advice needed please!

[gail]

I took a lot of pictures today of my granddaughter. And I only got like 2 photos out of 50 that were any good. I need help to what I'm doing
wrong. I use tripod, and had in manual mode, use no flash to try and get that natural look. But all came out really blurry, or to dark. And I tried different settings. Just couldn't seem to get it right.

But when I did the manual focus they seen to be in focus good and even look in focus, in the viewer. till I put them on computer and then I seen they were all bad!

Can someone help me to maybe tell me what I'm doing wrong with this camera,, I no it's capable of taking nice photos. Cause I have seen to many here on this forum that are taking with the Canon G3 and are Beautiful photos. Help me Please, :? Sorry to be so much trouble, But I'm wanting to learn so badly! I will try and put a link here to my gallery
and if someone will please look at them tell me maybe what I'm


Some of the photos have been "edit" And crop in my gallery and I did a few in B/W. Seems like to me it took some of the blur out.
I tried working with them in PhotoShop to get them to look better but I just couldn't do any good with them. Well hope the link works.


Thank You so very much. Gail

If the link works click on ~Samantha~ it will take you to the gallery.
Thanks




Here's a couple of the photos just in case the link doesn't work.
http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Jan/2004158987474745862836.jpg






http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Jan/2004157310607931586946.jpg


Link to Gail's Gallery (http://arctic.photoisland.com/photosharing/memberindex.html?stat=logged_in_as_member&RefreshR andom=0.868246994668741)

[Leighow]

GAIL

As a G2 owner I cannot help.

But your G3 had better have a simpler approach to manual than the G2 =-- which I do not use !

We have seen your earlier B & W posts of you gang and they were fine. So the problem has to be with the manual focus. In fact looking at the simplicity of the image and distant background, I would guess that auto focus would have had no problem with the image.

Whay not add the camera's T & A & ISO settings to your post and confirm the availability of what seems to be great daylight.

[gail]

Thanks Howie,
How do I add the ISO info where do I find it? At one time when I would post to a gallery it would have all that info there but nothing now.
How and where do I go to get the ISO Setting Info,

If I'm right is that the date, file that tells you what you shot the photo in? what the shutter, speed" aperture, you shot in?

[Tom W]

Gail, when you open the picture on your own computer with Canon Zoombrowser, you can look at picture data when you're set up to view several file thumbnails. Just select a picture and click on "Properties" and a new box will open up with data that will tell what aperture and shutter speed as well as ISO setting your camera selected (or you selected). This is called the "EXIF" data, and can be viewed by other programs as well.

[gail]

Hi Tom, and thanks for your help can you look here at the EXIF" data, and tell what I did wrong. Sorry to be so much "Trouble" but see I'm learning I didn't even no that you could do that the EXIF" till you told me. That helps me to be able now to go back and look at some of my good pic's and see what setting I took them in, and go from there. Thanks for helping a dummy out LOL. :roll: :roll: :?




http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Jan/2004158987474745862836.jpg

Ok here is the EXIF" data for this photo.
so what settings do I have wrong.
can you tell my looking at the "EXIF ?

File Name
101_0121_r1.jpg
Camera Model Name
Canon PowerShot G3
Shooting Date/Time
1/4/2004 10:01:16 PM
Shooting Mode
Manual
Photo Effect Mode
Neutral
Tv( Shutter Speed )
1.6
Av( Aperture Value )
4.5
Metering Mode
Center-weighted averaging
ISO Speed
50
Lens
7.2 - 28.8 mm
Focal Length
28.8 mm
Digital Zoom
x 2.2
Image Size
1704x2272
Image Quality
Fine
Flash
Off
White Balance
Tungsten
AF Mode
Manual Focus
File Size
456KB
Drive Mode
Self-Timer Operation
Owner's Name

[timmyquest]

Not many people are going to get nice portrait shots with a shutter speed that long :-\. Knock that ISO up...to like 400 and speed up that shutter time, to like 1/60th.

I dont know much about the camera your using, nor flash or lighting...but that would have at least given you a clearer picture.

The mix of shutter speed aperture and ISO gave you some OK light, but it did some horrid things to the crispness of the shot.

