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Mar 3, 2016 07:09:35   #
johneccles Loc: Leyland UK
 
I think f.14 is rather small I would have used f.4 or f5.6 and turned the exposure value up and down in live view to obtain the best exposure.
Anyway the photograph is an excellent image and could easily be made brighter with you favourite PP.

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Mar 3, 2016 09:09:48   #
camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.
 
The image is way underexposed. Most of the pixels in the histogram have shifted to the left so my first recommendation is to watch the histogram after a capture and make the proper corrections.
My second recommendation is to level the camera. This picture needs correction.
My last recommendation, you do not need f14 for a shot like this and I am sure that with a D7000 f8 would have been preferable and it would have given you plenty of depth of field, which you can check anyway pushing the DOF button.

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Mar 3, 2016 09:31:05   #
boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander
 
piedmonte66 wrote:
I went to our church to take some photos and the lighting in the church is not the best for taking pictures. With the poor lighting, I set my D7000 (with my 18-200) on a tripod using the aperture priority function set to f14 with the ISO at 100 and the shutter speed ended up at 1.3sec. What should I have done (if anything) to get better clarity? Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking time to look. Oops, I think I should have put this in the photo gallery but not sure how to move it.
I went to our church to take some photos and the l... (show quote)

Might try Shutter priority and increase the ISO, VR off. Play with f-stops and see witch is best. Also bracket f-stops. Even with the timer mirror slap my make the camera move a little, so use a remote or cable release. May be shoot in live view (lock up the mirror) Just my $.02

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Mar 3, 2016 09:48:43   #
big-guy Loc: Peterborough Ontario Canada
 
I'm not sure that you actually mean clarity but here are my thoughts on this. To start;
1. Your shot is under exposed by approximately ½ to 1 stop. If you took all the different colors and brightness's in the scene and mixed them all together you would end up with 18% grey which is what your camera is set to meter for. As the artist you need to recognize this going in and tell the camera to adjust for that. You can do that with the exposure compensation setting set to +½ or +1 (some cameras go by 3rds)
2. Your choice of f14 for more DOF is overkill in your shot as there is no real foreground to get in focus. The lens sweet spot is usually around f5.6 or 8 and would have offered a better result in this particular case.
3. While zooming in I see some shaky edges and even though you used the timer I can tell by the viewpoint that you had the tripod set very high which may have meant (you didn't want to bend over at all) the center post was extended all the way up which causes an added instability and shaking when the mirror does slap up. When at all possible do not use the added height from the center post.
4. Using the mirror lock up feature might have helped in this case but remember that mirror lock up is only effective with shutter speeds between approximately 1/30 to 4 seconds.
5. This one is more aesthetic, by putting the camera at the same or inches above the top of the pew tops you will add a more dynamic result in the shot, not to mention the center post not being used. Why, you ask? Because every Tom, Dick and Harry has seen your viewpoint of that scene hundreds of times and it's a same old, same old result. Giving a different viewpoint turns an every day scene into a "hey that looks different" scene. It also, in this case, would help give a better visual lead into the shot. You could even put the camera at little kid height to emphasize the grandiose nature of the church/cathedral. Doing this would also (maybe) require using a higher aperture setting as you would now have some real foreground to focus on.

Hope this helps and as it is your church you can always go back and redo. If you do decide to go that route I would suggest going early to mid morning or mid to late afternoon so the light shines directly through the windows giving the most light possible. Having a bright sunny day will also help.

piedmonte66 wrote:
I went to our church to take some photos and the lighting in the church is not the best for taking pictures. With the poor lighting, I set my D7000 (with my 18-200) on a tripod using the aperture priority function set to f14 with the ISO at 100 and the shutter speed ended up at 1.3sec. What should I have done (if anything) to get better clarity? Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking time to look. Oops, I think I should have put this in the photo gallery but not sure how to move it.
I went to our church to take some photos and the l... (show quote)

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Mar 3, 2016 09:59:15   #
Madman Loc: Gulf Coast, Florida USA
 
Looking at your photo, it appears to me that your focus point was about the third row of pews, not the front of the church, which I assume was your subject.

I would suggest manual focus next time so that you can be more selective. Wondering if you ever use the Depth of Field Preview button to see your shot before you take it.

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Mar 3, 2016 11:33:43   #
Nalu Loc: Southern Arizona
 
Seems to me the image is under exposed when looking at the histogram and hence the flat look. There is little or no information on the right side of the curve. Short of going back and taking the shot again, a minor curves adjustment can do a lot, as well as brightness and contrast. I am sure there are other techniques that I am not aware of.

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Mar 3, 2016 11:45:18   #
lloydl2 Loc: Gilbert, AZ
 
piedmonte66 wrote:
I went to our church to take some photos and the lighting in the church is not the best for taking pictures. With the poor lighting, I set my D7000 (with my 18-200) on a tripod using the aperture priority function set to f14 with the ISO at 100 and the shutter speed ended up at 1.3sec. What should I have done (if anything) to get better clarity? Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking time to look. Oops, I think I should have put this in the photo gallery but not sure how to move it.
I went to our church to take some photos and the l... (show quote)


did you turn off the lens stabilization? It is recommended to not use it when on a tripod. Also I think you might get better results with a higher iso and a faster shutterspeed and larger aperature f8 to f11. Are you shooting in Raw? did you post process at all? the photo looks a little flat to me which is typical of a raw photo not post processed.. A few seconds in lightroom ......

