Playing . . . Let Me Know What You Think

Natclanwy · Mar 8, 2009

Randy, I have both Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop elements and I find myself using elements more often. The layout is much more user friendly and many of the adjustments are layed out in pallettes that are easier to access than on Photoshop CS3 plus the I really like the photo organizer that comes with it. With the cost of Photoshop elements at ~$80 and Photoshop CS3 somewhere north of $600 its a no brainer. As far as memory goes my personal laptop had 512mb of RAM and it ran fine, it stumbled a bit when I started shooting in RAW though but once you got the pic loaded it was fine. I stepped it up to 2GB and now it runs much better with the RAW images. If you would like to look into upgrading the RAM on your laptop let me know I can generally find pretty good deals on RAM I think the 2GB kit for mine was about $70 and took about 5 minutes to install.

gparr · Mar 8, 2009

Scopus,
Your vignette is less intrusive in the second round. But we knew that. The biggest issue with your shots is that they are out of focus. As previously stated, I'm personally not a fan of vignetting. It rarely contributes. What makes a good image, in my mind, is a subject that is well exposed, has sharp focus, and fills the frame using the rule of thirds, i.e., not centered in the frame. It's hard for me to tell if you're having trouble getting things focused or if you're intentionally going for that soft, pastel, misty look in your images. If the misty/soft look is what you're after, then I would say you are on your way. If you want things in focus but can't achieve it, I/we can help. Maybe it's best if you tell us what you're trying to achieve.
Gary

Poseidon · Mar 8, 2009

I agree with Gary, I rarely use Vignette at all. I don't think I have ever used it for fish pics either.

The watermark is better as well. I would try a fresh "set" where you try to keep the camera "straight" into the glass rather then on an angle.

Wy Renegade · Mar 8, 2009

gparr said:
Scopus,
Your vignette is less intrusive in the second round. But we knew that. The biggest issue with your shots is that they are out of focus. As previously stated, I'm personally not a fan of vignetting. It rarely contributes. What makes a good image, in my mind, is a subject that is well exposed, has sharp focus, and fills the frame using the rule of thirds, i.e., not centered in the frame. It's hard for me to tell if you're having trouble getting things focused or if you're intentionally going for that soft, pastel, misty look in your images. If the misty/soft look is what you're after, then I would say you are on your way. If you want things in focus but can't achieve it, I/we can help. Maybe it's best if you tell us what you're trying to achieve.
Gary

Thanks Gary ~ I appreciate all the help. I really am trying to get shots in focus (Most of these pictures I "cropped" first to center the subject, and then resized). In my understanding, if the object is in focus, it should remain in focus even when cropped? I am trying to get things in focus, and do try and hold the camera parallel to the glass. Would appreciate any help you all can give, because as stated earlier, I can't figure out how to use the manual focus and actually have things come out in focus. Perhaps I should post a couple unmodified originals for comparison as well. I appreciate all the time and advice guys. If you have time and don't mind, tell me more about the rule of thirds.
Thanks
Randy

Poseidon said:
I agree with Gary, I rarely use Vignette at all. I don't think I have ever used it for fish pics either.

The watermark is better as well. I would try a fresh "set" where you try to keep the camera "straight" into the glass rather then on an angle.

I'll post a couple shots I took yesterday here in a bit; trying to take straight into the glass. Thanks for all the help.

Natclanwy said:
Randy, I have both Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop elements and I find myself using elements more often. The layout is much more user friendly and many of the adjustments are layed out in pallettes that are easier to access than on Photoshop CS3 plus the I really like the photo organizer that comes with it. With the cost of Photoshop elements at ~$80 and Photoshop CS3 somewhere north of $600 its a no brainer. As far as memory goes my personal laptop had 512mb of RAM and it ran fine, it stumbled a bit when I started shooting in RAW though but once you got the pic loaded it was fine. I stepped it up to 2GB and now it runs much better with the RAW images. If you would like to look into upgrading the RAM on your laptop let me know I can generally find pretty good deals on RAM I think the 2GB kit for mine was about $70 and took about 5 minutes to install.

Thanks John. Guess I'll have to visit with you a little more.

Wy Renegade · Mar 8, 2009

Ok, here are three from yesterday. Didn't edit any except to add the watermark. Any suggestions on borders, composition, croping, and focus are welcome. Thanks again guys for all your time.

Wy Renegade · Mar 8, 2009

Trying again

Natclanwy · Mar 8, 2009

Randy,
The rule of thirds is pretty simple and once you learn it you will see it everywhere, what it is , is if you were to take your scene and divide it into thirds both horizontally and vertically you would want to place your subject on one of the lines seperating the thirds or at the intersections.

Poseidon · Mar 9, 2009

Those are the best so far!

gparr · Mar 9, 2009

Yes, much improved. I didn't take the time to look back through the thread, so sorry if this was asked and answered. Are you using a tripod? Are you using a remote release and/or the the camera's timer? Does your camera have mirror lockup and are you using it. Implementing these things will help eliminate the blur you're experiencing. Also, what aperture setting(s) are you using? Your depth of field seems very small.

A tip of the cap for diligently working on this. The progress is obvious and you'll ultimately be glad you took the time.
Gary

Wy Renegade · Mar 9, 2009

gparr said:
Yes, much improved. I didn't take the time to look back through the thread, so sorry if this was asked and answered. Are you using a tripod? Are you using a remote release and/or the the camera's timer? Does your camera have mirror lockup and are you using it. Implementing these things will help eliminate the blur you're experiencing. Also, what aperture setting(s) are you using? Your depth of field seems very small.

A tip of the cap for diligently working on this. The progress is obvious and you'll ultimately be glad you took the time.
Gary

Gary, I'm using the auto settings with the camera set on macro. I have a great deal of difficulty focusing the camera on manual; how do you tell when its in focus? My old Olympus had a focus circle, this one has nothing. I do use a tripod, and have used the timer (although I didn't on these), I do not have a remote release at this time. What is a mirror lock-up? And what aperture setting do you recommend?