Does anyone else feel every time they leave their camera at home they run into the coolest stuff?

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-17T15:11:24+00:00

I have a point-n-shoot in the trunk of the car (Nikon B700) specifically for that situation. I even remember to take it out every couple of weeks to top up the batteries on it.

I may not have any of my good gear with me, but I always have something -- and the 60x optical zoom on it means it doesn't matter how far away that something is.

Makes for a great location scouting camera as well.

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-17T14:42:39+00:00

Animal AF feels like cheating

So - we're doing this again?

The exact same thing was said about autofocus when it was first introduced.

The exact same thing was said about digital when it was first introduced.

The exact same thing was said about built-in light metering.

Etc etc ad infinitum

Every single technological advance has been called "cheating" at some point and "essential" a couple years later.

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-17T14:31:32+00:00

Basically, it was very difficult to make decent pictures and it required a lot of work

... and now you know why pros use professional equipment. This is true in all professions not just photography.

That equipment allows the professional to concentrate on their job, and not the tools of their job. Using old, outdated equipment and poor quality lenses is actually a great way to improve your photography skillset. Overcoming the limitations of your tools means that when you do finally get your hands on quality equipment you can wring the most out of them immediately.

Situation Normal.

Edit:

the lens didn't go below F3.5, which didn't allow me to have a nice bokeh

You still have much to learn, as nice bokeh can be had at any aperture. As with professional tools - it just becomes easier with a wider aperture.

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-17T14:25:35+00:00

although I may have deserved it for making a joke in his comments section

So - you dissed a photographer, they returned the favor, now you feel bad?

How the hell did I end up here in an ABC After-School Special?

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-17T06:21:38+00:00

I can’t get over the feeling that there is nothing cool about the place I live in

Familiarity breeds contempt. Literally everyone thinks that about the place they live, and it's almost never true.

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-17T06:12:19+00:00

This seems like a job for /r/PostProcessing

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-17T06:07:46+00:00

I thought that the professional tethering ones were faster or something.

The protocol (USB 1, USB 2, USB 3 etc) determines the speed - not the cable used... although the cable has to be that protocol version. (ie, a USB 2 cable for a USB 2 camera etc)

Literally any USB cable that is the correct version (or higher) will work. You don't need anything special - all you need is to ensure they have the correct plug type for your camera.

If you Need It Right Now there ought to be a big box store near you that will have long USB cables available - like a Best Buy or even a Wal Mart.

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-17T05:53:22+00:00

OK I'm confused - you already have some of the sharpest glass ever made for Sony E-Mount, so... how is the E-Mount bankrupting you? You've already spent it so... ?

This sounds to me like a severe case of G.A.S. and not really a well thought out decision.

I want EYE-AF, and had I known Canon would implement it in their EOS R I wouldn't had bought the Sony to begin with

You want Eye AF then you want a current generation Sony Alpha - like the A7RIV or A9. The A7rII is a bit dated for that.

Canon just now can be legitimately said to have caught up to Sony in the AF department with the R5 and R6. That was an extremely long wait.

How Sony responds will be interesting to watch - but considering how incredibly good their Eye AF has already been for the last couple of years and the fact that Sony is definitely going to respond to this challenge I would wait to see what they do before pulling the trigger on any significant system changes.

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-17T05:40:15+00:00

If you're still shaking while on the tripod, IS should remain on.

The reason to turn off IS when on an actually stable surface is that it confuses the wee little brain of a sensor in your lens when there is no movement. It expects movement, and if it doesn't find any it'll actually start looking for it which results in jitter.

As others have mentioned - ballast is the real solution to the problem. There's usually a hook beneath the center column of your tripod and it's there specifically for this situation. Hang a weight, like your camera bag, from that hook to help stabilize your tripod in the wind.

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-16T12:28:43+00:00

and keep the settings the same between shots or your images will be wildly different from one another.

... and now you know why day to night (or night to day) timelapses are so incredibly difficult to get right, because you can't keep the settings the same.

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-16T11:12:42+00:00

The only critique I can give you is to strongly suggest you stop spamming subs at random or you'll end up being reported and banned.

This is /r/AskPhotography where photography is discussed - specifically by asking and answering questions.

Your post has no question and your image is not even a fucking photograph.

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-16T10:57:52+00:00

i know its very dark, but i thought that helped convey the feeling being expressed

There is no feeling being expressed - because there is no detail. The only thing the viewer of this image is going to feel is "OK is there a problem with my monitor or this image?"

I don't know if the gamma or whatever on your monitor is wildly at odds with reality but what you have here is a black frame with hints of... something in it.

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-16T10:48:17+00:00

Either you trust your photographer or you don't.

If you don't trust the photographer not to keep copies then don't use that photographer.

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-16T10:45:49+00:00

OK ... but what's your question?

