Homework - Photo 101

[Tim]

Well class, I'd say some of you thought you were getting off easy this weekend....(Jon and Barton!!!)
It's been a crazy busy day so apologies for getting this out so late..
Your homework is an easy one to start:
A Sunset..
That's it.. Take a picture of one between now and next weekend and then we'll do a follow up.. There's no competition here so don't worry if you don't get Key West sunsets where you are... What we're looking for is composition, lighting and how you present it..
Any questions, just drop me a line.. All the uniformed ladies can stay back for private tuition if they wish!!!
So that's it.. Off ye go and remember to bring a packed lunch....

[JonUK]

Your homework is an easy one to start:
A Sunset

Lol it would be if I'd actually seen the sun in the past 2 or 3 days! :exit:

[Tim]

Same here Jon.. fingers crossed it comes out in the next week or there'll be a lot of black & white sunsets...

[Recess]

I see this suggestion as 'anti-Scottish' as I don't think I've seen a sunset here since 1986. ***sarcasm3**

Can I set fire to a house? It looks a bit like a sunset...

I'm sure the sun'll come out tomorrow... bet your bottom dol... wait, isn't that song?

Lookin' forward to a nice one to shoot. If only I was still in Ibiza. NEVER seen a sunset more gorgeous than the one outside Mambo.

Have a good weekend.

J

[Tim]

Not much better for sunsets here Recess.. And sure you can set fire to whatever you want! Just don't get caught.. Have a wicked wkend I'm off to get sozzled for each of the 31 years I've been alive today!! :dance2: :dance2:

[JonUK]

Your homework is an easy one to start:
A Sunset..

Nope, no luck this weekend Sir, closest I was able to get was this one.....

My Son sit

Jon :confused:

[bartonflyer]

So I've just sat up near the top of Winter Hill, waiting for the sun to set - I'm sure it did somewhere! and this is my effort:
My intention was to get the sunset with the outline of Rivington Pike framed in the glowing embers of the dying sun as it sank majestically over the Irish Sea, capturing the timeless wonder of the closing of the day, a phenomenom observed with awe by man throughout the ages - instead I got this, but hell at least I've handed my homework in - Cheers Ian

[StuG]

Hmmm not much of a sunset here either, still Wills enjoyed his walk along the river and I came up with this....

[Bindii]

Uh oh..I've only just spotted this thread...

sorry teach...

I'll get cracking..:)

[Tim]

that's it Bindii you'll have to stay back late for punishment!!

[wileycoyote69]

Got home from work, shovelled my tea down my throat, drove 20 miles at 90mph......and as you can see from all the lights, got there too late lol....ah well...I'll try again!

[GlenJDiamond]

Ah... but sometimes the afterglow (ten or so minutes after a sunset) can be every bit and sometimes better than the sun being in the shot

[BarryM]

Yep for sure thats lovely the way the last of the light silloettes (sp) the bridge etc stunning.

[Chris Hawkins]

..dog ate it etc...

[Tim]

OK class. Seems like some of you are playing truant.... :punish2: I'll be back tomorrow afternoon to give ye a chance.. As for the model students who've posted, some great work there. Will discuss more tomorrow...

[Mal]

Sorry I'm late I missed the bus

[Bindii]

OK class. Seems like some of you are playing truant.... :punish2: I'll be back tomorrow afternoon to give ye a chance.. As for the model students who've posted, some great work there. Will discuss more tomorrow...

Yup...I'm a bad student....

I so should get detention...

and private tutoring...;)c

[robbie-doux]

Sorry Tim, Sir, Trouble with kit. Brother in law is back this weekend, so I'll have my compact back by then.

[Recess]

Hi.

FINALLY a sunset in Glasgow on Saturday. Filled up 1.5gb of cards shooting the thing, but I think this is the best of all of them - though I'll have a better look at each of them to see if it's worthwhile posting elsewhere.

Sorry to be such a latecomer:

http://www.djrecess.co.uk/forumimages/sunset1.jpg



I don't know if it's just the displays on the Mac I'm viewing this on, but the yellows of the sun look a bit 'funky'.

Oh well.

Recess

[marty]

mum won't let me out to play after tea, looks like I'm in detention with Bindii

[lionhart]

Haven't seen any good sunsets here in the last week.
Or should I say the dog ate the post.

[Tim]

Right class.. Bindii and Marty, stay back after class for detention.... What will I do with the pair of you...

