Photography

Yeah. You read right. This is for everything that doesn't have anything to do with Eva.

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Eva Yojimbo
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Postby Eva Yojimbo » Thu Jul 01, 2010 9:51 pm

After seeing that a few posters on here seemed interested in photography, I decided to start this thread for everyone to share their experience in the medium (knowledge, history, recommendations, gear, interests, photographs [but don't turn this into a copy of the Pictures thread; keep the images relevant to your interest in photography as an art]) etc. I'll start:

I got interested in photography probably about a year ago. I did a ton of research learning about all the technical (Apertures, exposure, F-Stops, SLRs, Rangefinders, lenses, etc.) and artistic aspects. I basically devoured Ken Rockwell's website which is a phenomenal resource for photographers of any experience level. Photo.net is awesome too if you're wanting to read about something specific. After testing out some DSLRs, some old 35mm SLRs, and rangefinders I decided I preferred film and rangefinders. I eventually settled on a Mamiya 7ii medium-format (6x7) rangefinder with its 80mm and 150mm lens (so far) thanks to Ken's glowing review (though I picked it up with BOTH lenses at eBay for just under $2300 brand new). So far I couldn't be more satisfied as it truly is a wonderful camera that's simple to use and very forgiving on even a newbie. Mostly I'm shooting handheld (though I've borrowed my mom's old tripod) with a mix of films; I'm basically testing them out to find out what the differences are and which suits what situation. I've tried Fuji Velvia 50, Astia 100, Provia 100, Provia 400X for color and Ilford Delta 100, Delta 400, FP4 125, HP4 500, and PANF 50 for b&w.

I'm still learning about the art of the blackroom, and have most of mine set up but have yet to gather to courage to do it. I will very soon, but as for now I'm using a local camera shop to do the developing and so far am pleased with results. Though I know that for B&W it really behooves one to learn to do their own developing since there's so much that can be done in the process. I'm also thinking of getting a Nikon Film Scanner for obvious reasons. If anyone has any advice with regards to this, I'm all ears as well since developing and printing seems like a really involved, tedious process to me...

As for photographic interests, I doubt many will be surprised to know I love fine-art nudes. As for photographers I hate that photo books are so expensive, and, admittedly, I only have a very small collection. But from what I've seen I love Thomas Karsten, Pascal Baetens, Helmut Newton (Sumo FTW!), David Hamilton, Jock Sturges, Andreas Bitesnich, and Jan Saudek. Some other photographers I've seen and love are Nan Goldin, Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, David Lachapelle, Howard Schatz, and John Santerineross. I'd love any recommendations in this arena because there's SO much out there and even if I'm not hurting for money one could spend a not-inconsiderate fortune on photobooks considering they tend to run from about $40 to $80 a pop new. As for my own "work" I basically enjoy just walking around the neighborhood and taking photos of little oddities, like a neighbor several blocks away that has the strangest bench and lamp-post beside his house where both look like they belong in a park.
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Postby ZapX » Thu Jul 01, 2010 10:32 pm

Careful with Rockwell. He's a professional troll and makes a lot of stuff up/talks about things he doesn't get. His site is a good resource and he does have good things to say, but take everything he says with a HUUUUUUUGE grain of salt. I'll probably be posting in this thread a lot. I'll talk more about my own interests when I have more time.
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Postby Eva Yojimbo » Thu Jul 01, 2010 10:54 pm

View Original PostZapX wrote: He's a professional troll and makes a lot of stuff up/talks about things he doesn't get.
Such as? I'm referring more to the making stuff up/not getting stuff. He seems to know a ton about the technical aspects of photography and even has pages on how to mathematically calculate the sharpest aperture based on your desired depth of field. I've seen SOME of his trolling and he does have a tendency towards hyperbolic rhetoric, but he is undoubtedly someone who is obsessed with all aspects of photography and it's hard to find someone who has done more comparative reviews on cameras and formats.
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^ Writing as Jonathan Henderson ^
We're all adrift on the stormy seas of Evangelion, desperately trying to gather what flotsam can be snatched from the gale into a somewhat seaworthy interpretation so that we can at last reach the shores of reason and respite. - ObsessiveMathsFreak
Jimbo has posted enough to be considered greater than or equal to everyone, and or synonymous with the concept of 'everyone'. - Muggy
I've seen so many changeful years, / to Earth I am a stranger grown: / I wander in the ways of men, / alike unknowing and unknown: / Unheard, unpitied, unrelieved, / I bear alone my load of care; / For silent, low, on beds of dust, / Lie all that would my sorrows share. - Robert Burns' Lament for James

