Naive Newbie? No PP?

[Punk_rallye]

Ok, I've always had a huge interest in photography but only recently purchased something that isn't a point and shoot. A 40D with a kit lens to get started.

I've read the tips book I bought and I'm beginning to apply stuff I've read but also reading on here to try and absorb what others suggest also.

My question is really 'Can I take pictures in Jpeg of snowboarders, Rally cars, portraits and parties without PP and achieve results I'm happy with?'

I haven't really got the time to get to know software and I'm likely to be travelling a lot so I really want to be satisfied with my shots straight from the camera.

Am I alone here?

Tom

[neilwood32]

The answer to that question is yes.

That yes does come with some riders though:
1) you may have to adjust the settings in picture styles to match exactly what you want.
2) Be prepared to use manual settings - Auto will only get you so far. Examples are White balance (it can be off at times) and exposure. The cameras meter can be fooled by certain combinations ie snow being grey (underexposed) and the classic black suit/white dress (the camera will meter both differently and it can make a huge difference to the final shot).

Once you know the limitations, you will overcome them easily and take great shots.

[DStanic]

I also agree with "yes".

Or my answer... shoot RAW and use Lightroom. Much faster workflow then using Elements or CS3.

[tzalman]

My question is really 'Can I take pictures in Jpeg ..... without PP and achieve results I'm happy with?
Tom
Depends on your standards, expectations, knowledge and experience, doesn't it?
Today, probably yes; six months from now, probably no.

[egordon99]

There's no such thing as "no post-processing"....It's just do you leave all the image processing decisions up to the camera's JPG processor? Or shoot RAW and YOU make the decisions yourself?

A little bit on RAW vs. JPG -
First off, your camera ONLY shoots RAW. When you select JPG, the camera takes the RAW data and pipes it into it's on-board JPG processor to generate the JPG "image" to save to the card.

When you shoot RAW, the RAW "data" goes directly to the card and is not an image.

To generate an image, you use a RAW processor (software on your PC) which turns the data into a viewable image, much like the camera's JPG processor. The difference is that YOU have complete control over the image generation process. You can change the white balance, adjust the contrast/brightness/black point/etc....

So you can leave these decisions up to the camera's little processor (and hope it makes the right decisions since they are irreversible), or save the decisions for later where YOU have complete control over it.

Think of film, do you want to just drop the roll off at the pharmacy and get a bunch of 4x6 prints back (and NO negatives)? Or do you want the negatives?

[Punk_rallye]

Some good advice there. For me it's very much a hobby for the moment but I do want to progress and I have studied photographs for a long time and feel I am able to pass judgment on them.

I may well look into PP stuff having heard your opinoins. I'm going to be living close to an EXPN journalist shortly so hopefully I can pick up advice from him too.

[twiggles]

I agree with the above that you can get good results with JPEG, but you will soon probably want to play with RAW. Dont let RAW intimidate you. With RAW and the supplied canon software alone, you can greatly inprove output vs in camera JPEG.

[chauncey]

You can get by with jpeg...unless you blow the shot. You have a better chance at partially "fixing" it if you had shot in RAW.

[number six]

My question is really 'Can I take pictures in Jpeg of snowboarders, Rally cars, portraits and parties without PP and achieve results I'm happy with?'

Sure. Learn about picture styles and experiment with additional in-camera sharpening, saturation and contrast. And with color balance.

It's a lot easier to get a good jpeg without PP than it was to get a good slide in Ye Olden Dayes. But we did manage to shoot good slides from time to time.

-js

[Punk_rallye]

Thanks for all the good advce. I could just do with some subjects now and some daylight maybe?? Please...England?

[PhotosGuy]

without PP and achieve results I'm happy with?' Could I? Yes.
Would I? Not without a gun to my head. ;)

[photoguy6405]

Depends on your standards, expectations, knowledge and experience, doesn't it?
Today, probably yes; six months from now, probably no.

+1. As your abilities and experience rise, so will your expectations.

[twiggles]

+1. As your abilities and experience rise, so will your expectations.

and +1 more... I was totally thrilled with JPEG for quite a while, but as my skill increased I began "pixel peeping" more and I needed the flexibility of RAW + PhotoShop.

[yogestee]

Ok, I've always had a huge interest in photography but only recently purchased something that isn't a point and shoot. A 40D with a kit lens to get started.

I've read the tips book I bought and I'm beginning to apply stuff I've read but also reading on here to try and absorb what others suggest also.

My question is really 'Can I take pictures in Jpeg of snowboarders, Rally cars, portraits and parties without PP and achieve results I'm happy with?'

I haven't really got the time to get to know software and I'm likely to be travelling a lot so I really want to be satisfied with my shots straight from the camera.

Am I alone here?

Tom

Tom...In my opinion the real art in the craft is to do everything "in camera" to get the best possible image.. Post processing is only an aid or tool to supliment this art..

Possible sure and probable..

When you shoot in jpeg the camera does some processing,, it is up to you how much processing your camra does..

[photoguy6405]

I read somewhere that your goal should be to "finish" a photo in PP, not to "fix" it. And even then "finishing" will not always be necessary. I think that makes sense, and if taken seriously, is not just semantics.

[twiggles]

I read somewhere that your goal should be to "finish" a photo in PP, not to "fix" it. And even then "finishing" will not always be necessary. I think that makes sense, and if taken seriously, is not just semantics.

I really like the way you stated that!

[northlander]

We're our own worst enemies when it comes to PP, it's easy to never think your work is good enough. My experience is it's easy to nit-pick a photo to death when in reality 99% of the non-photographers viewing the photo think it's great. Just to add to the discussion, personally I'd rather spend time behind the camera, not the computer. It ultimately comes down to whether you're satisfied with your photos.

[sjones]

Post processing has been an integral part of photography since its inception; and with monochrome prints in particular, it can constitute the more artistic aspect of the endeavor, as demonstrated by the much referred to Ansel Adams.

Also, if one shoots RAW, post processing with software is largely a necessity no matter how right one gets it in the camera.

If one shoots JPEG, post processing is still occurring, as the image is digitally manipulated after exposure;. In the greater scheme of things, at least in terms of "fixing" or "cheating," there is absolutely no difference between tweaking saturation levels in camera or in Photoshop.

[kiwichris]

Thanks for all the good advce. I could just do with some subjects now and some daylight maybe?? Please...England?

The daylight part is why you should use raw. To get spot on jpgs in camera you need to know how to set the camera up, then, along comes a cloud, or the sun, or ...................... :rolleyes:

White balance can change rapidly in some conditions, particularly those days when you have bright sunny blue sky and then suddenly cloud, sky, cloud etc.

Your camera comes with DPP, the software supplied by Canon. It is relatively quick and easy to use, not hard to learn, not as powerful or as complicated as Photoshop etc, but it works fine for what you want. You may as well use it, it only takes a few seconds to sharpen a bit, lighten a but etc and just finish off your good shots.

Have fun, and don't wait on the weather, there are heaps of subjects all around you to learn on even right now, flowers, the kitchen sink, the bathroom, the local shops all will help you learn what the light is going to result in, inside your camera.