JonUK - Not much of a sunset but you get marks for being creative and a smart-ass... Lets try and get a sunset by this weekend or an equally good pun! 5/10

Barton - nice attempt considering you didn't have much to work with. In that case I would have focused more on the clouds with a longer exposure and higher f number and used less of the landscape (similar to what Mal & Recess have done). There's not enough light to either highlight or silhouette the land tho the clouds have great shape and light in them.. 6/10

Stu - Not sure what happened here. Again you didn't have the best conditions. A bit too purple for me. Did you use a filter or adjust it after? The composition is good tho I might have shot a bit lower and used a bit less foreground beach.. 7/10

Wiley - Brilliant. Love that shot. Can't think of anything to change in it. The only thing I'd try is a slighly tighter crop at the bottom, up to the dark area so you cut out the light area in the bottom of the image, possibly crop to the water's edge.. 9.5/10

Chris - Another excellent photo. Really like this. Again I think there might be need of a slight crop at the bottom just to lessen the amount of black space. 9.5/10

Mal - I like these sky only sunset shots. Too much dark in it though. If you panned downward a fraction, to get in more of the orange and use a wider crop I think it would work really well. Also, maybe a punch up in contrast would lift the shot out a bit more. 8/10

Recess - Really like this but what happened with the mad yellow bits.. I'd also crop from just beneath the white wisp, it draws the eye, in the top right and check exposure for that burnt out section.. Lovely flow in the shot and great potential... 8.5/10


Please feel free to argue with me, throw apples or suggest suitable punisment for those who mitched off..

[Deillub]

I don't see my attachment....did I do it right?13281

[Kirsty]

Mr Tim

Do i get to stay behind for detention too?! ;)c ;)c

[ianwill]

Is it to late to get in on the class?

[Tim]

Of course you do Kirsty... The more the merrier!!!
And it's never too late Ian...
Nice sunrise Deillub.. Nice composition and a lovely setting.. I think you need to expose more for the trees in the left as they are proving too dark or pan the shot to the right (or move along the shore to the right) a bit more, taking out some of the dark trees and giving it more sky.. 8/10

[ianwill]

So what are the tricks to getting the right exposure on sunset pictures?

[Recess]

Recess - Really like this but what happened with the mad yellow bits.. I'd also crop from just beneath the white wisp, it draws the eye, in the top right and check exposure for that burnt out section.. Lovely flow in the shot and great potential... 8.5/10


Thanks teach! No idea what happened to the sun. I had the camera (350D set to 'P' - and shot. I used RAW for the file format, hoping that would overcome any issues, but apparantly not. It was an exceptionally bright sun though, so i can only assume the lens and the CCD just couldn't deal with it.

And thanks for the crop advice. I didn't have the heart to take any of it out - but you're 100% right, the wispy bit detracts rather than adding.

Can I bring an apple to class for you next time?

http://www.djrecess.co.uk/forumimages/sunset2.jpg

[Tim]

So what are the tricks to getting the right exposure on sunset pictures?

No tricks as such Ian.. Patience is key. Firstly in your shot, I think if you could get to the top of the hill on the left, just where the sun is peeking you could get a lovely expansive shot. Or move to the right more, using the tree as a key subject in the foreground using it's branches to mask the glare of the sun. Also I think another 10 minutes wait would have lit up the sky and those clouds.. 6/10

Expect to spend about half an hour in the one spot. But it's enjoyng a sunset so it's all good.. Try creating a scene using foreground objects (trees, memorials etc.) or wide expansive shots (mountains, open sea etc...) and then take a series of photos and decide after which is the best. Remember the scene is going to change in intensity, colour and light every minute. Clouds will move and form, waves will swell and break and flocks of birds can move across your image.
To get the right exposure your best approach is to try to meter the ambient level of light. To do this either take an incident-light reading, or take a gray-card reading. Once you do this bracket your shots eg. you get a reading of 1/60 sec @ f:8, take the shot the adjut to f:5.6, shoot and f:11 (some cameras vary in their f-stop imcrements) the idea is that you will get a range of exposures in and around the original reading. And of course it's about trial an error, practice and again patience..

[Tim]

Thanks teach! No idea what happened to the sun. I had the camera (350D set to 'P' - and shot. I used RAW for the file format, hoping that would overcome any issues, but apparantly not. It was an exceptionally bright sun though, so i can only assume the lens and the CCD just couldn't deal with it.

And thanks for the crop advice. I didn't have the heart to take any of it out - but you're 100% right, the wispy bit detracts rather than adding.

Can I bring an apple to class for you next time?

http://www.djrecess.co.uk/forumimages/sunset2.jpg

Looks much better now Recess.. Pity about the blown bits. Looking forward to seeing your next one..
As for the apple, as long as it's been fermented and comes in bottle form, I'm happy!!

[StuG]

Stu - Not sure what happened here. Again you didn't have the best conditions. A bit too purple for me. Did you use a filter or adjust it after? The composition is good tho I might have shot a bit lower and used a bit less foreground beach.. 7/10


adjust levels and curves to get those colours teach, the original is a sort of pale pinky blue, I just overdid it a bit :grin:


:stop:
Please feel free to argue with me, throw apples

As for the apple, as long as it's been fermented and comes in bottle form

err I'm not sure those two statements should go together :diablo:

[Tim]

err I'm not sure those two statements should go together :diablo:[/QUOTE]

lmao... Very good point Stu. Tho if you've been in some of the less well known pubs over here that would be a friendly hello!!!

[Chris Hawkins]

...I am grateful for the 9.5/10, but now fear that I will get beaten up in the playground! I'd like to share my trick with you for seriously enhancing the sunset I posted. In fact the original picture was the worst sunset picture ever. All I did (really nothing else) was take the picture in RAW and then in ACR reduce the exposure (to completely darken the foreground) and then whack the White Balance over to the right (about 100million K or so) and ta da...Give it a go...

