How to get overall better pictures?

[christina_mason]

I am new here. This is my first ever post and I really didn't know where to post this so I picked this category. Please be nice.

 

I am a newbie to the photography world. I just love it and hope someday it's something I can do professionally. My current equipment

(canon rebel t3)isn't fantastic and I know that but for now it's what I got.

 

I want to produce beautiful images like the ones I'll share below.

I'm wondering if having better equipment and the knowledge of how to use it will do the trick or if it's in the editing or what? I just need

some guidance!

 

These pictures are just so bright and crisp and beautiful!

 

http://i61.tinypic.com/153wtv6.jpg

 

http://i58.tinypic.com/2myx5j9.jpg

 

http://i62.tinypic.com/5la1w3.jpg

 

 

And some of my "better" ones

 

 

http://i57.tinypic.com/sg1lw0.jpg

 

 

http://i60.tinypic.com/29uobcx.jpg

 

Thanks in advance

[dcstep]

<p>Welcome.</p>

<p>The best way for us to help you is to see your images, along with the related EXIF information.</p>

<p>There are a number of ways to post images here, or to provide links, unfortunately, yours are not working. I don't use tinypic, but maybe someone can give you specific instructions for that service.</p>

[Wouter Willemse]

<p>Hi Christina, welcome and don't worry, most people here tend to be nice ;-)<br>

First off, there is nothing wrong with the camera you have, and I assume you have the kitlens with it (18-55IS), which is also quite capable. You do not need to upgrade the gear to get better images, though of course the higher end cameras do bring capabilities that can be mighty useful. But don't get yourself lured into the idea that it's the gear that makes the photographer.</p>

<p>The pictures you linked to, in my view, have a few things working for them:</p>

<ul>

<li>

Good light; all three seem to use good, bright light that yields good contrast;

</li>

<li>

Wide® apertures; this gives the smaller depth of field, which can help make the subject pop more out;

</li>

<li>

Good editing; all three to me are quite obviously edited to a specific high-key style; it's a bit a matter of taste, but in these samples, it works quite well, I think

</li>

</ul>

<p>For all of these three points, you need solid knowledge how to use your gear and the conditions you work in to get good photos. Knowledge, experience, failing-and-trying-again does count. None of us started out shooting great photos, and some of us will never do so.<br>

Out of the three point I mention above, the first one is by far the key one; good photos come from good and clever use of good light, and recognising those conditions.<br>

Your two photos aren't bad in any way, and I quite like the second in fact. But in comparison to what you're looking for, both are "hampered" a bit by flat and dull lighting, especially the first (the groupshot). Outdoors and in natural light, sometimes this is an unfortunate fact of life, but clever and good use of a flash can already work miracle - but as said above, also flash is something that takes time, effort and experience to master.<br>

So don't get pulled into the idea of getting a "better" camera to get better photos; spend that money on courses, books or online tutorials, and learn, learn, learn :-)</p>

[hjoseph7]

<p>"<em>I'm wondering if having better equipment and the knowledge of how to use it will do the trick or if it's in the editing or what?"</em></p>

<p>I have become a big fan of shooting RAW, there is just so much more you can do in Post Processing with RAW images.</p>

 

[GerrySiegel]

<........courses, books or online tutorials, and learn, learn, learn :-)>

 

Exactly. There is no shortcut to getting what you call crisp and colorful people pictures. Learn to use available light sources. Especially backlight outdoors. Learn to augment natural light with a reflector or fill in flash where mother nature needs some help. Take control of your subjects and pose or group them if people pictures are your special goal. There are tutorials here and everywhere. And a whole bunch of good books to walk you through a set up step by step. And then practice and get comments from someone whose work you like. Good luck. Baby steps. We all here are learners in some way. Learn from looking at the critique section here and any comments that make sense. I wish you well and hang around a while.

[craig_shearman1]

<p>"I'm wondering if having better equipment ... will do the trick"<br />No.<br /><br />"knowledge of how to use it"<br />Yes<br /><br /> The biggest mistake beginning photographers (and many photographers who have been shooting for years) is to think that the equipment determines the quality of photography. Equipment has virtually nothing to do with it. A good photographer can make great pictures with a piece of junk camera, even a broken camera (I have a 28mm Nikkor that's been held together with gaffer tape for 30 years that I can still make a picture with if I have to). But the best equipment is worthless if you don't know what to do with it.<br /><br />There are tons of books and web sites and people on web sites like this one wiling to help, but it takes a lot of learning. Focus on knowledge first, equipment second, and you'll get there.<br /><br />As the man answered to the person asking how to get to Carnegie Hall: Practice. :)</p>

[Brad_]

It's all (mostly) about developing your eye, letting your imagination be stirred, and finding nice light.

