Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
The single best tip I ever heard in the last 45 years of taking pictures came from Robert Capa. If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough. On Sunday 12 January 2003 11:10 pm, Ed Tyler wrote: > I would be very interested in learning from this group what you feel > is your simple tip or trick for a better picture. All of these tips > and tricks are open to criticism and may not apply to all pictures. > Please let the responders provide their tips without debating or > criticizing their suggestions. The point is to gather input, not to > gather criticism for those who provide input. -- Ken Archer Canine Photography San Antonio, Texas "Business Is Going To The Dogs"
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
Slow down. Not always applicable when the subject is moving, but it's applicable, for me, probably 80-90% of the time. Little tip I've evolved for myself, but evidentially tons have already said the same thing, one way or another. Doe aka Marnie
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
Or it could be called "Take your time." I sort of prefer "Slow down". A little mental flag that I can raise that grabs my attention. HTH, Doe aka Marnie
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
Hey, with a rangefinder, that's not as funny as one might think! Mark Roberts wrote: > "remove lens cap" > > -- > Mark Roberts > Photography and writing > www.robertstech.com -- "The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true." -J. Robert Oppenheimer
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
I've been reading this thread with interest, and all the tips have been wonderful ones, but I haven't really come across "the one" (for me, at least). Then I read yours, Bob, and it clicked. I'd say, "always have a camera with you". If you don't have one, get a tiny 35mm - even a p&s - and keep it in your pocket at all times. I pretty much always have a camera around my neck when I leave the house, but if it's really inconvenient to do that, I'll put my little Minolta HiMatic F (about the size of a Rollei 35) in a pocket. I just got sick of being without a camera, and seeing a shot, but having no camera with me. Some days (not many ) I won't take a shot, but I like having a body with me at all times "just in case". I guess a corollary to that would be "take lots of pictures". It's the only way one will get good - it won't guarantee it, but it'll help... cheers, frank Bob Blakely wrote: > Not necessarily the best, but I say, "Don't be stingy with the film." Walk > around, up and down and waste the whole roll on that subject. I say it > increases the odds. > > Regards, > Bob > > "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!" >- Benjamin Franklin > -- "The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true." -J. Robert Oppenheimer
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
Hi, Mark, When you consider that the price difference between good film and generic crap is only a few dollars, your advice makes abundant good sense... cheers, frank Mark Roberts wrote: > My serious tip is "Always use good film" > You don't want to come across that once-in-a-lifetime, > shot-waiting-to-happen and have low quality, outdated film in your camera. > For that matter, you don't want to do an casual shoot with cheap film > because there's the possibility that you might find a use for those shots > later that requires higher quality. Happened to me :( > > -- > Mark Roberts > Photography and writing > www.robertstech.com -- "The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true." -J. Robert Oppenheimer
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
Minimize camera shake. All right, I've cheated, because this is a catch-all rule whose ramifications are: 1. When possible, use a tripod, a cable release, and mirror lockup (or a timer). 2. When you can't use a tripod, use a monopod. 3. When you can't use a monopod, try to find a makeshift support. Last December, when shooting my daughter's snowman, I grabbed a rectangular lid from a trash can, set it on edge (while holding it), and rested my camera on the edge. I'd love to see what one piece of advice photography journalist Herb Keppler would offer. I suspect it would be, "Focus manually" or "Use higher-speed film to allow faster shutter speeds." [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
I too have been following with interest, and either agree with or am glad to have heard these tips. The one I read very early on I have always liked and tried to stick by. "Don't be lazy". A précis of the suggestion was... "Most people who take photos don't put much mental or physical effort into it. Always make the effort, look for the best position or angle, wait ill the lighting's right, scale a ladder or dig a trench to get the best shot you can." Simon -Original Message- From: frank theriault [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Monday, 13 January 2003 8:51 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures? I've been reading this thread with interest, and all the tips have been wonderful ones, but I haven't really come across "the one" (for me, at least). Then I read yours, Bob, and it clicked. I'd say, "always have a camera with you". If you don't have one, get a tiny 35mm - even a p&s - and keep it in your pocket at all times. I pretty much always have a camera around my neck when I leave the house, but if it's really inconvenient to do that, I'll put my little Minolta HiMatic F (about the size of a Rollei 35) in a pocket. I just got sick of being without a camera, and seeing a shot, but having no camera with me. Some days (not many ) I won't take a shot, but I like having a body with me at all times "just in case". I guess a corollary to that would be "take lots of pictures". It's the only way one will get good - it won't guarantee it, but it'll help... cheers, frank Bob Blakely wrote: > Not necessarily the best, but I say, "Don't be stingy with the film." > Walk around, up and down and waste the whole roll on that subject. I > say it increases the odds. > > Regards, > Bob > > "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!" >- Benjamin Franklin > -- "The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true." -J. Robert Oppenheimer
RE: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
Hi Ed: I hope this isn't over simplistic but my tip would be "think before you shoot". In this era of auto everything it is too easy to pick up the camera with the zoom lens and matrix metering, go this looks good, trip the shutter, end of process. I know that when I take the time to study the situation, try different focal lengths, move my position slightly, etc. I usually get better results. Obviously this won't work in all situations like shooting sports though even there a little pre thought can go a long ways. BUTCH "Each man had only one genuine vocation - to find the way to himself" Hermann Hesse (Demian)
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
Ed Tyler wrote: > I would be very interested in learning > from this group what you feel is your > simple tip or trick for a better picture. Single best tip: "Always carry a camera." John (plus I have many, many more!)
