Weekly Photography Challenge Thread (see first post rules and then the poll at top before entering)

Entry?

 

huh ? dammit Will, ya know im olt

 

Congrats @LarryDangerfield !!

 

Congratulations LarryDangerfield!

 

Congrats @LarryDangerfield !! That was a beautiful shot!

 

Trying not to be a slacker or @StayinStock will reprimand me!


Entry! January Christmas!
Saw this tree on the way to work this morning in the single digit temps. These people could not have planned this better. It's on the mountain with a view of the valley off to the other side which I couldn't get cause people pulled up behind me. Wish the power lines weren't so close.


For more experienced photo people, what tips would you give to make this photo better without editing software. It doesn't look as magical in the photo as it does in person.

 

Christmas is over.

Nice picture tho

 

Alcohol or drugs will make it magical, but I'm no expert

 

Best I can do is herbal tinctures.

 

Thanks.

 

Your phone should have some stuff you can edit. And also pro setting

 

Cameras these days are very good at hitting all the settings in the "middle of the road". From the camera manufacturers position that gives the most people the best chance of getting a good picture. I find it is almost a given that you have to edit pictures to bring some "pop" back into the picture. Depending on the camera you are using there might be settings that you could manipulate to help you and the internet could be a good source to find some. My daughter is a professional photographer and does lifestyle family photography. She uses Canon cameras and has worked to the point where her "style" is achieved by a very particular set of settings on her camera to get her images to come out with her signature look. She does not share these settings with anyone so that no one can copy her "look". Google might be your best option using the name and model of your camera and searching for different settings that might be recommended. You would have to venture into manual mode on your camera(assuming it has a manual mode) to gain the most control over how your pictures will come out.

But.....if you were using an iPhone I would say:

• point the camera at the brightest spot in the picture to decrease the amount of light in the picture, point the camera at the darkest spot to increase the brightness of the picture
• Select the widest angle you can get on the camera and get a little closer and point upward, maybe even getting a bright tree light in the foreground with the tree behind it.
  
• Have the light source behind the tree so it is backlit
• Manipulate the image so the power lines are not in the picture
• Use portrait mode to blur the background.

....and you will probably still need to edit it to get it to look great.....

 

I have samsung. I'm not an iPhone person. I also resist getting newer phones cause I don't like them, but the older ones have lesser cameras. There are manual settings, but using them has always been...time consuming.

I appreciate the feedback very much. Thank you!

 

Sorry Will, I missed this yesterday.

 

Out of curiosity, if I say words like ISO, f-stop and aperture, does that mean anything to you in the world of photography?

 

Light, exposure, those kinda things. I forget which is which. Easy to look up though, so I can do that to refresh.

 

Yes, true. I hope the question did not come across as snarky or know it all. If I understand what you are familiar with it is easier to know what to suggest. Today technology has come so far that you have to work to control the creative level of photography at a basic level. I took photography in college before digital cameras existed for the average person and we shot 99% of our “work” in black and white, developed and printed everything we did. We used aperture, f-stop and length of exposure both in shooting images and printing pictures. If you didn’t have a firm grasp on the principles then you weren’t going to do well. Today is just different in so many ways but if you have an interest in manipulating the creative process then learning the basic principles of photography is the best place to start. Or you can just have a keen eye for what you like and become really good at editing. Polar opposites but both have merit.

My personal revelation in photography came when I realized that I was naturally predisposed to seeing light when shooting a photo but I had to control how I printed darkness when it was time to go from a negative to a print. Since then I have always tried to see the light, and darkness of each shot.

Anyways, too much talk on my part in a thread designed for nice images.

Here is my contribution to getting the thread back on track. It is not of a Christmas tree but it does illustrate the principles I suggested about using a wide shot and low angle.

Non:

 

Entry- best picture taken this week that I’m willing to post online.

 

Entry pic Taken this week

 

Not snarky at all, especially since I was asking for input.

I had a non digital and digital camera several years ago. I wanted to figure that stuff out but ended up not having the time, so I put it aside. That is helpful input though. Thank you!