I'm sad :( very bad pic's

[gail]

I took some really bad photo's and I'm very disappointed! I just can't seem to get the hang of it. Sometimes I just want to put my G3" away and never pick it back up when something like this happens. I really wanted these pictures to turn out good. At least half way good. All of them were bad and I tried every setting on my camera. Auto, P, TV, AV., and Manual.

And just couldn't seem to get it. They all came out looking very bad this was a gymnastics meet of my granddaughters. And I wanted them to be good. But I no it's just me cause Ive seen some of the other sports action, pic's that some of you all have posted and they are "awesome.

It's just me. guess I will never learn to take good photos, I need to just go back to point and shoot cameras, maybe I'm trying to hard, But could someone take a look at some of the photos and tell me what I did wrong. And then maybe next time I can try and do better. Thanks

Here's a link to the bad.. bad pictures :cry: :cry:

http://ImageEvent.com/gailsgallery/samsmeet

[FocalSpeed]

My tip for you would be never give up. The more pictures you take the better you get, and more you get to know your camera.

That place looks like its not very bright so next time you shoot there, try to put your ISO Speed to a higher number so you compensate from the shutter speed. Go with the reading that your light meter gives you and try to come up with a good shutter speed and apreture combination. I'm no pro but I'd probably say something around 1/60 to 1/15 would be ideal. When you want to take a picture of a moving object/person pan your camera along with the object/person so they don't come out as a blur.

These are just some stuff that came to my mind. I hope I helped. Just don't give up.

[Riccardo]

They all came out looking very bad

With a little work on levels they can seem better, http://img20.photobucket.com/albums/v60/ricfranz/TMP/IMG_0266.jpg
but when there is no light and you have your ISO at the maximum, then or use flash or prolong the time and the mouvement is not freezed.
Perhaps you should have a 1600 ISO to do that photos: 400 ISO where not enough.
Unfortunately not all can be photographed with the same machine!!!


Ciao

P.S: If you put your G3 away, tell me where!

[gail]

Well, I feel better now that you all have helped me to no it just wasn't me totally LOL. So you think if I had went up to 400 ISO It might of helped a bit? And had more light. I was shooting in ISO 50 But I did try auto, and it didn't seem to help the part when she was in movement. I was still getting the blur look.

So I went back to 50 ISO. when she was doing her tumble on the floor all I was getting was the blur are to where it looked like it was 3 or 4 of her LOL.
But thanks again for your help now I no what I did wrong. :lol:

[cloudless]

There are things that you can do to improve those pictures, you can use a higher ISO so you will get faster shutter speed. You can use your 420EX to compensate the lighting. You can adjust the white balance to remove the yellowish color cast. You can also fine tune your pictures with Photoshop.

However, every camera has its limitation, and there are some situations that aren't possible to take good pictures with your camera. Learn the limitations and get around them, and you'll always get the pictures you expected.

[gail]

Here's one of my daughter that was taken out side of building before the meet started. I think did pretty good it's just when I was taking them inside that came out bad. I couldn't use flash inside of building they said no flash, and how do I set the white balance? I notice that my photos do have the yellowish tint to them. So does that mean my W/B is off :?: :roll:

http://photos.imageevent.com/gailsgallery/samsmeet/websize/IMG_0167%20copy.JPG

http://photos.imageevent.com/gailsgallery/samsmeet/websize/tabby.JPG

[Riccardo]

If at 400 ISO the picture is blur
was shooting in ISO 50 But I did try auto, and it didn't seem to help the part when she was in movement. I was still getting the blur look
you can correct it with Neat Image that works very fine.
If your speed shot is 1/30" at 50 will be 1/60" at 100, 1/125 at 200 and 1/250 or better at 400.
I some photos the blur is acceptable.
In Italy we say " non si può avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca" that is "you can't have the barrell full and the wife drunk"

Ciao

[gail]

Thanks Ciao, for your help. That helps me to understand it better. Everyone here has helped me so much I don't no what I would do with out you all :lol: . Thanks

[Riccardo]

how do I set the white balance?

