[Pico]

@Hello no..., digging the space scenes! Wonderful job picking up so many stars.
As for the weather, it was only about 80*F that day. It'll get to 115*F soon enough... I wouldn't dare go to the zoo on such a day lol. And as for the camera, the size and quality is what sold me, although I don't plan on keeping it on me too much. My phone does a decent enough job for the emergency moments when I must have a picture.

[Hell No..]

Too hot for comfort!

Aurora over Loch Lubnaig (Scotland) 27/03/12

11:20PM, 18mm, f3.5, ISO 800, 25s.

[Greenline]

Newbie here, just starting to get into this (well, I don't think it'll last long)

Persepolis, Iran

Persepolis, Iran

View of Shiraz, Iran from our Hotel room

Persepolis, Iran

Persepolis, Iran

Naqsh-e Rustam, Iran

Naqsh-e Rustam, Iran

Ka'ba-i Zartosht (Cube of Zoroaster), Iran

Naqsh-e Rustam (The triumph of Shapur I over the Roman Emperor Valerian, and Philip the Arab.), Iran

Persepolis, Iran

Persepolis, Iran

Persepolis, Iran

This post has been edited by Greenline on Saturday, Mar 31 2012, 14:55

[omgz153]

Got a Canon 550d! Legit Camera.

[blitz]

It's an amazing camera indeed, you will love it.

[omgz153]

This post has been edited by omgz153 on Wednesday, Apr 11 2012, 00:33

[Nah Tso Gud]

Woo! Just found this thread, looking forward to contributing

[AlexGTAGamer]

Some odd pictures taken around the city:


Cherry blossom in Netham Park.


A squirrel in Castle Park.


The spire of St Mary Redcliffe Church.

[Kajun]

Took some shots of my girlfriend's friend's puppy today. 3 month old corgie. Cute little f*cker.

Click for embiggened versions.







This post has been edited by Kajun on Thursday, Apr 12 2012, 05:20

[ThePinkFloydSound]

That's one cute dog, alright.

Got my camera back from repair. They didn't throw in the free battery like I was promised. f*ck Canon support. They're sh*te.

Anyway, I took this one of a couple on ecstasy.

[Nah Tso Gud]

QUOTE (ThePinkFloydSound @ Sunday, Apr 15 2012, 13:50)

That's one cute dog, alright. Got my camera back from repair. They didn't throw in the free battery like I was promised. f*ck Canon support. They're sh*te. Anyway, I took this one of a couple on ecstasy.

Nice, it captures the feeling well.. Great touch, dragging the shutter.

Edit: To add one of mine, and early rendition though.. looked a bit better with more post production... Just a pretty standard water droplet photo with a macro lens.. Bounced my flash off construction paper placed behind a crock pot filled with water to add the colorful reflection.



This post has been edited by Nah Tso Gud on Thursday, Apr 19 2012, 20:19

[Kajun]

That's stunning. The colors are brilliant.

I just got a set of extension tubes in the mail from B&H, going to see if I can get any nice macro shots in the next day or two. Expect a lot of mediocre shots of standard macro subjects from me.

[Nah Tso Gud]

QUOTE (Kajun @ Thursday, Apr 19 2012, 16:57)

That's stunning. The colors are brilliant. I just got a set of extension tubes in the mail from B&H, going to see if I can get any nice macro shots in the next day or two. Expect a lot of mediocre shots of standard macro subjects from me.

Thanks! and also....Awesome! @ the tubes... Ive been thinking about selling my macro and just buying some extension tubes, which apparently go extremely well with my Canon 135 f/2. The colors in that shot are basically straight out of camera actually, before any saturation and contrast really... But yeah.. macro can be tough to get used to but its just fun shooting such small objects and seeing such detail... its really a great thrill to pull up an image on the computer wondering what youll see.

For macro/close work - forget auto focus for awhile, set the focus manually.. a tripod will be your best friend.. but you may have known all that already.

[Kajun]

The autofocus with the tubes is pretty shocking anyways. When I was first playing around with them seeing if the autofocus would even work (they're cheapo Zeikos tubes) it was brutally slow and sometimes won't work at all when the tubes are stacked.

But yeah, I was always going to bust out the tripod for any serious macro work, I've just been pissing about with it taking shots of stuff at home and work today.

EDIT: Managed to take a decent shot, bracketed it and make a HDR out of it. One of the US dollar coins I've found mixed in with the loonies in the tills at work.



This post has been edited by Kajun on Friday, Apr 20 2012, 20:39

[Nah Tso Gud]

Nice! Looks pretty damn sharp still, or do extension tubes not affect sharpness really? Not too familiar with them I guess... no glass elements right?

This was during Target Fields opening year here in MN.. noticed the reflection in my buddies glasses, thought it looked pretty neat.

[DneroJohnson]

Woah that is sick, everything's so clear in the reflection

[Kajun]

QUOTE (Nah Tso Gud @ Sunday, Apr 22 2012, 10:51)

Nice! Looks pretty damn sharp still, or do extension tubes not affect sharpness really? Not too familiar with them I guess... no glass elements right?

You're right, there's nothing but air in the extension tubes. They don't affect the optical quality at all, the only downside to them is there's a bit of light loss by using them and there's no infinity focus. You can't really focus on anything more than a few feet away depending on what lens you've got on top of the tubes, and how many tubes you might have stacked.

[Craig]

How many here take iPhone photography seriously? With so many tools and apps at your disposal with an iPhone (or indeed, any smartphone), you could pretty much build up a portfolio of decent photographs without even realising it. I took this one today and quite liked the framing. I was just wondering if anyone else used their phones, despite the stigma, and if anyone used apps?

