| Updated website | |
|---|---|
| Jul 24, 2010 15:19 |   |
 | I have recently updated my websites, lots more photos from China plus some from the UK as well. New galleries make it much easier to navigate through. For those of you who dont know me, I like to photograph China to show the world, not big cities or modern so much but the rural China which I like to call the 'real' one. It is a great place to travel and hopefully it will give people some ideas on where to visit. I have added food to the site, no text to tell you what it is, just guess and enjoy. www.dcolman.com |
| Jul 24, 2010 22:03 | #1 |
| Davec, very beautiful pictures. Judging from your photos, you don't use PS very much to "edit" your photos. They are all original. Actually, I am fond of taking pictures too. What kind of camera do you use? Have you taken any classes to learn photography? |
| Jul 25, 2010 01:08 | #2 |
| You are right, photoshop is an artistic tool and I use it very little, I prefer to take the photo rather than make it. Having said that, I used photoshop CS3 and currently have experimented with joined panoramic images, some successfull and some not. I learnt photography many years ago through colleges, I also earned a qualification from the Royal Photgrapic Society. I was a wedding photography for some time but always prefered landscape images. Currently I am using Nikon gear, my D200 at 10mp is more than enough quality, |
| Jul 25, 2010 02:33 | #3 |
| "I learnt photography many years ago through colleges, I also earned a qualification from the Royal Photgrapic Society." I really admire you, Dave. I have just been using digital camera since 2008, also a Nikon digital camera. However, it is not a DSLR. Since then, I have been in love with photograph (taking pictures might be more proper). I am planning to buy a DSLR but haven't decided which one to buy. Considering of camera brand and price, D90 might be my favorite. I prefer to buy a Nikon DSLR. It is endurable. As for PS, I only use it to adjust the exposure and brightness. Sometimes, I might use curve too. And I also think that taking pictures is more interesting than making photos. But if you trim your photo a bit, it will look better. I have uploaded some pictures to this thread--[tcgurl=http://community.travelchinaguide.com/forum2.asp?i=58908]Meaning of traveling![/tcgurl]. If you have time, please give me some advice on taking pictures. Maybe, it is a little rude. But I reall hope that some professional guys can help improve my level. |
Last edited by LONELYJOURNEY: Jul 25, 2010 02:36 |
| Jul 25, 2010 02:54 | #4 |
| Photoshop has its place in modern photgraphy, it can help but cant make a bad photo great. The important things to learn are exposure, composition and light. Exposure, understand how a camera takes an image. Leanr how aperture and speed affect the resulting image. My camera is always on aperture priority, I can adjust the aperture to what I need and let camera do the rest. Composition, rule of thirds is important but as a rule can be broken. Avoid the amatuer mistake of always having horizon in the middle of the picture. Light, the most important, nobody ever got a great shot on a dull grey day ( except wedding photographers). It is vital that lanscape photographers get up early for the first light and stick around late for the falling light. Rest of the day, eat drink and chat as the sunlight during that time is too harsh. Buying a DSLR is an investment for a serious photographer, but understanding how it works should be first task. My first camera 28 years ago was a Praktica 35mm manual camera, since that day I have owned many cameras and the best quality were my Hasselblads. But to be honest, the people that buy my photos wouldnt care what it was taken with or how, they just enjoy the final image, thats what its all about. |
| Jul 26, 2010 20:52 | #5 |
| I am using aperture priority too. But I usually forget to change the aperture.  But I am trying to focus manually. My camera is a digital camera. Thus I can't use the lens to do manual focus. I just change the focus location on the LCD screen. Also it has manual mode. You can change the aperture and shutter speed etc on your own. I tried several times but it was too hard. And metering user setting (center-weighted average metering, spot metering and matrix metering).is annoying too. I don't know how to use them. It is a difficult job to do landscape photography. To take an amazing photo of sunrise or sunset, you have to wait for a long time. If you don't have patience, you can not finish this. I am planning to buy a DSLR but I am not a photographer. You are right. You have to learn how it works. Otherwise, it is just a digital camera in your hands. I have seen some guys only use automatic mode with their DSLR. They don’t know anything about photography. All they do is to press the shutter and then get a photo. Chinese people are getting richer. Next time, don’t be surprised if you see a 12 years old boy holding a DSLR to take photos. I have decided to buy DSLR later. I think that I need to learn the basics first. Then the DSLR won’t be just a small “digital camera” in my hands. |
