DSLR Photography Forum

Just to share some snapshots taken today.
My plan was to take photographs of the moon rising over the river.

Upon arriving at uni (about 12:40pm), I saw my friends doing surveying for their assignment. So I took some pictures:




(I hope they don't come here and find their pictures on this forum! hehe, maybe I should check with them...)

My tripod - their tripod


Then I went to the library at uni and came back a little later.



Then the moon came up and I took a few photos.


I wanted to stay and take more but mosquitos were everywhere!

Nice series of images (and story).. thanks for sharing adam.

I really like the 2nd last photo - something about the framing and composition appeals to me. Moon rise is nice too - wish it had more of a vibrant colour though (i'm imagining sunset)...

Very nice images. The last and second last are very nice. The 2nd last is well framed with the tree and the colour of the last is awesome. Very subtle mood for the lack of better words.

Nice pictures Adam. The second one is one of my favorites, I could see that he was really concentrated on what he was doing... The last one is great!

Hey Adam!

Nice stuff, man.

Particularly like no. 4

Most of these are snapshots. I think the one with the tall tree can be more if you crop carefully. The water and the beach make it ordinary.

Oh come on Don, wake up and smell the coffee.

What do you mean by that Rufus? I am sorry you didn't agree.

--Don

Let's see.

All the pictures are technically WAY above snapshot level. Numbers 3 and 4 are examples of good composition. Ok not the worlds best, but neither you, nor I, could claim such a distinction. Indeed, who could?

I understand that you are a sociologist, or of some similar discipline. Surely then, you see clearly? Social comment is an aspect of photography, and a powerful one, but not the only one.
I post rubbish at times. Sometimes deliberately for fun, sometimes accidentally ( to my embarrassment), but I try to improve overall. I dont recall you calling anything of mine a "snapshot", yet I've posted dozens!

What's the deal? You tell me.

#5 is really nice Adam! I like #4 as well but it needs a wee horizon straightening.

Guys, please be sensitive to each others feelings, especially when they take the trouble to share some piccies for us to look at. We want to promote a place where people are encouraged to share, instead of discouraged due to overly harsh or critical comments. The last thing we want is for this place to turn into a PhotoSig. I know everyone has different tastes and art styles, so do be genuine too, but just do it with a pinch of grace (unless you're commenting in the Photo Critique forum).

Thanks everyone for the comments.
I feel that everyone has their own opinion and should be free to share;
I think it is a good way to learn, from what other people say, so thankyou
I did afterall, call this thread "a few snapshots" which was basically the way I took these pictures, just capturing things the way I saw it; my friends doing their assignment, my tripod compared to theirs (hehehe), the tree and the moon rising.

Thanks for the Suggestion Don, I shall try some cropping and see what I get;

To me, taking photographs is to show your view through composition (framing), and to achieve this through the technical means (controlling the camera).

Thank you

I tried some crops; to some of you, it may seem random, but it did make me realise how many things that were not meant to be the subject of my snapshot were in it, hence a possible distraction? Or just that my one picture is made up of many little pictuers? hehe... My original idea for this picture was to show the rays of the setting sun hitting the top of the tree. Then decided to include the grass and water as well, to set the location.

As I said, the first few may be a little strange and random, especially with the rotating, but when I did it, I was thinking "just as my one picture is made up of many small pictures, this one tree is made of many small trees" haha

Here are some crops I tried.

Well done! The first crop in particular is spectacular!

I really like your moon picture. Wish I was on one of the boats out there!

I apologize to anyone who took offense at my snapshot comment. All I meant was that it was for me a more typical touristy photo of beaches and ocean. I tried to emphasize that the photo had some beautiful elements.

--Don

Love the one with the moon in it. But all these photos of Perth make me a bit homesick even though I haven't actually lived in Perth for 33 years or so.

Hey Adam,

I really like the last two of the first lot you posted (the trees and the moon).

The moon shot in particular is great, but the biggest problem with these kinds of shots is exposing for the moon AND the rest of the scene. Invariably if you expose for the scene, the moon gets completely blown out and if you expose to keep detail in the moon then everything else comes out way too dark.
You have done an excellent job here of finding a compromise - you managed to show the boats and water and still keep some detail in the moon. There are some shots which are technically quite difficult but come out looking easy, and I think this is one of them.

In a scene like this, I would normally give up trying to capture both things in the one shot and I would take two photos, one exposed for the foreground and one for the moon. It's usually pretty easy to take the moon from one shot and put it in the other (as it is usually surrounded by loads of empty sky and very easy to mask).... and if you took the two shots on a tripod so they are identical except for exposure settings, then it makes it even easier as you don't have to resize anything - and it should all pretty much line up.
Personally I don't consider this technique "cheating" at all, as when our eyes move from a dark subject (foreground) to a light one (moon), then they adjust to suit. A photo can't adjust itself as your eye moves around it, so this is one of the very few ways you can imitate the way you would see the scene if you were there. And really, it's just the same as dodging and burning in the darkroom which people have been doing for over a century. The only reason I use two photos instead of one is because the dynamic range of the digital camera's sensor is usually insufficient to put all the detail into a single shot.

Do you have the RAW file for the moon shot? If so, you might be able to extract some more detail out of the moon. By playing with the dynamic range and tone curve, you could effectively switch your exposure from the moon to the foregounrd. You could even save the RAW as two differently "exposed" versions of the same shot, and then merge them in photoshop or whatever. Does that make sense?

Just a suggestion for something to experiment with if you are bored... feel free to tell me to shut up

Cheers
Adrian

Thanks for the comments! I have the RAW file and will try that!

but not right now, a little later; have exams to prepare for I will not forget!

love those moon shots adam