ghibli99 Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Hi guys, I posted this on some other sites, and am always interested in feedback on my shots... especially from the SoCal locals. I hope to use what I'm learning on your guys' cars in the near future. Anyway, I've only had my 400D/XTi for about a week, and have spent the better part of it working on shooting in P, Av and full manual mode, and getting comfortable with complementing ISO, aperture, and exposure. It was a bit cumbersome dealing with these things on my G1, so I'm excited about how intuitive it is on the DSLR. I didn't do much post-processing on these at all, since I'm trying to get the shots to look nice right out of the camera. Not even close yet, but I hope you like these. Comments and criticism welcome. 1. One of my first pics... basically just part of a sequence of shots getting used to the controls, while at the same time getting a feel for the 28-135mm lens' bokeh. Depth feels pretty good, but the pink candle in the background is blown out a bit, and the AWB on this camera pretty much sucks. http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l131/mmotoda/20061112candles.jpg 2. Not sure what prompted this one, but I bounced the flash off the ceiling in my water heater closet. This was done quickly with autofocus, and it came out alright. Some of the grooves on the bolts are too bright, though. http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l131/mmotoda/20061113bolts.jpg 3. Originally, this was a high ISO test (done at ISO 1600) in pretty low light, and the original was, to be expected, very grainy. This picture had the most post-processing done to it. Still noisy, but I didn't want to lose too much detail. I also forgot to move my dumb Ikea chair out of the background, but I think the details came out pretty sharp. http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l131/mmotoda/20061113poohiso1600edit.jpg 4. My first shot outdoors on my balcony. I was trying to capture the detail of the light fixture with the challenge of being up against a bright and distracting background. Unfortunately, I kept focusing more on the background and not the light itself, since it was hard to get a good gauge on it through the viewfinder. In hindsight, I should've just used AF and a different setting to get some DOF on the background... oh well, next time! http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l131/mmotoda/20061114lightfixture.jpg 5. Just messed with gradient maps and the channel mixer. I'm not very good with those tools yet, so this essentially looks like I desaturated it and that's it (hence why it looks so flat). Gonna practice with this more and get comfortable with adjusting curves. http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l131/mmotoda/20061114nds.jpg 6. Shot of my (dusty) unused phone. White is hard for me to photograph and capture texture and curvature, so this was the result of me going for that. Most of the white cars I've taken pictures of just look like white blotches, so hopefully when I take some pics of one again, I'll be able to capture more details. Should've lit the left side a little more to balance it out. http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l131/mmotoda/20061114uniden.jpg -Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CasopoliS Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 ok all of those pics look AMAZING to me. I wish I knew photography stuff. Awesome. If you were not in SoCal I would pay for a photo shoot with my car just based on these pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghibli99 Posted November 16, 2006 Author Share Posted November 16, 2006 ok all of those pics look AMAZING to me. I wish I knew photography stuff. Awesome. If you were not in SoCal I would pay for a photo shoot with my car just based on these pics. Thanks! I'm just learning the basics for the time being, and doubt I'll ever be happy with my shots (my friends know that I'm my harshest critic), but I appreciate the kind words. My next batch should look a great deal different than these. -Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy_Otaku Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Awesome shots (as always ) Mike! Super crisp & clear, and nice use of DOF as well. Seriously Magazine / Art quality! We gotta test out your camera soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longitude Posted November 17, 2006 Share Posted November 17, 2006 thats hot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stifen Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 The pictures look good. Are you using the 28-135 for all the pictures? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghibli99 Posted November 19, 2006 Author Share Posted November 19, 2006 The pictures look good. Are you using the 28-135 for all the pictures? Yes, although I just got a 50mm f/1.8 that will work better for some of these shots. -Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghibli99 Posted November 21, 2006 Author Share Posted November 21, 2006 Here are some pics of my GF having fun w/ my DS Lite over the weekend. She loves this thing! These were taken with the "nifty fifty" Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens. 7. The DS Lite definitely has the "cute factor", as she likes to say, and loves games like Tetris DS and Brain Age. http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l131/mmotoda/20061119traceydsmodel.jpg 8. Thoroughly addicted to Tetris DS, although I only caught her after she got the Game Over! http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l131/mmotoda/20061119traceygameover.jpg 9. No DS in this pic, but I like this one because I was finally able to nail the focus on her face, and I thought she looked really pretty in it, too. http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l131/mmotoda/20061119traceysmile.jpg -Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghibli99 Posted November 21, 2006 Author Share Posted November 21, 2006 And some Nintendo Wii shots. Did these real quick earlier tonight... 