Hey guys just found this site today and decided to sign up. About two weeks ago I purchased a Canon Digital Rebel. I like the camera a lot, but looking at the pictures most of you take, mine look like crap. Can any of you give me hints to pro photography?
Yea I know but still hehe. My main concern is being able to take action shots of cars, people play sports etc.... and nice potraits of people and landscapes. Any tips to that?
Well, Portaits and action want different things. Portraits want a shallow depth of field, the eyes must be in focus, backgrounds that don't distract. Action is a question of how much you want to stop the action. Too high of a shutter speed and it looks like the subject is standing still. Panning is a must for autos to make the background blur.
Hit the Portrait and sports forums here.
This is a good example of the quest for a little motion blur.
Did you have a camera before the rebel? If so, you can use that experience to help accellerate your learning. If not, then just go out and TAKE PHOTOS. That's about it - once you've got a few thousand clicks under you belt you'll start to know what it is you don't know.
find a photograph or a photographer and try to emulate it. Trial and error will teach you more than any book ever will.....it is all about the amount of time you spend with your camera and learn what you can make it do and not what the camera can make you do.
and for pete's sake, keep that digi reble OFF the GREEN MODE!
I might disagree that 'trial and error' is more effective than consulting a good basic photography book, assuming of course you are fairly new at taking pictures. Without understanding the basics of f/stops and shutter speeds, focus, exposure, depth of field, etc., the 'trial and error' method could prove very inefficient, and ineffective.
Since you didn't say the extent of your background in photography, it's a bit difficult to answer your vague request for 'pointers'. Post some more example images mof the different types of photography you wish to get better at, and then maybe we can be of more help. To address your car image, it looks to me like you were focused a bit behind the front of the car (making the front bumper area soft), and I agree there's too much concrete in the foreground.
Don't get me wrong, 'doing' is the best way to learn, but you do need a basis of knowledge so that your finger pressing the shutter is actually getting you the experience you need to learn. If you don't understand what the camera is doing, it's hard to learn from the images you take. If you are just starting out, learn how to use the 'Manual' mode of your camera, and stick with it until you can consistently get the exposure right, without fiddling in PS afterwards. Letting the camera pick the exposure can be of help for difficult situations, but this assumes that you endeavor to look at the EXIF data to see what the camera did.
