50 plus shots and only one decent!!!
 

I was at the marina Sunday, watching the end of the Columbus Day Regatta. I must have taken over 50 pics and I wasn't real happy with any of them. This is the better one of the lot. Tell me what you guys think please.

Swamper,
This is superb. And taking a lot of pictures to get one good shot is the way you learn, though even then you take a lot. The pros even in the days of film would take ten rolls to get one good shot!

I think it's fine. What were the problems you were having? Focus or blur? Why not post a couple of the ones you aren't happy with and let us poke at those? ;)

Thanks guys. The problems I had were both blur and focus. Even the few that I sorta liked are not too well focused either. I know I needed to take a tripod but it just wasn't going to be practical. These events get very mob like. I'll resize a couple more so you can poke at them.

poke'm please
 

Here are a few more shaky pics.

I think the chosen photo is good for a sunset but if you were trying to get some definition on the boats this late into a sunset, tough going. You might have bracketted this picture 1 stop underexposed and 2 stops (in 1/3 stop increments) over exposed
the others are fine as documentary snap shots. Nothing arty about the subject so I usually just shoot away and choose the couple I want forever.
Good shooting...you can't learn to take good pictures without taking pictures.
Nick

Yup, that's basically what it was,documentary snap shots. I was racing against the sun. There were so many things going on. Boats, dogs, people, bikinis, birds, wildlife, nature, I shot them all and rushed. Looking back, I should have gone with a better plan and better prepared instead of just winging it like I did.

Fantastic picture!! Thanks for sharing!! I have learned the hard way to have my camera with me at all times! I missed a wonderful shot of around 20 sail boats leaving the marina here.

I really like the 5th picture.

The sunset one is nice!

Ramon:D

I agree.

Marilyn

I've gotten away from using a fixed tripod except where I know I have time or need for really sharp pictures. Having said that, I highly recommend this Kirk | SP-QR Strap Pod with Arca-Type Quick Release Mount They have a model with just the 1/4" tripod socket screw as well. These are amazing tools and I keep it on the camera when wandering around. I just drop the end to the ground, stand on the end and pull the camera up to my eye. That adds some of the stability I need to keep the camera from wandering during exposure. Try it.

I think the focus thing might really be just a case of selecting a better object for the camera to focus on. The focus process is different for each of the focus points in your vcamera and the manual should show you which points like horizontal lines and which ones like vertical lines.

I'm the opposite of Ross. I carry a small tripod with me everywhere now. Get much better pictures that way also because it forces me to take more time with them. The tripod I use folds down to 13 inches and only weights about a pound. It's a Manfrotto 785SHB and has a ball head and quick release.

Amanda, Ramon, and Marilyn, thanks for your comments, I wish I liked them too.
Ross... What do you mean, when you want really sharp pictures? :) After knowing you can have them don't you always want them now?
I like the your strap pod idea a lot. I will look into that. I also agree with the different choices of focus points and changing so much to different objects. I know I would have done a better job just going after one thing.
Ron, I agree with the tri, or bi or anypod is better than nopod for good clear pics. My opinion is that with the basic and limited equipment I have, D60 and kit lens, I better be prepared so I can make the best of it. At least I feel that I am on my way to knowing my camera and seeing our combined limits, which is a good thing yes?

What I mean is tack sharp. This can be different from "acceptably sharp" (as in snapshots for the family sharp). When I am doing a shot I think I may want to put up for sale, and need to be undeniably sharp, I will use the strap pod. I carried it when in the Fakahatche and the images came out really sharp. I've used it in Sunken Gardens in St Pete when I did images for my stock agency and the images were all sharp enough for sale. When I carry my camera to the kids house to record birthdays, etc. I just try my "steady" hand :yawn: The point I was making about focus points is based on the way the autofocus works. Check your manual for help there.

Think about this: blur is caused by one of three things (always) - camera movement, subject movement, or focus error. With auto focus, focus error is unlikely unless the auto focus bracket selected was the wrong one, or the autofocus was having a problem with subject contrast (the way the autofocus works). Subject movement (like a flower blowing in the wind) you can't do much about except pick a calm part of the day (like dawn) for pictures. The camera movement is totally controllable by you and the one you can work on.