Put a white paper in your bag, put the paper in light and your machine to have all in your display, then put WB on Custom1 or custom2, press SET and the WB is setted for that light.

Ciao

P.S: ciao, in iatalian, is like hello or by-bye. My name is Riccardo

[gail]

Here's one I touch up a bit in PhotoShop it looks some better.

Before..
http://photos.imageevent.com/gailsgallery/samsmeet/websize/IMG_0161.JPG



After..
http://photos.imageevent.com/gailsgallery/samsmeet/websize/IMG_0161%20copy.JPG

[gail]

come again now what? I don't quite understand what you mean by that.
sorry... :?

Put a white paper in your bag, put the paper in light and your machine to have all in your display, then put WB on Custom1 or custom2, press SET and the WB is setted for that light.

[Mark Kemp]

I once visited the studio of a pro photographer.

he told me that the main difference between photographers was :-

Someone on their holidays takes one shot
An amateur takes 10 shots
A pro takes 500 shots

Just to get one image!

The truth is that we all get bad shots - more often than we would like.

Practice helps, the more you make mistakes the less likely you are repeat them.

Still we all get shots that are only worth throwing away -

BUT the good part is when it works!!!! Sometimes it all comes together and we do get it right and the shots are really good. Thats when it is rewarding, we have acheived something we know is not easy and in so doing made a personal or creative statement.

So keep shooting away, throw the bad ones away or ask for more help on this forum and especially enjoy the good ones!

[Riccardo]

come again now what? I don't quite understand what you mean by that

You take a white paper (A4), and use it to calibrate your WHite Balance:
Put you paper in a lighted area, set the focous setting at infinity ( go out of focus image), make sure the white paper fills the whole frame, push WB and go to Custom1 or Custom2, then press SET and you got your WB for the light you are.

I hope i'll be clearer, if no ask more.
Ciao

[mvrekum]

An amateur takes 10 shots
A pro takes 500 shots


It's all relative; the amateur tries to take 10 good shots and the pro hopes to get 10 good shots.

A photographer I once met works this way:
He has a certain picture in his mind and sets this up in his studio. Then he starts shooting making minor changes to the setup and lighting between each shot. At the end, after a couple rolls of film, he picks one image to be "The One". Now you tell me, is he a good photographer or just an artist?

My personal record, if I may call it that, is just over 600 images in 1 session, on film. Usualy I shoot between 300 and 400 images. Maybe 10% of it is good and the rest...well, I have a large trash can!

Martin

[CyberDyneSystems]

Gail,

These photos were taken under some of the most difficult circumstances that a photographer can face.

If you were to dig back through the archives of this forum you would find dozens and dozens of posts relating to the difficulties of shooting an event indoors in low light and fast moving action.

Pros spend thousands and thousands of dollars on equipment that make it possible for them (in fact the best lenses for such events cost $3,500.00 or more)

What you did with your G3 is in fact very impressive.
Keep trying!

And definately ISO400 for indoor low light shooting with no flash! :)

Boosting ISO increases the CCD sensors sensitivity to light,. EI the higher the ISO setting,. the less light you need to get the picture.

The downside is increased "grain/noise" but it is a treade off we have to make.

[gail]

Thanks for your advice, I feel much better now that you all have let me no it just wasn't me. So guess I'm back to shooting again LOL. :lol:
I love taking pictures I just get aggrevated when I can't get the shot I want. I guess we all do, I just got to try harder and try to get it right next time. And I will remember to bump up the ISO when in low light with no flash, Thanks to you all. Hugs Gail, :P

[Laziferous]

I wouldn't recommend going over ISO 100 with your camera Gail. The G-series is horrible at anything above it. The people suggesting a higher ISO are probably mainly DSLR owners.

Take this lightly however, as I know everyone's opinions differ. I just don't want you to be let down when you boost your ISO to 400, only to discover that there is so much noise, that NeatImage can't even help you. It will help you to a degree, but you'll never get the same quality as an ISO 50 shot.

The short answer to this whole thing is this. You can't get good action shots in low light with a prosumer camera.

