First time doing raw & editing w/lightroom

[Free2BeMePhotography]

Hey! Yesterday I took photos in raw for my first time. I practiced by taking them of my mom. I also editied them in Lightrom 3 which is a first for me as well. Please let me know how I did with the editing. Is the pp okay? Did I fix the white balance? I really don't now what white balance is (time to google ;) and it is all new to me when it comes to adjusting the color with curves, so c&c are needed!
I did this picture in b&w and also in color...is this b&w okay looking?
1.http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn101/virtuous31wife/IMG_1793-2.jpg
Here it is in color
2.http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn101/virtuous31wife/IMG_1793.jpg
Here'a another b&w photo
3.http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn101/virtuous31wife/IMG_1822.jpg
4.http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn101/virtuous31wife/IMG_1825.jpg
5.http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn101/virtuous31wife/IMG_1794.jpg
6.http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn101/virtuous31wife/IMG_1796.jpg
7.http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn101/virtuous31wife/IMG_1826.jpg

[Flo]

For me, the third ia the best..she looks relaxed.I might crop some of that foregournd out though..

Watch those poses.when one squats.its just not an attractive look on a woman?

[cbknight]

Brandy-

How are you focusing? I see your in P mode, but are you letting the the camera guess the focus point or are you choosing the focus point and putting the point on the eyes? It just seems they all have a soft focus on the face. For example in #1, the tree looks more in focus than your mom.

[Free2BeMePhotography]

Brandy-

How are you focusing? I see your in P mode, but are you letting the the camera guess the focus point or are you choosing the focus point and putting the point on the eyes? It just seems they all have a soft focus on the face. For example in #1, the tree looks more in focus than your mom.

I guess I need to google about focusing on the eyes cause I thought I was. I had pulled up the af points and selected the one over her face. I guess I just don't know how to do that. When I use my camera, what mode should I be in? I used P but there's AV, etc. which mode should I choose? And how do I focus on the eyes? :) Thanks

[Free2BeMePhotography]

Oh and cbknight, you know how you told me to change the resoultion of my photo to try to get it to fit on here? Well now it still says 72 for every photo I save. What is the normal resoultion so I can change it back???

[cbknight]

Oh and cbknight, you know how you told me to change the resoultion of my photo to try to get it to fit on here? Well now it still says 72 for every photo I save. What is the normal resoultion so I can change it back???

Do you remember what it was set on before we changed it?

What camera are you using, I forgot.

My default is 350.

[cbknight]

I guess I need to google about focusing on the eyes cause I thought I was. I had pulled up the af points and selected the one over her face. I guess I just don't know how to do that. When I use my camera, what mode should I be in? I used P but there's AV, etc. which mode should I choose? And how do I focus on the eyes? :) Thanks

The way I understand it, P (program) is a little better than the green box (full auto) but you need to be working yourself into Av (aperture priority) Tv (shutter priority) then eventually if you have the need to M (manual).

Av is when you want to control the aperture setting of the lens and the camera automatically sets the shutter speed to produce the correct exposure. For example, if you want a shallow depth of field where the face of the person is in focus but the background is blurred then you would want to use Av mode.

Tv is when you want to control the shutter speed and let the camera set the appropriate aperture. For example, you want to capture a shot of a hummingbird so you know your going to have to have a fast shutter speed. You set it to your max sync speed of the camera (fastest shutter speed available) and let the camera chose the correct aperture to get a good exposure.

Those are examples, but bear in mind that the ISO setting will come into play also. When in Av or Tv modes, there will be times that the camera can not come up with a good exposure so you have to adjust the ISO speed also. For example, again with the hummingbird....the fastest shutter speed (200-250 depending on your camera) will probably not be able to catch the hummingbird in flight and stop his wings if that is what your trying to do so you would have to raise your ISO speed also. When you raise the ISO speed, the camera will adjust your Av speed if your shooting in Tv mode. Clear as mud?

