***DSLR/Photography MegaThread***

Just bought a Rebel XTI kit at an office depot in Corona that was closing down for $230. It was 399.99 and was on special clearance for 43% off. Looking to buy a better lense eventually but figured i could use the one it came with until i feel limited by it. Anyways, kind of new to taking photos but i enjoy streetscapes and pictures of nothing as my wife calls it. anyways, look forward to reading this thread and getting some tips.
 
Welcome! I would say definitely use the lens that came with it and get a feel for what focal length you like shooting, then you can make a more informed decision on what upgrade lens to buy.
 
More foodtography:

3278046664_35a92e56ce.jpg


I'm disappointed a bit by the loss of detail in the far side of the plate. The light setup was quick and dirty, with ambient from the high right, the SB-800 at 1/2 power above and slightly left. Looking at it after the fact, I need a reflector in the front and camera left to illuminate the front of the broccoli a little. The wine bottle turned out to be meaningless to the image, because I was a in tight to the plate. I had to, because of the edge of the cooktop that is in the top right corner of the image. And I'm not sure I'm happy with the angle of the plate. The camera was set up so the right side of the wine bottle was vertical in the image.

Rip me a new one, guys. Tell me if this shot works or doesn't.
 
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I agree with everything you said, Glenn. But....had you not said all of that, I would still think it's a great shot. 100X better than 95% of all the other food/menu photography you/I see out there.

Great work.


(I don't want this to sound weird or anything else, but your work really inspires me.)

FlyBoeingJets said:
More foodtography:

3278046664_35a92e56ce.jpg


I'm disappointed a bit by the loss of detail in the far side of the plate. The light setup was quick and dirty, with ambient from the high right, the SB-800 at 1/2 power above and slightly left. Looking at it after the fact, I need a reflector in the front and camera left to illuminate the front of the broccoli a little. The wine bottle turned out to be meaningless to the image, because I was a in tight to the plate. I had to, because of the edge of the cooktop that is in the top right corner of the image. And I'm not sure I'm happy with the angle of the plate. The camera was set up so the right side of the wine bottle was vertical in the image.

Rip me a new one, guys. Tell me if this shot works or doesn't.
Click to expand...
 
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FlyBoeingJets said:
Tell me if this shot works or doesn't.
Click to expand...

I think the food itself has been well lit and well photographed. I think where the image falls a little short is in the dressing the area around the plate (wine glass, cutlery, center piece, etc.) that really help make a plate of food a family, romantic, or fun meal. Also, for me, I think I would like the see the plate just a little more in frame.

I think your self critique is right on as well, adding a little fill to the broccoli area of the plate to preserve some of the detail there would help. Also, I'm not sure what your situation was (if at home or a restaurant), but having a bit more light so you could stop down and get just a touch more depth of field so we could make out more of the things on the plate. For instance, the peppers or tomatoes on the far side of the plate are hard to resolve.

All in all though, I think you have the knack for the actual lighting of the food, which is the hard part. I think the first Granville photo is right on, minus just a touch of fill, and the angles in this one work for me as well. The one thing I would try and play with (because I don't know if it would work or not, but might be a fun exercise) is there is a lot of diffuse light reflecting of the chicken, but not much direct light, which is giving the chicken a slightly dry look. If you move you key around subtly to try and get that reflection in the chicken, I wonder if it would help it feel a little more moist.

Nice shot, and nice work Glenn!
 
Good points. I thought about the peppers being too far out in front of the focused area, too.

I moved the key around to get this pic, and this was the best of the lot, really. I was looking to get a shine mark or two off the sauce rather than the chicken. I think had the chicken been more moist to begin with, it would have helped. I thought about hitting it with a bit of olive oil, but decided not to. Also, I think spreading the slices out just a little to give it more texture and depth might have been good.

That's all food-stylist stuff, of course. But if I'm doing this by myself, I'll need to keep all that in mind.

Thanks for the critique.
 
In need of a cheap toy fix, I put a fair bid in on one of these:

Reflex-Nikkor-C%20500mm.jpg

Reflex-Nikkor-C 500mm f/8

I can hardly believe how inexpensive reflex lenses are! Sure, they're manual focus and fixed aperture, but in good daylight that shouldn't be an issue. This outta be a great "little" lens for daytime wildlife type stuff. Hope I win it.

If I don't, I might just pick up a ProOptics 500MM F/6.3 Mirror Lens. You can get them new for around $150.
 
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I got a call today and might have a Rivers Cuomo pic used as a CD/DVD cover.

It's a limited release but still, it would be rad to get a CD cover. It's one of my goals.

It's not for sure yet but I'm crossing my fingers.
 
I'm hitting the Ragga Muffin Festival in Long Beach. They had a pretty tough release that gives them the right to all of my photos taken for promotional uses. I don't mind but signing things is always kind of strange.

I added a paragraph or two of my own saying that any commercial use of the pics would require further negotiations and that the web site use is fine with credit. (I do that with most anybody anyways)/ I'd just hate to have someone make a poster, t-shirt or cd cover without hearing from them first and being compensated. Ya heard?

Anyway, now that all that is out of the way, I'm going to go OFF at the two day festival. I have pit access for the first 3 songs of each group, no flash at all. I'm taking the magic lens so it should be a weekend to remember. Just seeing a few songs of the Mad Professor will be worth the entire weekend. ALSO, I can take the bus there in about 10 min.
 
After reading the thread and the HDR one, I was motivated to finally take the plunge and get a DSLR. I have had some pretty good results and some so-so ones. Overall, it has been nice to go back to a DSLR after selling my Olympus OM-1 a few years ago.

I took this shot while walking around a construction site on the way to a park. I haven't really done much processing I was looking for any critiques or thoughts you guys had about it. Thanks for any comments.
 
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GoMizzou said:
After reading the thread and the HDR one, I was motivated to finally take the plunge and get a DSLR. I have had some pretty good results and some so-so ones. Overall, it has been nice to go back to a DSLR after selling my Olympus OM-1 a few years ago.

I took this shot while walking around a construction site on the way to a park. I haven't really done much processing I was looking for any critiques or thoughts you guys had about it. Thanks for any comments.
Click to expand...

welcome! What did you end up buying..


by the way... I have an OM-2.... mint condition. GREAT camera! My uncle has his OM-1... doesn't use it much anymore.

(I also have an OM-G sitting around somewhere... needs to be fixed. The light meter doesn't work right)
 
Ended up getting a Pentax K100d. Its pretty last gen, but for my purposes it seems to be doing OK. Plus, at a little under 300 for the body and kit lens, I can't complain.

I still have a few lenses for the OM-1. It might be fun to pick up a body sometime and finish off some of the rolls I have in the fridge.
 
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