I suggest doing some test shots around your home in low light, with different ISO's to see what the noise ratio is, then using the free demo version of NeatImage (http://www.neatimage.com) to see what you can live with, then using those settings to the best of your ability out in the field.

Good luck!

[ryuwulf]

im surprised nobody has told Gail about tungsten lighting.

Gail: It seems that you were shooting under that type of lighting condintion. Your pictures will come out reddish. To prevent this set your G3 to Tungsten mode. your manual should tell you how.

Its always been a learning experiecne when taking photos. I did the exact same thing you did. Its better to kinda get them right the first time so you dont have to go into photoshop.

Bravo on the color correction pics.

Oh and finally I would suggest buying a dedicated flash, if you plan on sticking with the g3. 420ex is very good. Noramally the G3 is not a very good sports camera, with very slow auto focus.
cheers!!!

[Warman]

Its very rare to shoot sports at less than 5 meters from target i think. What i usualy do when i'm shooting cars or other fast moving stuff is set my G5 to manual focus and have it focus on infinity. I usualy get good results.

[gail]

Hey thanks everyone for the help you are too kind. I appreciate it very much. And I do have the 420ex flash, but where I took the pictures they would not aloud flash on cameras. Except for the awards you could use flash. But I will give all above a try and see how it works out for me. And again thanks, :lol:

[gail]

Its very rare to shoot sports at less than 5 meters from target i think. What i usualy do when i'm shooting cars or other fast moving stuff is set my G5 to manual focus and have it focus on infinity. I usualy get good results.

Set to manual focus, I no how to set the manual f but I don't no what you mean by infinity? And how do I do that (focus on infinity?) :?

[Warman]

Well, when you set to MF, you turn the knob at the front to regulate the focus distance. If you turn it all the way up, after 5 there is a "lying down 8" figure and that's the infinity setting.

[timmyquest]

http://photos.imageevent.com/gailsgallery/samsmeet/websize/tabby.JPG

I think this is the best picture you've posted to date.

[gail]

Timmy, thanks for you comment I appreciate it. I only wish I could do this good all the time. seems that I get maybe one good picture out of 50 LOL. But that's OK I guess I'm learning. I only wish she had her sunglasses off and as you can see in the photo the image of me taking the picture. I thought that was pretty neat. :lol:

[timmyquest]

Timmy, thanks for you comment I appreciate it. I only wish I could do this good all the time. seems that I get maybe one good picture out of 50 LOL. But that's OK I guess I'm learning. I only wish she had her sunglasses off and as you can see in the photo the image of me taking the picture. I thought that was pretty neat. :lol:

In honesty you taking the picture lessons my liking of the photo, but i can see the creativity in it too...kind of one of those personal prefrences.

As for your 1 out of 50...thats pretty typical.

I took a picture (which i cant share with you guys yet) that i wasnt happy with until after 75+ shots. Thats just how it goes sometimes, especially when your like you and me...we're just learning this stuff.

Just keep taking pictures, thats hte nice thing about going digital is that it doesnt matter how many you take.

[1rushfan]

Gail,

In a lot of your posts, you mention not knowing the functions or capabilities of your camera, or you are perplexed by the results of another photographer's work. I think something that might help you tremendously is looking for a class at a local community college or photography shop that teaches the basics of photography...even if it isn't digital. I personally went from taking snapshots to making photographs.

Even though the classes may seem rudimentary, they teach the essential things like terminology, composition, ideal settings for different situations, and most importantly, the ability to "see." By that, I mean the ability to identify the right lighting, the right composition, the right movement, etc. You'll cut out a lot of the disappointing results and will never open the shutter at the wrong time or in the wrong way.

[gail]

Hi Rush, that would be good ideal but I'm on a fixed income at this time and wouldn't be able to afford it. I have checked into it here but they want like to much for me to get into classes. So I will probably stay with the Internet and forum boards, for help and learning skills but thanks for the advice. It's good if you can afford it. But when your poor girl like me you got to do the best you can. I have really learn a lot here.

