The Photography Mega-Thread

**Winslow** · 07-29-2009, 04:58 PM

I performed a search and found no similar threads in the forum, so I thought I'd start a photography mega-thread.

Use this thread to ask questions, get tips on methods and equipment, or maybe showcase some of your stuff.

Those of you that use software to enhance or alter your digital photos, what do you use?

What are your favorite objects to capture in photos? Still lifes? Landscapes? Candids of people?

**thespianphryne** · 07-30-2009, 09:22 AM

Hey, Winslow. Maybe I'll take some pics for the thread. Before I moved to the US and even for a while here when I had some cash to spare I used to take photos with a Yashica-635(variation of Yashica D) TLR medium format. The medium format is expensive as hell to buy and develop so I just used the 35mm adapter.

I like to take pictures of people and long exposures of landscapes. Mostly I use a very old version of Photoshop to touch up the images, contrast or saturation wise. I try to not change the original exposure as much as possible.

These days I mess around with my Kodak Z7590 digital cam. Which is merely a serviceable camera.

I'll try to snoop around my HDs and see what images I can find.

-Das

**howyadoin** · 07-30-2009, 11:21 AM

Winslow, you oughta put a link to this in your signature.

**Winslow** · 07-30-2009, 03:28 PM

Originally Posted by howyadoin

Winslow, you oughta put a link to this in your signature.

Good idea ...

**howyadoin** · 07-30-2009, 07:47 PM

Originally Posted by Winslow

Those of you that use software to enhance or alter your digital photos, what do you use?

There's a reason that Photoshop is the industry standard.

Though if batch processing is something you need, Bridge or Lightroom might be the answer you're looking for. It really depends on your needs and your workflow.

**Winslow** · 07-31-2009, 02:59 AM

Originally Posted by howyadoin

There's a reason that Photoshop is the industry standard.

Though if batch processing is something you need, Bridge or Lightroom might be the answer you're looking for. It really depends on your needs and your workflow.

What is really going to come out in this thread is how cheap I am.

I used to use the digital graphics program that came with my old job to alter or enhance photographs. Now that I have changed jobs and no longer have access to a graphics program, I use the free software that came with my computer: Microsoft PictureIt!

It's OK for basic touchups, like taking out red eye, altering brightness, color, or contrast ... but anything beyond that is disappointing.

For example, here is a panorama I put together while visiting Smoky Mountain National Park last month (the file is too wide to embed without messing up the format of the thread, so it's a link):

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...vePanorama.jpg

As you can see, the transitions between individual photos is really crappy.

**Pro** · 07-31-2009, 04:23 AM

Photoshop does a pretty decent job stitching panoramas together. Not sure if Gimp does the same but might be worth checking out. It has many functions that photoshop has but it's free.

Important with panoramas is to remember to always take overlapping shots.
This helps programs to make gradient overlaps rather than the abrupt overlaps you have now.

You can help the program you use further by manually altering brijghtness, contrast and color to match in each photo.

As for my personal photos, most of them are reference shots and brush material for photoshop. When I specifically go out to make photographs I like taking pictures of people, prefereably catching them in the act without them knowing about it.

...

No i'm not a stalker. People tend to be more real if they don't know you're watching.

All I have these days though is a small digital camera. Good for collecting reference material and snapshots, but I do miss a good set of lenses.

**Winslow** · 07-31-2009, 05:55 AM

Originally Posted by Pro

As for my personal photos, most of them are reference shots and brush material for photoshop. When I specifically go out to make photographs I like taking pictures of people, prefereably catching them in the act without them knowing about it.

...

No i'm not a stalker. People tend to be more real if they don't know you're watching.

Ah, candids!

I've never had the boldness to take them of strangers, but when you anticipate a moment and capture emotion or something interesting, it can be a very fun photo.

Here's a fun cadid I took at Christmas time of my folks opening a present that I knew they would find humorous:

Originally Posted by Pro

All I have these days though is a small digital camera. Good for collecting reference material and snapshots, but I do miss a good set of lenses.

Yeah, that's all I have. I bought it in 2004 for a trip out west.

It's a tad limiting but I still enjoy snapping shots with it.

**Gary_B** · 07-31-2009, 06:21 AM

Originally Posted by Winslow

What is really going to come out in this thread is how cheap I am.

I used to use the digital graphics program that came with my old job to alter or enhance photographs. Now that I have changed jobs and no longer have access to a graphics program, I use the free software that came with my computer: Microsoft PictureIt!

It's OK for basic touchups, like taking out red eye, altering brightness, color, or contrast ... but anything beyond that is disappointing.

For example, here is a panorama I put together while visiting Smoky Mountain National Park last month (the file is too wide to embed without messing up the format of the thread, so it's a link):

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...vePanorama.jpg

As you can see, the transitions between individual photos is really crappy.

I have two cameras and they are both Canons (a DSLR Rebel XTi with multiple lenses and a glorified point-and-shoot PowerShot S3 with an optional telephoto adapter). They both came with software that enables me to do things like panorama stitching.

Photoshop does a better job, though. I used pirated Photoshop for quite a while but I am full-on legit these days. There is a "light" version that you might consider.

I am into HDR photography quite a bit and I use Photomatix for that. I like it more than the HDR functions included with Photoshop. But I still end up tweaking my Photomatix images in Photoshop in most cases.

**howyadoin** · 07-31-2009, 12:28 PM

Originally Posted by Winslow

What is really going to come out in this thread is how cheap I am.

I used to use the digital graphics program that came with my old job to alter or enhance photographs. Now that I have changed jobs and no longer have access to a graphics program, I use the free software that came with my computer: Microsoft PictureIt!

It's OK for basic touchups, like taking out red eye, altering brightness, color, or contrast ... but anything beyond that is disappointing.

For example, here is a panorama I put together while visiting Smoky Mountain National Park last month (the file is too wide to embed without messing up the format of the thread, so it's a link):

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...vePanorama.jpg

As you can see, the transitions between individual photos is really crappy.

As bad as those transitions are, it wouldn't take long to fix that up in Photoshop.

**LewMoxinsghost** · 07-31-2009, 12:37 PM

Here are some bad transitions that were done in Photoshop... I just never got around to fixing it and thought it looked more interesting this way. This was the view from my old place...

**Dee106** · 08-01-2009, 03:52 PM

Well newbie here and seems I am having problems even posting *lol*....I found this thread and it sounded interesting. I have a Canon A640 that I carry with me at all times and a Canon Rebel XSI. I am still in the learning stages would love to post some pictures for some constructive criticism as soon as I figure out how *lol*. I download Picasa 3 it's a free download and had not disappointed me yet. Right now going through my macro period. Photography has always been a passion of mine and hope to delve more into it.

**Mermaid** · 08-02-2009, 04:29 AM

Originally Posted by Winslow

What is really going to come out in this thread is how cheap I am.

I used to use the digital graphics program that came with my old job to alter or enhance photographs. Now that I have changed jobs and no longer have access to a graphics program, I use the free software that came with my computer: Microsoft PictureIt!

It's OK for basic touchups, like taking out red eye, altering brightness, color, or contrast ... but anything beyond that is disappointing.

For example, here is a panorama I put together while visiting Smoky Mountain National Park last month (the file is too wide to embed without messing up the format of the thread, so it's a link):

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...vePanorama.jpg

As you can see, the transitions between individual photos is really crappy.

Had a go at making this a bit more like one shot.....because I really AM that bored lol

It's come out a teensy bit weird looking....had to save it as a gif, for some reason my poor programe couldnt manage it as a Jpeg. I'm figuring maybe the size had something to do with it?