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
Bob Blakely wrote: > I say, "Don't be stingy with the film." > > Walk around, up and down and waste > the whole roll on that subject. I say > it increases the odds. Hi Bob, Thirty years ago I was taught the exact opposite: "Treat every frame as though it is the only one you've got". Nothing I have seen, heard, read or done in the last 30 years has caused me to doubt the quality of that advice. Wasting film is wasting your time. Take a little time with one shot, get it right, and you won't need to waste the rest of the film in the hope of achieving something that is merely acceptable. Just my Euro 0.02. John
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
I think the path to great photos is a combination of these two seemingly disparate suggestions. Simply put: Shoot every frame as though it was the only one you have ... but shoot a lot of frames. If you think things through thoroughly, work hard, and keep shooting, you can optimize your photography. Paul Stenquist John Whicker wrote: > > Bob Blakely wrote: > > > I say, "Don't be stingy with the film." > > > > Walk around, up and down and waste > > the whole roll on that subject. I say > > it increases the odds. > > Hi Bob, > > Thirty years ago I was taught the exact > opposite: "Treat every frame as though > it is the only one you've got". Nothing I > have seen, heard, read or done in the last > 30 years has caused me to doubt the > quality of that advice. > > Wasting film is wasting your time. Take > a little time with one shot, get it right, > and you won't need to waste the rest of > the film in the hope of achieving something > that is merely acceptable. > > Just my Euro 0.02. > > John
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
Well, as they used to say in the old Certs ads, "you're both right!" I really don't think these two pieces of advice are mutually exclusive. Of course you take your time, look from many angles, compose as best you can, get the exposure right, and take your best shot. That's assuming you have the luxury of time. And if you can do that, after you've gotten your best shot, look some more. Maybe bracket the exposure. I really don't think it's a waste to take a few more shots from different angles, maybe change the focus if you're working with a narrow dof. Despite our (at least my ) best efforts, many times we miss something, or catch something on subsequent shots that isn't apparent the first time. Other than our time (at least for us amateurs), the cheapest thing we consume is film. Sometimes it's worth burning, imho, to get the best result. Just my two cents (Cdn). -frank John Whicker wrote: > Bob Blakely wrote: > > > I say, "Don't be stingy with the film." > > > > Walk around, up and down and waste > > the whole roll on that subject. I say > > it increases the odds. > > Hi Bob, > > Thirty years ago I was taught the exact > opposite: "Treat every frame as though > it is the only one you've got". Nothing I > have seen, heard, read or done in the last > 30 years has caused me to doubt the > quality of that advice. > > Wasting film is wasting your time. Take > a little time with one shot, get it right, > and you won't need to waste the rest of > the film in the hope of achieving something > that is merely acceptable. > > Just my Euro 0.02. > > John -- "The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true." -J. Robert Oppenheimer
RE: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
> -Original Message- > From: Dan Scott [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > Moving around and looking at whatever it is you want to > photograph from > different heights and different angles. We've got articulated joints > for cripes sake! No excuse not to use them. Not true, I have lots of excuses - just ask the wife!
