Learning a new hobby with the camera

I’ve always thought some photos that were fishing related but not of fish would look good in my office. So I asked Nicole to teach me a little about Lightroom 2 photoshop program. It took some practice to get the background and placement correct. This is the end result. Nicole put a lot of time in on these today. What do you guys/gals think? Capt. Rick Hoitt, some of your images inspired these. Thanks.

Very nice depth of field shots and your colors look spot on.

Very nice pictures! And yes I was taking notes on your color selections

Rootski

nice job on the pictures. they look great.

PS – what kind of camera are you using?

Nikon D3000.

I’m currently shooting with the 5000. They’re good cams that don’t destroy the bank account. And so far, knock on wood, I’ve been lucky with the durability out in the elements.

Thanks Wade! Your pictures look good. Do you shoot in a “RAW” format?

Please don’t take this the wrong way,,But If you want the truth about your pic’s here it goes.

For one you have the color “Jacked-Up” so high to where it looks unnatural.

The lighting looks a little harsh. To much direct sunlight.

Did you do the “vignetting” on purpose? (Dark corners)

Here is more on the subject of vignetting.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=453254

Here is another good site for you. There is a ton of info on the subject of photography. http://www.photozo.com

Keep up the good work,,,shoot more and shoot more often. (Just like a gun)

Here is one of a series I did a while back where the shots were taken at mid day in the cockpit of a sportsfisher. I didnt have much time to get these pic’s back to the customer, so I had to shoot it right then. The sun was very harsh, so I used a reflector to “Fill in” the shadows and another one to shade the subject a little.

Fill flash was also used for high-lights.

Also take note of the background,,,Its dull and dark. This helps bring out the subject and makes it “Pop”.

Early AM sunlight is best when doing work like this. Its “Soft” and will make your subject look a lot better.

Thanks Rick. That’s exactly the input I was looking for. It took us all day as we messed with the sun light and where it was in the sky. Same with the background. I’m sure the neighbors thought we were loosing it.

Yes, we did do the Vignetting on purpose. We thought that maybe it would bring out the subject better. I appreciate the help.

Just awesome…..jealous. I have a new goal!

VERY COOL SHOTS!! Great work!!

Very nice photos guys. I usually happy when I hit the button on the camera and something happens. You guys have sure taken it to the next level.

I don’t mind vignettes if you don’t notice them, if that makes sense. But it also reminds me of a 80s yearbook picture when I see them. And it also makes me feel like I have tunnel vision.

Yeah, it’s a works in progress. They can only get better from here, I hope.

You sound like me Wade. Im pretty hard on my self too.
The more you shoot, the better you get. The biggest thing is the lighting. Once you master that your half way there…..

Do you shoot in a “RAW” format?

Post some more pics for us……..

As best I can tell, yes I am shooting in RAW format.

If you shoot fast sports shots,,,the RAW format will hurt you a little, but if you don’t, Its the only way to go!

Here is a little read on the subject.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2008/05/why-you-should/

Here is something else that might help you down the road. You can see all the camera settings “EXIF” and the date that the picture was taken if someone else post a pic on the net. It doesn’t work all the time,,(It depends on how you edit the pic) but you never know when that someone will post a picture from two years ago and say it was taken yesterday.

I busted a guy on another site with this program. Man was he pissed! Check it out,,its free

http://www.opanda.com/en/iexif/