Testing out some photo spots.

"MountainCommand" (MountainCommand) 03/20/2014 at 17:06 • Filed to: None

2

42

All of these were taken along one of my favorite local roads, and ill gopro it soon enough. I'm not very impressed with the results to be honest. So give me your unadulterated opinion on these. The 50mm prime wasn't quite impressive, imo, at these distances.

.

Dont know whether or not i like the trees in foreground or not...

.

How do you make this shot below less boring... hmm.

.

This one was okay but I overexposed the car.

.

The beat down old barn place was rather attractive. I thought about parking the prelude inside that thing, but there were wayy to many stray nails and glass. And if you havent noticed already, nails (and potholes) are the reason im running two different sets of wheels =/

.

Ill have to use a different lens next time as the surrounding areas weren't friendly to maneuver through.

.

.

Im just happy i went out and shot something at a new location. I also took a bunch on my film camera, so im very curious to see if somehow these shots turn out better than the digital.

jkm7680 > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 17:10

0

Nice Pics! If I would try to take a picture from the road, I'd have a 100% chance of getting hit by a car.

Reigntastic > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 17:10

0

The images themselves aren't amazing in my opinion, but your composition is pretty great and that's far more important to me.

Didn't notice the mismatched front/rear until the last photo, to be honest.

MountainCommand > Reigntastic 03/20/2014 at 17:15

0

I guess its the quality, i should say. I dont like how it looks all washed out with an overexposed feel. I suppose thats what i get for shooting when the sun was at its highest. Ive been working hard to get composition especially since shooting film, i dont spray and pray like i use to.

MountainCommand > jkm7680 03/20/2014 at 17:17

0

standing in the road is what separates the 'meh' shots from the 'mmmhmm' shots!

jkm7680 > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 17:21

0

Haha, I'm planning on going on a shoot soon. Most of the pictures that I have of my car have been taken with my Potato.

Reigntastic > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 17:22

0

Post processing can often take care of those issues though, do you have any experience with photoshop?

CAR_IS_MI > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 17:25

0

Angle too high, tree is distracting.

ttyymmnn > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 17:26

1

How do you make this shot below less boring... hmm.

Cropping?

or...

hethoughtofcars > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 17:28

0

Just a minor issue: but I'd remove the plate in front for sure, and in back probably for the photo.

MountainCommand > Reigntastic 03/20/2014 at 17:29

0

no photoshop yet... Im stuck trying to attempt things in gimp (it works like 50 50). Plus i tend to not like post processing as i feel its cheating. But yes, i understand there is no compromise for photoshop and that it is okay to post process.

CAR_IS_MI > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 17:29

0

Car is too far over in framing. little bit of contrast and field of depth could help.

CAR_IS_MI > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 17:31

0

too many distractions on the right, the road becomes the focus of this pic.

CAR_IS_MI > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 17:32

0

Too many background changes.

MountainCommand > ttyymmnn 03/20/2014 at 17:32

0

Cropping is a photo-sin!

Ive never been one to crop so i never actually try it. I suppose every now and then is okay.

CAR_IS_MI > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 17:33

0

This building appears to be the focus.

MountainCommand > hethoughtofcars 03/20/2014 at 17:35

0

its a double sided issue. I want to remove it for good, but statelaw says otherwise. And if i did, i have to fix the additional drilled holes the dealer put in when they put plates on initially... I think im going to get those tinted plate covers and call it a day.

CAR_IS_MI > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 17:35

0

This ones not bad other than these branches.

GTI MkVII > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 17:37

0

You shouldn't really need photoshop for 98% of the photos you want to process. Shoot RAW and use Adobe Lightroom for all your processing needs.

MountainCommand > CAR_IS_MI 03/20/2014 at 17:37

0

Counter: The road is just as much of the subject as the car, so i didnt want to chop the road. And yeah, i needed to open up a bit for a few of these, alas i forgot.

GTI MkVII > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 17:39

0

Post processing is not cheating. Henri Cartier Bresson was famous for his masterful dodging and burning. Guess what - that's post processing. If it makes for a better photograph in the end, do it.

Reigntastic > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 17:39

0

It's definitely cheating, but in a world where all the major photographers use it for the most part, might as well ride the gravy train. The better a raw shot is, the less work you have to do afterwards anyways.

MountainCommand > CAR_IS_MI 03/20/2014 at 17:39

0

gotcha. I was trying extreme highs and lows. Im not a huge fan of the tree either.

Reigntastic > GTI MkVII 03/20/2014 at 17:40

0

I agree with this. Lightroom is a much quicker application to use, I tend to use PS because I have the latest version and it tends to be a catch all. Otherwise it's just because I have the most experience with it and tend to default to it.