Thanks Hugs Gail, :lol:

[1rushfan]

Gail,

I understand your situation. I've learned a lot from this forum, too. I'm thinking about taking a digital photography class when I get some free time, and money...more so to learn about special techniques and have structured projects to "focus" on (HA, HA!) versus running around with a camera in case a picture happens. I've seen dramatic improvement in your pictures.

One great piece of advice I once received is this...take pictures from an angle you normally wouldn't observe an object from...like high above or way below...maybe really close, etc. This is part of the magic of photography...we can capture a view that might not be available to us otherwise.

Best of luck,

[cloudless]

Gail,

You can learn a bit of this and that in the forums. However to get a better concept of photography it is a good idea to take a course. If you can't afford to take classes, you can buy or borrow some books about photography. I hadn't been to the library for years, but because of my photography addiction now I visit the library quite often.

[gail]

Cloudless,
:lol:
Never really thought of that the library, I will have to go to the library and check out some books thanks.

[ryuwulf]

on a final note, concerning budgets.

I have purchased over 30 photography books in a 3 year span. My grand total 26 dollars.

There is a treasure to be had at Half priced books!!! Books that i saw at B&N were full priced 20 - 30 dollas for one!! The Kodak workshop series i have

existing light photography
advance b&w
art of seeing
using filters
electronic flash

cost me about 11 dollars in great condition. Plenty of Canon books, and how to's. For 75 cents.

The books i have were slightly worn, with nothing wrong with the inside.
Its a steal!!!
:lol:

i have learned plenty from these books. I have taken b&w photo 1 and 2 , commercial and color photography. These books offer the same information. LITERALLY...


cloudless viewed your site ' bravo ' good eye hope to see more of your work

[PhotosGuy]

Hi,
An obvious problem with the 1st pic would be to move your feet to where someone isn't standing in front of you, or zoom in & compose the pic vertically.
If you would like some online sources to better pics, try these:
http://www.ephotozine.com/techniques/
http://www.webphotoschool.com/ir/
http://www.arraich.com/intro.htm

There's tons of stuff that will help you out there. You just have to look for it, AND DO IT, don't just read about it.
For more, go to
http://www.google.com/
& type in
Tutorial photography "take better pictures"

That will give you 300+ links. If that's not enough, then try other variations of search terms to get more.

You’ll know you’re getting close to where you want to be when you think about the pic & automatically set the camera for the next shot without having to think about the settings.
Have fun with this & shoot a LOT of pics! You'll learn from each one.

[stopbath]

I once visited the studio of a pro photographer.

he told me that the main difference between photographers was :-

Someone on their holidays takes one shot
An amateur takes 10 shots
A pro takes 500 shots

Just to get one image!

...

This is rather misleading... it gives the impression that the more you shoot the better you are.

Suppose a photographer (with a camera) sees an interesting tree. They walk about the tree for a few minutes looking at it, studying it and the surroundings. Then they walk away (without taking a shot). Half a day later at a half hour before sunset they return, study the tree again with the new lighting, set up the camera nearby, compose the shot and trip the shutter, then turn and head off up a hill to capture the coming sunset.
Is this a pro, or a tourist?

I think it's better to evaluate commitment to an image. A pro is more commited to an image, then an amature, who is still more commited than a tourist.

A tourist is not really too commited to an image beyond the few seconds they take to compose and shoot.
An amature has more commitment and will spend a fair amount of time exploring a subject.
A pro will dig right in and explore a subject indepth, they may spend hours on a subject, even to return in other years or seasons just to reshoot the same subject with different conditions.

The pro will 'see' more possablilities then the others will and they have more patience and skill, but if the pro selects to shoot only the best shot they can think of, that won't make them a tourist.

[ryuwulf]

To add a little on what StopBath said.

A seasoned photographer will evaluate , and then take pictures. Most tourists just come off the bus and start clicking away.

Bascially the more practice you get, and view others photos you will start to see "pics differently". The more practice and exposure, the faster you can view a scene and make decisions on compostition.

depending on the situation (of couse not sport pics), i just take my time and walk around.

