Improving photography

[deer boy]

Hi everyone
I'm fairly new to photography & have a canon 400D,before i got my 400D the camera i had was very basic & i just kept in on automatic.
With this one i would like to learn how to use it properly,so far i've used the set modes automatic ect while i get use to all the buttons.
As i learn more i will then start to try & control more, at the moment i've been using the (p) mode.
All the pics i've posted so far, i've gone out took the photo come home loaded it onto the computer & posted straight onto here without doing anything to them.
So my question is with the pic below for example what could be done to improve it.
Thank u in advance

[BruceP]

Originally Posted by deer boy

Hi everyone

So my question is with the pic below for example what could be done to improve it.
Thank u in advance

I hope you don't mind (i'll delete it if you do), but I copied your image and spent about 30 seconds photoshopping it.

1. Ran Shadows/Highlights at 40% / 50%
2.Shift+ctrl+Alt+E to take snapshot. Changed to soft light blending mode and ran high pass filter at about 75%. (this is a form of sharpening..local contrast enhancment)
3 Took another snapshot and applied sharpening with unsharp mask

This is the quick result...

[BruceP]

Lunch Time! so i've taken the earlier picture and cropped it a bit tighter to get rid of a lot of the distracting highlights; darkened the background for the same reason; Cloned some of the bracken to conceal the blown out bracken bottom left; then fiinally did a bit of selective curves to bring out the head a bit more.

Obviously, this has all been done on a low res jpg, so the quality of the result leaves a bit to be desired, but doing this on the original should make a really nice image.

[mh68]

Originally Posted by deer boy

Hi everyone
I'm fairly new to photography & have a canon 400D,before i got my 400D the camera i had was very basic & i just kept in on automatic.
With this one i would like to learn how to use it properly,so far i've used the set modes automatic ect while i get use to all the buttons.
As i learn more i will then start to try & control more, at the moment i've been using the (p) mode.
All the pics i've posted so far, i've gone out took the photo come home loaded it onto the computer & posted straight onto here without doing anything to them.
So my question is with the pic below for example what could be done to improve it.
Thank u in advance

It`s a sharp shot, and you`ve done well to control the highlights.Subjects in dappled sunlight are always awkward,if you overexpose slightly to brighten the subject you risk blowing highlights in the foliage/background, so its hard to avoid the subject being a little dark.All you could have done here really is to wait until the animal moved into an area lit by sunlight to get a better shot, but they never tend to go where we want them
For now, i`d tend to continue as you are with P mode, and concentrate on composition/framing the subject,rather than camera settings. That`s what makes an image stand out. Once you feel you`ve got to grips with this aspect, then experiment with settings etc.With this shot, the animal`s looking slightly to the left so I would have maybe framed it so it was more to the right to give the shot more balance. A good rule of thumb is to always leave more space to the side of the shot the animal is facing.
As it is, it`s a nice shot, you`ve got close to the subject and focussed perfectly - I`d have been pleased if i`d taken it

Mark H

[MeadsMan]

I agree with mh68,it`s a nice photo as it is,without any enhancement.

[Dae]

It's certainly a fine shot on its own, but I do also feel that the edit did improve it some. I think that despite the bright background highlights, I prefer the 1st edit as it does bring the deer out more, and I prefer the space around the deer - I think the tighter crop of the 2nd edit takes that away.

P mode I think is a good all-rounder, particularly in tough to judge lighting situations like this one. And the 400D is a great camera, very easy to manage. I think you've been given good advice, and looks like you're off to a great start.

[deer boy]

Thanks for all your comments so far much appreciated.

Obviously, this has all been done on a low res jpg, so the quality of the result leaves a bit to be desired, but doing this on the original should make a really nice image.

Thanks Bruce i like what you've done, i did get some software with the camera i'll have to have a look at it & see what it can do

For now, i`d tend to continue as you are with P mode, and concentrate on composition/framing the subject,rather than camera settings. That`s what makes an image stand out. Once you feel you`ve got to grips with this aspect, then experiment with settings etc.With this shot, the animal`s looking slightly to the left so I would have maybe framed it so it was more to the right to give the shot more balance. A good rule of thumb is to always leave more space to the side of the shot the animal is facing.

Thanks Mark some great advice that i shall try & remember next time i'm out,The shot below is one i wish i had took my time to composition better but sadly i rushed it knowing they were going to take off



Thanks again MeadsMan & Dae

[mh68]

Originally Posted by deer boy

Thanks Mark some great advice that i shall try & remember next time i'm out,The shot below is one i wish i had took my time to composition better but sadly i rushed it knowing they were going to take off

You could crop the distracting space on the right hand side out of the shot to improve the composition.The animals are large enough in the frame to do that without losing too much resolution. It`s always best to get the shot right in the first place,but when it`s a case of grabbing a shot before the animals bolt,all you can do is get what you can and edit it afterwards.

Mark H

[deer boy]

Originally Posted by mh68

You could crop the distracting space on the right hand side out of the shot to improve the composition.
Mark H

I shall try that now thanks

[Hobjob]

Very interesting thread.

The glib answer is of course to have used fill flash, then the head would have been lit better



My editing of the original 75 kb image goes a different route. I've simply burnt the highlights on the over-exposed areas to make them less eye-catching, highlighted the hinds head and forequarters and filter > render > lighting effects > omni light with hint of gold.

The size means it is pixellating a bit,