CAR_IS_MI > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 17:41

0

But you have to pick which you want to be the primary subject. If the road was the primary then this shot works.

MountainCommand > GTI MkVII 03/20/2014 at 17:43

0

I know... i still have to acquire a copy... Its honestly my biggest downfall as i have no real way of processing raws.

crowmolly > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 17:43

0

Tinted plate covers are illegal in NJ.

hethoughtofcars > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 17:45

0

I just meant for the photo, license plates are distracting whether you blur them or not. We have that same law in Oregon and I think it is like a $300 fine or something crazy. I did risk it with my e46 coupe and never got caught, but it probably wasn't worth it. I think those tinted plate covers are MORE likely to receive unwanted police attention than leaving them "stock".

MountainCommand > GTI MkVII 03/20/2014 at 17:45

0

I do lots of burning and dodging in the dark room with film but somehow to me thats different as you are actually creating a physical image. Clicking away at a computer feels to easy. But i guess its was has to be done.

MountainCommand > crowmolly 03/20/2014 at 17:46

0

Well then its settled. Im running without a front plate haha.

ttyymmnn > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 17:48

0

Why is it a photo-sin? Cropping focuses the eye where you want it to go and eliminates distractions. I don't normally crop to odd sizes, but with the way the road was going in your shot it seemed to make sense. It focuses the eye on the car and the road it's waiting to drive on.

Here is a shot from a soccer game. The first shot is the original, the second is the crop as I displayed it. They both have the same 4:3 ratio. I don't see the sin here.

MountainCommand > hethoughtofcars 03/20/2014 at 17:48

0

The other thing is i use special bolts with a key thing to attach the plates, so its a pain to take off, otherwise id take the front plate off everytime i park the car at a meet or show. I still might just get rid of the plate one day.

GTI MkVII > Reigntastic 03/20/2014 at 17:50

0

I used to be the same way so I know what you mean. But once I started working for a photography company/studio in Orlando, I quickly saw how useful and valuable Lightroom is. So much quicker for literally 99.9% of post work. I used LR4 for a long time, but recently upgraded to 5 via Creative Cloud. I say give it a shot full time for a few weeks and see how you like it.

GTI MkVII > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 17:51

0

If you're eligible for any student/education discounts, you can get Lightroom for around $75. Easily the best $75 you'll spend on any software.

Reigntastic > GTI MkVII 03/20/2014 at 17:53

1

I appreciate your advice, and I think I'll go ahead and do it. I've been mulling it over for a little bit, but since you're a professional I will bite the bullet. Shouldn't be too hard snagging a copy through my uni or the internet.

crowmolly > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 17:54

1

http://www.jegs.com/p/Altec-Produc…

MountainCommand > ttyymmnn 03/20/2014 at 18:37

0

I feel personally, cropping should be done to the best of your ability in the camera. However! I understand sometimes it just doesnt end up that easy. But i try my hardest to compose images without the need for cropping.

Your shots there fall under the exception category. And photography itself is just exceptions haha. I would agree those are good crops. I see nothing wrong. Keeping the images in that 4:3 ratio is key too, since i would actually not have guessed that those were crops.

MountainCommand > crowmolly 03/20/2014 at 18:39

0

I NEED THAT!

MountainCommand > GTI MkVII 03/20/2014 at 18:40

1

Hmm, i do get student discounts... I will have to consider it!

MountainCommand > CAR_IS_MI 03/20/2014 at 18:42

0

Ahh but thats the beauty of photography. I can pose questions through my images.

Those twigs in the other shot piss me off now that you pointed them out. Those little details you miss in the viewfinder.... grr.

ttyymmnn > MountainCommand 03/20/2014 at 18:52

0

And to be fair, these are sort of apples to oranges comparisons. You are composing a shot, while I'm trying to catch action, where it's almost a requirement to shoot wide and crop later. I do very little composed photography. I'm mostly outdoors doing sports and aviation.

MountainCommand > ttyymmnn 03/20/2014 at 18:57

0

Thats true too. But i do have to admit, i need to not be so against cropping. I just get upset when i see people around me taking their pictures (they had time to compose) and then they still go back later and crop away. Action and movement photography is tough to compose unless you pre-compose and wait for the action to roll on screen. Photography is always a tradeoff haha.

GTI MkVII > Reigntastic 03/20/2014 at 21:15

0

That's exactly right. I believe you can pick up LR5 for about $75 with education discounts. Thats a steal. Good luck!

And on the off chance you're curious to see some of my work - www.AdamSheikh.com

Cheers!