Photographic Assistance

Hi folks, Seeing all the informative photographs available on this site I felt we might be able to assist members in any photographic problems they may have. I am not a 'know-it-all', but what I don't know I can look up in my photographic library. From what I have seen on the site so far, many others have photographic skills too, which means there is a plethora of knowledge that can be passed on. Personally, I have very little knowledge of Photoshop - I use an entirely different image editing package (ACDSee Pro) which doesn't try to emulate the brand leader in any way. My philosophies If anyone asks "What makes a good photograph?" then my anwer will always be the same, "The one that fulfills the purpose for which it was taken." "Which is the best camera?" - "the one you have to hand when you need it." - a camera is merely a tool which allows you to capture images. "My pictures are not very good so I should get a better camera." - "No! Emphatically NO! You should spend time improving your own skills first. The picture is the work of the photographer, the camera merely records it. THERE ARE NO DUMB QUESTIONS. We all have to learn.

"What makes a good photograph?" - Impact and composition. Sometimes, just a couple of steps to left or right can vastly improve composition .

"Which is the best camera?" - The one which you feel least self-conscious about using in a public space.

Cheap digital cameras can be a little slow on the uptake, so if you are taking shots of kids playing, use the video function and then run the video through Windows MovieMaker to find the 'still' shot you like best. It is important to learn how to use the camera BEFORE you go out with it. Even cellphone cameras often have basic controls for brightness and format (landscape/portrait)

After a session with a digital camera, upload the photos to your computer. There is nothing worse than seeing a great shot but not having enough space on the memory card to get it. Also, carry spare batteries, and if you are a cellphone shooter, ensure that it is fully charged.

The difference between a cheap and expensive camera is the amount of enlargement that a photo will withstand before the image starts to degrade badly. Applies to roll film and digital cameras alike, so if you don't intend to blow a photo up to 10' x 15', a cheapie will do just fine.

Thats a great idea Mike, although bear in mind, although it's "HD", it's a moving image that might appear sharp, but individual frames are often blurred which makes it difficult to find a frame that's usable and in focus. Further, it's printability at a reasonable resolution will also result in only a 6"x4" or 7"x5" photograph before degradation might be noticeable. Great for the family album or website, not so good for printing much larger. Might be worth checking if your camera has a sport mode, that will often set the shutter speed higher, resulting in a (possible) sharper image of moving kids.

Hi Mike I agree with your first point within a pictorial context but sometimes it gets in the way of communicating information. If I was sending the local council a picture of a large hole in the road then I wouldn't want them to mistakenly think that I was putting in a planning application for an ornamental pond Many of the pictures I took during my photographic career were to illustrate what had gone wrong with a piece of machinery. I'm glad you mentioned, as you put it, 'cheap and expensive camera'. So much is written about the technical specifications of cameras that it fills magazines on a monthly basis and often the same writers deride the cheaper cameras as 'point-and-shoot' models. To me, this is like suggesting that to do the weekly shopping you need a Ferarri. As you may have guessed by now I have several cameras but the one I use most frequently is also the cheapest.

I was thinking more of those using cellphone cameras which respond slowly to picking up an image. I hardly see anybody these days with an actual camera. It's all phones and tablets here and none have sport mode, and even if they did, not having read the instructions, nobody would know what how to use it.

I have a Nikon F70 which has sat in a Tamrac bag (batteries removed) for the last 10 years. It is the last surviving 'good' camera, the rest having been sold off. My days of submitting 'trains n planes' transparencies to photo libraries are long gone, and now I am reduced to a flip-phone camera. This is one of my better ones, one of my grand-daughters on a 'lets get some cookies' expedition.

I've put these two images of the same subject up to show the difference between sunlight and flash. Well, on-camera flash at least. The sunlit picture shows modelling of the subject and more texture in the stone, though perhaps the flash picture has better colour rendering. I'm not suggesting that flash is not useful - but you need to be able to control it. With most 'point and shoot' cameras that is impossible. And flash exposure is only ever correct within a very narrow plane from the flash unit.

PIx was right with the composition thing. I just took it with my cellphone camera and then cropped out most of the surrounding area, especially as little of it appeared level due to the angle I shot from. Many good shots are missed because the photographer is too busy moving or messing with camera controls. I was one for composition because I always took shots on transparencies where there is little room to do much after the photo is taken. Exposure and compostion are what they are short of duplicating. Too much quality is lost that way. With digital and negatives, anything is possible.

I took a little time doing this one but the small boat was crossing the horizon and wasn't going to be around forever.

It was the fourth shot in a series of six, taken on a tripod mounted Minolta XD7, MD 70-210mm Zoom set at 210mm, Kodachrome 64 (not my usual film stock), maybe F12 or F16. I used a variety of speeds.

The idea was to get a sunset photo quite unlike others which can be a bit predictable, and in any case, the actual scene was a little bland and of course much lighter than it appears here. No filters were used at the time and it is not a duplicated transparency with effects added on.

The scene was taken from the promenade at Villers sur Mer, Normandy, and I sent the roll to Kodak France with a UK return address to save it getting destroyed by the x-ray equipment used by UK Customs.

My 'red sea' photo was taken 28 years ago, and the 'ice bridge' photo back in 2003/4. Since then, all I pretty much ever take is computer parts for my semi-technical computer blog. I need to get out more, I think.

Hello all I have just bought a Fuji S8200 Camera. The performance of the camera outdoors is very good, complimented with its 40times optical zoom. When trying to use it indoors for close pictures, I don't mean macro close, but close for our railway, I am disappointed with the results. Now it may be my lack of skills in setting. I understand the principle of small aperture with longer time lapse, so as to give a full depth of focus. Most of my railway pics on my file on here were recorded with my Sony digital SLR, where on a tripod, I set for aperture priority, disable the flash & let the auto everything else do the picture for me. The results are for you all to see & I am delighted. The first pictures recorded in the same way with my new Fuji are very disappointing, certainly not worthy of keeping. I am posting this on here as I know one thing. Our forum is blessed with quality photographers, that many a bride would have been delighted with. Any thoughts for me please. I have sent a memo to Fuji along with a couple of Sony verses Fuji comparison pictures, to see what they say.

Hi Philip, I appreciate that you say that these new pics "are not worthy" - but it would help enormously if you posted an example (of a reasonable size) so that we can see what the issues might be and how best to offer advice.

Hi Philip The above is a picture I took with an old Fuji Z20fd which I bought from Fuji as a refurbished model for about £30. If you contact me privately I may have all the answers to your problem.

Hi & thank you both I will sort a couple of like for like sample pics when I return home. Thank you both so much. I feel in very safe hands.

On the other hand, it might help if we all share in the solution!