I've learned a lot in the past few months, but I still have issues with my camera and photos. From what I have seen verbalized in posts re:cameras and pic quality, I think others might also. Perhaps we could share our experiences photographing AV's/Gessies here. For starters...
jmp--Google your camera name and model--you should be able to come up with a user manual.
That is too funny. Never thought to do that, lets see if it made any difference....
Before:
After:
ok, so it is still off center, but two minutes looking at the online manual shows some definite improvement....
Now here's Spin Out...think it's semi-mini?
What are we supposed to be doing? I don't get it.........
Share your photography tips. What do you do? I have seen your photos, they are good - what kind of camera, do you do anything special to make your pictures come out better?
I am esp interested in the types of cameras ppl use, as I have been in the market for a new digital. I have a "real" canon rebel, but you have to develop film the old fashioned way, its a pain, and expensive!
I have a Nikon 40 which was on sale 1/2price when Circuit City went out of business. I think the secret is keeping on macro which is the little flower (instead of automatic)........then, of course, you have to a program to crop them. I use the free version of Corel. (I wouldn't know enough to use a fancy photo program)
I currently have a Canon PowerShot A630 digital camera. I can't take decent pictures for the life of me ... I am so technically challenged. My camera has two user guides, one Basic and one Advanced ... I've read through the basic manual and fiddle with settings and still can't figure it out. The Macro button on the back of my camera doesn't stay on ... you have to hold it down while you hold down the button to click the photo. I can take a hundred pictures and maybe, just maybe get one decent in focus picture! Arrrgh! Some people think I exaggerate but I'm serious. I took 54 photo's yesterday and not one was very good. Someone on another forum did tell me to gently hold down the shutter button until I hear the beep which tells me it's in focus. I do that but sometimes the photo still isn't good.
I know I'm past due for an eye exam, you think that might be the problem? LOL. My husband had almost talked me into buying a new camera, with a more powerful zoom or something, but I don't want to spend $300 or more for another camera, and then have this current one in a closet along with the Canon EOS RebelX S, (film type that's been in it's case, sitting on the closet shelf for years!)
I just went out and took about 30 pictures, playing with macro setting. I got one halfway decent picture. I used the macro and then cropped it. Not a Gessie ... but it turned out pretty good.
I have a huge problem with glare when photographing white and blue/purple/lavender colored blooms. Always seems to be a glare from the flash. My husband showed me a few days ago how to turn off the flash but I went out and took a dozen pictures of a Streptocarpella just now and every one was washed out.
I should get some errands done, but I'm going to play around with the camera some more.
That is very pretty, Lin!
Thank you Nichole. I just wish I didn't have to take 50 or more pictures to get a good one!
I have several cameras. My favorite is my SLR Minolta, large and heavy, but SO good. We have quite a few lenses for it. I love using different settings for diff. effects. It is fun to have part in focus and soft focus for the background. Here is what I mean.
I love to get it all in focus also. I use Paint Shop pro with lots of "tube's" I have collected to add pretty things to photos.
Lin, I can't take good photos outside........always too much light..........have to wait until late afternoon or evening.
I have found with pictures on the inside of the house, I let the room have no lights on and then just use the flash with a black photo............with just the macro setting on, you can do just what Sally did with the flower you want to focus on..........just get closer with your camera.........and click.......don't worry about the focus.......it will automatically focus...........
hee hee ... Gail, I keep my setting on auto focus and my pic's are still out of focus most of the time! ^_^ So many times I have wanted to know how to blur the background like in Sally's first picture above! If I get a good shot, sometimes there's ugly, ugly stuff showing in the background and I'd love to get rid of it! LOL.
Great job as usual Sally! I'm a novice when it comes to camera's ... have been for years. You apparently have been into photography for a long time, to me your photo's always look so professional. My DH says our computers have a program similar to what you do with the designs around the pic's but I don't think I have the patience to learn it. I have a very short attention span.
Gail, outside on cloudy days is wonderful too. Just not too many of those days, ha. That is my favorite time. I agree, harsh light outside, not good.
Lin, it just depends what you want to learn. We all love to learn different things. I love to learn things and photography and the PSP program is fun. I love to "play" with photos. Not everyone does, I love to look at all of our photos no matter what we each do. Violets, plants and pet, my favorite subjects!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, and now, Bluebonnet, my CAR too!
That is so cool! Wish I could learn some patience! I can't seem to sit still long enough to play with computer programs and have fun learning stuff like that.
Lin, pro photographers don't even get great pics every time!! I read somewhere recently that a 10 page spread on grizzlys in National Geographic required HUNDRED of THOUSANDS of photos - just to choose maybe 15 good one's from!
