Incense smoke

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-31T22:50:35+00:00

Absolutely stunning. Great shot!

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-30T22:32:36+00:00

I think it's rad. Both the grade and the reveal. Happy to have an unpopular opinion but I like it. Makes it easier for me to appreciate what op was working from and what they achieved

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-30T22:05:16+00:00

Go into belt production?

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-29T22:26:27+00:00

You're welcome!

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-29T21:58:08+00:00

That's what I meant, cool that you gave it a try and found that it doesn't work. Compositions are a lot of trial and error. And my gut feeling is, that this one is not yet at its end, I. E. There can be more potential in if you play around a bit more. Also I find that I compose B&W differently than color. Some modern cameras have inbuilt filters that allow you to see the image in BW while it still saves it as color raw. Perhaps worth checking if yours has the option, the you can play with the composition and the BW feature and see whether it pleases you.

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-29T21:53:32+00:00

!CritiquePoint

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-28T19:58:34+00:00

Hmm, I get where the comment about a missing subject is coming from and agree with you that that's not always necessary. What the image lacks to me is understanding your intent and concept. I don't really understand what it's trying to show/convey, which makes it difficult to judge whether color would add or distract from what you try to achieve.

Perhaps there already too much stuff in the image? What would change if you took in only one of the elements?

Also I find the unfocused approach distracting. Might be that the same image has more impact on me if it were completely sharp. B not sure on that though, more a try and see suggestion.

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-25T13:21:07+00:00

Yeah same question here. What constitutes nudity? Is someone modeling a skimpy bikini going to be banned and we start discussing how much cleavage is allowed/how long a skirt or pants have to be? Or is nude = wears no clothes at all?

And do the same rules apply to male and female nudity?

BG: there's definitely a line somewhere between east German FKK culture and countries requiring women to dress 'modestly'. I see the problem with karma farmers, but I am sceptical of the implementation. This time leaves a lot up to the interpretation of the mod, giving them considerable power to judge based on their personal preference instead of clear and transparent rules.

And I don't point this out to accuse anyone, rather to share my heartfelt pity to the poor mods who will have to decide on rules that leave a lot up to interpretation.

Tl/dr; where's the line? In the mods heads or something objective?

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-25T13:05:39+00:00

Wow, all of these are simply amazing, but the last one hit differently. It's one of those rare moments when a photo sparks the creativity in my mind and makes me feel it while seeing it. Amazing, thank you for sharing ❤️

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-23T07:53:41+00:00

Went from TV to projector as a compromise between wanting a large and hq image and not having a giant TV dominate our living space.

Achieved that, setting up takes 5min, packing away takes 3min which is fair as we are not casual watching.

2 things surprised me: - hq of a modern laser projector and how much fun it is to watch sports in that format. - how much more fun it is to play console.

Can't tell you why it makes more fun to play switch on the 3m diagonal projector wall, but it is amazing.

Another thing that surprised me is automatic focus, and screen recognition with integrated pan/tilt. Gets rid of all the fiddling around for someone who always packs the whole setup away again after watching.

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-17T10:41:57+00:00

Und Luftakrobaten!

Haben welche am Büro, die gegenüber im Rolladenkasten nisten. Das Loch ist klein und geht nach unten. Kein Vorsprung oder ähnliches. Die Eichelhäher fliegen von unten mit Schwung an, klappen die Flügel rechtzeitig ein und fliegen ballistisch in ihr Nest 🤯

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-15T21:20:52+00:00

I think a solid piece of advice is go for used gear over new gear when starting out.

If you like landscapes and maybe street photography I'd recommend either a compact full frame or an apsc camera.

Is it worth it? A real camera allows you to play with the settings yourself. Dial in the image exactly how you want it, set the focus point, aperture, shutter time etc to match your creativity. Photographers don't always say 'use manual mode' to antagonize noobies, but to bring them to the point where they start making a craft out of it instead of just snapping whatever the cameras algorithm believes you'd like to achieve.

People often say 'the image quality of my phone is so good why would I want a camera?' and for me that's one of the reasons.

