Well, it's raining again. Whenever it rains the only ideas for photos I seem to have are rain drops, but you can only do so many of those. I then tried to think of what was the most colorful think I owned. The answer? Jazzy-Pizzazzy Popple!
It's funny, as kids we love our toys, then we become "big" boys and girls and no longer need our toys. Then we become adults and we wish we were kids again. Very strange.
Editing consisted of cropping, and 1960's effect in Picnik
Heyyyy, nice focus!! Love the retro colours of this too! All around well done shot - comp, focus, colours, shadow! You're in quite the philosophical mood these days aren't you?
Yes, very philosophical. It was a frakkin' tree on a beach Melissa! Haha.
You know...this photo is indeed in very sharp focus which means you *can* do it when you need. It's not your eye! It really is the camera having a difficult time focusing in certain situations, so stop worrying about it all the time. Camera's have limitations. This one is nice.
@mej2011 Haha...it's gray and raining here so I had nothing to do today! I've been sitting at my computer for hours now chatting with someone.
OK...you have to start distinguishing here. Manual Mode ONLY applies to camera settings, not focus. For the raindrops, were you using Manual Focus or Autofocus? And for this one?
@pwallis I am a very silly, slightly annoying American.
@jasonbarnette
The crappy rain drop shot that you hated was used total manual, I could set the ISO, focus, all that crap. This was done using the camera's "close up" so I had control over nothing. Does that make sense?
@mej2011 You're still getting things confused. Manual Mode, Aperture Priorirty, Night Scene, Close Up Mode, none of those have the slightest thing to do with focus. Focus is completely separate. So, the rain drop shot? You could have used Manual Mode but still used Autofocus. Does that make sense?
@jasonbarnette
No I didn't. The rain drop shot was on manual focus, I distinctly remember changing it to manual focus. However, the camera was also on manual mode. I'm sorry I don't make sense. @jasonbarnette@pwallis
HEY! This is supposed to be about me! No hijacking! :)
@mej2011 Oh I'm totally hijacking this. I haven't done that in awhile. OK...never ever use manual focus. I will admit my eyes are too bad for that. Nothing to be ashamed of. The ONLY time I use manual focus is for water drops and setting it to infinity for long exposures. So...keep it in autofocus all the time. That will help.
@pwallis Honestly? I mean...yeah I kinda think I'm annoying most of hte time. I've been called much worse. By people on this site haha.
@jasonbarnette hahaha, I've seen some of the comments directed your way. And no, I don't find you annoying. How could I, when you're so helpful and sweet underneath that annoying exterior? And I wasn't actually shocked by your comment above. Takes a little more than that to shock me. Was hoping to make you feel massively guilty about it, but I see you're incapable of guilt. That's a handy trait to posess;-)
@jasonbarnette
Great........I have no idea what any of those are either. So it's possible to control all of those, whatever they are, and keep the camera focus on auto?
OMG. I can tell I'm sick because there's like eleventy smart-aleck comments I could make in this conversation (having now gone back and read it) and all I can think of is the first half of them. "Oh, yeah?? Well, that's what..." And, then, nothing.
@mej2011 I have only gotten better about aperture/ISO/and all that since I started my project, so DON'T feel bad. You will get there!! And I don't manual focus for shiz, unless I am shooting on film. I was cheating and switching my camera into Auto to focus, and then going back to manual, so that certain awesome fancypants photographers on this site would think that I do everything manually. However, now that I know that the Lord Shadow himself uses Auto Focus, I am freed from a lifetime of cheating. I feel so uplifted.
Man, that's a lot of babble from the sick chick. Page me later and tell me if it doesn't make any sense.
Good focus, good POV, frame filled with subject. Nice job.
I'm pretty sure all your focus/blur/softness problems are caused by:
- digital zoom (digital zoom itself generates all kinds of crap to pictures + monstrous zooming requires very steady hands)
- shooting through multiple windows (I just feel this can mess up camera's autofocus, create distortions due to random crap on windows...)
@janmaki
You are probably right, it's not always easy for me to get close to my birds so I do zoom a lot and refuse to use my tripod. I'm a bit stubborn that way.
I have decided to move the screen door so that when I am taking photos, it is only through the glass. Hopefully I'll see a difference.
Thanks!