My camera is the PowerShot one model older than yours. My macro button needs to be pushed for each photo, but I don't have to hold it down. That's dumb, wonder why yours requires that? I agree that halfway depressing the shutter doesn;t always work either. But, after reading how to use the macro online, my pics are a little better. I also have a canon Rebel, it's the EOS Ti - it's not digital.
The PowerShots are good cameras, so we can't blame them - it must be us! And I get much better pics with the Rebel. So who knows! If I figure anything out, I'll let you know.
LOL jmp24, I know it's not the camera but rather the eyes behind the camera ... mine! ^_^ You know, I might not have to hold down the macro button on mine, I just thought I had to keep it depressed, LOL ... maybe I will go try just pressing it once and see what happens!
yes, try, mine you just have to hold it down till the little flower icon appears on screen, then let go - but it disappears right after you take the picture.
I also found with my camera that trying to get too close always results in blurry. I think I read in the online manual that you have to be back at least 6 inches.
I am playing today too, just took a gazillion pics of my hostas, and this is Hoya motoskei, first time bloomer for me...(hope no one minds a hoya pic, I also took some AV pics of some buds and a new Optimara plant, but they didn't come out nice/clear)
There are people like me who won't even read the manual.......I don't give a hoot. I just want a camera that automatically takes good pics..............my computer tech keeps asking me if I have even looked at the cds that came with the camera........My answer is still, "NO"!.....
Whenever I take pics around the house of plants, I always take 2 or 3.............so I can take the best one and crop. The others I delete at the time so they don't even stay on my computer.
How close you can get with a macro (without changing the lens) depends solely on the individual camera...........
Playing around with photo software Corel MediaOne and having a good time learning and experimenting. It's a good starter software (link sent to me by gessiegail) not difficult to use. Unfortunately the text is available in black only as far as I can tell. Anyway, I am happy with it and will get better with more practice of the features.
This is my second attempt...
Wow! GL, that is really a great picture! Love the frame. I wonder if that software program is compatible with Mac's?
I don't think so Lin, but Mac should have some real good stuff for photos.
Correction: You can do text in a myriad of colors as Gail told me and I explored more.
Jannich had sent me her ADobe Photoshop Elements 6 because she didn't want to learn.........Her son had given it to her as a present, so now I owe Jan some money!! (LOL)
I will use both Corel and the photoshop..........
kohleria...this is more fun!
Great picture, GL!!! In fact , it is fantastic..............you already know more than I do!!
GL: Oh my, that is a wonderful picture and I LOVE that Kohleria .... Beautiful!
All the extra jazz makes them look good!
You guys are going to get sick of me ;) There is no end to this..
I never get sick of looking at anything you post GL! ...but I wish you would switch to the photography tips thread--this is exactly why I posted it. I have learned a lot from you already!
Do you mean on another forum? If so, I wouldn't have the nerve yet as I have only started this today. But again, it has been a lot of fun trying. Love that periwinkle blue.
Phoebe: This is the Gessie Photography Tips Thread you started, LOL. Since it's your Birthday, we will forgive your absentmindedness! ( is that a word? ) ^_^
I started a "Happy Birthday" thread for you this morning. Hope you had a terrific day!
edited to say: Ooops ... now who's absentminded? Here's the link to your Birthday Wishes: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/994716/
This message was edited May 28, 2009 8:22 PM
Sigh...thought I was still on the Round Robin thread--couldn't understand why everyone was posting photography issues there...I am now going to go in the corner and cry...Sorry
Phoebes: No apologies needed, I hope I didn't offend. I was just laughing cause I am the world's dingiest (hmm that doesn't look right, well I don't mean dingy like dirty, but like a dingaling)
LOL, maybe I should quit while I'm ahead? I am easily confused and the way we get to chatting about so many different subjects on all the different threads I sometimes forget where I am! A few minutes ago someone on the Hoya forum posted a picture of a beautiful bloom and I asked the name of the hoya. If I had clicked on the picture to see the larger image I would have seen the name in huge letters right across the photo! ^_^ Seems like I have more and more of my blonde moments lately!
... I can go to a corner and I'd be laughing at myself so much I'm sure tears would be streaming!
No one gets offended on the AV forum, Lin!! We are all senior citizens or close to it, so we get away with a lot...........(I hope I do)
A little more fun with Corel and morning glories!
Great job with the frames etc, everyone. I have had so much fun for years with Paint Shop Pro. I used Photoshop first. So much fun to play with photos!
That's a beauty, Sally! The framing picks up the colors in the Caladium perfectly. Nice composition.
I will have to look at Photoshop to see what it's like. You started out with that one?
After reading all these posts while I was at work, I took this picture (I finally remembered to take the camera!).