...now I'm off to the playground to eat my sandwiches in peace. Probably.

Cheers Chris

PS Thanks, Tim, a good fun thread - keep 'em coming!

[JonUK]

4/10...sheesh! some things never change, its begining to remind me of being back at school rl...always bottom of the class ('cept for biology and anatomy) I'm away this weekend and hopefully there'll be an actual real life sunset at some point over the 2 days! I'll see what I can do Sir

[Bindii]

4/10...sheesh! some things never change, its begining to remind me of being back at school rl...always bottom of the class

You were so sleeping with the wrong teacher...

oh wait...

that was me...;)c

[JonUK]

oh wait...

that was me...;)c

It was? Did we enjoy it?

[Mal]

Whooo Hooo 8/10 thanks teach. Wanna apple? :crazy:

[Renee Marquis]

Oh I missed this one... I want in... got to go find a sunset.... hold on I was always a late for class..... not mu best... but I dont do sunsets.... tee hee:wacko:

[david_phil]

Mr. Tim sir, you said I aught to put my sunset on this thread so I am putting my pano of same said sunset on here.

[JonUK]

I got one Teach!! Sorry its late but the dog ran off with the other, and I left it on the bus and.....

Anyway....here it is

[Earl53]

I'm still waiting for the sun to show morning or night. Does mid-day count if it comes up over the clouds?

[Tim]

Now class. time for more schooling antics. There's going to be new homework tomorrow. Pass it on to all those who are mitching off..

Oh I missed this one... I want in... got to go find a sunset.... hold on I was always a late for class..... not mu best... but I dont do sunsets.... tee hee:wacko:

That looks really good Renee.. Can you post it a bit bigger tho.. The only thing I'd suggest is to crop top and bottom to get rid of the dark spaces.. Really nice colours and cloud.. 7/10

Mr. Tim sir, you said I aught to put my sunset on this thread so I am putting my pano of same said sunset on here.

David, the class prodigy.. That's brilliant.. I don't think I'd change a thing in it.. 10/10

I got one Teach!! Sorry its late but the dog ran off with the other, and I left it on the bus and.....
Anyway....here it is

Nice effort Jon.. Black and white sunsets/rises aren't easy.. The angles a bit off and the highlights are blow.. But nice atmosphere and the clouds have great shape in them.. Try a slower shutter with a much larger f/number..
7/10

The next work is going to be a bit easier considering where we live and the lack of decent sunsets.. No bullying David for getting top marks...

[Stemmy]

Can I say this thread is superb - well done Tim !!!!!!!!!!

[wileycoyote69]

Wow thanks Tim...I never got marks like this at school...it always just said SEE ME in big red writing lol....

Cropped to waters edge as suggested......

[Recess]

Man that's good lookin'...

The original was already nice, but that's the kinda thing you'd see for sale in 'Art'.

(That's meant as a compliment by the way)

R

[Tim]

Wow thanks Tim...I never got marks like this at school...it always just said SEE ME in big red writing lol....

Cropped to waters edge as suggested......

Much better Wiley.. That would look brilliant as a massive wall piece.. 10/10

[StuG]

Well we actually had a sunset last evening, but I was still at work so here's the sun setting over our yard :)

[StuG]

Sorry meant to add David & wiley those shots are fantastic, love 'em both :icon_nice

[Tim]

Well we actually had a sunset last evening, but I was still at work so here's the sun setting over our yard :)

Love that Stu.. Great composition, light and framing.. Bang on.. I'm not sure if it's my monitor but in the print I think it would work even better if you, using levels or curves, darkened out all the detail (warehouse etc) in the foreground and made a pure silhouette of the crane.. It's prob just my monitor.. Again, excellent shot mate.. 9.5/10

[Bindii]

Wow thanks Tim...I never got marks like this at school...it always just said SEE ME in big red writing lol....



Hey mine had the same message too!

Only mine said please....;)c

[StuG]

Love that Stu.. Great composition, light and framing.. Bang on.. I'm not sure if it's my monitor but in the print I think it would work even better if you, using levels or curves, darkened out all the detail (warehouse etc) in the foreground and made a pure silhouette of the crane.. It's prob just my monitor.. Again, excellent shot mate.. 9.5/10

Thanks Tim :icon_nice 9.5 :woot:
Nope not your mointor, I was undecided on whether to leave any detail in really and eventually did :)
I've just done aquick edit, how's this .....

[Tim]

Love it Stu.. I Really like that.. You should bring a big copy of that to the yard it's shot in..

[Renee Marquis]

Tim I can only post at 400 size.... when resizing in photo shop... I dont know what I am doing wrong... if I go any larger I cant post any up on any of these threads...:(x I shot that sun set with out tripod.... I should know better.....

[wileycoyote69]

Hey mine had the same message too!

Only mine said please....;)c

It's funny how girls start out more "advanced" and then tend to slip backwards in later life eh? lol....

Stu...liked your shot but loved your edit...gives it the wow factor I think :Dm

Crikey I nearly forgot....10/10....steady Tim I'll be getting teachers pet jibes soon lol but Thankyou!