Criticism Please

[Silver-winged Flyer]

Any tips on how I could have taken a better photo? the colours are look too washed out and there's too much light. I used a Minolta Dynax 5.

I want to take good close-up shots but I haven't mastered the technique yet. What should or shouldn't I be doing to get better photos?

 

[sunshiinedays]

This photo could be darkened just a bit and more contrast added to fix the washed out look. You can do that in a graphics program. The picture is a bit blurry, but I'm not sure if it is scanning or lack of focus, slow shutter speed or camera shake. If it is camera shake, try a slightly higher ISO level or tripod or rest the camera on something solid. (If your ISO level is too high, your picture may look grainy.)

For this particular photo, I would also suggest trying an alternative composition. The photo seems split right down the middle, with the flowers on one side and background on the other. You could try applying the rule of thirds. It isn't necessary to place your subject directly in the center of the photo.

To take good close up shots you can use the macro setting on your camera if it has one (usually indicated by a little flower). This will allow you to get really close to your subject. Although with subjects like bees, you may want to keep your distance and use your zoom (optical zoom instead of digital zoom so as not to degrade the quality of the photo). The lower your F settings on your camera, the more your camera will focus and background will blur, which can really help to bring the focus to your subject.

Here's a website with some useful information for beginners:
http://www.photographytips.com/

I'm just a beginner myself. One of the things that really helped me to take better pictures was to view a lot of other people's photos and to use what I liked about their photos in my own.

 

[Aisynia]

The object of the photo is great, although there seems to be a rail in the background that takes away from the natural look. A picture from a different angle may have been better provided that the rail still wouldn't be right there. That's just my opinion though. The flash on your camera is strong, so when the pic was taken the flash took away most of the color that would have been in your picture. This I call bleaching. Like said above you could use a program to darken your pic but I'm not sure how that would work for the overall quality of it.

A good zoom, so that distance between you and the bee is provided would help decrease that glare, keep you safe, and provide a good picture.

 

[Southern Cross]

There are a few things you can do to improve images like this.

First, looks like you used flash. Try going with natural light if you can. You may need to use a faster film speed, like Fuji 800. That will help you bring in more ambient light and reduce or eliminate the need for flash.

Second, looks like you did not have the subject in clear focus. Were you hand holding the camera? Was the flower and bee waving in the wind or bouncing around? Sometimes you need to use a tripod for these shots, or hold very still. Again faster film will help with this because it's going to help you freeze the action a bit.

Just note that faster film is not always helpful, especially in brightly lit conditions. It's best used in diffused light.

If my memory is correct, the Dynax 5 is a film camera (it's the European version of the Minolta Maxxum 5). Did you happen to get a 50mm lens with the camera? Some of the kit zooms you get with the cameras are not very good and they don't focus very close. You may want to try to pick up a standard 50mm f1.8 or f1.7. You'll be surprised at how much clearer and sharper some of your images will turn out.

Finally, don't try to get closer than the lens can actually focus. Every lens has it's limitations. I have some lenses that can focus as close as 1/3", and some that require me to be at least 6 feet away. Take a look at your lens. Zoom in out all the way, then walk toward a subject until it's in focus. That's your minimum focus distance. Then do the same thing with the lens set on it's widest angle. Note that distance as well. If you walk closer to your subject, it should get blurry. This will help you to realisically determine how close you can get before the closest focus point is lost. Make sense?

 

[Silver-winged Flyer]

There are a few things you can do to improve images like this.

First, looks like you used flash. Try going with natural light if you can. You may need to use a faster film speed, like Fuji 800. That will help you bring in more ambient light and reduce or eliminate the need for flash.

Second, looks like you did not have the subject in clear focus. Were you hand holding the camera? Was the flower and bee waving in the wind or bouncing around? Sometimes you need to use a tripod for these shots, or hold very still. Again faster film will help with this because it's going to help you freeze the action a bit.

Just note that faster film is not always helpful, especially in brightly lit conditions. It's best used in diffused light.

If my memory is correct, the Dynax 5 is a film camera (it's the European version of the Minolta Maxxum 5). Did you happen to get a 50mm lens with the camera? Some of the kit zooms you get with the cameras are not very good and they don't focus very close. You may want to try to pick up a standard 50mm f1.8 or f1.7. You'll be surprised at how much clearer and sharper some of your images will turn out.

Finally, don't try to get closer than the lens can actually focus. Every lens has it's limitations. I have some lenses that can focus as close as 1/3", and some that require me to be at least 6 feet away. Take a look at your lens. Zoom in out all the way, then walk toward a subject until it's in focus. That's your minimum focus distance. Then do the same thing with the lens set on it's widest angle. Note that distance as well. If you walk closer to your subject, it should get blurry. This will help you to realisically determine how close you can get before the closest focus point is lost. Make sense?

Thanks to everybody for their comments. I think I was in too much of a hurry to take the photo because the bee kept moving so I didn't concentrate enough on composition.

I do have a macro facility on my camera, its just a matter of practice I guess.

I got a 28-80mm lens with my camera. It does make sense, thanks. I entered a photo for the competiton of a bee on a syrup bottle and that one came out (I think) quite a bit better.

How do I know if I should use my flash or if the natural light will be enough?

I can change the film speed setting on my camera so it can be set to a different speed to the film I'm using so if I had a 200 speed film and I set it to 800 would the photos look like I'd used 800? I hope that makes sense.

 

[Southern Cross]

No, if you change the film speed on the camera to 800 and manually override the ISO 200 auto film setting, you can really mess things up. You'd then need to find a lab that does push and pull processing. Films are designed to have different sensitivites to light.

However, you can get away with minor adjustments. I used to use tons of different Fuji films pretty extensively. I would commonly set my ISO at 325 when shooting Fuji NPH400, or 625 when shooting Fuji 800. Fuji film - and some others - react well to minor overexposure. Kodak films seem to be a little less flexible in this regard.

So it's best to just stick with the same ISO setting of the film in your camera, and let the lab technicians try to adjust things for you to get the best print.

I shoot 100% digital now, and my memory is starting to fail me on some of the minor nuances of using film.

 

[JerryDavis]

early AM or late PM. Cloudy days are best for outdoor shots. Also, use a polarizing filter on your lense. You'll love it.

 

[Silver-winged Flyer]

I definitely need to get a polarizing filter. Maybe if I get a Christmas bonus...