Greenguy33 Loc: Rhode Island

I look at professionals and top amateurs photo's and see sharp images with almost a 3d image, with separation between objects.
Is it all about the lighting? I know it can't be the equipment, because some of the images are from similar camera's.

jethro779 Loc: Tucson, AZ

One of the first things to think about is "How long have they been doing it." When you get to know you & your cameras shortcomings and the strong points, your pictures will look as good as those you are trying to emulate. I got good pictures from my Sony Bridge camera that was a 6 mp camera. I went to a Nikon D3000 and thought there was something wrong with the camera till I learned it. I am now going through the same learning curve with my D7100. It takes time and a lot of pictures to get good.

Also a good PP program.

Keep shooting.

Greenguy33 Loc: Rhode Island

Thanks Jethro. We are both learning to use our D7100's.
Patience isn't my strongest attribute. :?

amehta Loc: Boston

I think two of the main tools to create a sense of the 3D scene are shadows and depth of field. It is about the equipment and knowing how to use it.

amehta Loc: Boston

As an example, look at the topic First college football game, specifically comparing juicesqueezer's picture with dpaulham's shots.

Greenguy33 Loc: Rhode Island

Thanks ametha!

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Learn, experiment, analyze, ask questions, learn, experiment... Repeat, repeat, rep....

Not a single pro became one just 'like that'.

skingfong Loc: Sacramento

Post Processing. Whether it's in camera or software like Lightroom or Photoshop the pictures are tweaked for sharpness, color saturation, contrast and a lot other things. Outside of the studio you can only control the light to a certain extent. You can manipulate a lot of things in software. I also think it can be overdone at the same time.

If you don't have the software, you can adjust color saturation, hue, sharpness, and contrast in the camera jpg settings to your taste. I personally leave the hue setting alone.

Greenguy33 Loc: Rhode Island

thanks skingfong. I do have Lightroom.

Greenguy33 Loc: Rhode Island

So true Rongnongno! Thanks.

PalePictures Loc: Traveling

Trust me on this.
It doesn't come out of the camera looking like that no matter how good you are.
Professionals take good clean well lit photos with good expressions and gestures when it comes to portraits. Taking that good initial image and enhancing(post processing) it in such a way that you cannot tell(or wonder how) it was enhanced separates the good from the world class.
There is only so much you can do with a camera and lights. The real magic of creating style happens in post.
A photo journalistic photographer only gets lucky because of the numbers game. The more he shoots the more likely he is to get more world class shots. The same for the street shooter. The professional can make the shot. He's not confined by the same rules as the photojournalist.

Disclaimer: I am technically not using professional here in the purist since of making a living with their camera. I am only referring to a pro in the since of being able to consistently produce world class images.

From my experience the people who have a definitive style have developed the style over years.

The bad news is your never going to get the images you are referring to with just using your camera. Good post post processing is much more difficult for most than good photography skills.
The good news is if you start using your favorite post processing program 24/7 for a couple of years a style will likely develop.
As Napolean Hill eluded, It's all about desire.

;)

10MPlayer Loc: California

No pro or top amateur here but I have to disagree with the post processing comment. You don't get great shots from post processing. You HAVE to know how to use the camera to get the sharpness and 3d quality you're looking at. Go back and look at the examples in dpaulham's thread. It's a perfect illustration. dpaulham's shots are soft and muddy looking. juicesqeezer's are exactly what you described. Good photographers understand every lens has a sweet spot where you get the best sharpness. Most lenses have that spot in the middle of the range 6.0 - 11.0. In juicesqueezer's shot you see the athlete isolated by the blurry background. In dpaulham's background and foreground are in focus. Go back and study those examples and ask yourself how they did it.
Back to the topic of my post: PP is fine for cleaning up small shortcomings in a shot but when you try to make a bad picture into a good one it almost always shows and it looks like h3ll.

Greenguy33 Loc: Rhode Island

Thank you PalePictures!

Greenguy33 Loc: Rhode Island

Thanks 10mPlayer!

tsilva Loc: Arizona

It is a combination of things. First finding an interesting subject. Next finding or creating the best light for it. Then properly capturing the scene creatively. Finally processing the image to enhance it and make it fit his vision.

The better photographers are never satisfied with their last shots. Every time they take photos they are trying to do better than they did the last time. They are always learning, always trying new things.

So get out there and practice. Keep trying to get better shots than you did last time. Look for interesting subjects, look for interesting ways to shoot it, don't just shoot everything standing straight up with the camera at eye level. Look for different angles, different heights. Be creative. Properly expose your subject. Learn to process your images to enhance them, not to correct them.

Having good equipment makes some things easier, but it is the brain behind the camera that is the most important thing in creating "great" photos.

Above all have fun!