USVI-On-Line

Inspired by replies to Vicki’s awesome shots and similar comments made to others here who take great photos: yup – it isn’t the camera (well, top notch gear and polarizing filters doesn’t hurt either). I figured more folks will see this post here than on the OTF.

NatGeo Traveler did an issue where they handed out basic point n shoot cameras to some pros and set them loose, then printed the results. Of course, the images were pretty amazing. If fact several of them enjoyed the experience much more than they anticipated and felt liberated form lugging around their pro gear. Digital technology as really flattened the field in terms of the results you can get from cheaper cameras.

That said, taking a good picture isn’t rocket science, but it doesn’t happen by accident either. If you want to improve, take a night course on photography at your local high school or community college or just take some time to buy a cappuccino at Barnes and Noble, grab some “how to” and coffee table photo books and when you see images you like, LOOK at them and ask yourself, what is it that is drawing me into the photo? Go on flickr and do the same. AMAZING work being done there.

Learn what kind of lighting can enhance your photos (like late afternoon) and what kind can cause problems (like backlighting), and yes, even look at your camera manual to learn what settings you can use to compensate for different conditions.

And when you shoot something, take a shot wide, take a shot zoomed, take a shot with the camera held vertical (or "portrait" position). Crouch down to get a different angle. Use the “rule of thirds” when framing (or later while cropping your shots) i.e. divide the frame into thirds and try to have something interesting in each third of the frame.

Place your subject off center and don’t only shoot people full frame. Also frame them from the knees up and then from the waist up - but put don’t put their heads smack dab in the middle of the frame – keep their faces in the upper third. Don’t always put the horizon smack dab in the middle of the frame on every shot. Do another one with more sky, then one with more water or land.

Taking more shots will enable you to do a better job selecting only the best ones to keep/print/show to others. Be a harsh editor. It can be a bit painful when somebody shows a virtual or actual stack of their vacation photos that still includes ALL the blurry, dark, or crazy red eye photos.

all good points. I do ok but I know I can do better. I do better when I'm alone or just with Charlie as I don't feel pressured to be "moving on" to the next location.

That being said I occasionally hand the camera over to my other half. I just asked him the other day "are you looking at anything when you look through the view finder?" hahahahahahha
Slightly mean perhaps but I just wonder what he's seeing. Also gave him a little tutorial on focusing.
It's ok though .. I prefer not to be in the shots when at all possible!

Thanks...I love taking pictures but I am not so good at it. I need all the help I can get!

I also suggest getting a different perspective whenever possible. When you see a pretty shot, try taking it from an unconventional angle. My favorite shots are usually the ones that forced me to straddle a palm tree or lay face down in the sand to capture.

Good stuff.

I'm always listening when jmq or VickiH are providing photograhpy pointers.

All very good points.

My husband is the real photographer in our house.

In addition to the above (for DSLR's), he also has me take several shots with different exposures (I think that's what it is - the +1, -1 stuff); and check the histograms.

While my pictures are not as impressive as Vicki's I'll throw in a few tips in exchange for reading and learning from others.

1. Beach, water, and sky shots under sunny skies really do need that polarizing filter. Just turn that baby until the blues get really deep and the glare disappears. The engineer in me would love to type a long explanation on how this works, but you'd all hate me and I'd have spent way too much time on it! Here's an example taken 5 years ago using a polarizing filter at Pearl Harbor. The black stuff is the oil that still leaks up through from the bowels of the USS Arizona. Without the polarizer, it is just a rainbow reflection on the surface and you can't even see much of the ship.



2. Use the smallest ISO number/setting that you can get away using. Sometimes this is as simple as turning your camera from AUTO to P mode so that you can manually select it.

3. Photoshop is a great tool....I hate it!!! I hate because I've never taken the time to learn to use it, so when I do it takes forever and I get marginal results. Vickie's "Velvia" plug-in that she mentioned in her reply to her TR is an incredible thing for outdoor, landscape scenic shots. It mimics the old Velvia slide film which was a VERY low ISO film 'back-in-the-day' when people still shot slides. It was famous for its great color and resolution. It had superfine resolution that could approximate a 22 megapixel image in today's digital standard! So the plug-in really saturates the colors.

4. Take a TON of pictures! you're not wasting film, so fill up those memory cards. I know that most week long trips that we take will usually net me somewhere between 1000-2000 images to sort through when I get home! That greatly improves my chances of getting a few showstoppers!

Thanks for the great advice and reminders! Some of the best advice I've ever had in photography was to get uncomfortable, and to take a lot of photos.
I don't get a lot of remarkable shots compared to people like Vicki and jmq, but every once in a while I'll get something frameable, or at least something people seem to really like.

Mary Beth- I understand about not wanting to hold people up. I give a disclaimer now, and have been left in the dust taking pictures before-- but at least they've been warned.

jmq- If I run into you, mind if I ask about a thousand questions?

Good stuff KT. Especially about the ISO setting.

Usually midday is not great time to shoot, but it is in the Caribbean with a polarizer.

As to #3, sometimes those photos look over-saturated to me, not as much as some of the too un-natural looking "High Dynamic Range" imaging (HDR) stuff you see on flickr, but lotsa people do seem to like that look.

I know I'll have to break down and buy and learn how to use a program like Photoshop someday. In the meantime, the free Picasa editing software is all I need 95% of the time.

LMG, I give the disclaimer too but I can always see them out of the corner of my eye just standing there .. waiting ..... waiting ...... waiting......
VERY ANNOYING!

LMG wrote:jmq- If I run into you, mind if I ask about a thousand questions?

Sure, but it will cost you a drink. And depending where we are, it could be the 2 for $3 Presidente beers at Caps, OR, it could be the Silver Patron Margarita at RhumbLines.

Better yet, ask Vicki and hear her plead ignorance. She is living proof of somebody who has the gift and the technical part of it is just a nuisance. Others like me need to study and work at it from the technical side in order to achieve the art.

mbw1024 wrote:LMG, I give the disclaimer too but I can always see them out of the corner of my eye just standing there .. waiting ..... waiting ...... waiting......
VERY ANNOYING!

Oh my, I've gotten in trouble for taking too many pictures, or the famous:
Family: "didnt you take a picture of that yesterday?"
Me: "But its a different time of day and the lighting is totally different!"
I've gotten faster at it to help mitigate that issue (somewhat).

jmq wrote:

LMG wrote:jmq- If I run into you, mind if I ask about a thousand questions?

Sure, but it will cost you a drink. And depending where we are, it could be the 2 for $3 Presidente beers at Caps, OR, it could be the Silver Patron Margarita at RhumbLines.

Better yet, ask Vicki and hear her plead ignorance. She is living proof of somebody who has the gift and the technical part of it is just a nuisance. Others like me need to study and work at it from the technical side in order to achieve the art.

Of course.

I agree about Vicki, though she did tell me about her polarizer which lead me to the camera shop to get my own. Which may or may not be doing much of anything or may or may not be the "same" kind she uses.

My old camera shop closed-- I missed them, they'd educate you. Now, I go in and insist my day time shots are too flooded with light and can they please look at it with me. They take the camera, flip around the menu for a few minutes and say "try that." I have also taken a class, scoured the Internet, and read books. I know the next step is to just take more TIME and experiment, but I can't help but think what I'm doing wrong is probably very simple.

Anyway, sorry, photography frustration! /end rant