10/26/2008 11:43:04 AM

ok, it's not an SLR, but I think I did OK on these two shots. the rest, well, they just plain sucked.




this last one I want to try again. What should I do next time to make it come out better? #1 is a tripod, but I already knew that

10/26/2008 11:19:29 PM

I don't think a tripod would have made those shots any better. Try experimenting with the Rule Suggestion of Thirds.

10/26/2008 11:45:15 PM

my puppy.

10/26/2008 11:46:52 PM

^^ well, I can't really get any sky in the shot of the last one. is it just a crappy photo choice, then? the path photo wasn't my favorite shot, but it's the only one I took where my damned adhd hands didn't shake the picture into oblivion

10/26/2008 11:53:35 PM

awe he's cute!

10/26/2008 11:55:07 PM

^^^Awww, look @ the dead pixels, they're so cute j/k cute puppy for real.

^^ You don't need sky to apply the rule of thirds. Ex: the gazebo is right in the middle of your photo. The vanishing point for the trail photo is right in the middle. The tree line is right in the middle of the photo. Mix it up a little bit. Google "Rule of Thirds." Here's an example: http://www.photo96.com/blog/?p=371

10/27/2008 12:02:45 AM

lol im only shootin on an xt with cheap lenses, im not too worried about a dead pixel here and there

10/27/2008 12:04:58 AM

ehe, so, in short, I'm being a newb. thx for being as nice as you were about, teehee.

10/27/2008 12:07:54 AM

just got back from NYC. Had a blast. I tried to sneak into the Canon booth and get some sample RAW images from the new 5D, but they caught me and told me to leave. CS 4 and lightroom 2 look like pretty good upgrades.

[Edited on October 27, 2008 at 5:03 AM. Reason : ]

10/27/2008 5:02:14 AM

Is this something worth the money, or can someone recommend something that is?
I don't have a lot of money to spend on ...anything these days, but after months and months of wanting to do -something- with my flash, I figure I can justify spending $20-$25. I've gotten to the point where I'd just rather not use flash

10/27/2008 10:48:13 AM

Using the pop up flash is a bad idea, but if you decide you want to go down that road I imagine the diffuser will help. I'd say you're better off shooting without a flash, or saving a bit of cash and getting a cheap flash that you can manually control or even use off camera.

10/27/2008 10:52:37 AM

By 'do -something- with my flash' I do, indeed, mean 'make it so I don't feel like a jackass for even using it at all'

10/27/2008 10:54:20 AM

Ah, gotcha. Understandable. What kind of camera do you have? On my 40D I can go into special functions and set the flash for rear curtain sync. That's fun to play with and the only reason I've ever used my popup flash.

10/27/2008 11:00:59 AM

Nikon D50

I pretty much only use it for fill when lighting is already adequate - and then I make sure to take photos without flash, as well.

10/27/2008 11:02:44 AM

i do the same thing Christine. Since all my gear got stolen, i still havent replaced everything i lost. i think i might sacrifice a lens right now for a starter external flash.

im hoping someone will get me a lens for christmas

10/27/2008 12:52:09 PM

some shots from The Faint saturday night.

10/27/2008 10:22:25 PM

I'm looking to buy one slightly under 1000$ any suggestions?

10/27/2008 10:34:34 PM

XSI kit + lense

10/27/2008 11:23:11 PM

d40 + kit lens

10/27/2008 11:27:50 PM

found my sister an XSi w/ 18-55mm IS lens for something like $600 a few weeks ago.

not that i was buying it for her. just sent my dad the link because he kept bitching that it cost too much everywhere he looked.

i cant wait, i'll be getting the canon 70-300mm IS lens soon to replace the crappy tamron. i just got sick of camera shake and im out in the field too much to carry a tripod everywhere.

10/27/2008 11:31:03 PM

I am doing our company golf tournament today. should be interesting since it will be cold as hell to start off

10/28/2008 8:23:00 AM

Quote :

"Using the pop up flash is a bad idea, but if you decide you want to go down that road I imagine the diffuser will help."

diffuser on the cheap: http://photojojo.com/content/diy/diy-film-container-flash-diffuser/

10/28/2008 8:59:42 AM

nice link and great idea. i will be using this method

10/28/2008 12:11:17 PM

Is this site real?

http://shopdigitaldirect.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=7738

10/28/2008 6:57:47 PM

not really
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Shop_Digital_Direct

10/28/2008 6:58:58 PM

Also is the EOS 40D better or teh Rebel XSI?

10/28/2008 7:00:21 PM

40D. Megapixels don't really matter (XSi has 12.2, 40D has 10.1), but the 40D shoots 6.5 frames per second (vs. 4) and is built a lot sturdier than the Rebel. It's also priced accordingly. The 40D has a few more features, however, the Rebel is enough camera for most people.

[Edited on October 28, 2008 at 7:37 PM. Reason : ]

10/28/2008 7:34:57 PM

Quote :

"Is this site real? http://shopdigitaldirect.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=7738"

You'd think that a red flag would go up when you see that most stuff on their website costs less than half where you could find it anywhere else...

10/28/2008 7:53:03 PM

Quote :

"Since all my gear got stolen, i still havent replaced everything i lost."

makes me think twice before i bring my shit with me to raleigh this weekend. the though makes me sick to my stomach. i know it's probably painful to answer, but what did they take?

anyway, another canebrake from me.




[Edited on October 28, 2008 at 11:45 PM. Reason : .]

