Am I Too Old?
May 28, 2023 08:13:00 #
CliffMcKenzie
Loc: Lake Athens Texas
I see you are in Texas (for those outside of Texas, Texas is big). In late July through August, I will be teaching Lightroom Classic again, currently in rewrite of supporting material. This is for the East Texas Camera Club in Tyler. The classes are free outside of $30 membership to ETCC. By the way...I am 71.
May 28, 2023 08:19:18 #
Still using Picasa 3 , and not changing . If your picture need that much work / correction , maybe take it again with better result .
May 28, 2023 08:29:52 #
DaveFinton
Loc: Caledonia, Michigan
For those who decide to use Lightroom, Adobe Press has a very helpful publication: Clasroom in a Book.
May 28, 2023 08:34:52 #
In my personal opinion I would say no to the PP and yes to the jpg. I shoot jpg with my D850 and use the free Nikon program NX studio to mostly lighten some shadows or crop. Again it's just my opion. Others might saw No, No, No. You can't do it that way,so what. Although I'm retired I don't want to take the time to sort thru miles of Raw data to " fix" my pictures.
May 28, 2023 08:37:11 #
Sunsetpar wrote:
Hi friends. I enjoy my daily dose of Ugly Hedgeho... (show quote)
If you do not enjoy working with LR then do not. One of the first things I learned or realized when I retired was to look at all the hobbies and activities that I did and figure out if I really enjoyed them. I found that some of the things I had been doing for years really were more of a habit and I was doing them while having little enjoyment or enrichment. I decided that if a hobby did not add something to my life then do not do it.
I suspect this may be the way you feel about LR. You obviously enjoy shooting images and are good at it. So concentrate on shooting the best SOOC jpgs you can (as many do) and just stop worrying about LR. LR is a great piece of software and tool for photography, but it can also take a lot of time to learn, maintain and use. I used it for several years but realized one day that I was spending hours per week organizing, maintaining, and making sure the software was doing what I wanted. That is time you can be using to take better images that will require little or no post-processing.
If you still feel the need to do a little post-processing, look at something like Faststone. It is a free, dirt-simple processor that can be used for small basic adjustments. It takes 10-15 minutes to learn. Also, there are other very capable image processors that take much less effort to use and maintain than LR. DO NOT fall for the trap that LR/PS is what all the "real" photographers use. Many do, but there are plenty of options today for those that just wish to take the best image they can with minimal post-processing.
May 28, 2023 08:54:12 #
I’m 86 and still shoot Fuji jpegs daily post processing in Lightroom 6.1. Never too old. However I would suggest you development some means of securing images during your trip to assure none are lost (e.g. laptop or portable storage device). Safe travels and enjoy
May 28, 2023 09:01:49 #
Jeffcs
Loc: Myrtle Beach South Carolina
I’m 70 and I’m not too old to learn/try any thing, not trying because I’m “old” today is a lame excuse
So get your dander up and jump in NEVER let age deter you!!!
So get your dander up and jump in NEVER let age deter you!!!
May 28, 2023 09:03:46 #
W9OD
Loc: Wisconsin
I am 76, I am an Amateur Radio operator. They are producing software defined radios that are relatively complex. I am slowly learning the ins and outs of them. I think it keeps the brain working, also I am amazed at what is happening in the entire world of technology. Going from Leica film cameras to Sony mirror less is phenomenal.
May 28, 2023 09:06:35 #
You don't need to learn PS & LR to have great photos. If you want to see brilliant, detailed jpegs, just check out Ken Rockwell's reviews of any equipment out there, especially your D500 & 500mm lens. He seldom even shoots highest res. Discovering his review of the Nikon D40 in 2007 convinced me to make my first plunge into DSLR's, and I've never looked back. My son is proficient with LR, & put it on my computer; showed me how to process images. After half hour on one RAW image, the output was a jpeg that looked no different than my SOOC jpeg, so why waste all that time? I do shoot RAW to one card, jpeg to the other on my D750 when shooting awesome scenes, but seldom have to go back to the RAW to salvage anything, as I use the in-camera modification settings to give me perfectly tweaked SOOC images. PP is mostly done with Microsoft Photos for bringing up shadows or contrast adjustment. Good luck, & look forward to seeing your results from Brazil!
May 28, 2023 09:10:53 #
Sunsetpar wrote:
Hi friends. I enjoy my daily dose of Ugly Hedgeho... (show quote)
There is no age to learn if you want. Sometimes we don't have the time or the learning curve can be very slow, but we can never say "that's not even for me". As Mike said earlier, you can search YouTube for some great instructors for Lightroom, Photoshop, and other editing programs. In my opinion I advise you to always shoot in RAW, because you have much more freedom when it comes to editing your photos. If you don't feel confident with RAW, you can use the RAW+JPG option.
May 28, 2023 09:18:14 #
DougS
Loc: Central Arkansas
You don't have to 'learn' every trick of the trade. Particularly since there are so many! When you need the know-how, you just 'Google' it, and YouTube the information as to 'how'! I use LR, Photoshop, and NxStudio, and I am 70. You will be much more satisfied with your photos!!!
