Hey Nico,
On the other post you asked me what lens I had, it is an 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 G.I took your advise on the continuous focus ,so do then use the auto focus or manual for most of your shots?
SInce we make mostly photo's in a "setting" we use mostly autofocus. But the two up here are set on manual focus to be very exact. Here's an other one from Reno, behind some grass. With autofocus thoose would be sharp were Reno would be out of focus. So it had to be done manually. However, I'm still waiting for a better focussing screen. I do use an angle finder with 2.5 enlargement, which makes it more precise, however also slows down the process. So they cannot move for a while. To see the pixels and sharpness even better I added his face next to the total image. The eye is perfectly in focus. Made with Canon 200mm F2.8L / 100 ISO / 1/160 sec / F4.5 / tripod.
The 200mm F2.8L looks really nice outside! And I LOVE the pic with the xmas lights in the background - looks really really nice!
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Yes, you see my dilemma now, I need more zoom when I am taking pics of the dogs in the yard, but then I take a lot closer shots too when I don't need zoom. The dogs like to be all in my face when I am out taking pics, so I can rarely get good closeup shots, but when they are off across the yard and I am just sitting in the corner I can get some really nice "natural" pics of them using 200-300mm... and with a 400mm I may even get some better ones.
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I took the 50mm out yesterday, it was a partly cloudy day so it made it hard to get anything real good - it was either dark or very bright. This time of year, with the direct sun you get here on the Mesa at this altitude, it is hard to get softer shots outside. \
You probably don't do anything wrong, it's just Internet Explorer, one of the worst browsers, very slow, not supporting color profiles, just for free. But what is for free is probably not worth too much. I rather use Safari or Firefox. both are many times faster browsers and much better in color rendition.
Here is one of my favorites of Shousei so far, taken today with the perfect weather. I used the 200mm F2.8l II again, I really love the lens. It's very fast, much faster than my 80-200 2.8L zoom. The setting was ISO 100, 1/2000 sec / F4.0. I used the Aperture preference program. I set it on F4.0 for maximum lens quality and nice background blur. The camera picks the right speed. I also used spotmetering, so only light measurement in the center of the lens, to avoid to much surrounding whites from the snow overruling the correct light and making the image to dark.
Thx, I have an even nicer crop on the "shousei in the snow-page".
I always add color profiles to the images, so those who look in firefox see what we intended to get. I really don't understand why so many people stick with the very very old fashion IE. Besides it is a lousy program, internet programmers have to add all kinds of trics to make it work properly. Since most people don't care at all or just don't know there is a difference many websites perform pretty bad on other browsers than IE, because lots of sites are adjusted to IE. If most people would switch to any other browser, Microsoft would instantly loose their market in the stupid browsers. Safari is tested to be many times faster in loading files, photo's, pages and more. I really like Firefox, but also Opera is very nice.
I'm on a PC, not a mac, so i don't think Opera and Safari is an option for me.
I use FireFox, but I have to use IE to upload my images to Flickr because, for some reason I cannot figure out, FireFox craps-out after a few images are uploaded using Flickr's image uploader. So that is how I noticed the difference.
I actually included a color profile with those pics, but it still looked different in FireFox from Photoshop and/or IE.
I'm a programmer, so I know all about the pain-in-the-ass issues that come with IE, but this issue was a new one for me in FireFox.
Safari is available for a PC: http://www.apple.com/safari/download/ We are only on Apple here, just one pc to check out websites how crappy they would look on IE :-)
Isn't he cute? Difficult shot, look at dept in field. I missed his noose, but most of it is very nice in focus. Probably a higher F-stop should have been used. Now I used the 200mm F2.8L lens with ISO 100 / f 5.6 / 1/400 sec.
This was done w/ my A520 Canon PowerShot. Auto setting, w/ flash. I was pretty pleased w/ the composition -- and Sukoshi cooperated w/ a good pose. I use the "sport" setting to capture movement.
