DSLR vs Phone, the epic showdown

[TB]

That's pretty good for a first attempt I must say. It's a nice pose and the lighting is very nice the subject, now just to sort the background lighting out so the sheet is pure white.

Actually ironing the sheet is the first step for next time. Like I mentioned - this was just a very quick first run. The total time for setup, getting the kids dressed, faces washed, pictures taken and everything put away was less than an hour. 👍

As for the pose, he did that one completely on his own. I just told him not to move while I grabbed the camera.

Good start TB. I like the light coming from the side. I think a small additional burst of light the face would probably help give the shot a tad more life. Not enough to light to take away the side lighting but just enough to make the face and eyes pop a little more. A ring flash or ring attachment (such as this) would add a nice catchlight in the eyes.

So I would need to spend $400 on the Speedlight and then another $200 on the ring... I don't think that'll be approved by the finance committee.

I did find a $60 ring flash that would be more likely and if I can prove to my wife that I'm able to do as good as, or preferably better than, the pictures we've been getting of the kids, I might be inclined to look into a setup like this.

Needs moar fill.

More? I don't have any. That's just the light coming in through the window.

Thanks, guys. These are the exact kinds of comments/discussions I'm looking for. 👍

 

[Syntax error]

You definitely don’t need to spend big bucks on a ring flash, it was only a suggestion on something that produces good catch-lighting for the particular situation. You can get ring flashes that attach to the popup you have on camera. I've actually made one out of cardboard and foil before and it work really effectively and cost me nothing…. apart from my dignity.

That setup you linked is a good price, I would consider it in your position.... granted you get permission first

 

[TB]

Two more test shots that I think came out reasonably well, this time with a Poor Man's Macro lens: a reversed 50mm f/1.8. As with all of mine, click for larger.

Aster. I think.


Wanted: One white sport coat


I like the absurdly soft focus for anything not in the dead center but in the same breath, it makes it a bit difficult to look at.

 

[NLxAROSA]

I like the Aster, though I would have gone for a bigger crop myself.

 

[Slick Rick]

Great shots TB. Particularily like the venus, t rex and roof truss ones 👍

 

[TB]

I like the Aster, though I would have gone for a bigger crop myself.

Unless I did something wrong, I wasn't having much luck with being able to move back to get a wider view than that without changing my focal point. It's a bit tricksy to hold the camera, hold the lens on backwards, never mind trying to adjust the focus ring. All precariously over a sink, mind you! Maybe next time. 👍

And thanks for peeking in, Slick Rick. 👍
_ _ _ _ _

Self Portrait


One thing I released after doing this is holy crap do I need a remote shutter release!

 

[Omnis]

Fillllll!

 

[Syntax error]

I quite like the lighting on this one. 👍 I personally probably would go for just little bit of light on the dark side of the face, but only enough to give it some definition.

 

[boiltheocean]

I quite like the lighting on this one. 👍 I personally probably would go for just little bit of light on the dark side of the face, but only enough to give it some definition.

Agreed. Cool portrait though 👍. Love those reverse-macro shots too.

 

[TB]

Fillllll!

Noooooo.

I quite like the lighting on this one. 👍 I personally probably would go for just little bit of light on the dark side of the face, but only enough to give it some definition.

Maybe my screen isn't set up quite right, but, as I was attempting to recreate a hybrid of the first and second shot here (alone in the comfort of my living room), I called it a win.

Agreed. Cool portrait though 👍. Love those reverse-macro shots too.

TYVM, SsU.

Odd that in this day and age, in this context, that's a complete sentence.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

I like it. Although I think it could do with a sniff more exposure to bring out some detail in your mouth, and also the contours in the shadow.

 

[TB]

I figured after almost a month of nothing it was time to annoy everyone with a few shots.

Lindenwood Fountain

After my son's t-ball game, we walked over to the fountain at the entrance of the park for a few pictures. In post I was looking to increase the "mood" to the sky and I'm not sure about the results, although I think the larger one looks a bit better. Any comments, in particular about the PP, are welcomed.

Dragonfly

While taking pictures of the kids and the fountain, I noticed the dragonfly just sitting there begging for some shots. Unfortunately he didn't stick around for very long. Especially with the kids asking if they could touch it. I figured them being able to touch a dragonfly was more important than me getting a better shot of it. Yeah, I'm a giver.

 

[Nicknamealguem]

The dragonfly shot it's great. There is something on the refections on it, in the wings and in the upper body that grabs my attention to it and I love it. 👍

The fountain it's also pretty interesting but has a bit distractive background.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

Dragonfly shot is very good. I'm not really getting the fountain, and Flickr's giving me an access-denied.

 

[boiltheocean]

The dragonfly shot it's great. There is something on the refections on it, in the wings and in the upper body that grabs my attention to it and I love it. 👍

The fountain it's also pretty interesting but has a bit distractive background.

This. I love the simplistic colours and the shallow DoF, really makes the dragonfly stand out.