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Postby planet news » Thu Jul 01, 2010 11:00 pm

Hey yall lookit me. They're all digital, but I touched them up. Not that it's hard to tell.
SPOILER: Show
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"Crab People, look like crab, talk like people. Crab people . . ."

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Postby Eva Yojimbo » Thu Jul 01, 2010 11:05 pm

Some awesome stuff there, planet news. WTF is going on in that second-to-bottom pic? I like the first and third the best though.
Cinelogue & Forced Perspective Cinema
^ Writing as Jonathan Henderson ^
We're all adrift on the stormy seas of Evangelion, desperately trying to gather what flotsam can be snatched from the gale into a somewhat seaworthy interpretation so that we can at last reach the shores of reason and respite. - ObsessiveMathsFreak
Jimbo has posted enough to be considered greater than or equal to everyone, and or synonymous with the concept of 'everyone'. - Muggy
I've seen so many changeful years, / to Earth I am a stranger grown: / I wander in the ways of men, / alike unknowing and unknown: / Unheard, unpitied, unrelieved, / I bear alone my load of care; / For silent, low, on beds of dust, / Lie all that would my sorrows share. - Robert Burns' Lament for James

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Postby planet news » Thu Jul 01, 2010 11:07 pm

Thanks man. They're cream of the crop from four years of random crap. The bottom of the second to last one is just a reflection on a plastic table.
"Crab People, look like crab, talk like people. Crab people . . ."

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Postby Eva Yojimbo » Thu Jul 01, 2010 11:10 pm

That's what I was thinking but that's amazing how it looks just like water and seems to echo with the background. You have one hell of an eye. Did you use filters for the second and third or were they just manipulated on photoshop (or whatever program you use)?
Cinelogue & Forced Perspective Cinema
^ Writing as Jonathan Henderson ^
We're all adrift on the stormy seas of Evangelion, desperately trying to gather what flotsam can be snatched from the gale into a somewhat seaworthy interpretation so that we can at last reach the shores of reason and respite. - ObsessiveMathsFreak
Jimbo has posted enough to be considered greater than or equal to everyone, and or synonymous with the concept of 'everyone'. - Muggy
I've seen so many changeful years, / to Earth I am a stranger grown: / I wander in the ways of men, / alike unknowing and unknown: / Unheard, unpitied, unrelieved, / I bear alone my load of care; / For silent, low, on beds of dust, / Lie all that would my sorrows share. - Robert Burns' Lament for James

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Postby ZapX » Thu Jul 01, 2010 11:15 pm

Jimbo, he often contradicts himself, he reviews things he's never used, and he even says himself

Please don't believe anything you read anywhere on this website. Although most of the technical information is probably true most of the time, the rest is all pretend. I love to fool around, pretend, and make things up.


Like I said, his tech specs and such are great for the most part and he's one of a plethora of resources for beginners to take a look at but his opinions are oft unfounded and completely wrong (to be fair I agree with a fair deal of what he says too). That said, I'm not gonna worry with it too much. There are plenty of threads out there about him you could read. If you like him, that's fine. Nothing wrong with that. I'm certainly not saying he's not worthwhile to look at. I was just saying, take it with a grain of salt and seek several other opinions.

