. My apartment is on 8th and J street in Sacramento, and my window looks out on 9th street, intersection to the left is 9th/J...the taller red brick building is the Citizen Hotel in Sacramento.

[lisakay]

Originally Posted by oneintheory

i'll add a couple things of my own.

picture 1: composition is just as important as the other technical aspects of the image. you have way too much sky going on. there is literally nothing happening after 3/4 of the way up. crop that thing down, and it brings a lot more attention to the remainder of the image.

pictures 2 & 3: i really don't care for either one, but i suppose 2 is the best option. you have some blue sky in that one. unfortunately, your white balance is bad. waaaaay too yellow. that happens in almost every long exposure shot of the city i've seen. it's an easy fix though, as long as you shoot in RAW.

I agree with this.

In my humble opinion, all three photos look like snapshots to me. Composition is so important; what were you trying to capture? What were you thinking as you took these photos? These are things to think about next time you want to take good photos.

[Derek Zoolander]

White balance is very off in 2 and 3.
Just keep practicing!