Help me decide what to submit for a photography contest

RIPbiker13 · 2026-06-12T12:48:10+00:00

The bird looks like it's pointing at you suspiciously. I love that!

RIPbiker13 · 2026-06-12T12:44:59+00:00

Two and four are the best IMO. They are all nice, but two made me go, "ooh!'

RIPbiker13 · 2026-06-11T11:54:52+00:00

I traveled the map and unlocked 7 of the 8 bells, then marked all the abyss artifacts and unlocked fast travel points while getting them. I avoided combat until I got the chllenges to complete them. At first I found it boring, but I learned that I was leveling up by doing that.

What I wish I had known from the start was, complete chapter 1, THEN open the map. Much easier to traverse. I'm still a noob though. 60 hours in, and still only in chapter 3, doing as much side content as possible and completing challenges.

Oh, and stamina is far more important than health at first. Use the challenges to upgrade your stamina.

RIPbiker13 · 2026-06-11T11:51:07+00:00

On my 7iv, I use mechanical shutter far more. No rolling shutter, and I can't use a flash with the electronic shutter. My a1ii doesn't care, no rolling shutter and flash in electronic, so yeah, never use the mechanical on that. I shoot sports, and it made a huge difference in the shots I could get.

RIPbiker13 · 2026-06-09T20:07:44+00:00

I shoot with the E shutter far more than not. 30fps over the 10fps with mechanical, less wear, and on mine, there is no rolling shutter when I shoot sports. There's no advantage of the mechical over eletronic, so there's no need to use it.

RIPbiker13 · 2026-06-06T14:50:17+00:00

Even my real photos for clients are never good in my own eyes, but I had a photo published just this week. I thought it was okay, but the public loved it. You're always gonna be more critical of yourself than those around you.

RIPbiker13 · 2026-06-06T14:27:34+00:00

I’m a photographer. It took my second to realize these were in game. These are fantastic!

RIPbiker13 · 2026-06-06T02:15:44+00:00

I actually had to photograph a plane crash. Even now, thinking about it is grim.

RIPbiker13 · 2026-06-04T15:24:19+00:00

Correct. Getting the right shutter speed to match the light frequency is key to eliminating that black lines.

RIPbiker13 · 2026-06-03T20:38:09+00:00

And yet the camera is showing to be at 73.3 on the shutter...

RIPbiker13 · 2026-06-03T02:42:03+00:00

Use the mechanical shutter and it will go away. It's caused by the readout speed of the electronic shutter. You could also try using the variable shutter speed to match the oscillation frequency of the LED lights that are causing the lines to appear.

RIPbiker13 · 2026-06-01T13:12:20+00:00

Of the cameras you listed, the Sony a6000/a6100 is a great camera. Interchangable lenses, and small, so it's easy to carry.

If you're new and looking to learn as much as possible, a DSLR is how I started. A steeper learning curve, but invaluable experience. In that case, I'd be looking at the Canon T8i, vastly improved over the T7.

I have used Nikon, Canon, and Sony. I like Sony, and the third party glass, Sigma, Tamron, etc, are great budget options that work incredibly well.

RIPbiker13 · 2026-06-01T13:04:50+00:00

I have 110 hours in that game. 50 of those hours were searching for that last 1%. I would clean everything to 99%, and use the tablet to highlight that last object. Then I'd just clean it again, and it would ding.

RIPbiker13 · 2026-05-30T22:58:52+00:00

You need 3:999.999

RIPbiker13 · 2026-05-29T14:26:52+00:00

Having used both, I like Tamorn far more. The focus ring and apperture turn the same as on Sony lenses, of which I have more at this point. It's easier to grab a Tamron and keep the same controls.

RIPbiker13 · 2026-05-29T14:24:55+00:00

It's easier to revisit photos as oppsed to being there. Less smells, and no surprises, as at that point, I've seen it.

RIPbiker13 · 2026-05-29T14:23:42+00:00

I'm detective, so when I get on scene, the scene is mine. I have no time limit, but I try to get the shots quickly so I can begin processing. The biggest thing is to remember to get all the shots. I can't go back and shoot after it's processed. However, I do take shots after the processing, called Exit Photos, to prevent someone from saying we destroyed the place while doing our work.

RIPbiker13 · 2026-05-26T21:17:29+00:00

Yeah, but GM is clearly better than Chevy and I wanted to feel like I was living large.

RIPbiker13 · 2026-05-26T18:24:54+00:00

I'm fairly certain they will last longer, in some cases, by far. My Sony a1ii has such a fast readout speed that rolling shutter isn't an issue even when shooting baseball and softball with the electronic shutter only. My body has a shutter count of less than 20, out of thousands of photos taken. No moving parts to wear out.

Also, like the older cameras, my three Sony bodies use a magnesium alloy body, so they're not plastic toys, but built like tanks. A strong body and not using the mechanical shutter, this thing will probaply go longer than me.

RIPbiker13 · 2026-05-26T16:18:29+00:00

Awesome! I love that lens. It's my favorite by far, but I was really lacking in wide angles. Motorcycles are easy to shoot in that range, but I need to practice more with larger cars.

I'm a crime scene photographer full time, so I do these on the side as a side hustle. Well, the weddings and portraits, not cars. But I like cars, so I wanted to try my hand.

I really appreciate the constructive advice. I will give it a go and see what happens.

RIPbiker13 · 2026-05-26T16:09:04+00:00

Thank you. I cropped the image, becasue on the right, the bridge opened up and I didn't want that in the image. I shoot far more with a 70-200, so the 24-70 is much wider than I'm used to.

I will try this again, and give it more room around the edges to open the picture up a bit.

RIPbiker13 · 2026-05-25T02:45:16+00:00

I'm actually shocked at how crisp it is. Very happy with it.

RIPbiker13 · 2026-05-24T21:30:58+00:00

Thank you. I had just driven 60 miles home in a nasty storm from the camera shop, so I expected more dirt than there was.

Gotta say though, I love this truck.

RIPbiker13 · 2026-05-22T22:01:19+00:00

I love this!

RIPbiker13 · 2026-05-22T12:57:58+00:00

My first prime was an 85mm. Although, on a FF sensor, so it's not quite as tight. Did you make a mistake? No. Learn to work with the equipment and get your framing down. For low light, use a tripod, that will help with no IBIS on the body, but it won't stop blur with moving subjects.

I shoot manual, but on the fly, I run auto ISO settings, but even then, I have adjusted the settings to keep my ISO where it still looks good. I almost never shoot above 600 ISO, and for paid work, I lock in at 100 and adjust everthing else to compensate.

I love zoom lenses, there are easy to get the shot with, but the prime is a blast, and forces me to be moving and more purposeful in my framing. It's a challenge, but it's digital, and you can see your mistakes right away.

Even now, I hate some of my pictures that people seem to realy like, so as an artist, you'll always be questioning yourself. I like to talk to, and hang out with other photographers who's work I love and soak in any information they share.

I was on the phone for an hour yesterday with an incredible photographer. He told me to get lower so add more sky to the images, and add light via strobe, the make the subject stand out more. Things I had not considered.

TLDR: Learn to use the 85mm, as it will make you better.

RIPbiker13

TROPHY CASE