[JDMvW]

<p>Welcome.</p>

<p>Your present equipment is far more sophisticated than most things photographers of the past even dreamed of having. As they say, equipment can help, but it cannot make "great" pictures - only the human controlling the machine can do that.</p>

<p>You do need to know how to use the basic powers built-in to your camera setup, but the key issue is how to see and compose what you photograph.</p>

<p>As one of the <a href="http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/fsa/">Farm Security Administration</a> photographers (Walker Evans) said when asked how to take pictures by the painter Ben Shahn:<br /> "<strong>f/8 and hold it steady</strong>"</p>

<p>(not the place to argue who and when this was first said, but see http://www.photo.net/philosophy-of-photography-forum/00QkDB )</p>

<p> </p>

[gordonjb]

<p>Put your camera in manual mode and try to sort out the basics of exposure and the relationship between the simplest of variables. Understand the effects of shutter speed and aperture on the resulting image. Learn about light. Study composition. Do not worry about producing beautiful images, concentrate on shooting assignments that teach you something. In other words take lots of photos of whatever you like, whenever you like and have fun doing it but try at least sometimes to be mindful of what the results teach you. Build on what you learn and over time your goals will change as your achievements open new doors.</p>

[Spearhead]

<blockquote>

<p>Put your camera in manual mode and try to sort out the basics of exposure and the relationship between the simplest of variables.</p>

</blockquote>

<p> <br>

I've seen wonderful and moving photographs by people who never put their camera in manual mode, or didn't even use a camera with manual mode and "variables." Work on understanding the light and finding your "eye" as Brad suggests above. </p>

[Karim Ghantous]

<p>Yeah, I´d have to say that understanding light is critical. But that comes down to what Craig mentioned: practice. :-)</p>

<p>If you want some food for thought, here is what I think is behind the photos you posted:</p>

<p>Girl at amusement park: possibly (because I have no real idea and I might be 100% wrong) just after sundown and good use of the ambience/clarity/vibrance adjustment tool. It´s called different things depending on who makes the RAW converter software.</p>

<p>Two kids in a park: tough one, but nothing special seems to have been done. Possibly an overcast day and the photographer chose an appropriate exposure, perhaps a stop over. It looks like there is some diffused sunlight coming from behind the kids.</p>

<p>The couple: a bit of contrast, saturation, maybe vibrance. Possibly overexposed (deliberately).</p>

<p>So what about the two shots of yours? I agree with Wouter´s comments in general (except where he says ¨courses¨ I would say ¨workshops¨ - if you want to do long-term study, ignore photography courses and do fine arts instead). The group shot would have benefited by the ¨golden hour¨ or ¨magic hour¨ on a clear day. Those terms refer to the first and last hour of each day. You don´t need to be so strict, of course. But in general, the lower the sun, the nicer the light. And of course no sun at all with a clear sky is nice, too. I´d say the same for the shot of the girl. I notice that her hair needs a little attention. Details, details. :-)</p>

<p>This article will explain magic hour it a bit better:</p>

<p>http://www.freedigitalphotographytutorials.com/photography-lighting/golden-hour-photography-lighting-trick-magic-hour/</p>

<p>These are also worth a browse if you have 20 minutes to kill:</p>

<p>http://www.photo.net/learn/making-photographs/light</p>

<p>http://www.photo.net/learn/nature/magiclight</p>

<p>Also, read up on colour temperature and white balance. Those are very helpful and fundamental principles.</p>

<p>My opinion: don´t waste time trying to fart around with PhotoShop filters (I don´t use PS at all, so take my comment with a grain of salt). PS filters are basically Instagram filters that appear to take longer so unwitting clients, who don´t know that photos can actually be left alone, can be billed. Okay, do it if it really turns you on, but IMO let the light, camera and lenses do the talking. Software is there as a refinement tool.</p>

<p>With all photos, exposure is important (so playing with your camera´s settings while set to manual mode is helpful to see how exposure changes the look). You´d be surprised how exposure can sometimes make the difference between a dull shot and a bright, fresh one. So give it a try. :-)</p>

<p>And so, as Kent Brockman would say, that was My Two Cents.</p>

[gordonjb]

<p>Notwithstanding the fact that I've seen some wonderful photos taken by monkeys I woulds still suggest that understanding the basic principles of the tools at hand is helpful.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<blockquote>

<p>"My opinion: don´t waste time trying to fart around with PhotoShop filters (I don´t use PS at all, so take my comment with a grain of salt). "</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Virtually every professional portrait, wedding and event photographer is using Photoshop and/or Lightroom. Check the EXIF data. The metadata can even give hints to the processing steps used. Some metadata readers can even identify the actions or specialty software used.<br>