[Kajun]

I'll agree with the fact you can take some pretty stunning photos with phones these days, but I never use my phone for anything I'd consider remotely serious. Even with all the apps out there, the apps are usually nothing more than some iffy filters.

EDIT: I was reading gizmodo a few minutes ago at work and found an article that I thought some people here would find interesting. Sorry about the formatting, I'm typing it all from my phone.

QUOTE

Here's a list of tips, advice, rules and just things to know about photography from Eric Kim, a street photographer who also holds photography workshop classes. I think the gist of it is to keep taking pictures always. Here's the full list: 1. Just because someone has an expensive camera doesn't mean that they're a good photographer. 2. Always shoot in RAW. Always. 3. Prime lenses help you learn to be a better photographer. 4. Photo editing is an art in itself 5. The rule of thirds works 99% of the time. 6. Macro photography isn't for everybody. 7. UV filters work just as well as lens caps. 8. Go outside & shoot photos rather than spending hours a day on photography forums. 9. Capture the beauty in the mundane and you have a winning photograph. 10. Film isn't better than digital. 11. Digital isn't better than film. 12. There is no "magic" camera or lens. 13. Better lenses don't give you better photos. 14. Spend less time looking at other people's work and more time shooting your own. 15. Don't take your DSLR to parties. 16. Girls dig photographers. 17. Making your photos b/w doesn't automatically make them "artsy" 18. People will always discredit your work if you tell them you "photoshop" your images. Rather, tell them that you process them in the "digital darkroom". 19. You don't need to take a photo of everything. 20. Have at least 2 backups of all your images. Like they say in war, two is one, one is none. 21. Ditch the neck strap and get a handstrap. 22. Get closer when taking your photos, they often turn out better. 23. Be a part of a scene while taking a photo; not a voyeur. 24. Taking a photo crouched often make your photos look more interesting. 25. Worry less about technical aspects and focus more on compositional aspects of photography. 26. Tape up any logos on your camera with black gaffers tape- it brings a lot less attention to you. 27. Always underexpose by 2/3rds of a stop when shooting in broad daylight. 28. The more photos you take, the better you get. 29. Don't be afraid to take several photos of the same scene at different exposures, angles, or apertures. 30. Only show your best photos. 31. A point-and-shoot is still a camera. 32. Join an online photography forum. 33. Critique the works of others. 34. Think before you shoot. 35. A good photo shouldn't require explanation (although background information often adds to an image). * 36. Alcohol and photography do not mix well. 37. Draw inspiration from other photographers but never worship them. 38. Grain is beautiful. 39. Ditch the photo backpack and get a messenger bag. It makes getting your lenses and camera a whole lot easier. 40. Simplicity is key. 41. The definition of photography is: "painting with light." Use light in your favor. 42. Find your style of photography and stick with it. 43. Having a second monitor is the best thing ever for photo processing. 44. Silver EFEX pro is the best b/w converter. 45. Carry your camera with you everywhere. Everywhere. 46. Never let photography get in the way of enjoying life. 47. Don't pamper your camera. Use and abuse it. 48. Take straight photos. 49. Shoot with confidence. 50. Photography and juxtaposition are best friends. 51. Print out your photos big. They will make you happy. 52. Give your photos to friends. 53. Give them to strangers. 54. Don't forget to frame them. 55. Costco prints are cheap and look great. 56. Go out and take photos with (a) friend(s). 57. Join a photo club or start one for yourself. 58. Photos make great presents. 59. Taking photos of strangers is thrilling. 60. Candid>Posed. 61. Natural light is the best light. 62. 35mm (on full frame) is the best "walk-around" focal length. 63. Don't be afraid to bump up your ISO when necessary. 64. You don't need to always bring a tripod with you everywhere you go (hell, I don't even own one). 65. It is always better to underexpose than overexpose. 66. Shooting photos of homeless people in an attempt to be "artsy" is exploitation. 67. You will find the best photo opportunities in the least likely situations. 68. Photos are always more interesting with the human element included. 69. You can't "photoshop" bad images into good ones. 70. Nowadays everybody is a photographer. 71. You don't need to fly to Paris to get good photos; the best photo opportunities are in your backyard. 72. People with DSLRS who shoot portraits with their grip pointed downwards look like morons. 73. Cameras as tools, not toys. 74. In terms of composition, photography and painting aren't much different. 75. Photography isn't a hobby- it's a lifestyle. 76. Make photos, not excuses. 77. Be original in your photography. Don't try to copy the style of others. 78. The best photographs tell stories that begs the viewer for more. 79. Any cameras but black ones draw too much attention. 80. The more gear you carry around with you the less you will enjoy photography. 81. Good self-portraits are harder to take than they seem. 82. Laughter always draws out peoples' true character in a photograph. 83. Don't look suspicious when taking photos-blend in with the environment. 84. Landscape photography can become dull after a while. 85. Have fun while taking photos. 86. Never delete any of your photos. 87. Be respectful when taking photos of people or places. 88. When taking candid photos of people in the street, it is easier to use a wide-angle than a telephoto lens. 89. Travel and photography are the perfect pair. 90. Learn how to read a histogram. 91. A noisy photo is better than a blurry one. 92. Don't be afraid to take photos in the rain. 93. Learn how to enjoy the moment, rather than relentlessly trying to capture the perfect picture of it. 94. Never take photos on an empty stomach. 95. You will discover a lot about yourself through your photography. 96. Never hoard your photographic insight-share it with the world. 97. Never stop taking photos 98. Photography is more than simply taking photos, it is a philosophy of life 99. Capture the decisive moment 100. Write your own list.

This post has been edited by Kajun on Sunday, Apr 22 2012, 20:47

[rhyn]

Brilliant list. I only use one lens these days, a 50mm 1.4 and I totally agree that prime lenses are great for making you a better shooter. I do still think film is better than digital though