Got bored today in the afternoon, so I decided to take my new D50 w/ kit lens for a walk around my neighbourhood. I'm new to photography and this is my second time out shooting... so any help/advice for improvement would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Might just be me... But I think I'd prefer some more lighting contrast. Not much that you can do now, after the fact, I don't think. But I feel like some of those images are just a touch flat and could really pop more if light was used more to your advantage.
You can really tell what I mean when you use B&W because it removes the seduction of color and forces your eye to really see shape, line, composition, and values-- how dark do the darks go, how bright do the highlights get? Others might really like this feel... myself, personally? I'd like to see a greater range of values.
That said, I'm drawn to your images, but would be more so if... there was just a tiny bit more pop to 'em. Sorry if this is way off or if no one else agrees w/ me.
Yup. I think that a good photographer (or photograph) shouldn't rely on processing. That said, processing can make a great photograph into an amazing one...I just dont get a great range of black to white like you said... once i remove the colour, my photos thus far tend to look a tad dull and greyish, without great contrast, forcing me to play around with contrast and curves in PS to make the photos pop a bit more. Now, I'm not sure if this is normal.. or if "good" photographers are able to remove colour from their photos and pretty much use them as is without messing around a lot with contrast n such....
Yes... "so much to learn"... but having an 'eye for a picture' is a great start. Everything else can be learned (books... classes... etc...), but 'seeing' pix is a skill that a lot of people will just never get. And a bag full of hardware isn't going to compensate for that...
One thought... I used to shoot colour and b/w on film (one camera body for colour, another for b/w), which meant I'd look differently at a subject, depending on which film I was using. If you want to end up with b/w images, maybe you should shoot in b/w... rather than just 'converting' colour shots.
Not enough 'pop'? well, it's all about light, you know...
if these pix are from your second day's shooting, you'll have a steep learning curve. enjoy the ride...
Contrast is an important concept and an important thing to nail down in your photographs, whether they be B&W or color. Once you get the hang of that you will be pleasantly surprised at what a difference it can make in the quality of your images!
The question I have is how I actually manipulate or control contrast in my shots? Is contrast more a function of the lens type or is it controlled by your exposure? Or are we talking more about shot selection and taking shots whose subjects/background inherently have greater contrast in their colour?