As for focusing...You said you pull up the af points and choose the one over her face. That is right. You got it. When I pull up your exif info on shot number 1, you have a shutter speed of 1/60 shooting at a focal length of 109mm. A rule of thumb is to make sure your shutter speed is equal to or faster than your focal length. So you would want to set your camera to shoot, in this instance at 109mm, to a shutter speed of at least 109 which the closest would be 1/125. What that does is helps to prevent camera shake or if the model moves a little, it will help in keeping a sharp image. So this would be a good example of using Tv mode. You know your zooming in at 109mm so you would put the camera in Tv mode, adjust your shutter speed to 1/125 and let the camera set the aperture for you to provide a correct exposure. If the camera can not give you the correct exposure because of the current lighting and since you dont have an external flash yet, you can raise your ISO until the camera agrees with the settings.

POTN...if I got this wrong...please correct me.

[lundgrenj]

Here are my comments... others have commented a bit on this too:

#1: face is in the shade too much, skirt is too distracting, face is not in focus, but the tree is. Contrast is good.

#2: Slightly too red, and the green in the background, I'd saturate out completely., same problems with focus etc.

#3: Small, however, good lines, needs more contrast. I'd crop it quite a bit.

#4: Harsh lights, face in the shadows, face slighly out of focus (but the fence 6 inches in front of face is in focus), I'd position the face using rule of thirds, seems a little too centered. A smaller DOF might work better here too.

#5: Focus issues, same skirt distraction.

#6: Not in focus. Trees coming out of her head.

#7: The best one of the bunch. Harsh lighting though, something on the left in white is in the way, and her hand is cut off.

For grins, I edited #2, in LR 2, to my personal taste.

Keep shooting!

[Free2BeMePhotography]

Thank you both so much :) I sometimes feel like I'm never gonna get this right!!! Everytime I think a photo is good and I did a good job, I post it on here and see that everything was wrong with it.....ahhhhhh! I just wish I could take some classes on how to us my camera and how to edit in DPP or Lightroom. But thanks for y'all's helpful hints & advice. I guess must keep on practicng till I perfected it somewhat......;)

[Free2BeMePhotography]

For me, the third ia the best..she looks relaxed.I might crop some of that foregournd out though..

Is this better??
http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn101/virtuous31wife/cropped.jpg

[kent andersen]

Congratulation with youre shots. I think as a beginner you are doing a great job.

My best advice to you would be to start practicing on getting the picture sharp.

Use Tv, and set it on more than 200, the aparture will then adjust automaticly. That will help you to always have a quick shuter speed. If you need more light, adjust ISO.

If you can afford it buy a tripod, or a small tripod to place on stuff available, or a monopod, or bring with you a sand bag to put youre camera on. That helps.

If you are shoting handheld, take note on how you are standing with youre feet, how you breath, how you hold youre arms, and how you hold the camera. Make shure that you keep standing still a second afther you shoot the picture.

Then learn how to use the autofocus on youre camera. Read the manual about it, and test out the different functions. That helps alot to get it sharp.

Last thing, learn to take a look at those pictures you have taken, not back at the computer, but directly afther you have taken the photo. Everything looks sharp on the small screen on the camera, so you have to zoom in to details to see how it really looks like. (even then it looks sharper than it really is) With a portrait, zoom in to the eyes, if its not sharp, delete it and take another shot.

Good luck, I bet you will post remarkable photos in a couple of months.

About the exposure: I would recomend you to avoid shoting in direct sun light, or strong light in the background. It is much more easy to get the exposure right if you are in the shadow with no bright things behind the motive, or strong light directly on the motive.

[Free2BeMePhotography]

Congratulation with youre shots. I think as a beginner you are doing a great job.

My best advice to you would be to start practicing on getting the picture sharp.

Use Tv, and set it on more than 200, the aparture will then adjust automaticly. That will help you to always have a quick shuter speed. If you need more light, adjust ISO.

If you can afford it buy a tripod, or a small tripod to place on stuff available, or a monopod, or bring with you a sand bag to put youre camera on. That helps.

If you are shoting handheld, take note on how you are standing with youre feet, how you breath, how you hold youre arms, and how you hold the camera. Make shure that you keep standing still a second afther you shoot the picture.

Then learn how to use the autofocus on youre camera. Read the manual about it, and test out the different functions. That helps alot to get it sharp.

Last thing, learn to take a look at those pictures you have taken, not back at the computer, but directly afther you have taken the photo. Everything looks sharp on the small screen on the camera, so you have to zoom in to details to see how it really looks like. (even then it looks sharper than it really is) With a portrait, zoom in to the eyes, if its not sharp, delete it and take another shot.

