jimward wrote:
Ive been a member of UHH for months, and joining is probably the smartest thing Ive done in ages. Best general education system available.
But
..
I thought I was beginning to understand a bit about photography. In terms of technical knowledge Id rate myself in the bottom 25%, but every now and then someone asks a question that makes me feel a bit smug. (I dont offer answers, though, cos I might be wrong).
Im familiar with most of the leading brands and models, so I know what to fantasise about if I ever accumulate any spare cash. I know that a 5MP picture will reproduce perfectly well in magazines (and I get some published) and I thought I knew that beyond about 10MP the main function of megapixels was to allow you to produce bigger and bigger prints, and that a camera that could produce 18MP images was about as good as it gets. I also thought I knew that most people used Lightroom, Photoshop or Elements as their frontline PP tools (see, I know PP), aided by plug-ins from Topaz and others, like Nik, Alien Skin and so on. I even use Topaz myself.
A long build-up, but heres the punchline. I read a magazine article recently that made me realize that I know squat. Theres a whole photographic world out there that Id never even heard of. And it wasnt even a photographic magazine.
The story in the Qantas in-flight magazine - was about a group of photographers on a gig in the South West of Western Australia, sponsored by the local tourism body. The pictures they published were predictably professional. It was their equipment and methodology that left me wondering if I should stick to tennis.
Try this:
Shot with a Phase One 645DF with a 28mm F/4.5 Schneider lens and Phase One P65 digital back. Another photographer processed his images in Phocus software before being graded, retouched and composited by Live Picture software. But wait before this happened, the photographer captured four multi-shot exposures at four separate planes of focus after which the HC 50mm II lens was raised 12mm to create a fifth exposure extending into the sky. The cameras involved are apparently capable of 80MP resolution (yep, thats 80MP).
Whats my question? Its this. How many UHH members (excluding the obvious three or four) would really understand whats going on here? Be honest, now. And whats the function of an 80MP image? To produce a print large enough to paper the side of a warehouse?
Should I be depressed here? Are most UHH members familiar with this gear? Am I really that far behind the field?
(I don't want anyone to explain what all that tech stuff is about - I checked a few websites myself. I just need to be reassured that most other UHH gang members don't understand it either.)
Ive been a member of UHH for months, and joining ... (
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In my opinion You should look around and find out if some College (That was how I did it) has a basic camera course that you can take at night. These courses are for the beginner and they go into the basics. This is a lens and this is how to take it off and put it on. This will make you able to understand your camera better. Then Practice,Practice,Practice! Your shots are not going to look good so far but that is where the next course comes in. Composition- You learn the basics of what makes a good shot and what doesn't. More practice. Nobody becomes good overnight or in a year. None of us experienced people did and neither will you.