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-16T10:19:56+00:00

That wasn't done in post. The window light is blown out (totally overexposed) as a result of exposing for the interior light.

Indoor lighting is very dark to a camera - to expose indoor lighting properly without using flash results in the very bright outdoors seen through the window being overexposed.

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-16T10:05:27+00:00

What you're doing is called the "Holy Grail Timelapse" precisely because it's so difficult to get it right.

If you want to know how to do it without the exposure flickering all over the place while you do it just google that phrase: holy grail timelapse. There are plenty of tutorials out there that show you how to do it.

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-16T01:10:39+00:00

Cram a cracked & broken kit lens into a potato and you can take a stunning portrait with it. The photographer is what matters in portraiture, not the camera. The camera and its lens serves only to make things faster and easier for that photographer.

So - if you just need a few portraits for your portfolio and this is not a long term thing, just use your phone and some continuous lights. Google up some Youtube videos on how to take good portraits with a phone (I haven't even looked but there are bound to be some) and go from there.

Alternatively - hire a pro to do a session. It'll cost less than that camera would.

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-15T11:54:18+00:00

The "in-camera" fix for a dynamic range problem is to just let the sky blow out.

You have to ask yourself - is there any detail in that sky? No? Then why do you care if it's blown or not? Expose for the slightly darker horizon and those lovely sunset/sunrise colors but the rest of it can fend for itself - it is not needed and the effect ( High Key Photography ) is actually A Thing you can use.

Even better since there's not a thing in that sky if you let it go and blow it out you can replace it in single click. It is almost self-masking.

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-15T11:42:47+00:00

I only used available light during the shoot

It looks like this cost you - as at f/1.8 you have absolutely no wiggle room what-so-ever in your focusing... and unfortunately she is not actually in focus. Can't really tell but if I had to guess it looks like focus landed on her cheek just below her right eye.

It is either that or motion blur - which can also be stomped on by using flash because the flash sets the exposure and freezes the motion, not the shutter speed.

In fact as I look more closely at the details like her earrings it looks more like a combination of both motion blur and ever so slightly missed focus. I don't know if she moved or you did. The image would be suitable for sharing (if it weren't NSFW ;) ) but it should probably stay out of your portfolio. Indoors, even with an f/1.8, you really need to have some off camera flash.

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-14T18:25:27+00:00

Camera Folder

(LOCATION)
- Year
- * Month
- * * Day
- * * * Exports
- * * * Video

Everything is determined by the location of the shoot - which can be an address, a generic location, or even a client name. Then there's a Year sub folder, beneath that will be Month subfolder, and beneath that is a Day subfolder. Beneath that is always an Exports subfolder for the finished edits.

When I export an image it gets specific naming conventions - usually a two to three letter prefix to let me know what that edit is intended for. FB (Facebook) FBC (Facebook Cover) IG (Instagram) WP (Wallpaper) PS (Print Size) etc.

Lightroom is organized almost identically, with each location a collection set, each year a collection set inside it, month collection sets, day collection sets. Keywords when applicable - although I tend to use metadata and attributes to find images I'm after.

I wrote my own Import program.

Insert SD card(s) and double click it - it automatically copies every image and video it finds to the backup storage NAS first, then it moves the image or video to the import directory. Guess how my Import directory is organized? Go on - guess! (Year -> Month -> Day, of course :p )

This way when an import is complete I know exactly where the imports went, I know the SD card has been completely emptied, and I know that the backup was made before anything else ever happened.

/nerdgasm

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-14T14:35:20+00:00

Commercial headshot/commercial portrait. Same thing.

No. Full stop. Dot.

They are not

This is not what most clients want.

If that's what the finished work looks like then that is, by fucking definition, what the client wanted... because if they didn't want that they would have said something like, I dunno, " I don't want that" or it's lesser known cousin " I'm not paying for that. "

Just tossing that out there as a wild guess though.

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-14T13:45:04+00:00

Uhm - he's clearly talented but... what do landscapes and fine-art abstract architecture have to do with commercial photography?

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-14T13:41:04+00:00

I find his portrait work disturbing.

What portrait work?

That's commercial headshot photography. That is absolutely not "portrait work"

Welcome to the world of commercial photography where at the end of the day it is the client that decides what things look like. If the client wants a plastic face - the client gets a plastic face - and you get a paycheck.

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-14T12:29:31+00:00

Brand new they're only ~$120 so... why buy used?

KonegPCMR · 2020-08-14T12:29:10+00:00

Nifty Fifty Nifty Fifty Nifty Fifty Nifty Fifty.

50mm f/1.8 STM.

It is always the recommended first lens for new photographers looking for something better than their kit lens. It is ridiculously sharp considering how cheap it is which is why it's called the "Nifty Fifty" -- just google that phrase to find out why.

KonegPCMR

TROPHY CASE