tdierikx Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 (edited) Seeing as my car is in dire need of some serious attention from my mechanic, and he can't fit it in until next Wednesday... I'm stranded at home this weekend... My primary computer is also dead, my backup computer is on loan to a friend, and I'm reduced to using my old and crappy lappy with no decent software on it to do anything fancy... grrr! I do have my Canon cd's though, so can load up that software if needed. Thinking about maybe doing some exploring of my camera(s) - 450D and 60D - rather than lying on the couch watching TV and wallowing in my own self pity... *grin* What I find hard is getting started - so any ideas from you wonderful people would be great. The weather is supposed to be sunny but windy here tomorrow, and Sunday will be showery... *sigh* Please give me some ideas... please... T. Edited May 27, 2012 by tdierikx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCresties Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Have you got a macro lens? It's amazing what you can find in your garden if you get down to their level - go for bugs and snails :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kja Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 (edited) Ideas like a theme of what or how to shoot? - macro - pick a colour - shadows - reflections - motion - geometry - wide open - rule of thirds - verticals - common objects seen uncommonly - pick a plant and do a series (or any subject), get your funky on - stand on a ladder - lay on your belly - shoot to crop square or 2:1/3:1 Edited May 25, 2012 by kja Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted May 25, 2012 Author Share Posted May 25, 2012 No macro lens sadly... but all the other suggestions are brilliant... keep them coming! T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 indoor stuff..use tripod , or rest camera on a table etc ..do 'still life arrangements/photograph special objects/letters/jewellery . use the timer and do crazy self portraits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Remember the painting with light challenge Ash set us? that was fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huga Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I like to experiment and see how far I can push my camera. Best to try in low light. Bump the iso, see how far it can go. Shoot wide open, see how far before everything is too soft. Take your shutter speed down and see how far you can go before you get camera shake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted May 25, 2012 Author Share Posted May 25, 2012 This crappy lappy is giving me the poops... screen res 1024x768 max... grrr! Not happy when I've gotten used to a 23" screen with 1980 res... and can't attach the big screen to the lappy because it has a digital cable and the lappy has an analog connection - and no analog cable to be found (I searched everywhere)... Loaded up the Canon software (DPP etc), upgraded DPP to latest, etc... still can't really tell what is going on when looking at this crappy screen... even when playing with the HDR functions. Everything looks crap... *sob* Going to go get all of the dead PC's here and see if I can build one decent working one. Not a good look for a PC tech to have no decent PC... *grin* Might even lug over the old 19" analog screen to add to whatever PC I get working - even more screen space... yeah! T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted May 26, 2012 Author Share Posted May 26, 2012 So much for building one working computer... all of the dud ones here seem to have the same issue... faulty motherboards... *sigh* Looks like I'm going to have to get my one working spare PC back from the friend who "borrowed" it last year... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted May 26, 2012 Author Share Posted May 26, 2012 Just rang my friend - she's out and won't be home until later. But she will feed me tonight and I'll swap her this laptop for my decent PC. she only uses the computer for email and netbanking, and the lappy will do that for her just fine. I just don't want to leave her without a computer... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted May 26, 2012 Author Share Posted May 26, 2012 My friend rang me back - she's swinging by here soon and we are going to buy her a new computer so I can have my old one back... yay!!! T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 My friend rang me back - she's swinging by here soon and we are going to buy her a new computer so I can have my old one back... yay!!!<br style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: verdana, tahoma, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; background-color: rgb(238, 242, 247); "><br style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: verdana, tahoma, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; background-color: rgb(238, 242, 247); ">T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted May 26, 2012 Author Share Posted May 26, 2012 Finally have my spare computer back - and up and running nicely with the 23" screen... just have a few little adjustments to do and will be all good to set up the Canon software and see what transpires with my various pics taken in RAW (first time using RAW) today... For tonight I think I'll just load up the latest AV program then call it a night... *yawn* Tomorrow I can play... yay! T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlc Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 (edited) I have had some awesome fun with light painting, I love it. Kirislin I remember that challenge it was one of my favorites! This was one of my favorite shots. Doesn't look as good as the original. I also loved doing light trails but you have to pick a good spot for it. Edited May 26, 2012 by tlc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted May 26, 2012 Author Share Posted May 26, 2012 OK - I think I have this computer set up enough to load the Canon DPP stuff now... Wish me luck... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juddabug Whippets Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted May 27, 2012 Author Share Posted May 27, 2012 Hmmm... thinking I may need to either get better at pointing the camera, or find out exactly how to work this DPP software... Here's what I have so far... The only one I'm even vaguely happy with is the first pic... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 Did you play with the sliders, the brightness, contrast, saturation, WB etc and try sharpening? There's lots you can do. You can check where your focus point was too, although I've found it often says the shot was in focus when clearly it wasn't Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 You have some nice flowers :) Seems you & the camera haven't yet agreed what you need to be in focus :p I know that problem! One thing I do when disappointment gets too much ... is breathe...find something which does NOT sway in the wind, or wobble when touched .. go to jpeg setting and take a dozen or so photos ..using different focus points ...then have a look at what worked best for you . Focus is the thing that lets me down ...and all the post production can't really fix it . I love the bokeh in this one, and the nice sharp yellow flowers :) http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/tdierikx/RAW%20playaround/IMG_3656.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted May 29, 2012 Author Share Posted May 29, 2012 Kirislin - I played about with all sorts of sliders... on different tabs too... *grin* How do you check where your focus point was in DPP? Maybe I should read the manual for it to find out what I can actually do with it, yes? I was just fiddling about really... persephone - all of the flowers (except the one you liked) are my neighbour's flowers. The one you liked is actually on a weed "tree" thing in my yard... and that is what it did in response to being poisoned - bloody thing decided to flower rather than die... lol! And that one was actually the one that wobbled in the wind the most.. *sigh* I have a Tamron 18-270mm lens on this 60D - and for the life of me I can't work out how to adjust the focus on it - it has a 9 point system, and I'd rather some less if possible... I have a total of 3 lenses here - a Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS with broken AF (manual works though), a Canon EF-S 55-250 IS, and the Tamron 18-270mm DiII VC PZD. I should really test all of them on the 60D to see what I favour the most for different "jobs", yes? Maybe when I have some money, I can get a nice Macro lens too... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now