Good luck, I bet you will post remarkable photos in a couple of months.

About the exposure: I would recomend you to avoid shoting in direct sun light, or strong light in the background. It is much more easy to get the exposure right if you are in the shadow with no bright things behind the motive, or strong light directly on the motive.

Aww thanks so much for the encouragement and advice!! You're sweet :) I have been shooting pictures of my family & friends, trying to build my portofilo, for the last 8 months, and I think I got down creativity and poses and locations, but now I am trying to learn how to use my camera the right way and how to edit them in DPP the right way. I just got my Canon Rebel 500D about 5 months ago and before then, I was just using a point and shoot, so this Canon is new to me still and I am learning how to focus on the eyes wth it and what mode I should set it in, etc. Before I joined this set (about a week ago) I didn't even know things such as white balance, post processing, blown-out spots, hot spots, you name it, I didn't know it. And I didn't know that those things mattered. I thought that a good pose, a good background, and some editing with Picnik.com was all that it would take, since everyone loved my photos that saw them on facebook. Now I see that I have alot to learn and I hope that I will master them soon enough! But again, thank yo so much for your advice. I needed it! And I was wondering, when you said I needed to set the mode to TV and set it on 200 or more...what do I need to set on 200 or more?? I have been reading my manuel like crazy lately...hehe :)

[Free2BeMePhotography]

Oh and Kent Andersen, I saw your profile. That is so awesome that you're a pastor!! My husband is a youth pastor and one day he wants to be a pastor over a church. I just want to encourage you to continue with your calling and may God bless you and your family :) God is so wonderful & awesome, isn't He? :)

[swoCanuk]

Brandy, congrats on the new camera. There is a lot of good advice here - maybe too much for a beginner to swallow all at once. I would start by trying to understand and play with the Av & Tv modes. Av is where you pick the f-stop or how open the aperature will be (allowing light in - larger number - smaller opening & less light coming in) -start around 8- and the camera picks a matching shutter speed. I use the Av mode 95% of the time. With Tv mode you are setting the shutter speed ( how long the shutter stays open to take the picture) and the camera will set the matching f-stop. In time you will improve as you slowly learn new things.

[kent andersen]

yes he is!!! Great to hear that you are having a heart for people and God to. It is a privilige to be a pastor. It is probably one of the thoughest work, less money/big responsibility/and everybody watch how you live youre lives - all the time. But it is also one of the most priviliged, there is not much that can compete with a work like it, daily working on helping other people. I love it.

When you put the camera on Tv, just scroll with the wheel right there at the shooter button....

To start to use Tv, is just a sugestion. But I think that will help you to always have a good speed. Becouse that is what matters, together with holding the camera still. When you have been used to that, and you have learned to get crystal sharp photos, then start experimenting with Av.

When I use Av, I do it if I want to blur part of the picture, or if I want to have a sharp picture all the way into eternity. But start learning how to get the picture sharp, the other stuff can wait. If you want to use Tv, I would suggest that you make the lowest aparture, like 4.0 or whatever it is on youre lense. If you do that, you will always get the fastest speed available. That is also a great beginner tip.

[deathcake]

Here's a quick link about DPI for print vs. web: http://www.rideau-info.com/photos/mythdpi.html

I'll come back and add some proper comments on the photos, gotta go to work now =P

[Free2BeMePhotography]

Here's a quick link about DPI for print vs. web: http://www.rideau-info.com/photos/mythdpi.html

I'll come back and add some proper comments on the photos, gotta go to work now =P

hehe, ok thanks! Can't wait to hear from you!! :)

[Free2BeMePhotography]

Brandy, congrats on the new camera. There is a lot of good advice here - maybe too much for a beginner to swallow all at once. I would start by trying to understand and play with the Av & Tv modes. Av is where you pick the f-stop or how open the aperature will be (allowing light in - larger number - smaller opening & less light coming in) -start around 8- and the camera picks a matching shutter speed. I use the Av mode 95% of the time. With Tv mode you are setting the shutter speed ( how long the shutter stays open to take the picture) and the camera will set the matching f-stop. In time you will improve as you slowly learn new things.

