HiH Clubs

Thanks so much! Am I local? Where is it at?

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Yeah, we live in the same city! I noticed that when you were sorted.

Pictureline is at 700 South 300 West, southwest corner. It used to be up near the U, but they moved a few years ago.

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katshakespeare.livejournal.com

If you use any kind of photo software, what do you use and do you know of any tutorials?

I just bought Aperture 3 and have yet to play with it.

Sarah//Gryffindor

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I have some constructive critique for these; would you like it? :) I promise to be nice!!!

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katshakespeare.livejournal.com

Yes please! And you don't have to be nice. I'm a writer; I've heard all ends of the critique spectrum, really.

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katshakespeare.livejournal.com

I went from a Canon Powershot point and shoot to a Nikon DSLR just recently and I'm very happy with it. I'm also a beginner. I mean, I've always enjoyed photography and wanted to get better, hence the getting a nice camera.

I definitely agree with Madelyn and say give it a try. I mean, I didn't because my camera was a gift, but my mother, who got it for me, had had good experiences with Nikons before.

Do some research and figure out what you want in a camera and what kind of photos you want to take. I think that's a really good place to start. And don't be scared because you're a beginner. I've found a lot of great resources, not to mention just fiddling around and snapping photos is great to learn. Plus, the advantage of it being digital is that you don't have to worry about spending money developing bad photos!

Sarah//Gryffindor

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Graininess is a HUGE problem with infrared photography.

First off, be sure you are using the lowest ISO possible. I'm not very familiar with Canon cameras (I'm a Nikon person myself) but if you can get it around 50-100, that's the best.

Also, most cameras have a "Long Exposure NR" option; I turn that off. Even though it's supposed to reduce noise on long exposure, I find it adds a lot of grain with infrared, so I just get rid of it.

If you're already using the lowest ISO you possible can, it could just be because the camera you're using doesn't handle infrared well. Sometimes that happens; certain cameras "take" to IR, and others don't do it as well. If you have the option of trying it on another camera, such as a friend's, I'd give it a try.

I also have a pretty hefty noise removal filter since IR has become one of my principle methods of photography. It's called Noise Ninja and while it's fairly expensive, I can't recommend anything more. It really is much better than the regular Noise Removal Filter in Photoshop, and it cuts down on IR noise a lot without causing an over processed look.

I'd be happy to take a look at the settings your using and some of your previous IR shots; I might be able to offer some more solutions!

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I agree with Madelyn; it's all about preference. I myself am a Nikon DSLR user and I just prefer it to Canon for a few reasons, MOSTLY that Nikon seems to handle Digital Infrared Photography better than Canon does.

But really, I would just try both out. I've heard that Canon can sometimes be easier for a beginner, but I started on a Nikon and had a great time learning on it. I would just get the simplest DLSR model you can, and then move up if you feel like you're not getting what you need out of it. Try them both out at the photo store and see what you prefer!

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Of course it is! Some of my favourite photos that I took are from a crappy little point-and-shoot I had back in the day before I started getting serious.

Of course, a point and shoot does have its drawbacks; you do have a lot less control than you do with a DSLR, but it REALLY depends on the camera you get. The point-and-shoot I just bought my mum, for example, has full aperture, ISO and shutter speed control. Definitely not as good as a DSLR, but DEFINITELY better than a lot of point and shoots.

Really, it comes down to knowing your camera and knowing the rules of photography. If you hand a seasoned photographer a point and shoot, they'll still be able to get quality photos out of it, because when it comes down to it, it's the photographer, not the camera. Yeah, there are certain things you can't do with a point and shoot at all (for example, I primarily work in Digital Infrared Photography these days, and that's impossible on a point and shoot), but in general, ESPECIALLY with today's technology, you can get very quality photos.

What I'd suggest is pick up some photo books or look at websites. Learn about composition and then read the manual for your camera several times. Learn to love it, get close to it, sleep with it under your pillow, you get the idea. Learn deeply about aperture, ISO, and other functions that your camera might have. You'd be surprised what difference this can make in your photos.