@mej2011 OH! That is a very good question! Well...think about it for a moment: you want to capture the teeny little LED lights in the ears. They are very, very low power, huh? Ever tried shooting a fire? It's bright to our eyes but sucks on camera!
The answer is: longer exposure time. Much longer. It would be a combination of a few things: shoot 400 ISO, widest aperture you have, and then as long as needed to get the lights to light up. Then just a very, very small splash of strobe light to fill in the gaps.
You've given me an idea: tonight I was gonna show you how to shoot great photos of Christmas ornaments. I think I'll select an ornament that has small lights so you can see my EXIF data and read my ramblings!
@mej2011 Oh sorry...strobe, flash, and speedlight are all used interchangeably for the most part. All mean same thing: bright flashy thing on yo camera.
Thanks! Apparently I am, I don't know what my problem is. Maybe it's just the weather.
You know...this photo is indeed in very sharp focus which means you *can* do it when you need. It's not your eye! It really is the camera having a difficult time focusing in certain situations, so stop worrying about it all the time. Camera's have limitations. This one is nice.
But... @pwallis ...what the hell are "colours"???
Amazing! You're commenting on my photo within minutes of it being posted! Now go comment on my key photo.
Hey, you don't like my opinions, don't ask for them. :P
Oh, and I cleaned my lens, and I didn't use manual mode so I still conclude that I am the problem, not the camera.
I have been trying to figure out what @pwallis means by colours for months now. :)
OK...you have to start distinguishing here. Manual Mode ONLY applies to camera settings, not focus. For the raindrops, were you using Manual Focus or Autofocus? And for this one?
@pwallis I am a very silly, slightly annoying American.
The crappy rain drop shot that you hated was used total manual, I could set the ISO, focus, all that crap. This was done using the camera's "close up" so I had control over nothing. Does that make sense?
nlm
No I didn't. The rain drop shot was on manual focus, I distinctly remember changing it to manual focus. However, the camera was also on manual mode. I'm sorry I don't make sense.
@jasonbarnette @pwallis
HEY! This is supposed to be about me! No hijacking! :)
@pwallis Honestly? I mean...yeah I kinda think I'm annoying most of hte time. I've been called much worse. By people on this site haha.
Never ever use manual focus? What in the world have you spent the last few days yammering about then?!
You two are hilarious!
Great........I have no idea what any of those are either. So it's possible to control all of those, whatever they are, and keep the camera focus on auto?
Stop hijacking and go comment on my key photo!
@mej2011 I have only gotten better about aperture/ISO/and all that since I started my project, so DON'T feel bad. You will get there!! And I don't manual focus for shiz, unless I am shooting on film. I was cheating and switching my camera into Auto to focus, and then going back to manual, so that certain awesome fancypants photographers on this site would think that I do everything manually. However, now that I know that the Lord Shadow himself uses Auto Focus, I am freed from a lifetime of cheating. I feel so uplifted.
Man, that's a lot of babble from the sick chick. Page me later and tell me if it doesn't make any sense.
I'm pretty sure all your focus/blur/softness problems are caused by:
- digital zoom (digital zoom itself generates all kinds of crap to pictures + monstrous zooming requires very steady hands)
- shooting through multiple windows (I just feel this can mess up camera's autofocus, create distortions due to random crap on windows...)
You are probably right, it's not always easy for me to get close to my birds so I do zoom a lot and refuse to use my tripod. I'm a bit stubborn that way.
I have decided to move the screen door so that when I am taking photos, it is only through the glass. Hopefully I'll see a difference.
Thanks!
Thank you both!
If I wanted to have captured the lights on the ears of this toy, I would have needed what? A faster shutter time? Not to use the flash?
Thank you Rachel!
The answer is: longer exposure time. Much longer. It would be a combination of a few things: shoot 400 ISO, widest aperture you have, and then as long as needed to get the lights to light up. Then just a very, very small splash of strobe light to fill in the gaps.
You've given me an idea: tonight I was gonna show you how to shoot great photos of Christmas ornaments. I think I'll select an ornament that has small lights so you can see my EXIF data and read my ramblings!
Define strobe? All I have is my built in flash, not one of those flash lite thingies?
What if I have sequins on my camera? Those would be bright flashy things. HA!
Ha ha. Don't mind me. I'm lacking inspiration. I've only shot two photos and they were both crap.
Thanks Davide!
Thanks! You know it's a bad day for me when you've posted before me.