Wamason

You are correct, I was standing on the tracks for this pic.  I was actually just playing with camera settings while waiting on someone else, I didn't expect to get a usable photo at all.  I didn't even realize that the tracks were reflecting the sunset until I checked the pics later.

 

Do you think the sky fits the rest of the image?  Does the lighting appear correct, or out of place?  

 

Thanks for the input!

Hi all, it's been a while.  I have an image I'd love to get some feedback on.  I've just started experimenting with replacing skies in some of my photos.  I may have posted this photo here at some point in the past, so I'll post the new edited version with the colorful sky, then I'll post the original version in a post below this one.  I'm doing this so that you can see the edited version and form an opinion on it before you see the original and compare the two.  This is very much a work in progress, so I'll take whatever feedback/criticism you want to give me.  

 

New/Edited Version

 

After coming home from our latest livestock show today, we decided to release our yearling calf into our larger pasture with our other show heifers. This yearling has only ever been in a smaller pen/corral, so moving into the larger pasture was like getting out of jail for her. She ran and bucked for a solid ten minutes.

I copied these to my phone and edited them with Lightroom mobile so the resolution is a bit low.

Pics taken with a Nikon D750 with a Tamron 70-200 F/2.8 VC Lens.








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I haven't used a teleconverter on that lens, but I used to own that lens and a D3300. Based on my usage of the 55-300, I wouldn't attempt using a TC. You'd be losing two full stops of light with a lens that's already a bit on the slow side. You may (or may not) have problems with autofocus working at those reduced light levels, if the TC is even compatible (allows AF to work in the first place).

I'd suggest a purpose built lens. Sigma and Tamron both make decent 150-600mm zoom lenses. They cost $900-1300. Not cheap, but a much better option. Plus on a crop sensor camera like the D3200 your field of view will be more like 900mm on the long end. More reach!

Again, just my opinion. Some of the more experienced folks on here might be able to give
You better advice.


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Let me set the scene... a relative of a friend of my wife was getting married... on New Year's Eve... outside... with a 150% chance of rain...

A day before the wedding my wife asks me if I'd consider taking some photos at the wedding. My knee jerk reaction to this was "absolutely not". I'm still learning, and nowhere near ready to step into something that serious... but after the guilt trip, and the argument of "if you don't do it they'll only have people using their phones to take pics", I agreed.

I met with the bride and groom, really nice country folk with no expectations. I made sure they stayed that way, explaining my lack of experience in this area and that this was a favor to them--not to expect anything near professional level. They were very appreciative and ecstatic to have someone using an actual camera to take photos for them.

The wedding was at 7pm, and I showed up at 3pm to with a small list of shots from some research. The wedding took place under a small barn and quite a few large and small tents. My equipment stayed dry but I ruined a good pair of shoes in the mud under the tents. The rain was torrential at times, but for the most part everyone stayed dry.

I shot with a D750, Nikon 24-120mm F4 lens, and a Yonguo 568ex speed light and Westcott umbrella on a stand, with which I've recently begun to experiment.

The wedding party was in good spirits but being country folk, they weren't the most cooperative when it came to posing. I fully realize that these images aren't even close to being professional quality, but I'd still love to get some C&C on how to improve.

Thanks!


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I'm not an expert/professional by any means but I have three daughters that show livestock, specifically registered Brahman cattle. I found that I always struggled with a cheaper lens, usually due to the poor lighting of the arenas or barns. Also bear in mind that my shots are of slow moving animals being led around the ring. If your aim is to freeze a horse either jumping or running barrels I could see that being even more difficult.

I ended up getting a fantastic deal on a D750 and a Tamron 70-200vc 2.8 lens which, when combined, are almost perfect for what I do. A "cheap" longer lens, such as a sigma or Tamron 150-600 will set you back $1000 and both have max apertures of 5.6-6.3 (I think). You could go older/cheaper but you're still getting a 5.6-6.3 lens in most cases. Getting a better long zoom is quite a bit more expensive from what I've seen.

I'd either go with a 55-300 vr Nikon lens, or save for a 70-200 f/2.8 lens. The older version of the Tamron lens can be found for a couple hundred less but doesn't have vibration control.

I've attached a couple pics to give you an idea of what I usually shoot.







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Forgot to add that with a D750 and Tamron 70-200mm lens combo I shoot wide open at F/2.8, 1/400s, and around 5000 ISO. This produces pics that have a little noise but are fine for web viewing or printing at 11x14 or even 20x24. When I used a D3300 with Nikon 55-300mm lens it was extremely hard for me to get a high shutter speed with a decent ISO in most arena/barn lighting situations. This led to mostly web quality pics, or 4x6s--not much I wanted to blow up to 8x10.


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This probably due to my growing up in the digital age, where anyone can do post processing or image manipulation, but I tend to consider photography to be a combination of both shooting ability as well as post processing. Whatever works provided you get the end result in the context you want.

I would sum it up with this saying "to each his own".


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I tend to take very wide, or even panoramic sunset pics, so this one was a departure from my usual.  

 

Taken with a D750 with a Tamron 70-200 mounted.

200mm

f/22

1/60s

ISO 280

 

C&C welcome.

I've wanted to try this for a while but the weather would never cooperate...  that nagging little issue of personal safety always kept me from defying the elements.  So, a week ago, conditions were perfect.  Nice storm clouds producing lightning about 10 miles to the west, moving northwest.  I grabbed the camera and tripod and ran out into the front yard to set up.  

 

After some test shots to get the exposure right, I set the camera timer and ran back in the house to check on supper and the kids.

 

Images captured with a Nikon D750 with a 24-120mm f/4 lens mounted.

 

SS 13 seconds

AP f/4

ISO 100

 

I have done some minor post work in PS, mostly to compensate for blown out clouds in a couple of the images, but nothing major.

 

I know this is a lot of images for a C&C, but I'd love to get some constructive criticism/feedback on how I could improve.

 

Thanks!

 

 

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This was taken just before sunset on May 13 of this year.  The setting is Prentiss Walker Lake, near Mize, MS.

 

Taken with a Nikon D750 with a Nikon 24-120 f/4 lens.

 

Aperature F/6.3

Shutter 1/500

ISO 100

Focal Length 24mm

 

I love the pic and the arrangement.  The white flower just seems to be lacking... It almost looks flat to me. Would brightening it or increasing the whites help?

As promised, pics of Rattlesnake Bomber Base from above.  I couldn't find the most recent pics taken with my Phantom 3.  These were done with a Phantom 2, and they're not the best, but you'll get the idea.

 

 

Absolutely.   It just so happened that nowhere was actually somewhere even though that somewhere seemed very much like nowhere.  

Definitely.  I have some aerial photos stored somewhere that I took with my Phantom3 Pro.  I'll try to dig them up.

All three pics were taken in west TX, in a little town called Pyote, a few hours east of El Paso.  The first two photos were taken at an abandoned state school facility on what used to be a large Army Bomber training base.  (WW2).  The third photo is what's left of a mural on the wall of the last remaining hangar shell/structure on the base itself.

 

#1

D3300/55-300mm, f/5, 1/2000, ISO-100, 165mm

 

 

#2

D3300/55-300mm, f/5.6, 1/500, ISO-100, 280mm

 

 

#3

D3300/18-55mm, f/11, 1/500, ISO-100, 29mm