Thank you! And yes you are right abut there being too much to swallow, but the good thing about me is that I learn quick and can usually consume alot and most of the time remember it and catch on! Whew! There is alot more to photography then I thought, but I love it anyways!! And I can't wait to learn it all :)

[deathcake]

As for focusing...You said you pull up the af points and choose the one over her face. That is right. You got it. When I pull up your exif info on shot number 1, you have a shutter speed of 1/60 shooting at a focal length of 109mm. A rule of thumb is to make sure your shutter speed is equal to or faster than your focal length. So you would want to set your camera to shoot, in this instance at 109mm, to a shutter speed of at least 109 which the closest would be 1/125. What that does is helps to prevent camera shake or if the model moves a little, it will help in keeping a sharp image. So this would be a good example of using Tv mode. You know your zooming in at 109mm so you would put the camera in Tv mode, adjust your shutter speed to 1/125 and let the camera set the aperture for you to provide a correct exposure. If the camera can not give you the correct exposure because of the current lighting and since you dont have an external flash yet, you can raise your ISO until the camera agrees with the settings.

POTN...if I got this wrong...please correct me.

Sorry for making this more complicated for you guys, but you need to multiply that number by 1.6 because the shutter size on the 500D/Rebel T1i is not the full sized 35mm. Don't worry, it's not that scary... basically shutter speed needs to be
1/(focal length x 1.6) so in this case 1/(109 x 1.6) which is 1/174, so roughtly 1/175 or 1/200 on the camera. It surprises many people that there is some maths involved in photography, but really, when you get the hang of it you don't even have to think about it. 1/200 is a reasonable speed for portraits in the sort of lighting you're shooting in, the shutter should get plenty of light in that time.

Just remember... take a note of your focal length. Times that by 1.6 (one and a half is a good enough estimation), and pick the nearest shutter speed.


Now for the actual photos! Firstly, good work, I see you are using your creativity when shooting them and trying to learn new things, both with the camera and in processing. Well done on selecting the focus point to be over her face. I think the shutter speed is at fault for the softness some people mentioned. A bit of post-processing can actually help you make her face appear sharper, but I won't go into that now. It's better to learn to take sharp pictures right out of the camera.


# 1/2. Black and white conversion isn't bad, but I like to see more contrast in b&w shots, sort of a personal preference, but I think it adds more drama, makes up for the colour being taken away from the photo. The colour version is good, I bet your mother loves it. I think lundgrenj's edit works too. Now here's some advice to make it look more professional. Keep in mind that it's good as it is, these are just a few extras: There is a very saturated green outline of the trees in the background. lundgrenj's edit took care of that, but it can be distracting when that happens, so that's something to take care of in processing. Your mother looks a bit...alert, not entirely relaxed. This may have been helped by asking her to lean against the tree. There are also trees "growing" out fo her head, as some people say, so if her head was closer to the tree she was leaning on, that may have helped. In my opinion, not a big deal, but the pros pay attention to that sort of thing.

3. Pose and relaxed look = success. b&w converstion can again benefit from a tiny bit more contrast. Lighting is good. One thing I would do differently is take a step to the right and get a little less railing that leads up to her face in the shot. Now, I like the railing, works well for the composition, just a little less of it would be better.

4. I actually like this pose, again good composition. In my opinion, the sun made it a bit difficult for you, the shade over your mother makes for an even tone except for the small very bright highlights on her fingers and hair. I'd redo this one with either more sun or no sun. More sun shining through her hair would look cool.

5. I like the colours in this one, soft pine needles, beautiful background. But she looks like she is about to say something possibly even frowning a bit. I do like how there are no cheesy smiles in these shots, the serious expression works in the rest of them really well, but I don't think the expression in the particular shot works.

6. Like the pose and background, but I would like to see more of your mother in the shot. Again, a more relaxed expression on her face would be better, and more sharpness.

7. Again, the mix of sun and shade makes it hard to expose the shot properly. The highlight on her hair would get blown out if you lighten the face, and the bright bar (part of fence?) crops off her fingers.

Overall, good effort, keep shooting! Keep trying new things, it can be scary and a lot of new information at once. Just knowing all the rules and technical details in not enough (like in my case =P ), practise is very important. You have an eye for composition and I can see you are really putting in a lot of effort.

[Free2BeMePhotography]

Overall, good effort, keep shooting! Keep trying new things, it can be scary and a lot of new information at once. Just knowing all the rules and technical details in not enough (like in my case =P ), practise is very important. You have an eye for composition and I can see you are really putting in a lot of effort.