[gail]

My thanks goes out to you all for your help. I appreciate it very much in you all taking the time to help me out. and I went to the sites you posted and there I seen some pretty interesting things. I think this will help me a great deal. Now I got a lot of reading to do. So ta ta, till later LOL. And again thanks you all are so kind. :lol:

[Mark Kemp]

Stopbath and Ryuwulf

I never meant to imply that quality and quantity are necessarily connected and neither did the 'pro' who originally made the observation.

The point was that everyone must expect some pictures that are not as they wished and was intended to encourage Gail to go and try again.

No matter how much I walk around, evaluate, calculate and plan, I still get some pictures that are only fit for the bin. Often the ones that when I took them I was sure would be the best ones.

I'm sure if you are honest - you do as well?

The original comment was mainly about the commitment in time and film costs that each photographer could afford to invest in making sure that they get the image that they want.

Nobody expects to get a great pic first time every time, but....

A 'tourist' will just take a snap, accept that it will be as good as it is and get on with the rest of their holiday.

An amateur wants to get a good shot and evaluates, tries several versions and invests some time and effort trying to improve. But even so, the amateur accepts that some of these, perhaps most, will not in the end be as good as they might hope.

An pro 'must' obtain a shot of a certain standard in order to be paid. However their time and equipment is being paid for as part of the job (within reason) and so they can afford to keep going and rejecting anything that isn't up to their required standards.

The point however is that all of these will take a certain percentage of shots that are not as good as they may wish.

And unless Gail is superhuman, I am afraid that she must expect the same degree of success and failure as the rest of us.

One failure is no reason to be downhearted

[PhotosGuy]

Ryuwulf , you got it in one!
“Basically the more practice you get, and view others photos you will start to see "pics differently". The more practice and exposure, the faster you can view a scene and make decisions on composition.”

The more she shoots anything, the more that she will learn, as long as she just tries it will start to sink in. Even if the cam is set on automatic everything. Best part, she doesn’t have to pay for film.
A pro shoots 500 pics because he’s paid to come back with THE image. And, film is the cheapest item in the equation after you consider $s for him, travel, film ruined by the lab or lost in the mail (you never give up more than 20% of it at one time - & never include more than a few rolls from each day.), etc.
So you work the idea you see & find other ideas in the process, each showing a different ‘take’ on the subject. Meanwhile your brain is burning away in the background & coming up with new slants on the subject. And all the time you’re hoping that the rain will stop by tomorrow & thinking that an early morning light will be ideal… if you get it.
To get myself out of the ‘bracket like hell” mindset, I sometimes go out to the zoo with just a 20 exposure roll of B&W & see how many times I can catch ‘the moment’. It’s good practice for anyone in my situation.

For beginners though, I still recommend shooting a lot – good pics, bad pics, terrible pics – you can learn from all of them.

[stopbath]

Stopbath and Ryuwulf

I never meant to imply that quality and quantity are necessarily connected and neither did the 'pro' who originally made the observation.

The point was that everyone must expect some pictures that are not as they wished and was intended to encourage Gail to go and try again.

No matter how much I walk around, evaluate, calculate and plan, I still get some pictures that are only fit for the bin. Often the ones that when I took them I was sure would be the best ones.

I'm sure if you are honest - you do as well?

The original comment was mainly about the commitment in time and film costs that each photographer could afford to invest in making sure that they get the image that they want.

Nobody expects to get a great pic first time every time, but....

A 'tourist' will just take a snap, accept that it will be as good as it is and get on with the rest of their holiday.

An amateur wants to get a good shot and evaluates, tries several versions and invests some time and effort trying to improve. But even so, the amateur accepts that some of these, perhaps most, will not in the end be as good as they might hope.

An pro 'must' obtain a shot of a certain standard in order to be paid. However their time and equipment is being paid for as part of the job (within reason) and so they can afford to keep going and rejecting anything that isn't up to their required standards.

The point however is that all of these will take a certain percentage of shots that are not as good as they may wish.

And unless Gail is superhuman, I am afraid that she must expect the same degree of success and failure as the rest of us.

One failure is no reason to be downhearted
I know you didn't intend to link quantity to quality, but that is what comes out to the statement. Which makes it a poor statement.