I also noticed most of your images tend to be underexposed. This is a common problem for many and not something you can do much about right now. The meter did it's thing, but the subjects you picked were difficult. There are whole books explaining this. Here's a site I just found that looks promising for that: New Campus I just checked the Basic Photography section under exposure control and it's pretty good. Th enrollment is only $39.

Have fun, and if it makes a difference, I've been doing this for over 40 years and still sometimes blow it - but not so often dowadays :biggrin:

LOL It's all about perception I suppose. What's tack sharp for me might just be acceptable for you right now. Maybe one day I may want to sell my pictures too if I get that good but I will probably need a better lens at least.
Thanks for all your help Ross. I really appreciate it.
PS. where are those Fak pictures?

I've found that with more practice the shots I am getting now handheld are sharper than what I used to get using a tripod. I will still occasionally use a tripod but I'm finding for average shots that it's more hassle than it's worth.

focus point
 

Ok here's some focus point practice. This is what you meant right Ross?
Andrew....no tripod on these, but only because there wasn't much room for it.;)

Exactly! Now you got the idea. That's what all those little brackets are for in the viewfinder. I leave mine set to the center one, hold the button to focus on the part of the image I want, then recompose, then finish pushing the button. Comes with practice, but what I see there is a great start. Now just work on deciding what to focus on. Keep in mind, most lenses infinity position is actually a bit beyond infinity. This is to assure expansion/contraction of the lens barrel doesn't limit the movement. So on a given day, just setting the lens to infinity won't give a true focus. The auto-focus should be right-on though.

A quick lesson on exposure. The meter is attempting to replicate 18% gray. This means that most "normal" scenes will be exposed fairly well. However sunsets, bright sand, tree shadows, etc. will be off. Scenes that are very bright need a + exposure compensation dialed in. Scenes that are very dark (or scenes with lots of shadows) will probably be overexposed. If this is not what you want, dial in a little bit of underexposure (say -1/3rd or so). Be careful with setting minus compensation - a little goes a long way. I rarely go lower than -2/3 to -1 EV and then only when shooting against black backgrounds - it keeps the background from turning gray. Many of the flower images I see posted here need some plus compensation to make the bright parts "pop".

Trust your D60 meter - it is one of the most accurate out there. But it is only doing what its designers ordered - 18% "gray". The camera meters the focus spot you select with the dial on the back of the camera (the [ ] things in the viewfinder) if you have spot metering selecting. The "matrix" metering is what is called 'evaluative' (it evaluates the entire scene in color) and is rarely fooled except as I noted above. It knows the difference between green and blue so when large amounts of blue are at the top of the scene (sky) and large amounts of green at the bottom (grass) it accounts for this and exposes pretty darned well. This is true both in landscape and vertical (portrait) modes.

Saw the picture of the Vanda on Flickr and didn't realize it was you. It's a great picture.

Very nice shots! love the colours on that vanda too.

I think it's a good idea to learn to shoot without a tripod for crowded orchid show situations where you either don't have room or time to get it set up properly.

Ross - great tips on exposure. I tend to underexpose and correct in PS because it's safer than blowing out highlights, but maybe I'll try some of your tips and see how that works.

Thanks for the lessons Ross. I'm trying to learn to set my camera to the correct metering mode using the grey card. BTW thanks for the New Campus link. I'm liking it a lot so far.

Ron, yeah I've been watching your pics on flickr for a while, I love that cattleya macro you posted today. Actually you have a bunch of fantastic pics on flickr.

Andrew glad you liked the vanda too. It's my favorite vanda but I still haven't really gotten the colors right.
One day I'll bring it down, set it up with the right background, and see if I can get that purple tint just as it is.

A while back I played around with the shutter speed and aperture, and on a few slightly underexposed pics I was able to get the color to show better. I find I like the look of a slightly underexposed pic sometimes.

A trick I learned in my photography class is to use your hand as a gray card. Meter to your hand and then add 1 click more light, either shutter speed ofr f-stop. This is handy outside and gets you generally to the right exposure. Sometimes I have to fine tune to get what I want. The only problem is, people will thing you are strange trying to photograph your hand :rofl: Also if you are outside, green grass can work as a gray card if needed.

Susan