10. Caught this mid-frame, so sorry that it's nothing more than an out-of-sync shot of Epona's butt! Also sorry about the mess of wires behind my TV, but I'm getting ready to move, and well, I'm too lazy to reorganize at the moment. http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l131/mmotoda/20061120wiifull.jpg 11. Shot of the Wiimote/Nunchuk controller. The analog controller has 2 trigger buttons on it as well, which you can sort of see. Works really well for Zelda. Better than I was expecting! http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l131/mmotoda/20061120wiicontroller.jpg 12. Shot of the system. I have it laying on its side since I don't have a better place for it right now. Most people set it up vertically. The slot is DVD-sized, so you can see that the actual unit isn't much bigger than a 5.25" drive that goes in your computer! Power supply is external, though, so there's a brick. http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l131/mmotoda/20061120wiizelda.jpg 13. The sensor bar, which picks up all the movements and button presses of the wireless controller. Sensitivity can be set, etc., and you can either put it on the stand (pictured), or stick it anywhere with the supplied double-sided tape. The silver/black motif matches all my components, so I'm pretty happy with the way it looks (minus the wire). Wish the Wii itself were black or silver, though! http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l131/mmotoda/20061120wiisensorbar.jpg 14. System and game still in the box last night. http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l131/mmotoda/20061119wiizelda.jpg -Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undert0e Posted November 21, 2006 Share Posted November 21, 2006 How do you like the wii? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghibli99 Posted November 21, 2006 Author Share Posted November 21, 2006 How do you like the wii? I really like it. I already knew I was gonna dig it after trying it out at E3 earlier this year, and playing it at home is so much better. The rumble and audio that comes out of the controller is a really nice touch... like when it's your turn, you'll hear a chime and the controller will shake a little bit, which is cool, since you don't have to constantly remind your friends/family that it's their turn. I need better video cables, though. I forgot to pick some up, so I'm stuck w/ using the crappy composite video one, and the plug in the back is different than the SNES and GameCube, so I have to buy another one! -Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy_Otaku Posted November 21, 2006 Share Posted November 21, 2006 Awesome new pix, Mike! Yah, Wii FTW! I'm so glad I got one. Really creative, and Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is one of THE best Launch Title for a system launch, ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghibli99 Posted November 22, 2006 Author Share Posted November 22, 2006 ^^^ Thanks, guys -- here's another pic of the GF pulled back a bit and w/ warmer lighting: 15. http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l131/mmotoda/20061122traceysmile.jpg -Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henkle Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 Mike, these are some awesome pics! You really brought out the best from the Canon!... I know you've taken tons more pics, so let's see them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghibli99 Posted November 23, 2006 Author Share Posted November 23, 2006 ^^^ Haha! Believe me, most of the pics I take are either unusable due to camera shake or the focus not hitting just right. It's kinda frustrating at times, but you just have to keep shooting, and chances are you'll get that one shot that just makes you sit back and smile. More coming... the next batch will be of cars, and beyond that, they'll definitely be more festive for the season. Anyway, thanks for the very kind comments. -Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stifen Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 thread jack! 17-40L with 430EX speedlite, ISO400. it's late :\ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henkle Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Mike, I understand completely what you're talking about. I know you'll find ways to steady your hands; even your 1/25 sec shots will come out sharp before you know it! As for the mis-focus, part of it is getting used to different cameras having different focusing method. But overall, I found that Canon DSLRs generally mis-focus on its own. Sometimes they focus just a bit before the subject, sometimes behind... That happened with the 300D, 20D,... even the 5D that I've tried... so it isn't really you. And for the white balance, I guess there's no other way but to shoot a custom WB. In difficult lightings, I'd shoot at someone's white T-shirt to set a custom WB, or use my gray card if I brought it with me. In general, WB is tricky with ALL DSLRs, though some are a bit more accurate than others... BTW, immediately upload your photos in your computer or other storage devices. My friend's 20D destroyed his CF card one time, and it's not just his... Other than that, have fun with your camera, especially at high ISO settings! My pics come out crappy at ISO 800 and more... Again, I really like your photos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghibli99 Posted November 24, 2006 Author Share Posted November 24, 2006 ^^^ Thanks, man -- I appreciate the words of wisdom! I've been making things hard on myself by only having taken indoor pictures since getting the camera, with only that one shot of the light fixture being outdoors. Difficult lighting situations for real! I'm gonna give it a shot tomorrow after I wash my car to see how things turn out, and then the night shoot tomorrow night in Long Beach. Yeah, things are pretty noisy at ISO 800+, but I'm glad that I can take care of most of it in PP. I have an 18% gray card on the way as well as a Sto-Fen Omni Bounce for my 580EX. All the little accessories here and there are gonna be the death of me, I tell you. Anyway, thanks again for the nice comments, and I'll see you soon. -Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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