Dave, both pics are really nice. I like the low position you took the photo from Koshi who looks like she is maturing seriously now. Her coat gets very nice, this way, but still has the puppy face. For this and Gin's photo a tip: Try to keep more space in front of their face than in the back. Make the dog look into the photo, never out. So in both cases try the composition with less space on the left, more on the right. (and a bit more ear for Koshi too ;-) ). With both you used high F-stops, generating lots of dept in fiels. You probably could do with a bit lower, like 5.6 or 8, what even improves the quality of the lens further. You have plenty of light, I guess, so keep the ISO on 100 in the snow, use the Aperture program, set it on F 5.6 and shoot for maximum image quality. In case you ever want to make a nice print of it, you have all the quality there available.
Brad,brittk,-- Thanks , When Koshi arrived she really had no guard hairs and even though her papers said she was a black sesame I really doubted it .
Sukoshi's mom--nice photo ,thanks for sharing:)
Nico-- I will try to take a few shots today with your tips . Thank you so much, but you are in a totally different league than I am :)))
Haha, don't worry Dave, see here is the clou: Since Koshi is such a very nice dog, I prefer to see her on her best. So by passing some basic skills to you, I can watch better photo's :-) Well, you know, without to much technology but some basics it is so simple to improve your images. Again, if you leave it up to the camera your pics will be okay. But by taking control, photography becomes much more fun and in some occasions, even much nicer pics. It's just a matter of composition, some basic rules. If in some weeks or so you add a few to your skills, people will wonder how you take such nice shots. See, I had to learn all this with film, in large format camera's. One shot on a 4x5 inch or even 5x7 inch pro camera was like 10-15 dollars, just for the negative or slide (without the print). So you better make sure all is right and perfect. Today people use digital in a way they don't care anymore since taking a picture doesn't cost anything, just harddrive space. Lots of people walk around with expensive equipment but no skills. So with your D5000 and some little trics you will see it will be very easy to make much better images than those who spend 5 times as much but just don't know anything. Don't make the photo with you camera, make it in your head. But use the camera to make your thoughs visible for other people. But also, don't worry to much, just enjoy to shoot the photo's and learn by experience. I will be happy, and others with me, to look at yours and others pictures to give some free advise. If you like it use it, if not then don't. It's all up to you. But looking at your photo's so far, I think you are already way up in the right direction. Just some minor changes to make it more perfect!
I took these pics off the camera today, I like this first one a lot. I have a cropped version too, but I think I prefer it uncropped, I think it makes for a better composition...
Brad, Fuji's composition is very nice. The eyes are kind of in the center of the image, so she actually looks into the image, instead of out. Kona's photo is nice too, just a bit more to the right would have made it perfect. Dark dogs are difficult, sometimes it helps to add the flash but than set the flash on a -1 stop or so, just to light in the dark shadows. I think the crop of Ahi could have been different. Leave more space in front of his face, even less on the back. Here's a sample.
Sometimes it is just very difficult. Things go to fast or there is just too much stuff you don't want in the image. Like this one, the composition is not perfect but there are no options left. Than again, the action is very nice with the snow and such.
To a novice, such as myself I think they look great! Brad , I find the shot of Ahi interesting in that you chose not to include the lower half of her body. Just my personal taste but I really like the shot of Kona much better :)
Wow guys! This thread took me a LONG time to catch up on. Some fantastic pictures. :-)
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The picture I've attached isn't of a dog, but I consider it one of my best pictures ever. It is not quite as sharp as I would like it to be and it is slightly back-focused, but I still think it's great. This version is completely unedited. I took the RAW and just exported it to a JPG. You may be wondering why. Well, the answer is simple. As much experience as I have in taking pictures, I have not learned post-processing yet. I've tried a few things here and there, but I always seems to make things worse rather than better.
So, if you wouldn't mind, here is a link to the raw: http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~robertsd/IMG_1137.CR2 If you have a few free minutes, can you guys edit it however you feel would improve the image, repost, and tell us what you did? I'd find it incredibly useful so I hope others will too.
Comments
On the other post you asked me what lens I had, it is an 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 G.I took your advise on the continuous focus ,so do then use the auto focus or manual for most of your shots?
Made with Canon 200mm F2.8L / 100 ISO / 1/160 sec / F4.5 / tripod.