10/28/2008 11:44:31 PM

I saw "upside-down" as the last response to this thread and had a bet going with myself that there were some new snake pictures posted. Yup...

10/29/2008 12:16:51 AM

and i delivered.

10/29/2008 12:40:46 AM

Quote :

"I'm looking to buy one slightly under 1000$ any suggestions?"

For just a body? I'd either get a D300 or pick up a used D2x, or maybe a D200.

---ONE HUGE PACKAGE---
D60+ 18-55mm + 55-200mm

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/543638-REG/Nikon_9609_D60_SLR_Digital_Camera.html

Toss in the 50mm f/1.8 Do not ask questions, this is the best value in photography - period.


---BY PARTS---

Wide, usually your kit lens - 17-55mm f/3.5-4.6 or similar. ~$120 from B&H

Portrait, the tried and true 50mm f/1.8 prime. ~$100 from B&H. **GET THIS LENS.**

Cheap Zoom. 70-300mm f/4-5.6. ~$135 from B&H.

Flash. SB-600 ~$175 from B&H.

Leaves ~$500 for a body, D80 from eBay.


OR. You could go with the used D40 and invest in a really nice piece of glass - say 400mm VR prime from eBay and in a year match it to a used D300 or D2xs.

10/29/2008 12:50:56 AM

Rex Blood Services has a points reward program to encourage people to come back and donate frequently. The highest point prize is a digital camera.

I'm one platelet donation away from this, and am either going to give the camera as a gift to someone, or sell it for cash for christmas.

I call up today to ask if they know what kind of camera.

"A polaroid or kodiak sure shot. It's a really good camera - high megapixels, and everything. She (lady in charge of procuring the goods) says it's totally one you'd buy yourself"

I'm googling, and 'sure shot camera' turns up a canon film camera, and I mention 'well, according to google, it looks like a sure shot camera is a canon...'

"Oh, no...it's definitely not a canon. It's a polaroid or kodiak - like she said, a really good camera"



This is the same lady who, despite working a blood bank, stuck a platelet needle (read: HUGE) clear through a vein, and when tending to another patient's TRIMA alert, left the BP cuff inflated to all hell, and left it that way until I couldn't take it any more (I decided to not say anything, to see how long it'd take her). I think it's time for some anonymous feedback, as the only way she manages to pull her head from her ass every morning is with some assistance.

10/29/2008 12:55:10 AM

we're not caring much about your blood-giving issues

back to talking about DSLRs

10/29/2008 1:56:00 AM

umop-apisdn (Mike) That third shot of the rattler is awesome... Great depth of field. What kind of lens are you using? L glass?

10/29/2008 5:55:58 PM

HAHAHAHA. sorry, i just laughed at the L glass comment. it was actually taken with a Tamron 75-300mm lens that a friend gave to me used as a gift. so i guess i should take that as a huge compliment...

i just cant wait, because ill be replacing that lens with a canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM just before xmas (for my yearly trip to florida with Crotalus, adder, and Firebreather). since i shoot handheld 99.9% of the time, i am anticipating the IS lens will make for fewer toss-out shots in lower light conditions.

10/29/2008 7:02:35 PM

wwwebsurfer...did I miss something? where in the world did you find a d300 for less than 1k?

my new rescued stray, Kya:


a superdog (not mine) from the ymca dog swim:


my favorite model, dakota (mine):







[Edited on October 29, 2008 at 7:27 PM. Reason : a]

10/29/2008 7:20:30 PM

set em up

10/29/2008 7:49:29 PM

81



that's awesome

10/29/2008 7:50:06 PM

81.02

10/29/2008 7:50:25 PM

umop-apisdn I also like that 3rd shot, but it seems a little dark. Do you shoot in raw? maybe try to bring back a little of the detail in the shadows and just brighten the whole thing up a tad? Its a wonderful shot composition-wise! definitely a keeper!!

10/29/2008 8:17:38 PM

thanks. yea, i shoot in RAW. the problem is, when i touch up the photos after uploading, it all depends on the angle of the screen on my laptop. while it may look good to me while im doing it, later i find the color and whatnot is off.

but i kinda like my shots a little darker. i dont have photoshop to work on my photos, and when i try to lighten them up, i dont like the smoky/hazy effect that takes over.

10/29/2008 11:57:42 PM

I hate it when that happens.

10/30/2008 12:01:02 AM

oh I definitely know what you mean. my desktop screen is perfect for editing, but if I'm on a laptop or an uncalibrated monitor, oh man the colors and contrast start looking all funky.

I definitely respect your preferences. After all, they ARE your pictures

I did a small adjustment to the jpeg, I hope you don't mind! I was just wanting to show you what I was talking about. Its not really a super drastic change, though I did try to boost the contrast a bit to keep some of those darks you liked, and I also kept the color as it was. I really like the warm tones.

10/30/2008 7:33:29 AM

I like that

10/30/2008 8:12:18 AM

How did we let this get down to page 5?

10/31/2008 11:07:49 AM

Should have brought my tripod to the fair. I did not feel at home shooting hand held with low light or use high ISO's

10/31/2008 11:27:52 AM

I LOVE the first one!!!

10/31/2008 11:38:55 AM

Has anyone tried this? PhotoSynth? Was curious if it was pretty cool or not. I think you have to take a ton of photos though.

http://photosynth.net/default.aspx

10/31/2008 3:58:37 PM