Taking photographs

[vrooje]

Code: Select all

[img]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1365/855216412_315f5a49c1_m.jpg[/img]

shows the image:


(Which Alan said, I'm just posting the actual code. You can post working code on a thread if you put it in between the Code tags...)

[Topcat]

Yes, thanks, that's it. As I say, I know I can do it in Image shack, I was just trying something different.

TC

[enid]

When I am in flickr and have opened a photo there is a section called additional information and one of the items is see different sizes - when you click on that there are several sizes and for each one there is the photo's URL underneath -if you copy that then paste it between image blocks on here you should be OK - does that make sense???!!!!

[Hells Bells]

In Picasa, click 'link to this photo' to bring up the relevant code.


'

[Topcat]

Enid, I tried that first. That was my first attempt, and my second!

Pauline

[Topcat]

Helen, I haven't tried that one. I'll give it a go later. Ta.

TC

[e-richard]

I thought this was worth copying and preserving here...

I'd recommend this excellent article that Paolo wrote:
Top tips for photographing your property

Using those tips has really helped my pictures. I hope nobody will mind if I post an example... during a visit to our rental property three years ago, we took this picture:

Living on a different continent than our rental property, it was a shame that we didn't notice until we got home that the closet door was open, that the bed looks really flat and seems to disappear into the wall, and that the colors are a bit washed out compared to the actual look of the room.

This year we took this:

Using some of the article's tips really improved the photo, or at least, I think so.

Taking good photos of your property is a never-ending process that requires a lot of planning (and a lot of disk space), but it's well worth it, as it is a huge factor in a potential client's decision of whether to book your place.

Brooke

[Topcat]

The transformation's amazing isn't it.

TC

[Chianti]

This is the best thread ever Loads of new tricks to be tried. Richard your example of the work you did on the photos of the square is brilliant I had no idea what was meant by stitching.

I take a wide variety of photos, most for fun, but also for my website, so I'm going to try to spend more time improving those which need it.

Don't know if this post goes automatically to the last page, I've only just finished the 1st one. I can testify that Canon Digital cameras are superb for clarity. Must add that mine is now about 4 years old. I'm only on my 2nd battery after taking hundreds & hundreds of photos. I also use it for short videos.

I tested about 4 cameras in the shop before purchasing. Photos were taken of the same subject, then printed out. I was looking for one with clarity and By God I got it in Canon. My tests confirmed what the expert in the shop said so I highly recommend them.

[vrooje]

Continuing the discussion in this excellent thread (thanks Richard!), I have yet more questions!

Our property has great views of the town ramparts and the wall of the old castle. I have tons of photos of this view in daylight, but the night view is equally spectacular. The town keeps the walls lit until midnight and we have panoramic views of it from our salon.

I've tried to take some photos of this in the past, but they always come out blurry and either over- or under-exposed.

Would anyone be willing to share some night-photography tips? I am using my Dad's Olympus E500 dSLR, so I can adjust any aspect of the photo (and in fact these won't take in auto/night-portrait mode so I have to use manual).

I'm not really sure how much the aperture matters for these, but I'm having issues with focus (has to be manually done but it's hard for me to gauge for some reason). Plus, I don't have a remote, so I'm concerned that the slight shake from my manually pressing the shutter button is causing a blur. Not sure how to prevent that except to be very careful.

Also, will it make a major difference if I shoot these in RAW format? I have no experience editing RAW images whatsoever, but I'm willing to learn...

Here are some of my latest attempts (these might be a little large, sorry):

First try (ISO200, 3s, F3.5), half the wall is covered by tree branches:


Oops, apparently I bumped the tripod before the shot (ISO200, 4s, F3.5):


I like this framing better, but the walls are overexposed and the whole thing is a little out of focus (ISO200, 6s, F3.5):


This is what you get when you're trying a 20s exposure for the heck of it and they turn off the lights mid-capture!


I wish I knew more about SLRs and photography... but I'm learning! Any tips would be useful. Thank you!

[Jimbo]

Would anyone be willing to share some night-photography tips?

1. Use a stable tripod (or hang a bag of rocks from a flimsy one).
2. Use a remote or the self-timer to trigger the shutter - doing it by hand will knock off the sharpness.
3. Stop the lens down to at least f8 and focus manually.
4. Shoot a series of test shots with a logical progression of shutter speeds - 3s/6s/12s/24s/48s for example. Choose the best group of three from the image displayed on your rear screen and use those as your benchmarks.
5. You might consider shooting these pix when there's just a little colour left in the sky - often gives a more pleasing result than a totally black night sky.

I'd recommend using RAW (and learning how to convert it with the special software) for anybody interested in producing the best results from their photography. I shoot in nothing else. With a 'jpeg' you only get the finished cake. With a 'RAW', you get the ingredients for a whole series of different cakes - each time you convert a RAW file, the original remains untouched so you can make different 'cakes' any time you wish.

Good luck.

Jim

[paolo]

Plus, I don't have a remote, so I'm concerned that the slight shake from my manually pressing the shutter button is causing a blur. Not sure how to prevent that except to be very careful.

I would use the time delay function to prevent this.

Have you thought of doing this 'on the blink'? Of course the lights would have to be on at dusk.

(Posted at the same time as Jimbo)

[vrooje]

Thankfully I do have a stable tripod -- a Manfrotto, on your recommendation, Jimbo (and it's great)!

The time delay, of course -- that's so clearly what I should be doing. Why didn't I think of that? Thank you!

Just as the sun was setting last night I was thinking that it would probably be a good idea to try the photos right then. But of course, I didn't have it set up at all. I think I will tonight, assuming the weather cooperates (possibly not the smartest assumption). And then I'll try a little later, before it's perfectly dark. That might also help capture the silhouettes of the houses a little less starkly while making it clear that it really *is* night. It's such a striking view, and I really want it to show up properly!

Thank you both for the tips.

One other question: what is this special software that I'll need to convert from RAW format? I just got a Macbook and I don't really have any graphics editing software yet (just iPhoto), so I'm a blank slate.

[Martha]

I agree - dusk is the best time for these shots -



Then you can still see some detail in the walls and so on.

I wonder if it might be an interesting one to use tonemapping / hdr on?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tone_mapping

I haven't tried this myself but you can get some lovely results, shooting a range of exposures as Jimbo suggests and then combining them.

eg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/doblonaut/445178282/

Sometimes it looks a bit weird, but it can be a lovely effect. Anyone tried it?

[Jimbo]

Vrooje wrote:

what is this special software that I'll need to convert from RAW format?

It's likely that a basic RAW conversion programme came bundled with your Dad's camera but it's equally likely that it won't be up to much. The best current RAW programmes are (stand-alone) Capture One and Adobe's version within their CS Photoshop software (which I use and prefer). Have a look at this link which gives the pros and cons of raw v jpeg capture:

http://tinyurl.com/2cd9v

That is no doubt that RAW capture will give you the finest quality from your digital files but only if you're prepared to buy good software and learn how to use it to advantage. Otherwise, it's best to leave the decisions to your camera.

Jim