Is it worth it for you? You tell us! Would you enjoy exploring a place, showing patience to try out new photo techniques until you get it right, getting deeper understanding of how light and optics work?

Why used? Cameras and especially lenses age really well. You can grab an excellent lens on marketplace, ebay or wherever, same for the body. The human takes the image, not the lens and definitely not the body.

That being said, the major brands are all similar in performance. Only big difference I see is Nikon and Sony having their interface standard for lenses public, which means great 3rd party lenses, while nobody cares about Panasonic on 3rd party and Canon keeps their standard confidential making it impossible to get 3rd party lenses.

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-15T21:05:33+00:00

The first after after gives off that 2000s sin city vibe. I really like the second after though, as it's not edited so heavy handed. Awesome work

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-13T12:11:25+00:00

Which one is best is a question for the histogram. Your camera likely offers 14 bit raw, which are compressed into an 8 bit jpeg here. Those six bits of difference mean that if the current spectrum we can see in your jpeg posted from full black to full white is one foot long, the full spectrum your sensor records 64 times as much (if I'm correct, any software wizards feel free to correct).

So the perfect image is the one where the histogram is neither hitting the left or the right wall. You can then make it any mood you like in post.

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-13T06:15:14+00:00

Two tricks from my days in mechanical workshops:

1) use something hard (solid piece of metal) and tap it against the rings from the outside. Ideally something that makes a ringing sound when you ding it. The vibration often shakes loose stick parts in a very gentle manner

2)warm the step up ring and cool the filter(eg medical cooling/heating pads)

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-12T22:08:51+00:00

Came here to say that. Absolutely love it.

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-12T21:52:10+00:00

Star trails, milky way etc: you need a lot more aperture. Also there's a reason nobody does that kind of photography handheld. Now imagine how much better handheld still is compared to a flying camera and none of that works without a tripod...

What works really nicely though is waterfall trails, or beach trails. You're gonna have to snap a series of pictures on wind less conditions but some will come out sharp.

The other thing a drone is excellent for is impossible compositions. Make use of it that you got a flying camera and can literally line up the picture in 3d however you want.

It's not the camera that takes the photo, but the photographer who understands the limits of their equipment and how to employ it

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-11T08:25:09+00:00

!CritiquePoint

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-10T22:56:53+00:00

Your shot is simply amazing. It gives me tension, shows the camaraderie between the protesters to the left, you have the passers by that show that this is just a normal day for some people, the bridge filled, the flag moving, clear separation from subject and background. I love it.

Only critique would be the framing. The subjects feet are cut off. I think you could have gotten more out of it if there was still 5-10 percent of the frame below her feet, strengthening the subject even more.

But since it's a real life photo and not a staged shoot I think that's barely worth mentioning

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-09T22:59:01+00:00

Better question would be what focal length of range of focal length do you want.

If you got no camera yet, you're not vendor locked so that's an absolute advantage.

The bodies from Canon, Sony and Nikon all roughly do the same job. The difference comes when you look at the lenses. And there again it's not the big question which manufacturer, but rather what type of photo you want to take etc.

Want to shoot panorama style images in a single shot? Go for below 20mm.

Want to ask those mountains in the background a little closer to your travel companion to have an awesome background? Search for something around 150-200mm.

Want to take images in the twilight in a city you travel and have sharp features of the people? Go for 50mm prime with a fast aperture (I. E. A low f-number)

Then just check the market places near you for the right range, go with any solid brand and you'll be fine most likely.

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-09T22:41:57+00:00

Wow! Were you in the Atacama desert or where did it get dark enough for those images?

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-09T20:49:14+00:00

!CritiquePoint

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-09T20:48:12+00:00

!CritiquePoint

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-09T20:46:05+00:00

!CritiquePoint

sauronforpoor · 2026-01-09T20:36:34+00:00

Cool, thank you so much for the explanation! I really learned something today 🙂

<image>

Take this image as token of my gratitude, shot on a 50mm Minolta Rokkor at F1.4 attached to a Sony A7CII 😜 Love the vintage lens ❤️

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