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
SLR only: 'If you saw the shot, you missed it'. Go again. Anything with a head: 'Don't shoot until you see the whites of the eyes' Cotty Oh, swipe me! He paints with light! http://www.macads.co.uk/snaps/ Free UK Macintosh Classified Ads at http://www.macads.co.uk/
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
One of the more obvious, but difficult to always do because it takes some discipline, is: Don't take bad pictures. It doesn't take long to learn what things produce the kiss of death for a picture: bad light, bad background, junk in frame, subject out of position or time, etc. You have to get yourself to just not push the button until you've done something to make it possible to get a decent shot. BR
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
Bruce, I concur. The automated cameras even make it harder to resist just firing the shutter. All the automation is kind of fun to see in action. The best cure I've had is using the 67. Almost no automation and film cost and film loading speed makes me much more cognizant of each shot. I look through the finder many times and end up not taking the shot, where with my old PZ-1p or MZ-S, many times I would still fire that shutter. Bracketing a good shot is not the same thing as you describe. Insuring a good shot makes sense. Firing off poor shots just is a waste. Bruce Monday, January 13, 2003, 10:20:32 AM, you wrote: BR> One of the more obvious, but difficult to always do because it takes BR> some discipline, is: Don't take bad pictures. BR> It doesn't take long to learn what things produce the kiss of death for BR> a picture: bad light, bad background, junk in frame, subject out of BR> position or time, etc. You have to get yourself to just not push the BR> button until you've done something to make it possible to get a decent shot. BR> BR
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
On Mon, 13 Jan 2003 17:32:26 +, Cotty wrote: > SLR only: 'If you saw the shot, you missed it'. Go again. That's my biggest problem at the (auto) race track. I think it's also one big reason that I get a much better percentage of keepers now that I use AF at the track. I think I was waiting for the subject to come into focus before tripping the shutter, instead of tripping the shutter just _before_ it came into focus. I've also found that using "trap focus" at the track can be an adventure (a misadventure). First off, it's sometimes hard to find a point to (pre)focus on that won't trip the shutter by itself. Second, if the subject is moving toward or away from you too quickly, the trap focus isn't quick enough. The prefocus spot is in focus, but the subject has passed it by the time the mirror flips and the shutter fires. TTYL, DougF KG4LMZ
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
> Thirty years ago I was taught the exact > opposite: "Treat every frame as though > it is the only one you've got". That's the thing I like about medium format - less frames, more thinking. Still, when I shoot 35 mm, I don't hesitate to shoot a few frames more, and guess what - usually the last one is the one. Regards, Lukasz ***r-e-k-l-a-m-a** Chcesz oszczedzic na kosztach obslugi bankowej ? mBIZNES - konto dla firm http://epieniadze.onet.pl/mbiznes
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
This one time, at band camp, "Lukasz Kacperczyk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > guess what - usually the last one is the one. Just as a point of interest, I watched a National Geographic special on how they photographed some tomb of someone once important and the assignment lasted 4 months. The photographer in that time took some 4,000 photos.(this is from memory) He was discussing how the 'Vault' door was opened and he snapped off a few frames, and then as they entered how he meticulously photographed various parts of the burial chamber, the mummified remains etc, and was being careful not to miss anything, and when leaving taking some extra frames to be safe. Funnily enough, it was one of the first frames that made the cover of NG Just a counter point Kind regards kevin -- Please avoid sending me Word or PowerPoint attachments. See http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html Kevin Waterson Port Macquarie, Australia
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
> Just as a point of interest, I watched a National Geographic > special on how they photographed some tomb of someone once important > and the assignment lasted 4 months. > > The photographer in that time took some 4,000 photos.(this is from memory) > He was discussing how the 'Vault' door was opened and he snapped off > a few frames, and then as they entered how he meticulously photographed > various parts of the burial chamber, the mummified remains etc, and was > being careful not to miss anything, and when leaving taking some extra > frames to be safe. > > Funnily enough, it was one of the first frames that made the cover of NG The solution would to take only the right ones, wouldn't it? :-) The thing is, sometimes you have no time to realy thinkover every shot - my solution is to take a few frames and hope for the best. Still, I'm not saying I don't try to make every shot as good as I can, but we don't always get the keepers right the first time, or do we? Regards, Lukasz === www.fotopolis.pl [EMAIL PROTECTED] === internetowy magazyn o fotografi ***r-e-k-l-a-m-a** Chcesz oszczedzic na kosztach obslugi bankowej ? mBIZNES - konto dla firm http://epieniadze.onet.pl/mbiznes
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
