Hobbies and Crafts

I reckon I take at least 100 shots to find one with which I am happy so I always carry a couple of 16 GB cards with me.

I tend to use maximum resolution and play around a lot with depth of field to try out different ideas and concepts.

I think it depends where I am, a lot of my photography these days is on holiday, i.e. in Tenrife, where I tend to take the flowers and sea scenes and it is repetitive because we have been there a lot. However when we go on holiday in the UK i.e. the Lake District, I will take more of the lakes and mountains always looking for a better shot than before. that is when I usually have more than one camera with me.

Actually I am glad we had this conversation. I have decided to just take my compact camera to Tenerife to save weight this time and I had the 2GB card in, have just changed it for the 8GB which was in my other camera. :-)

Hi there. I joined a camera club to see if I could improve my photography, but the judges seem very picky and seem to prefer photos which have been photoshopped, that is to say, digitally altered. I do not have the photoshop programme and even if I did I wouldn't make major alterations to my photos, just lighten if a bit dark, and of course I don't mind cropping my photos to improve the look. And I will change a colour photo to b&w or sepia if it improves it, but the basic photo is still the same. My one problem with the digital camera is that it is not so easy to change the focus/speed etc as with the old film cameras. And remember to change the settings for the next photo! So I just leave it on the one setting and point and shoot.

I have lots of old film photos which I have scanned to my computer, or rather scanned the film instead. That way, if the horizon is not level I can at least level it up to get a better photo, even if it means cropping.

I have some colour positive film taken about Dec 1938, by my dad. I have scanned them onto my computer. I was hightly delighted when my sister came to light with them as I thought they had been lost. I can date them fairly accurately because I am obviously about 3 yrs old in them (birthday in Jan). You wont find too many amateur colour pos photos as old as that. The colour isn't too terrible either.

Lucky you Huia, gosh, colour photos as old as that, are they sharp?

You take very good photos, and, besides the fact I could not get to grips with photoshop, I sort of think it is cheating to alter the original photo so much and still think it represents what was taken. If it is a competition, there ought to be a separate class for photos digitally changed by programmes such as photo shop. I think the results are more down to computer prowess than photographic expertise.

I love the phrase, painting with light, which is one way of describing the act of taking photos. I do lighten, straighten and crop my photos as well as maybe change to B&W or sepia. But could never understand layers where you can, for instance, change the colour of the sky.

Ann - I always describe myself as a "photo artist".

I think that even using digital enhancement with the likes of Photoshop requires a high degree of skill and is certainly not a demonstration of computer prowess. You still have to have an "eye" for it.
I get quite annoyed with people who, because they know how to use software such as Photoshop, believe that they are artistic and that is quite obviously not the case.
But I do agree that as far as competitions are concerned it could be argued that there should be seperate classes to a certain extent although it would be difficult to say at which point it becomes a "Photoshopped" image rather than merely enhanced.. However, unless altering the actual content and composition of the image, all Photoshop does is an electronic version of what photographers have always done using filters, burning, under/over exposure etc.

Huia - you would have far greater control if you used a digital SLR. That way you can very easily alter exposure, focus, aperture (f stops) etc.

If you want to try a free programme that for most people is probably as good as Photoshop for what they want to do, try Gimp.

It is very very good indeed and can be downloaded here...

http://www.gimp.org/

(click on Downloads)

...or do a search online for it.

Thanks Errol, I may download Gimp when I get home. I used to like photo Suite but can't get it now. I tend to enhance with Picassa at the moment.

Errol, the digital SLRs are much more expensive than the non-SLRs, so I think I will stick with what I have. After all, I am really wanting to take photos of people, places I have been, interesting things (birds, insects, flowers, fungi etc) for my own interest (and family and friend interest on FB). I think my nephew had installed Gimp on my old computer. I might try downloading it some time but as I don't have broadband and cant get it here, it might take too long, and I don't have the patience to wait several hours while something downloads and installs.

Can anyone help me.

At he camera club I go to they have set subject competitions. This year one of the subjects is table top. This I take to mean still life??? but not sure if it has to be small enough to fit on a table. Everyone seems to take things like flowers or fruit but I would like to do something different but can't think of anything . Can you please help me with a few ideas. Thanks
Please keep it simple as I am only a beginner at this photography lark.
Jane

Do you have some small ornaments, Jane, which would group together well, e.g. animals, or miniature jugs, or some such?

Our club's set subject in a fortnight is 'Style' but I am not going out of my way to find a suitable setting. Maybe if I have time in the coming week I will visit a skateboard park to photograph the style of some of the skateboarders, or find some mountain bikers who are not in the bush (don't show up too well) but in the open doing a jump. Something like that. I could just dress up a mannequin in our shop but that seems too obvious for style. Having been flat on my back with a nasty cold for the past week I might give the set subject a miss and just enter the open subject as I have several photos I can use.

Remember Jane, the judges are not so much looking for original ideas but for well-composed photos with good lighting (and shade?) and focus etc. Depth of field and all that sort of thing. No distracting objects or lines in it.

Thank you for your help Huia. Yes I do tend to forget that it doesnt really matter what the subject is as long as its a good shot.

I'm just going down to the Solent to see if I can take some pictures of boats before the sailing season ends.

Bye. Have fun with your Photography

Jane

Jane how about books or writing stuff, pad, pen, ink if you have it with maybe a cup and saucer next to it.

Thats an idea AnninGlos. I will have to play.

I have just come back from the beach. There wasn't much wind so no exciting boat shots. The boat I was after needs a lot of wind so it wasn't there. I will just have to look at the ones I did take and see what I can do with those. We have an open competition next so I need a few decent shots for that first.

There was a crow holding a crab but I think I missed it. shame that would have been a nice shot.

THanks for your help

Jane

Or set up a tray with teapot cup and saucer etc.

Well, I wasn't the winner of the photo comp in the local paper, but the winning shot was also an insect like mine was. The winner was of a fly eating bird poo. :-S It was a bit closer shot than mine, so more detailed. Mine was of a hoverfly on a small white flower. I wonder what the subject will be next time. :-)

We are off to a museum of historic buildings tomorrow so I'm taking my camera to see if I can get some good and some unusual shots. I think there's a working windmill, a perry mill and a prefab and magistrate's cells among other things so there should be something of interest to snap.

Sounds interesting Ann. I have just downloaded my holiday photos, got some good flower photos :-)

Last year I entered a few photos in a Christmas Card competition but didn't win, but I left them on Fli*r. The other day I got an email saying the District Council's Chairman wished to use one of my photos I'd entered in the competition last year for his Official Christmas Card this year!! :-) Of course, I said YES and I am to be sent some vouchers to spend in return. It quite made my day!! :-D

Keep snapping folks. ;-) ;-)

Oh that is great news Ann, lovely to know somebody else appreciates your work. are they local photos?