Thank you for your help! I definitely needed to know about the shutter speed.It kinda confuses me but I am still reading my manuel alot and I know I will eventually figure it out! So as for the shutter speed, I need to keep it at 1/200? At all times?
Also just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to remark on all my photos as you did :) I know my mom's expression wasn't the best in some photos, but she isn't good in front of the camera and tells me that I need to get a better model to pactice with! She even knows that her expressions aren't always the best!! :) But thanks again,and I always love hearing your replies!! :)

[deathcake]

No worries =) It took me a while to work out what all the camera settings meant, so I understand what it's like for you. Tell your mom not to worry, she looks good in photos when she is relaxed.

As for shutter speed, it depends on the lens and focal length you are using. If you tell me what lenses you have, I can try to make some suggestions for different situations. Here's some simple advice for helping your camera focus: http://digital-photography-school.com/two-factors-for-perfect-focus You may find some of the other stuff on that website useful too =)

[Free2BeMePhotography]

Hey Deathcake! The lenses I have are a Tamron AF28-80 mm and AF75-300 mm. I know they aren't the best, but it came with my camera and when I have the money I do plan on getting better lenses!! :)

[deathcake]

Don't worry about not having the best lenses available, I haven't tried out your specific lenses, but my Tamron 17-50mm is awesome =D I think you'd enjoy the Canon 50mm f/1.8 (http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-50mm-f-1.8-II-Lens-Review.aspx) for portraits, it has a nice wide aperture and it's so cheap! about $100 US I think.

Alright, with the 28-80mm lens, at it's widest (ie. least zoomed in) which is 28mm, you can set the shutter speed to as slow as 1/50sec as long as you have a steady hand. In most situations it's ok to go up to 1/100sec or so though, as long as available light is decent. It's unlikely you'd be using it at 28mm for portraits though, since wide angles are unflattering from close distances, so this is for landscapes and general purpose sort of shots. As you start zooming in towards the 80mm end of it (most zoomed in), make sure shutter speed is on 1/125 or faster. 1/125sec is ok as long as your hand is steady (it's not too cold, you're not holind anything heavy, you're not balancing in a difficult pose, etc)

With the 75-300mm, I'd go with 1/125sec at most zoomed out as well. Then increase shutter speed towards the 300m at its most zoomed in. At 300m go with about 1/500sec or so. 300mm is probably not the best for portraits either, cause if you're too far away from the subject it can make them look "flat".

I usually use 1/200sec shutter speed for portraits even with a 50mm lens. Just cause neither you nor the subject are able to stand perfectly still, it's better to take the shot faster and make sure its sharp. Of course, if you find you are unable to expose the shot properly at this speed (too dark) you may have to reduce shutter speed a bit. Just remember that 1/50 is usually the slowest you should go with a hand held camera, otherwise camera shake can be a bother. 1/60 is the lowest I go handheld just cause I don't trust myself to stay still enough.

If anyone else reading this thinks I am getting soemthing wrong, please correct me! I'm mainly going by shutter speed is 1/focal length times 1.6.

[kent andersen]

Hey Deathcake! The lenses I have are a Tamron AF28-80 mm and AF75-300 mm. I know they aren't the best, but it came with my camera and when I have the money I do plan on getting better lenses!! :)

If you want a better lens quickly, buy the 50mm f.1.8. It is the cheapest lens available, but also an excelent quality. In US it should cost around 100 dollar or less.

I have that one, but also a 135L. (wich is a 1000 dollar lens, but also one of the best lens ever from canon), the quality of the 50mm is not as good as the 135L, but not that far away. Check the lens sample archive here and get inspired. You want regret buying that one. And you will be amazed about how sharp your shoot will be.

If you want a new lens and have more money, most people are really really happy about the canon 17-55mm 2.8. Everyone that ask what lens that they would have on a crop, say that. At the moment I am dreaming about buying a Tokina 11-16mm 2.8 (I have an old canon 28-90mm that works fine). I would recommend you to go for a L quality if you upgrade. Zooms are more fleixible, but with a Prime you get bether quality than the zoom for less money. Here you find a good portion of the most popular primes: http://www.canonrumors.com/prime-lenses-price-watch/