</p>

<blockquote>

<p>"PS filters are basically Instagram filters that appear to take longer so unwitting clients, who don´t know that photos can actually be left alone, can be billed."</p>

</blockquote>

<p> <br>

Besides basic global adjustments there are many Photoshop actions and Lightroom presets to increase the efficiency and consistency in processing hundreds of photos from portrait, wedding and event sessions. And many pros are doing selective brush retouching of eyes and teeth at a minimum, often more extensive retouching. Some professional retouchers have shared their techniques online in tutorials.<br>

<br>

There's no one-click Instagram filter or mobile app that can *consistently* emulate the combination of soft contrast and saturation along with definition from shadow adjustments and snappy detail in clarity, let alone the selective retouching. Without Photoshop, Lightroom or comparable editing tools to refine adjustments as needed, some photos will appear merely flat and dull, lacking the snap that Christina perceived in the sample photos she linked to.<br>

<br>

A lot of work goes into making a natural looking photo look as if no retouching was done. If it could all be done in camera, pros wouldn't waste time on editing.</p>

[Spearhead]

<blockquote>

<p>"PS filters are basically Instagram filters that appear to take longer so unwitting clients, who don´t know that photos can actually be left alone, can be billed."</p>

</blockquote>

<p> <br>

Hmm, one of the most uninformed comments I've read here. Funny that someone who doesn't use the tools feels confident enough to make such negative remarks about them. If I haven't used something, I keep my mouth shut, seems like I'm a lot less likely to say something ridiculous.</p>

[JayWood]

A great deal of excellent advice. I

would add that post processing in a

photo editing tool like Lightroom is an

essential part of photography. These

tools demonstrate how great images

are transformed into spectacular ones.

But mastering lighting and exposure is

by far the best path to great images.

[johne37179]

<p>One of the exercises that I used to give my students was to take any photograph that they liked that was of a subject they could shoot and duplicate that photograph. It could be a good or a bad photo. It didn't matter what the quality was. A variety was better. Learning how to reproduce any kind of results on demand was a good way to learn about the physics and mechanics of photography. How many times have we all looked at an image and thought "I wonder how he (or she) did that?" Figuring those things out are not only useful, it is a lot of fun if you enjoy photography. Even the simple process of looking at an image and contemplating things like shutter speed, lens, f-stop, ISO, lighting, etc. is a very useful skill. One last tidbit. The best tool for great photos is a solid base -- monopod, tripod, beanbag, etc.</p>

[thomas_k.]

<p>Christina,<br>

If there is an art or design school in your area, take some photography/art/photoshop classes. </p>

[dan_south]

<p>1. Understand the basics thoroughly - quality of light, exposure, composition, focus. Consult books, video tutorials, classroom instruction, and read your camera's manual.</p>

<p>2. Shoot frequently and strive to improve continuously.</p>

<p>3. Photograph in a way that stirs your imagination and passion. You can imitate the work of others as a learning method. But in order to do something special, trust your own instincts and follow your own muse.</p>

<p>4. Never give up. Realize that improvement takes time and effort.</p>

[dan_south]

<p>I notice that all of your examples were shot in very soft light. What I mean by that is that there is no direct sunlight falling on either the subjects or the backgrounds.</p>

<p>Except for the Ferris wheel photo, which someone explained well above, the examples of others' work were probably under overcast skies. You used the same kind of light in your photos which demonstrates a sensitive eye for quality of light.</p>

<p>Suggestions for the group shot - maybe shoot from a slightly lower position. It's flattering to look up slightly at people in the photo. Also, try to blur the background more by moving your camera a bit closer to the people and shooting wide open. If you are closer to the subject than the subject is to the background, you stand a better chance of blurring the background.</p>

<p>Suggesting for the lady shot - nice lighting, nice pose, nice expression. The background is nicely obscured with blur. Two areas for improvement: (1) you cut off her legs, and (2) the line on the ground near her hands (better to eliminate it by moving her elsewhere).</p>

<p>P.S. Your T3i is a fine camera and will serve you well.</p>

[paul_de_ley]

<p>Eventually you'll want to become familiar and creative with all parts of the photography process - but that's a very open-ended goal. Aside from hardware & software specifics, you'll want to develop your instinct for finding & catching opportunities, to learn how to think thematically and to train your eye at seeing rewarding/exciting images even before you've clicked the button or looked through the viewfinder. One way to help develop those kinds of skills is by setting yourself the goal of posting (for example) three images per day to the No Words forum here in PN.</p>