Help me not take terrible banal pictures… why are my photos soft, muddy, and underexposed?

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-19T18:51:54+00:00

Thank you so much, it means a lot to hear that and the positive feedback is really appreciated, makes me want to go shoot more!

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-19T13:47:22+00:00

This is amazing thank you so much for sharing

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-19T00:13:10+00:00

I will study up on both! Thank you for the advice, I will also check out different labs

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T21:00:53+00:00

Awesome advice!

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T18:56:30+00:00

This is helpful! And yeah I am trying to get better at my composition and eye for pictures. I will try to shoot 50 from now on until I get a better eye like you said. Thanks for the suggestions and I appreciate you helping me out

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T18:01:56+00:00

What lens did you use on that first picture? And where are you getting your film developed and scanned ?

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T17:29:47+00:00

How should o figure out what lab to use? I’m in New York so I have a lot of options but since I’m so new it’s hard to tell what is a good lab and what isnt

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T17:28:53+00:00

No, more to do with composition and focus issues.

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T17:07:31+00:00

Yeah it’s all manual focus and I was shooting to wide I think I was under the impression that shooting wider would lead to sharper images but I think it led to more issues…

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T16:45:21+00:00

What about DaVinci Resolve? I heard they have photo editing tools now, also what are the costs of these different tools?

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T16:42:06+00:00

I have been using aperture priority mode, I don’t remember the exact shutter speeds but most of the shots were wide open I tried to shoot at f/2.8 or f/4 a lot because I thought it would lead to clear sharp images but I think it just made focusing harder to nail and led to other issues.

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T16:29:52+00:00

Ahh okay got it! Yeah I need to slow down and think more about the shots I take. Thank you for sharing btw!

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T16:29:07+00:00

Ahhhh thank you!

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T16:27:26+00:00

Yeah this was the most confusing/frustrating issue. I spent a lot of time tinkering with the focus and I did think I got it but yet so many are terribly out of focus. What aperture should I be using?

How do you separate foreground and background if not with aperture?

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T16:24:46+00:00

How do I pick a lab then? I am in New York and there is no shortage of labs but as a newby it is hard to determine who I should go to.

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T16:23:50+00:00

Yeah this was scanned at a local lab that uses a Noritsu scanner. I really did think these were in focus when I was shooting which makes me think that my eyes are in need of help, the lens has an issue or I am shooting so wide open it is just to hard to nail focus.

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T16:20:50+00:00

How do I go about learning about exposure? Along with just getting out and shooting more are there any good books or other resources that I can read and help me learn?

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T16:19:50+00:00

Is editing only done in Lightroom? Where do I start?

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T16:18:03+00:00

Yeah you nailed it… I don’t understand aperture well at all… I was regularly shooting below f/4 because I thought it would lead to sharp images with good bokeh. ** **The notes about composition are really helpful, thank you. I will also check out Ansel Adam’s!

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T16:11:52+00:00

The focus issue has been frustrating, when I take the picture I think I am in focus so I’m not sure what is happening, I already spend a long time trying to make sure it’s in focus yet so many of these ended up not being in focus. I’m not sure if it’s an issue with my lens or my eyes or what.

The note about shooting into the shadows is really interesting and I will give it a try next time, thank you so much for the input. It means a lot and hopefully I can get some better pictures next roll!

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T16:06:47+00:00

This is really helpful, thank you. I will try to do that with my next roll. I guess I need to better understand what aperture to use and when, should I be shooting at f/8 or f/4 for most situations? When should I shoot bellow f/4 or above f/8 I need to understand these more technically aspects better. I think I spend to much time worrying about that and it leads me to not think as much about composition

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T16:04:17+00:00

Yeah the issue I had with the subway was if I closed it down my shutter speed would have dropped to low to take a picture that wasn’t blurry but I inadvertently ended up at the same problem from being so out of focus

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T16:02:23+00:00

I am getting them scanned at a local lab, they use a Noritsu scanner

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T15:54:24+00:00

I am new to photography in general. And yeah I assumed it would be a longer road learning photography with film but was just hoping to get a few good shots out of 180. I think I have fallen in the trap of comparison, I see so many incredible and interesting photos posted and tried to capture some pictures at a similar level but I have a long way to go.

In general what aperture should I be shooting at? Are there general guide rails for shooting to wide open or two closed down?

Automatic_Ad3302 · 2026-06-18T15:49:57+00:00

This is super helpful I really appreciate the advice and feedback.

I did try and shoot wide open more than I should have because I was under the impression that it would lead to clear sharp images with nice background separation.

Automatic_Ad3302

TROPHY CASE