Picture Taking, advice? Options

[bojangles_8686]

I have a Canon Powershot A520. The quality of the picture is pretty good but I think it can be better. Can I get some advice from all of you camera savvy people on taking better pictures and changing camera settings?

[Supersprynt]

I always keep pics set on the highest resolution to get the max megapixels outta it. I try to use manual focus as the auto isnt always correct. Whenever I use speeds below 400 I generally try to use a tripod, always take into account depth of field and the subject of your picture.

[bloodrain]

tripod, that will give u the biggest increase. other than that just take pictures and experiement.

[x_itchy_b_x]

tripod is a must. also wide angle lenses are fun. play with all the settings and really KNOW the camera. im serious

[bojangles_8686]

Thanks for the advice guys! I am gonna pick up a tripod sometime soon. I am gonna mess around with the camera settings tonight when I get home. Also another question, what do you all have as your upload size for the picture? Every time I transfer my pics to the computer I have so size them down so I can put them on the forums otherwise they will be huge.

Edit: I have a few more questions

What size tripod is ideal? Also, do any of you use filters/lenses besides wide angle?

This post has been edited by bojangles_8686: Apr 27, 2006 - 9:50 AM

[bloodrain]

Thanks for the advice guys! I am gonna pick up a tripod sometime soon. I am gonna mess around with the camera settings tonight when I get home. Also another question, what do you all have as your upload size for the picture? Every time I transfer my pics to the computer I have so size them down so I can put them on the forums otherwise they will be huge.

Edit: I have a few more questions

What size tripod is ideal? Also, do any of you use filters/lenses besides wide angle?

there is no ideal size for a tripod, like me personally, I have 2 tripods, one that is 6" and extends to 3 feet, and another that is 2 feet and extends to 6 feet. I think I have alot more fun with the 6" tripod. I dont have the lense feature that most other cameras do, and if im not mistaken you camera cant change lens's either, you need an SLR camera for that. You almost might want to ask Coomer for some picture taking advice, from what i've seen hes pics always come out nice and clean. But thats because he has a $1,000 camera and some mad photo skills. Also, photoshop is your friend.

[lil_lissa]

ooooooh, i asked this same question to a buddy of mine not too long ago when i was taking pics... i'm going to copy and paste what he said to me okay?? it's long, and has examples of pictures that i took in it, so you can see

Melissa, one thing I notice about all these photos are the lighting and shadows are bad.

They can totally ruin a good, or possibly great photo.

Examples:

Shadow on rear of car.



Shadow covering entire car. If this was the only photo I saw of your car, I wouldn't have a clue as to what exact shade of red it is. So what's the point of the photo???



Shadow covering corner of car.



Sun on wrong side of the car.



See the difference between looking for proper lighting and shadows is the difference between a "snap shot" and a "photo".

Also, there's the rule of thirds. Draw 2 lines horizontally one-third and two-thirds across the photo. Then do the same thing vertically. If the subject of your photo is not on any of those lines, throw the image out, it's a bad photo. Some of your photos use that rule, some don't.

Good use of thirds:



Bad use of thirds:



Then as Tim and Kyle both pointed out about backgrounds. You have examine what's around your subject very seriously. Make sure there isn't any debris on the ground, try to stay away from the parking lot lines or cracks on the ground. And look for balance.

For example, this background would have been really nice is there wasn't that grille up on the wall. It draws your eye away from the car and up onto the wall.



Lastly, again as Kyle said, u have to close in on your subject more. What do u want to show us, a tow truck in the background or your car??? We don't choose what to look at, your photo makes us look at specific things.

What u did do well was change the angles of the photos. You also experimented with different things and backgrounds. This is the only you'll really learn. Good job with that. :thumbup:

[Valo666]

with me, i use a tripod always. Also, i try and figure out what angles/lighting/backdrop suits the type of picture.

This picture i took with a tripod on a somewhat sunny day.

The sun was aiming more towards the front passanger side of the car, so it gave a nice shadow on the back of the car. Plus, i find when your taking pictures, sometimes you want alot of negative space(area around the main object), and sometimes its better to reduce it. this picture happens to have alot of negative space and an unbalanced focal point, but i feel it catches the eye a bit better than just having the object smack dab in the center.

This picture, once again went with alot of negative space, but kinda slapped the car straight in the center of the picture. Also, if you look at the tail light and side marker, it looks like its lit up, but thats purely from sun light


Once again playin with shadows. At this angle, you can really see the contour of the body lines, but also get an idea of what the car will look like at all lighting conditions.


with me..i say play around with the lighting, dont keep the car smack dab in the center, play around with angles, negative spacing, shadows, and keep shootin untill your happy with the end results.

Side note: that day i took 65 shots of my car alone in that area, i kept 15 of them because i wasnt happy with the rest.

[Gary]

^^^^
Good advice and could use some polarlizer.
5 things that can improve your photograph from point and shoot camera (no exposure control)
1. Lighting (angle of light, amount of light)
2. Composition (including backgrond and foreground)
3. Know your subject (which angle of subject looks good)
4. Tripod (eliminate blurry pic)
5. PS skill (help adjusting and correcting image)

[bojangles_8686]

Wow! Thanks a lot everyone! I have found a few lens kits for my camera so I think Im gonna pick one up and mess around and use some of the advice you all gave me.