What you might notice is less range in your photos; I mean that sometimes, the exposure or the colours won't be as strong. This is because the size of the sensor in a point and shoot (the thing that measures exposure) isn't very large, so you might notice that your whites might be TOO white (blown-out) or your shadows might be compressed and lose detail. This is something that is the major problem with point and shoots, but there are ways to get around it.

tl;dr you TOTALLY can, just learn about your camera!

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1) If your camera has a Macro mode, use it. The macro mode with allow you to get closer to your face, so you can focus more on the makeup.

2) LIGHT. Light is absolutely essential to makeup photography, especially if you're using a point-and-shoot. Lighting your face up close with a spot-type light will help the camera focus on the details and will make the makeup look brighter.

3) If your camera can change ISO settings, take it off Auto and bring it down to the lowest ISO possible. This will make your skin look smoother instead of grainy.

4) Sometimes, the "auto" White Balance will make the photo look very red, especially under incandescent lights. Try using an indoor setting or incandescent setting (they'll probably look like a little house, or like a lightbulb) to make the photo a little cooler and the colours more true.

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I'm a writer too -- tech writing. I know the feeling. :)

For all of these, I' suggest some light, basic color correction. If you have Photoshop, this is easy. I have an auto-action that makes a copy of the image, applies auto-levels, then makes a copy of that layer and applies auto-contrast, then makes a copy of that and applies auto-color. Then I can compare the different layers and determine what tweaks need to be made to get a really good shot. (All of this is outside the usual allowable edits in Shutterbug Society, btw!)

The little girl in pink dress is a good shot. I think it could have been a GREAT shot, though. First, I'd have gotten down with her, as low or even lower than her, and shot up. A lot of photos of children are shot from adult perspective; getting down gives you a really cool and different photo. Also, I'd have angled over to the right to get rid of the adult leg in the background. Sadly, she isn't in focus; the background to the left is. One thing you could do to improve it now is to crop in a bunch, so you crop out the in-focus background and most of the adult leg, which will make the in-focus stuff go away, which in turn will make the fact that she's so soft not as obvious!

The woman with the kid is a wonderful shot. I would have snapped of 20 of them, and used the best -- preferably with the baby's arm not covering his face, and maybe with him not in full profile (3/4, like the woman's face, is the most preferred, usually). But really, this is an awesome shot. Good job!

The red-haired girl and the child definitely suffers from flash, and could really use a crop, especially across the right and top. Color correction would make it look a lot better.

The family on the stairs is a toughie. I'd have had the guy in front move over to the left, and then zoomed in more to cut out the wall on the right and the portrait in the background (if the bottom was still there, I'd photoshop it out). Also, it's a little off angle -- the lines along the sides aren't straight, which you always need to watch any time you have vertical or horizontal lines in a shot. That can be fixed with a crop, too. Again, the flash is washing them out. If you have people posing, bring over a lamp, or open the shades, or turn on the lights, and use as much natural light as you can. And in a posed setting like this, you do NOT want the conversation / laughing thing -- you want everyone to relax and look at you. Again, I'd shoot quite a few and keep the best (and even photoshop some faces together if Aunt Jill's eyes are closed in EVERY one where Uncle Rogers are open, and vice versa. Oh, and if possible, get UP for this shot -- stand on a stool or a chair and shoot them from above.

In the last one, the couple in the garden, again, I'd have zoomed in -- there's a lot of wasted space around them, especially the statue on the right. The focus is kind of soft on them, but not too bad. I'd kick up the contrast a bit. I love the emotion in them, though -- this is a cute shot.

I think you WILL get the shots you want. Keep at it; you're doing really well. Good luck!!!

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I kind of think it might be that Canons don't do IR well.

I'm considering upgrading in the next year, and I might have my XTI converted to just do IR. Or I might pick up a cheap older Rebel body and have it converted.

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Thanks so much!

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Thank you so much! This will help me a lot in the next couple of weeks!

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Cool, thanks a lot!

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Thanks!

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