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Random Quote: Vegetarian, Indian term for a bad fisherman
That is beautiful. 10 years ago, the lady that called me and wanted me to look at a house , would not met me before 6 pm. I ask if someone else would take me but could tell something was up. When we turned down that 1000 foot drive and cleared the trees where my place openes up, the pictures like you shot there were looking at me. Sometimes you know as soon as you see something its suppose to be yours. I take it thats your place. Living life out there away from the city hussle and bussle, there is no replacement for evenings like you captured on your photos. We stop now, what ever we are doing about 30 minuets before sunset and take that time to sit and enjoy he same thing you enjoy, at our home at Sunset Point. Its like coffie in the morning. Its just not right, when you don't have one or miss it.
There all fantasic and each has its own story.
__________________ Fountain 31TE...... Hydra Sports 21 Bay...... Dodge 3500 Camping unit "Gone Fishing"..... Tinker Toy..... Sunset Point Nixonton NC
Yeah that is out back, we have been having some awesome sunsets, I am going to keep the camera out because one night it is red, the next night it could be purple.
I am using a nikon d60 with 18x55 vr lense. I want to get the wide angle that gives you a bug eye look, I think that would be cool for sunsets. also I have been messing around with shutter and aperature settings, as you can see in some of these pics. I have a lot to learn, but taking pics can be a very fun hobby, but also make you feel stupid. We went out a couple of weeks ago and I took a bunch of pics, messing around with the settings, only one was any good out of about 80.
Yeah that is out back, we have been having some awesome sunsets, I am going to keep the camera out because one night it is red, the next night it could be purple.
I am using a nikon d60 with 18x55 vr lense. I want to get the wide angle that gives you a bug eye look, I think that would be cool for sunsets. also I have been messing around with shutter and aperature settings, as you can see in some of these pics. I have a lot to learn, but taking pics can be a very fun hobby, but also make you feel stupid. We went out a couple of weeks ago and I took a bunch of pics, messing around with the settings, only one was any good out of about 80.
That's a good camera, you're definitely on the right track. I'm a big believer in using high quality lenses, so you might want to consider upgrading to several lenses in the future. The one you have is ok, but the "kit" lenses that are sold with camera bodies are generally cheap. Once you buy your first really good lens and see the difference in sharpness, contrast and color saturation, you'll have a new perspective. The Sigma EX lenses are good high quality lenses that won't bankrupt you.
If I could offer some advice and critique, a few of the photos look a bit soft on the focus. For sunsets, it always helps to use a smaller aperture (bigger number) to get a larger depth of field (depth of focus). This ensures that almost everything in the photo is in sharp focus. But that also means that you have to use a slower shutter speed, which is why I almost always shoot sunsets/sunrises with a tripod. Photography is alot like boating, to get something, you have always have to give something up.
18mm is pretty wide. I have the 10-20 and it is more difficult to shoot than you would think. Distortion and the extreme angles can make composition tricky, and exposures are extra difficult because you're covering so much area.....in other words, you're often shooting extreme darks and light all in the same shot. As a beginner, you'd probably get more use out of a longer zoom than you would a super wide angle. Most importanly, just keep shooting. Getting 1 good shot out of 80 isn't that bad really. This morning I shot 400 pictures in about an hour, i'll be happy if I get 5-10 keepers.
Also, don't forget about post processing. Many of those shots could be greatly improved with some sharpening and cropping. I really like to crop my sunsets into a more panoramic format. I use GIMP, you can download it for free. It is the free version of Photoshop, which costs about 800 bucks, and it does virtually the same exact stuff.
One more word about sunsets/sunrises, if the sky is cloudless, don't make the sky the focus of the picture as you did in these photos, or the shots will be boring. So you've got the right idea with these shots for sure. For a cloudless sky, I like shooting sillouettes.
Pug thanks for the input, actually I want some one to point out what I am doing wrong. What number do you think is best on the aperature? Also I am going to try gimp, I don't know how to adjust after the picture is taken, I have to play with that.