"Lukasz Kacperczyk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> Thirty years ago I was taught the exact >> opposite: "Treat every frame as though >> it is the only one you've got". > >That's the thing I like about medium format - less frames, more thinking. >Still, when I shoot 35 mm, I don't hesitate to shoot a few frames more, and >guess what - usually the last one is the one. Funny thing is, with me it's usually the *first* frame of a series that ends up being the keeper. -- Mark Roberts Photography and writing www.robertstech.com
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
I find that I'll take many shots of the same subject, but not at the same time. There are a couple of things that I've obsessed upon over the years, and continually take photos of. An old wrecked Jaguar sedan (saloon to you Brits ), maybe a Mark IV, sits in tall grass next to a house in my neighbourhood. Toronto's Flatiron Building (sorry, Mike, but maybe it doesn't count if it's not the NYC one? ). Several other buildings here in Toronto. I've got dozens of shots of these obsessions, with different lighting, different seasons, different bodies and lenses, different films. And, I'm thinking that by passing by these things every couple of weeks or months gives me a different outlook. I rarely set out to walk by these subjects, so it's not planned, but invariably I'll find myself walking by them on a regular basis and I can't resist taking a couple of shots! Still haven't gotten the "perfect shot" of any of them, though... ciao, frank Dan Scott wrote: > Sure. I don't usually take a bazillion shots of the same subject, but > if I'm trying to catch something evasive, like an insect, I'll start > shooting as soon as I get a reasonable size image on the film and as I > move closer I will frame and get the best shot available at that range, > and so on until I hit the circle of fear and the insect takes off for > less threatening locations. If I'm shooting kids in my son's > kindergarten class, I'm a lot less critical and less ambitious—so I'll > use a roll or two on 2o kids and the activity or event. > > And I don't WANT anyone giving me more reasons to get a 67, I've > already got enough reasons that I'm trying to stifle as it is. ;-) > > Dan Scott -- "The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true." -J. Robert Oppenheimer
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
The first thing you do when you start trying to make a living with this stuff is to get an "insurance" shot. That is the shot you take first to CYA in case you never get another opportunity. Then, as Dan writes, you keeping trying to get another, and another, and another until you get the best one. Sometimes the insurance shot is the best one. Sometimes it is the only one. On Tuesday 14 January 2003 07:04 pm, Dan Scott wrote: > My wife will occasionally ask me, "Why did you take seventeen > pictures of "that"? (you can actually hear the quotation marks when > she says it, too) My answer is always, "I didn't know how close I > was going to be able to get and/or the subject was changing and I > didn't know if I was going to get a chance to get a better shot-so I > took what I could get and tried to work myself closer or into a > better angle." If it takes 37 shots to get the best one, so be it. -- Ken Archer Canine Photography San Antonio, Texas "Business Is Going To The Dogs"
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
> The first thing you do when you start trying to make a living with this > stuff is to get an "insurance" shot. That is the shot you take first > to CYA in case you never get another opportunity. Then, as Dan writes, > you keeping trying to get another, and another, and another until you > get the best one. Sometimes the insurance shot is the best one. > Sometimes it is the only one. Ken, I've got a funny story along those lines. Many years ago I worked for a hardass commercial advertising pro. Occasionally, he would do portraits for friends despite having no great aptitude for it. Well, once, some friends asked him to take some pictures of their four-year-old. He came to me and asked me how I lit some portraits of mine that he'd seen, and I told him it was just window-light--that if it were me, I'd set up the backdrop perpendicular to the window and put up a big reflector panel opposite it. He said, "you use _natural_ light?" with an expression of utter scorn, and ordered me to set up the backdrop in the studio and link four 2400w/s power packs to a Black Line Quad Head in an 8-foot soft box. I did as I was told. The couple and the child arrived, they schmoozed for a while, and then it came down to the portrait session. I had the Hassie backs loaded and the Polaroid back on the camera. My boss told the little boy to sit down on a box we'd set under the canvas backdrop, next to the soft box, and then he shot off a Polaroid to test the light. POW! The Quad Head popped loudly and with a blinding light. The little boy gave a look of terror, screamed, and bolted for his Mommy's arms. And he screamed and screamed. Unable to calm him down, they finally took him back to the office, where after a while he settled down and played happily. But the minute we brought him back into the studio, he took one look at the soft box and immediately started to scream in terror again, clinging to his Mommy. The upshot was that although they stayed all afternoon, my boss never got to shoot a single frame of film. And that one Polaroid? It showed the little boy looking cute and relaxed and smiling happily at the camera. Would have made a pretty nice portrait. --Mike
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