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Mar 3, 2016 12:19:28   #
R.G. Loc: Scotland
 
The camera was on a tripod, the shooter used the timer and there's nothing moving in the frame. Could somebody explain why increasing the shutter speed is going to help give a clearer picture.

I don't see any signs of camera shake. All I see is a small amount of CA on contrasty edges. And even if there was camera shake due to vibration, a faster shutter speed isn't going to eliminate it or even reduce it.

Focussing at the hyperfocal distance is a good option, but bearing in mind that the OP may be not much more than a beginner, I'm left wondering if a simpler option may be more suitable. Having said that, I would definitely say that hyperfocal distance is worth trying to understand.

Those foreground pews look very close, to my eye, and I'm a long way from being convinced that they would all have come out sharp (as the OP wanted) with an aperture of f/5.6 and with the focus point off in the distance as it is there.

I'm open to enlightenment, if somebody cares to explain what's wrong with my thinking.

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Mar 3, 2016 12:34:05   #
foathog Loc: Greensboro, NC
 
piedmonte66 wrote:
I went to our church to take some photos and the lighting in the church is not the best for taking pictures. With the poor lighting, I set my D7000 (with my 18-200) on a tripod using the aperture priority function set to f14 with the ISO at 100 and the shutter speed ended up at 1.3sec. What should I have done (if anything) to get better clarity? Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking time to look. Oops, I think I should have put this in the photo gallery but not sure how to move it.
I went to our church to take some photos and the l... (show quote)


jack up the ISO a few ticks. 100 indoors?? that's low.

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Mar 3, 2016 14:21:03   #
tomc601 Loc: Gilbert, AZ
 
lloydl2 wrote:
did you turn off the lens stabilization? It is recommended to not use it when on a tripod. Also I think you might get better results with a higher iso and a faster shutterspeed and larger aperature f8 to f11. Are you shooting in Raw? did you post process at all? the photo looks a little flat to me which is typical of a raw photo not post processed.. A few seconds in lightroom ......


I think this is the biggest mistake people make when using the 18-200. You must turn off the VC when on a tripod. I would try that first. Also, with that lens you really don't need to go to f14 for maximum sharpness. Sweet spot on mine is f8.

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Mar 3, 2016 18:18:27   #
jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ
 
piedmonte66 wrote:
Thanks for your suggestions. I know that I am no pro but I was trying to achieve a DOF where everything was in focus and I thought the f14 would have given me this. I will go back and play around with the manual settings. Thanks again.


Shooting at a focal length of 18mm will give you pretty good DOF at just about any f/stop. You can find a DOF chart easy on the net and see for yourself.

All that picture needs is a little post processing including white balance adjustments.

I have downloaded it and made some adjustments in Lightroom. It's against UHH policy to adjust an image and post it back here without permission. So if you'd like to see what a little post processing can do to this image, then let me know.

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Mar 3, 2016 20:32:14   #
Rongnongno Loc: FL
 
I find a problem with the focusing more than anything else.

Also, in a closed space like this one you should consider doing a panorama after setting your camera on the vertical side.

Underexposure is troublesome if you shot with JPG output instead of raw.

As to the dof, to achieve the maximal clarity or 'pique' you need to use the optimal setting for your lens and make sure your plane of focus is correct in order to optimize the acceptable field of sharpness.

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Mar 4, 2016 01:39:20   #
R.G. Loc: Scotland
 
R.G. wrote:
......Could somebody explain why increasing the shutter speed is going to help give a clearer picture........


No takers? Didn't think so.....


Jeep Daddy is right when he says that shooting wide angle gives good DOF. The question boils down to what is "good" or "an acceptable field of sharpness". The OP specified that he wanted the foreground to be sharp. Well, those foreground pews look pretty close to me - probably just a few feet from the camera - and the focus point is way off in the distance. F/14 is probably overkill, but I suspect that f/5.6, while giving an acceptable DOF, probably wouldn't have given much in the way of sharpness at that close a distance.

Even using hyperfocal distance, the acceptable field of sharpness starts half way towards the focus point. I would say those foreground pews are probably only about 5 or 6 feet from the camera.

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Mar 4, 2016 03:26:04   #
Billyspad Loc: The Philippines
 
jeep_daddy wrote:


All that picture needs is a little post processing including white balance adjustments.



Amen jeep-daddy amen. There is nothing wrong with this picture that a minor amount of PP does not put right.

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Mar 4, 2016 08:42:25   #
Rick36203 Loc: Northeast Alabama
 
R.G. wrote:
No takers? Didn't think so.....

The question boils down to what is "good" or "an acceptable field of sharpness". The OP specified that he wanted the foreground to be sharp. Well, those foreground pews look pretty close to me - probably just a few feet from the camera - and the focus point is way off in the distance. F/14 is probably overkill, but I suspect that f/5.6, while giving an acceptable DOF, probably wouldn't have given much in the way of sharpness at that close a distance.

Even using hyperfocal distance, the acceptable field of sharpness starts half way towards the focus point. I would say those foreground pews are probably only about 5 or 6 feet from the camera.
No takers? Didn't think so..... br br The questio... (show quote)

DXO rates the OP's lens "sharpest" at f/5.6 (yes, sharper than f/14) . The DOF calculator indicates when that lens is set to its hyperfocal setting (@18MM)... near focus at f/14 is 1.89ft, and at f/5.6 it is still only 4.7ft. That does not seem like there would be a significant DOF difference in the OP's composition.

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