One of my favorite resources is cameralabs.com, run by a British ex-pat living in NZ by the name of Gordon Laing. If you've never ventured that way, I'd recommend it. It's one of the best photo communities I've found along with photo.net and dpreview.

planet news, I'm pleasantly surprised. You seem like you could really have a knack for this. I'd really love to see some more members' work.
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"I CAN'T HELP IT THAT I WANT TO EAT MY OWN VULVA AND SHARE IT WITH A LOVED ONE!"-Reichu

"I have a fetish for naked women with stigmata playing ping pong in the mud. Is there a name for that?" -Kaiser O-Ornette-dono-sama

“Don’t do that; that was probably hooker money.” -SSD on me holding money with my mouth

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Postby planet news » Thu Jul 01, 2010 11:38 pm

Thanks guys. I usually start off with the free Google software Picasa and then go into Photoshop to take care of some details. No knack by the way. The raw photos are a mess. I recompose/recrop everything.
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Postby MugwumpHasNoLiver » Thu Jul 01, 2010 11:47 pm

I've already sucked Planet dry today, so I'm not going to mention how beautiful I think those pictures are.

Ha-ha. Score one for Mugwump.
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Postby Eva Yojimbo » Thu Jul 01, 2010 11:53 pm

View Original PostZapX wrote:he often contradicts himself, he reviews things he's never used, and he even says himself... his opinions are oft unfounded and completely wrong.
I guess I was curious about specific instances of these things...

View Original PostZapX wrote:I was just saying, take it with a grain of salt and seek several other opinions.
Well, obviously his site wasn't/isn't the only one I read. For instance I also read HERE, HERE and HERE for example when I was researching the Mamiya and I've probably spent just as much time on photo.net which has especially been helpful for learning about blackroom stuff.

View Original PostZapX wrote:planet news, I'm pleasantly surprised. You seem like you could really have a knack for this. I'd really love to see some more members' work.
Indeed RE planet news. I'd probably prefer to wait to post any of mine until I get in some more practice and buy that Nikon scanner. Otherwise I'd have to make due with what I could manage with my own crappy scanner.
Cinelogue & Forced Perspective Cinema
^ Writing as Jonathan Henderson ^
We're all adrift on the stormy seas of Evangelion, desperately trying to gather what flotsam can be snatched from the gale into a somewhat seaworthy interpretation so that we can at last reach the shores of reason and respite. - ObsessiveMathsFreak
Jimbo has posted enough to be considered greater than or equal to everyone, and or synonymous with the concept of 'everyone'. - Muggy
I've seen so many changeful years, / to Earth I am a stranger grown: / I wander in the ways of men, / alike unknowing and unknown: / Unheard, unpitied, unrelieved, / I bear alone my load of care; / For silent, low, on beds of dust, / Lie all that would my sorrows share. - Robert Burns' Lament for James

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Postby ZapX » Fri Jul 02, 2010 1:21 pm

I like this comic. It's about a duck who's a freelance photographer. Lots of photographer humor in there.
ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ"Stop watching anime. it makes you think all girls are incredibly hot and shy, and there are 10 that all want your boner which just isn't true." -Brik-aniki

"I CAN'T HELP IT THAT I WANT TO EAT MY OWN VULVA AND SHARE IT WITH A LOVED ONE!"-Reichu

"I have a fetish for naked women with stigmata playing ping pong in the mud. Is there a name for that?" -Kaiser O-Ornette-dono-sama

“Don’t do that; that was probably hooker money.” -SSD on me holding money with my mouth

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Postby BrikHaus » Fri Jul 02, 2010 1:43 pm

View Original PostMugwumpHasNoLiver wrote:I've already sucked Planet dry today, so I'm not going to mention how beautiful I think those pictures are.

Ha-ha. Score one for Mugwump.

Was a snowball involved, as well?
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Postby Oz » Fri Jul 02, 2010 2:44 pm

I guess I should dump some of my new photos here:
SPOILER: Show
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I like this one because the two forests create multiple layers of depth although the effect is not as strong as I thought when I took it. I wanted to give more space for the green field, but I couldn't find a good angle for it.
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I like it how train tracks shoot straight into the midpoint of the photo like into a void. The distracting details on the right (the bus and buildings) bug me though.
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It's a shame I didn't notice that I should have held the camera a bit more to the left because now it's not in the middle. I'm still rather satisfied with this photo.