Last edited by LONELYJOURNEY: Jul 26, 2010 20:55 |
| Jul 27, 2010 01:02 | #6 |
| Sure patience is the key with landscape photosgraphy. I have got up many times hoping for a good sunrise only to be disappointed. I once shot 6 rolls of film during a lightning storm and only got 1 good shot. I think learning about the camera and how it works helps you understand what you are doing and more importantly what you do wrong. It is no good getting bad shot and just deleting it, learn from it. People now rely on fully auto cameras and think they get great shots every time. I often see people use a camera 1 handed because it has image stabaliser. When I sold cameras I would tell my customers "Best image stabaliser in the world .....a tripod" For landscape work a tripod is your best friend, along with a spirit level. |
| Jul 28, 2010 20:51 | #7 |
| Taking photos with only one hand is cool, hehe. To shoot great photos, you must make sure that you can hould your camera stably, especially for girls. I have seen many girls who use DSLR to take photos but the photos they have taken are blur. Why? They have not learnt 铁手功(iron hands). I see some guys who can take very clear photos just with their hands. They have practiced a lot. And DSLR is a bit heavy for girls. If you take it for only several minutes, you can't feel how heavy it is. But you will know how heavy it is when you use it to take photos for 2,3 hours. My suggestion for them is to buy a tripod. The good quality tripod is very light but endurable. Sometimes, you can use to defend yourself if you meet some bad guy, haha. Seriously, the image stabaliser (no matter they are lens stabaliser or just VR) is definitely not as good as tripod. The best way is to use remote shutter release cable and tripod together. If you want to take good picture, patience is very important. I know a guy who once spent about an hour standing in the snow to take snowflake. He is very addicted to photography. And this is why I hate to travel in groups. If you join a group tour, you don’t have enough time to enjoy the landscapes let alone choose a good angle and take pictures. If you really want to take good photos, just hang out with 3 or 4 guys who share the same interests with you. You can communicate with each other on taking photos. |
| Aug 2, 2010 01:51 | #8 |
| Taking photos with other like minded people can help, sure. Dont know how many people would be prepared to get up at 4am with me just to stand around in the cold hoping the sun is a pretty colour when it arrives. When I move to China I am hoping to have my own small hotel or guesthouse, I would like to show other people around so they can experience China and help them get some memorable images. I have found whenever I visit places I always get better photos and different views when shown around by a local. |
| Aug 3, 2010 03:50 | #9 |
| Quote:Originally Posted by DAVEC When I move to China I am hoping to have my own small hotel or guesthouse, I would like to show other people around so they can experience China and help them get some memorable images. Dave, only crazy guys like you will get at 4 am to take a sunrise. Just kidding! Sometimes, you need good luck. If you check my album, you will find a picture about Sunset on Mt.Jiuhua. I took that photo by chance. My friend and I just climbed to the top of the mountain. We planed to go down by the cable car. Unfortunately, we spent a bit longer time on visiting the temple. Thus, we had to get down on foot. We chose to go down the mountain on the other side. Then I came across the amazing sunset. Didn’t hesitate and took that photo. If we went down by cable car, I would definitely miss that chance to take that photo. Another photo taken at Weiyang Lake was also a surprise. I didn’t stand there for long to wait the sunset. The weather was strange that day. You saw the heavy clouds but they couldn’t hide the sunshine. If you build a guest house, do tell me and I will go there for a visit, hehe . |
Last edited by LONELYJOURNEY: Aug 3, 2010 03:50 |
| Aug 4, 2010 03:21 | #10 |
| Photographers, I'd also like to get a new camera. For the basic photograph, what do you suggest? |
Page 1 of 3 < Previous Next > Page:
Post a Reply to: Updated website
Copyright © 1998-2024 All rights reserved.