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Yes, you see my dilemma now, I need more zoom when I am taking pics of the dogs in the yard, but then I take a lot closer shots too when I don't need zoom. The dogs like to be all in my face when I am out taking pics, so I can rarely get good closeup shots, but when they are off across the yard and I am just sitting in the corner I can get some really nice "natural" pics of them using 200-300mm... and with a 400mm I may even get some better ones.
----
I took the 50mm out yesterday, it was a partly cloudy day so it made it hard to get anything real good - it was either dark or very bright. This time of year, with the direct sun you get here on the Mesa at this altitude, it is hard to get softer shots outside.
Anyway, here is what I got...
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2679/4238029007_082049fd71.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2707/4238802010_cd5a5cbfa1.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4238798612_47fe08e0ca.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2688/4238022641_fdd34d3950.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4030/4238796174_1451604267.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4030/4238014887_ff973bb255.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2659/4238012129_41fdc1a9de.jpg
*Masha's dark mask makes it hard to get nice detailed face shots of her.
Here is an inside shot, just placed the camera on the floor so the focus is not great (on his nose, not his eyes), still cute tho...
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/4238009943_9e5bc5b455.jpg
Exposure 0.4; f/5.0; 50 mm; ISO 100
I took this one through the window, and with my 70-300. I thought it was a cute pic, but the window kinda messed with the light & colors a bit...
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2703/4238781738_93057594ca.jpg
1/640; f/9.0; 235 mm; ISO 200
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Look at this image in IE and in FireFox: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brada1878/4238012129/
It looks very contrasty in FireFox but nice in IE. What did I do wrong?
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https://developer.mozilla.org/En/ICC_color_correction_in_Firefox
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I always add color profiles to the images, so those who look in firefox see what we intended to get. I really don't understand why so many people stick with the very very old fashion IE. Besides it is a lousy program, internet programmers have to add all kinds of trics to make it work properly. Since most people don't care at all or just don't know there is a difference many websites perform pretty bad on other browsers than IE, because lots of sites are adjusted to IE. If most people would switch to any other browser, Microsoft would instantly loose their market in the stupid browsers. Safari is tested to be many times faster in loading files, photo's, pages and more. I really like Firefox, but also Opera is very nice.
I use FireFox, but I have to use IE to upload my images to Flickr because, for some reason I cannot figure out, FireFox craps-out after a few images are uploaded using Flickr's image uploader. So that is how I noticed the difference.
I actually included a color profile with those pics, but it still looked different in FireFox from Photoshop and/or IE.
I'm a programmer, so I know all about the pain-in-the-ass issues that come with IE, but this issue was a new one for me in FireFox.
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We are only on Apple here, just one pc to check out websites how crappy they would look on IE :-)
Sukoshi's mom--nice photo ,thanks for sharing:)
Nico-- I will try to take a few shots today with your tips . Thank you so much, but you are in a totally different league than I am :)))
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2792/4252398225_a02d191924.jpg
Cropped...
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4006/4253166432_5f70d51c73.jpg
Nice shot of Fuji too...
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2695/4253171530_c4ccb1cec5.jpg
I like this one of Kona too...
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4050/4253176192_56c971f733.jpg
I took these with my 50mm, @ f1.8.
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In Kona's pic I had to crop it like that to keep Lani's big ass out of the picture - you can see the edge of her tail in the one above. :oT
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would look really cool as like, a panoramic. Like a 16:9 aspect ratio cutting out the sky. [ if that makes sense? ]
Like this:
^^^ That's the type of image I would LOVE as a huge print / poster to hang on my wall in like, my office. ~
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The picture I've attached isn't of a dog, but I consider it one of my best pictures ever. It is not quite as sharp as I would like it to be and it is slightly back-focused, but I still think it's great. This version is completely unedited. I took the RAW and just exported it to a JPG. You may be wondering why. Well, the answer is simple. As much experience as I have in taking pictures, I have not learned post-processing yet. I've tried a few things here and there, but I always seems to make things worse rather than better.
So, if you wouldn't mind, here is a link to the raw: http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~robertsd/IMG_1137.CR2 If you have a few free minutes, can you guys edit it however you feel would improve the image, repost, and tell us what you did? I'd find it incredibly useful so I hope others will too.
Thanks!