[gail]

Here's one that I thought was pretty ok and didn't have the blur.
about the only one that did come out OK. Well, to me anyway.
and here's the "EXIF data, :roll: :roll: I'm going nuts trying to figure this all out LOL. :eyes :eyes ???

File Name
100_0089.JPG
Camera Model Name
Canon PowerShot G3
Shooting Date/Time
1/4/2004 9:25:57 PM
Shooting Mode
Manual
Photo Effect Mode
Neutral
Tv( Shutter Speed )
2
Av( Aperture Value )
4.5
Metering Mode
Center-weighted averaging
ISO Speed
50
Lens
7.2 - 28.8 mm
Focal Length
28.8 mm
Digital Zoom
None
Image Size
2272x1704
Image Quality
Fine
Flash
Off
White Balance
Tungsten
AF Mode
Manual Focus
File Size
889KB
Drive Mode
Self-Timer Operation
Owner's Name

http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Jan/2004154023157530409119.jpg

[timmyquest]

Why dont you take some shots in auto and check out what settings it used, then try and emulate and perfect from that.

[scotgasch]

It's definately a shutter speed issue which is directly related to your ISO setting....your shutter speed of 1-2 seconds is far to long unless your subject is not breathing. Your ISO setting needs to be adjusted higher...maybe 400 or 800...this will give you a faster shutter speed (probably 1/30 to 1/60) and sharper pictures. Even though you have the camera on a tripod, the subject is moving. Give it a try.

[gail]

Thanks guys I will give that a try and see what happens. So the ISO on my camera go's from 50-400 I have no 800. So I just need to put it on 400 speed?

[scotgasch]

Correct!

[gail]

scotgasch wrote....
It's definately a shutter speed issue which is directly related to your ISO setting



THANK YOU....thank you...You were correct! I put the ISO up to 400, and OH! boy what a difference it made. All this time that was my problem.
Thank you scotgasch, you made my day!! :lol: :lol:
So do I need to use that ISO for outside shots also? are put it back down to 50? I can't wait now to get my Granddaughter back over and redo them. She was so disappointed today when they all came out bad!
More so than I was I think. Bless her little heart. I felt so bad for her. I told her Sam, I tired. She loves to be photograph,

[scotgasch]

The higher ISO should be used in lower light settings such as indoors....you can use lower ISO settings outdoors as long as its relatively bright. But to be sure you can set the ISO then fire off a shot to check the shutter speed...then adjust to ISO accordingly.

[roanjohn]

Gail!!!

Usually, an ISO of 400 produces a lot of noise. Unless you want that antique b/w look, upping your ISO to 400 would be a good choice. Otherwise it'll be too grainy.

Basically, ISO is light sensitivity.....the higher it gets, the more light gets through.

For your portrait, I would suggest opening your aperture (AV) to about a 2 - which would give you a much faster shutter speed. Use an ISO setting of 100 or 200 maximum. If you want to blur the background, zoom it in and use the lowest possible aperture for the distance. And use a tripod to avoid blur.

Give it a try.......and use automatic focus........If you use manual focus, press SET before you take a shot.

:-)

Ro1

[gail]

Thanks yall for the help I appreciate it very much. You all are so kind, Don't no where I'll be without you all LOL. Reading a book, I guess. Something I hate to do, to me I get more out of someone telling me step by step how to do it than I do a book. It's hard for me to understand books sometimes LOL. I have really learned a lot here from you all.
THANKS..... :lol: :P

[Mark Kemp]

Just a quick diagnostic note, that may help people sort out similar images in future.

In the initial image the girl is blurred much more than the background (window)

If you get a picture with the movable things (people, cars, animals etc etc) blurred and the static things (walls, windows etc) sharp or far less blurred, it is likely that the moving things moved while the shutter was open.

This (subject movement) can be reduced by using a faster shutter speed. As was proved by gail,s new pictures. Then the subject simply can't move far enough to blur during the short time the shutter is open.

Anyway, the short version is - if the subject is blurred but the surroundings are not it is often a sign that the shutter speed is too slow.

[henkbos]

Don't no where I'll be without you all LOL. Reading a book, I guess.

Make it a book about photography. This is very basic stuff. Check out Kodak's website for starters.