That sounds like another case of sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you. :-) On Wednesday 15 January 2003 02:20 am, Mike Johnston wrote: > > The first thing you do when you start trying to make a living with > > this stuff is to get an "insurance" shot. That is the shot you > > take first to CYA in case you never get another opportunity. Then, > > as Dan writes, you keeping trying to get another, and another, and > > another until you get the best one. Sometimes the insurance shot > > is the best one. Sometimes it is the only one. > > Ken, > I've got a funny story along those lines. Many years ago I worked for > a hardass commercial advertising pro. Occasionally, he would do > portraits for friends despite having no great aptitude for it. Well, > once, some friends asked him to take some pictures of their > four-year-old. He came to me and asked me how I lit some portraits of > mine that he'd seen, and I told him it was just window-light--that if > it were me, I'd set up the backdrop perpendicular to the window and > put up a big reflector panel opposite it. He said, "you use _natural_ > light?" with an expression of utter scorn, and ordered me to set up > the backdrop in the studio and link four 2400w/s power packs to a > Black Line Quad Head in an 8-foot soft box. I did as I was told. > > The couple and the child arrived, they schmoozed for a while, and > then it came down to the portrait session. I had the Hassie backs > loaded and the Polaroid back on the camera. My boss told the little > boy to sit down on a box we'd set under the canvas backdrop, next to > the soft box, and then he shot off a Polaroid to test the light. > > POW! The Quad Head popped loudly and with a blinding light. The > little boy gave a look of terror, screamed, and bolted for his > Mommy's arms. > > And he screamed and screamed. Unable to calm him down, they finally > took him back to the office, where after a while he settled down and > played happily. But the minute we brought him back into the studio, > he took one look at the soft box and immediately started to scream in > terror again, clinging to his Mommy. > > The upshot was that although they stayed all afternoon, my boss never > got to shoot a single frame of film. > > And that one Polaroid? It showed the little boy looking cute and > relaxed and smiling happily at the camera. Would have made a pretty > nice portrait. > > --Mike -- Ken Archer Canine Photography San Antonio, Texas "Business Is Going To The Dogs"
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
On Tue, 14 Jan 2003 20:38:20 +, Ken Archer wrote: > That sounds like another case of sometimes you eat the bear and > sometimes the bear eats you. :-) Or: Some days you're the y; some days you're the bug. :-) TTYL, DougF KG4LMZ
Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
In a message dated 1/14/2003 5:29:28 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > I find that I'll take many shots of the same subject, but not at the same > time. There are a couple of things that I've obsessed upon over the years, > and continually take photos of. An old wrecked Jaguar sedan (saloon to you > Brits ), maybe a Mark IV, sits in tall grass next to a house in my > neighbourhood. Toronto's Flatiron Building (sorry, Mike, but maybe it > doesn't count if it's not the NYC one? ). Several other buildings here > in Toronto. > > I've got dozens of shots of these obsessions, with different lighting, > different seasons, different bodies and lenses, different films. And, I'm > thinking that by passing by these things every couple of weeks or months > gives me a different outlook. I rarely set out to walk by these subjects, > so it's not planned, but invariably I'll find myself walking by them on a > regular basis and I can't resist taking a couple of shots! > > Still haven't gotten the "perfect shot" of any of them, > though... > > ciao, > frank Oh, glad to know I am not the only one. There is a log on a nearby hill (that I have to walk to) that has captured my imagination. Long, split, with a "head" that looks almost like an animal head. Taken a lot of shots of it now -- also in different seasons. Some I like, but none is quite what I want yet. In fact, it's time to try it again -- think I'll try some macro this time too. I am sure I will find other "obsessional" objects and things that I want to return to again and again as time goes on. Hmmm, maybe that's not too surprising, because maybe photography = obsession. Hehehe. Later, Doe aka Marnie
Re: RE: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
My "trick" in fast action is to set up the framing etc and pre focus using focus lock and wait.I have tried panning but find i'm a bit quick on the trigger. Pre planning is number one with me and the Nag's. Dave Begin Original Message From: "Butch Black" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Obviously this won't work in all situations like shooting sports though even there a little pre thought can go a long ways. BUTCH "Each man had only one genuine vocation - to find the way to himself" Hermann Hesse (Demian) End Original Message Pentax User Stouffville Ontario Canada "Art needs to be in a frame.That way we know when the art stops and the wall begins"--Frank Zappa http://home.ca.inter.net/brooksdj/ http://brooks1952.tripod.com/myhorses Sign up today for your Free E-mail at: http://www.canoe.ca/CanoeMail
Re: RE: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
F8 and be there. __ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
Fwd: Re: Single best tip or trick for better pictures?
> Or: Some days you're the y; some days you're the bug. :-) Oops, that's supposed to be Some days you're the windshield; some days you're the bug. TTYL, DougF KG4LMZ