I think encouragement like "Each successful or failed photograph is an opportunity to learn to make your next even better" may fit better, than saying "To be a pro, shoot more pictures" (even if that's not the intent.)

I know I make a wack of bad photos. My biggest flaw is rushing. I don't often take the required time to evaluate all the aspects of the photo and I end up loosing the shot due some silly flaw I should have seen at the get go. Sometimes I shoot photos just for fun - I have no intention of keeping them, but they are an experiment. Experiments or just bad planning, each failure has it's own lesson to give.

The trick is to pay attention to the bad ones as well as the good ones.

[gail]

Very well said,, Thank you all so much and yes I try to hard sometimes I think but, I want give up. One day I will get it right, it might take me a while but I will get there if I don't give up. :lol:

[1rushfan]

Gail, Stopbath, Photosguy, and Ryuwulf,

This is the longest discussion thread I've seen on this site! There is always the question "What makes who a pro?" A pro becomes a pro by having the proper education and training-the knowledge of what a good shot and a bad shot are, and being able to achieve his/her goals to the best of their ability. Pros don't automatically happen because they've taken more pictures than someone else.

I'm no pro, but I'm always perplexed when people give me criticzism for things like "you should have taken that picture with a different lens," or "it would be better if you had taken this on a rainy day..." They're talking about shots I wasn't even trying to take, and thinking of how they would have taken the shot.

Of course every photo could be better if our cameras were in front of someone else's eye. So who do we take pictures for? Ourselves? The "general" public (isn't that an oxymoron now)? This website? We are all on a mission to take photos that someone else will like. Audience is a key factor in whether or not your photo is good or bad.

In my opinion, we are posting our photos on this site to either receive the highest praise, or take the worst beating-but positive criticzism does nothing for those longing for improvement.

No one gets better if they're hearing lies. Comments like "nice pic" or "interesting shot" are sugar-coated contradictions to what is actually being thought. Everyone needs to stop lying. Trying hard doesn't make the picture good. Taking 10,000 terrible pictures with people patting you on the back all the way doesn't make you a good photographer.

A good photographer is as subjective as a good photograph. There is always someone better.

Here is what I consider to be one of my best shots. Now please rip it down into shreds so I can go out and make it better the next time.

http://us.f2.yahoofs.com/users/4014377a_11103/bc/3087/__sr_/6917.jpg?phd7RJABp7ddsZTq

[cloudless]

Well said "1rushfan".

My friend once said "one day you might become a pro"

and I answered:

"I would rather be a hobbyist, always."

There seems to be a standard of what a "pro" should shoot like. A pro is supposed to shoot with a certain kind of "correct" lighting, "correct" composition, "correct" colours, and with "proper" equipment.

While I take photos mainly to please myself. I use the camera to capture my memories, and to create art. I think the artistic value and creativity is very important in photography. Every person has different idea about what is "good" art, and photography should be the same.

Perhaps a photograph is good as long as I think it is good. Gail made a wake up call for many of us.

[Leighow]

GAIL

You have received many tips, some that you can action on this meet's set and some that you can implement at the next. As regards this set, you seem to have set out the solutions, namely improving the color balance, sharpness and crops. Once done, some wonderful images will pop-out. You have a natural instinct for people compositions.

I just picked three at random to prove my point. The first two are great ! It is hard to anticipate or see such "unfoldings". Of course there are slight structural (camera position) changes that might improve these shots but you can't be running all over the gym. So too, a 250 mm lens would help in some cases, but not everyone has a DLSR!

I just love the shots of these kids.

Today the gym. Tomorrow the olympics! I can feel it in the air.

PS: I suspect that your granddaughter would like a 60 sec jpg movies of her workout! too!


PS: (Edit)

And Gail don't forget to check the in-camera "histogram" as this will at least tell you to speed up the ISO assuming that A is wide open.

http://members.rogers.com/hleigh/GAIL_1.jpg
http://members.rogers.com/hleigh/GAIL_2.jpg
http://members.rogers.com/hleigh/GAIL_3.jpg

[PhotosGuy]

There seems to be a standard of what a "pro" should shoot like. A pro is supposed to shoot with a certain kind of "correct" lighting, "correct" composition, "correct" colours, and with "proper" equipment.