May 28, 2023 09:26:46 #
gwilliams6 wrote:
...Mastin Labs user, Ashlie Neumeier shares her story,:
“I only shot JPEG up until about two weeks ago […] RAW has simply changed. My. Photography. Life. I see a quality difference straight out of camera, and JPEG doesn’t hold a candle to it. I’m kicking myself for not doing it sooner!”....
“I only shot JPEG up until about two weeks ago […] RAW has simply changed. My. Photography. Life. I see a quality difference straight out of camera, and JPEG doesn’t hold a candle to it. I’m kicking myself for not doing it sooner!”....
What this photographer with two weeks experience shooting RAW doesn't understand, is that straight out of camera, a RAW image looks far worse than a JPEG of the same shot. She is likely seeing a JPEG preview of the RAW image in her editor. Some editors show RAW in an unvarnished truth...an unsharpened, low contrast, poorly saturated image that needs a lot of work. Others show the baked in JPEG that is processed in camera.
Every editor renders RAW files a bit differently. Some will display the already processed JPEG when opening a RAW file. Often a camera manufacturer's free software will do this. That sounds like what the photographer in question is seeing.
May 28, 2023 09:33:46 #
[quote=Sunsetpar]Bottom line...am I too old (age 70) to learn, use, and benefit from Lightroom? Put another way, should I shoot RAW + JPEG or just JPEG on my upcoming (mid-August 2023) trip to Brazil to shoot wildlife? /quote]
Yes, I think 70 is too old and you should concentrate on sharpening your camera skills - among other more important things - than worrying about post processing raw - and just shoot JPEG. I am 75 - retired when I was 63 and have NEVER shot raw. I have only ever used an older Adobe Elements version for minimal PP. My Philosophy is simpler and cheaper is better. I am NOT a computer geek and it appears you are not either. As mentioned, you could (and not necessarily should) shoot raw + JPEG ( if you have goobs of storage space !) and then if you had a problem image you could engage a computer geek to PP that image for you - if that makes you sleep better at night
I have been here on UHH for 12 years now if you want to check some of my postings.
.
Yes, I think 70 is too old and you should concentrate on sharpening your camera skills - among other more important things - than worrying about post processing raw - and just shoot JPEG. I am 75 - retired when I was 63 and have NEVER shot raw. I have only ever used an older Adobe Elements version for minimal PP. My Philosophy is simpler and cheaper is better. I am NOT a computer geek and it appears you are not either. As mentioned, you could (and not necessarily should) shoot raw + JPEG ( if you have goobs of storage space !) and then if you had a problem image you could engage a computer geek to PP that image for you - if that makes you sleep better at night
I have been here on UHH for 12 years now if you want to check some of my postings.
.
May 28, 2023 09:44:31 #
First off that is a great photo
Second is the 500mm the only lens you have. If so I would suggest getting a super zoom lens like the Tamron 18-400 or the Nikon 18-300. I have them both. One lives on my d500, the other on my d7200.. The 500mm is, in my opinion, a good carry around lens for a cruise. Too limited. You will miss a lot of shots.
In my cameras I shoot in jpeg and RAW. One slot for jpeg and one for RAW. I use the jpeg as a backup and leave the card in until it is full. On a 256 card it never seems to get full on a trip where I take several thousand photos. I put in a new RAW card every day or 2.
On the d50@ I use the CF/XQD slot for jpegs. These cards are expensive and don’t want to buy several of them.
As for learning LR. When you first start to learn LR it is intimidating. But if you keep at it you WILL have an aha moment and things will build from that moment on.
Anyway at 70 depending on you physical and mental health there is no reason to not try and learn LR and photoshop.
Have a great trip. I am looking forward to you photos.
Be safe
Chuck
Second is the 500mm the only lens you have. If so I would suggest getting a super zoom lens like the Tamron 18-400 or the Nikon 18-300. I have them both. One lives on my d500, the other on my d7200.. The 500mm is, in my opinion, a good carry around lens for a cruise. Too limited. You will miss a lot of shots.
In my cameras I shoot in jpeg and RAW. One slot for jpeg and one for RAW. I use the jpeg as a backup and leave the card in until it is full. On a 256 card it never seems to get full on a trip where I take several thousand photos. I put in a new RAW card every day or 2.
On the d50@ I use the CF/XQD slot for jpegs. These cards are expensive and don’t want to buy several of them.
As for learning LR. When you first start to learn LR it is intimidating. But if you keep at it you WILL have an aha moment and things will build from that moment on.
Anyway at 70 depending on you physical and mental health there is no reason to not try and learn LR and photoshop.
Have a great trip. I am looking forward to you photos.
Be safe
Chuck
May 28, 2023 10:13:00 #
I realize that it's unlikely that you live near Round Rock. However, if you do send me a PM. I would happy to help. Oh yea, a couple of other things. I'm 83 and LR and PS are the "gold standard" for post processing. There are many on this forum who bitch and moan about $10/mo for Adobe's product. Don't let that influence you. It's a bargin.
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