I got a favor for you, how about taking one of the pics above and tweaking it to show what and how to do it?
Pug thanks for the input, actually I want some one to point out what I am doing wrong. What number do you think is best on the aperature? Also I am going to try gimp, I don't know how to adjust after the picture is taken, I have to play with that.
I got a favor for you, how about taking one of the pics above and tweaking it to show what and how to do it?
Thanks,
For sunsets, I try to stay at f11 on down (or up) to 22 or so.
I'd be glad to walk you through a tutorial on one of the above pics, can you email me the high res version of the numbr 6 and number 8 (the last one). You definitely want to do you post processing before shrinking them.
That's a good camera, you're definitely on the right track. I'm a big believer in using high quality lenses, so you might want to consider upgrading to several lenses in the future. The one you have is ok, but the "kit" lenses that are sold with camera bodies are generally cheap. Once you buy your first really good lens and see the difference in sharpness, contrast and color saturation, you'll have a new perspective. The Sigma EX lenses are good high quality lenses that won't bankrupt you.
If I could offer some advice and critique, a few of the photos look a bit soft on the focus. For sunsets, it always helps to use a smaller aperture (bigger number) to get a larger depth of field (depth of focus). This ensures that almost everything in the photo is in sharp focus. But that also means that you have to use a slower shutter speed, which is why I almost always shoot sunsets/sunrises with a tripod. Photography is alot like boating, to get something, you have always have to give something up.
18mm is pretty wide. I have the 10-20 and it is more difficult to shoot than you would think. Distortion and the extreme angles can make composition tricky, and exposures are extra difficult because you're covering so much area.....in other words, you're often shooting extreme darks and light all in the same shot. As a beginner, you'd probably get more use out of a longer zoom than you would a super wide angle. Most importanly, just keep shooting. Getting 1 good shot out of 80 isn't that bad really. This morning I shot 400 pictures in about an hour, i'll be happy if I get 5-10 keepers.
Also, don't forget about post processing. Many of those shots could be greatly improved with some sharpening and cropping. I really like to crop my sunsets into a more panoramic format. I use GIMP, you can download it for free. It is the free version of Photoshop, which costs about 800 bucks, and it does virtually the same exact stuff.
One more word about sunsets/sunrises, if the sky is cloudless, don't make the sky the focus of the picture as you did in these photos, or the shots will be boring. So you've got the right idea with these shots for sure. For a cloudless sky, I like shooting sillouettes.
All VERY good points! However, if you can afford the Nikon lenses, go with those. Sigma does make a very good lens IF you get a copy that is calibrated correctly. They have horrible QA, so a lot of them need sent back to the company for autofocus adjustments.
I sent in my one month old 18-50 2.8 EX Macro in at the end of September for calibration. It is FINALLY being shipped back to me. Needless to say, I will not be purchasing another sigma lens unless it's something I can't get in the Canon lineup.
Yeah, the canon and nikon lenses are very nice. I've been lucky with my sigma ex's, maybe i'll change my attitude if (hopefully not when) I ever have a major problem. I believe, however, that sigma and tamron are now offering glass of equal quality. I've never been one to worry about the quality of a lense's autofocus, mostly because i'm old-school and learned on manual focus........to this day, I manually focus everything.
I am using gimp, I wanted to really alter the colors, if you look there are more blues and greens now. Not to make it sharp but more dramatic.
Basically I have no idea what I am doing
Check your email, I sent those pictures back. I'd post them here, but my photobucket account blew up again.
I don't think you need to overdo the processing like you did above. I think you'll see in the shots I sent back to you that just a little sharpening and color adjustment can really make an impact. Basically all I try to do when I process is just increase contrast detail and depth. These shots are good enough to stand on their own, just help them out a bit.
Don't worry about not knowing what you're doing, I am still learning everyday. Lots of good tutorials and info online.
The sky is on fire 