Here I go again!

Cloudless said, “Every person has different idea about what is "good" art, and photography should be the same.”
I thought it was?! But, if you’re a “pro”, the “different idea” that you need to satisfy is the clients. He knows what he wants when he contracts the assignment & you have an obligation to provide it. That does not mean that you are restricted to his definition of “good art”. If you love photography, you will also provide your interpretation of the assignment & he’ll have a choice of interpretations to use. A good client will appreciate the extra effort & you’ll get more work from him in the future. If he doesn’t like it, you still have some great samples so you don’t lose either way.
When you said, “Perhaps a photograph is good as long as I think it is good.”, you were right because it satisfied your needs at the time. A pro would say, “A photograph is good as long as the clients thinks it’s good”, because it satisfied his needs at the time.

I’m sure that you understand what I’m about to add because you used quotes in your post, but just to clarify for Gail & other beginners in this forum, I have a few more ‘nits to pick’:

“There seems to be a standard of what a "pro" should shoot like.”
No, there aren’t! Know the ‘rules’. Experiment to know when to break them.

"correct" lighting,”
I wish someone would tell me just what that is! 1:2? 1:3? One light? 6? The only “standard” is what works.

“correct" composition”
Is that the “Golden Mean”? (“Rule” of Thirds). Always? Same as above.

“correct" colours”
So, outdoor pics should all be shot on a sunlit day between 10AM & 2PM with a daylight white balance? Well, we all know that’s not true, don’t we? Who doesn’t love sunsets?

"proper" equipment”.
About 40 years ago, “Popular Photography” magazine gave 4 high profile pros a “Brownie Hawkeye” (I still have one!) with the assignment to come back with “good” pics. The camera was a simple box preset at about 1/60 second at f-16. They adapted their vision to the “presets” & all got outstanding shots.

So, for personal pics, you are the client. If you like it at the time, it’s good… for you. That doesn’t mean that you will still have to like it 5 years later. Personal “standards” are constantly evolving.
BUT, if you post a pic and ask for input from the forum, then everyone else’s “standards” will apply and you’ll have to decide just which ones, if any, you will accept for your own.

Well, that was fun, wasn’t it?
;-D

[gail]

Thanks everyone for the comments. I appreciate it very much. maybe next time I can do better. being you all have help me, :lol:

[Bruce Hamilton]

In honesty you taking the picture lessons my liking of the photo,...
I trust you didn't mean that the way it came out... :lol:
Gail, a polarizing filter would remove that reflection from your daughter's sunglasses.

[gail]

Thanks Bruce,
I will have to buy one of them. Where can I get one of the polarizing filter? I still got a lot to learn but I will get there one day. Thanks :lol:

[debaser]

I think shot 4 and 5 (of the backbend) have tons of potential. Not the actual images themselves but the idea. Having all those faces (foreground and background) not paying any attention to the action (backbend) is a classic journalistic style shot. Regardless of your color (which means nothing if your pictures look bland) and white balance. I would concentrate on the angles and cropping (45 degrees to the left and a little looser cropping and thats a magazine shot.)

matt

[gail]

Thanks Matt, I was really disappointed in these shots that day. It was the day of my granddaughters, gymnastics meet. And I was really wanting them to turn out good. But now that I no what I did wrong maybe the next meet can be better. Thanks for your comments, :lol:

[msvadi]

Agree! I think it's a very nice picture. I would clone out the reflections, though.

I'm a beginner too, but from my experience, the only thing that makes a huge difference is if you have a clear image of the picture you are trying to take in your mind. I think the best starting point would be to put the camera into P or Auto modes and to try to take only a small number of pictures. Don't shoot unless you have a picture in your mind and you are sure that it is what you want. On the average lighting conditions the camera should do the job right. If you are not happy with a picture, see exactly what went wrong and what's the most simple way to correct it. This is the advantage of digital cameras - instant feedback.


http://photos.imageevent.com/gailsgallery/samsmeet/websize/tabby.JPG

I think this is the best picture you've posted to date.