I think the fountain shot would be nice with a shallow DoF to separate the smaller fountain in the foreground from the larger in the background, or move to the right a bit and have the flagpoles running up each vertical third with the large fountain as the subject.

 

[Neal]

Love the dragonfly shot for the same reasons everyone else has said. The background piece of wood looks great and makes it much more interesting than just a dragonfly shot.

 

[Syntax error]

I have to agree with everyone that the fountain shot doesn't really work stand out, on the other hand the dragon fly shot is spectacular. What lens did you use for it?

 

[TB]

Regarding the busy background, I know you won't be able to see much detail, but maybe this will give you an idea of the surroundings (provided the link works!). Other than SsU's suggestion (which I'll try next time I'm over that way) any other thoughts on what to change up? Smaller aperture and longer exposure? Or, because it's bubbling and churning, as opposed to fairly smooth like a waterfall, would that just make it worse?

What lens did you use for it?

EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS - the kit lens with the T1i.

Again, thanks for the comments, guys! 👍

 

[TB]

The eight I chose to throw on flickr can be found here for anyone interested but these two came out the best, I think.

Exposure: 10 sec, f/10, ISO100
Focal Length: 53mm
No flash
Modifications: Normal RAW tweaks

Exposure: 10 sec, f/10, ISO100
Focal Length: 53mm
No flash
Modifications: Normal RAW tweaks

There are a few vital things I learned (Next year, bring bug spray!!!) but for a first attempt, I'm fairly pleased with the results.

 

[Neal]

They look pretty good to me TB 👍 was there any skyline/silhouette that you could have included in the shots? That can look quite good and give some scale.

I tried to take some fireworks photos last bonfire night without a tripod! Even using a pushchair as a prop and a 1 sec exposure didn't help keep them sharp...I won't be sharing them!

 

[TB]

was there any skyline/silhouette that you could have included in the shots? That can look quite good and give some scale.

There were some trees that I had in the first couple of shots but even with a 10 second exposure, they didn't show up much. After the first couple of volleys had been shot off, I knew where they were going to be so I zoomed in a bit to get up past some street lights that were showing through the trees. I was standing further back on the field, but these are the trees/lights I was shooting over.

And your very right - hand held long exposure shots typically don't work very well. Hell, some of my shots on a tripod still had some shake to them.

 

[Syntax error]

I agree that fireworks photos usually work better when there is some other subject also visible, however I totally understand that the circumstance to do so, won't always present itself. As far as firework photos go, they are nice. The exposure is long enough, the image is certainly sharp enough as well. 👍

 

[Neal]

There were some trees that I had in the first couple of shots but even with a 10 second exposure, they didn't show up much. After the first couple of volleys had been shot off, I knew where they were going to be so I zoomed in a bit to get up past some street lights that were showing through the trees. I was standing further back on the field, but these are the trees/lights I was shooting over.

And your very right - hand held long exposure shots typically don't work very well. Hell, some of my shots on a tripod still had some shake to them.

Do you live near there? There's a joke in there if you were kinda funny lookin

Agreed, having street lights in the shot wouldn't have ruined the long exposure. I've just looked at my fireworks shots again and they're pretty poor really, if I do any better this year I might post them.

 

[TB]

Do you live near there?

Define close - I'm certainly closer than you are!

There's a joke in there if you were kinda funny lookin

I'm on the interwebz. Of course I'm funny lookin'!

 

[Neal]

Define close - I'm certainly closer than you are!

Actually in Fargo...my wife thought it was cool!

I'm on the interwebz. Of course I'm funny lookin'!

I was being kind, you're very funny lookin but you really really don't win the weird prize in that thread

 

[TB]

Garage notwithstanding, I like how this shot came out.

Can't talk. Drawing.

Exposure: 1/200 sec, f/3.5, ISO100
Focal Length: 18mm
No flash

 

[TB]

The boys were being good and I was in a good mood (planets must have been in that once a millennia alignment) so we headed out to Lindenwood Park for a few photos. I'm surprised at how many decent shots I got of them, as they typically lose interest in smiling and seem to lose the ability to keep their eyes open after a while.

Exposure: 1/160 sec, f/3.5, ISO100
Focal Length: 50mm
Flash fired

Exposure: 1/160 sec, f/3.5, ISO100
Focal Length: 50mm
Flash fired

 

[NLxAROSA]

Really nice shots TB, very natural looking. 👍 I see you're putting the 50mm to good use.

 

[TB]

Put me in, Coach

Exposure: 1/500 sec, f/4.0, ISO100
Focal Length: 25mm
Flash: Not fired

While my other son was playing flag football (yes, at a baseball diamond), my son was over in the dugout playing by himself. The colors and composition screamed "Shoot before he moves!"

 

[Neal]

Awesome mate, I love compositions like this. Really like the different textures of each colour and having your son in it stops it being too abstract 👍

What PP is there? Have you thought about cloning out the poles and overhead cables?