EDIT: Meh, the image size limit on uploads is painful since it distorts the composition. I recommend copying and pasting the image links for a proper view. Will upload pics later in smaller resolution.
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Postby Eva Yojimbo » Fri Jul 02, 2010 8:07 pm

^ The problem with the first is that there's nothing but blank, green space in the foreground so the "depth" provided by the different forests don't really read in the image. The second one is a good example of leading the eye, but you're right that there's too many distractions on the right side and not really enough of interest once you look around the left. There's an example where you might have made some interesting use of the poles on the left side. I'm not sure if it would've worked, but if you had moved closer to one, stood on the right side of the track, and then tilted the camera along the track line you could have gotten the track leading from the left-foreground to the right-background at the same time the pole would've been crossing the rest of the frame; just an idea. The third image still has a similar problem of there not being much focal point once you follow the track into the distance. Still, you've got an eye for converging lines and how to lead the eye; now you just need to figure out what to lead the eye to.
Cinelogue & Forced Perspective Cinema
^ Writing as Jonathan Henderson ^
We're all adrift on the stormy seas of Evangelion, desperately trying to gather what flotsam can be snatched from the gale into a somewhat seaworthy interpretation so that we can at last reach the shores of reason and respite. - ObsessiveMathsFreak
Jimbo has posted enough to be considered greater than or equal to everyone, and or synonymous with the concept of 'everyone'. - Muggy
I've seen so many changeful years, / to Earth I am a stranger grown: / I wander in the ways of men, / alike unknowing and unknown: / Unheard, unpitied, unrelieved, / I bear alone my load of care; / For silent, low, on beds of dust, / Lie all that would my sorrows share. - Robert Burns' Lament for James

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Postby ZapX » Fri Jul 02, 2010 10:16 pm

You familiar with the rule of thirds, Oz? That's one of the first and most handy rules of composition for beginning photographers (of course you can break "rules" but before you turn the book on its head you have to read it and learn it). Just google it and read some of the links if you haven't. That may give you some direction in how to think about composing your shots. Your camera may even have guidelines in live view to help you when you're learning to do it by instinct. Hope that's helpful.
ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ"Stop watching anime. it makes you think all girls are incredibly hot and shy, and there are 10 that all want your boner which just isn't true." -Brik-aniki

"I CAN'T HELP IT THAT I WANT TO EAT MY OWN VULVA AND SHARE IT WITH A LOVED ONE!"-Reichu

"I have a fetish for naked women with stigmata playing ping pong in the mud. Is there a name for that?" -Kaiser O-Ornette-dono-sama

“Don’t do that; that was probably hooker money.” -SSD on me holding money with my mouth

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Postby evaunit13 » Fri Jul 02, 2010 11:00 pm

photography is something that i've always been interested in. but i always feel like any rich white kid who has a $1000 camera on auto could take pictures like me :\

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also, please tell me which one is best. i need a new facebook picture. i'm leaning towards fourth because the light brings out the translucent green parts.

SPOILER: Show
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does anybody have any links to good basic composition tips?
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Postby Eva Yojimbo » Fri Jul 02, 2010 11:04 pm

I actually think the last one is a nice balance of getting the purple to show up while also getting the green to pop a bit. As for compositional tips, if you check out pretty much any basic photography book they'll have all the basics. I checked out a ton from the library and they all basically say the same things with regards to that.
Cinelogue & Forced Perspective Cinema
^ Writing as Jonathan Henderson ^
We're all adrift on the stormy seas of Evangelion, desperately trying to gather what flotsam can be snatched from the gale into a somewhat seaworthy interpretation so that we can at last reach the shores of reason and respite. - ObsessiveMathsFreak
Jimbo has posted enough to be considered greater than or equal to everyone, and or synonymous with the concept of 'everyone'. - Muggy
I've seen so many changeful years, / to Earth I am a stranger grown: / I wander in the ways of men, / alike unknowing and unknown: / Unheard, unpitied, unrelieved, / I bear alone my load of care; / For silent, low, on beds of dust, / Lie all that would my sorrows share. - Robert Burns' Lament for James

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Postby evaunit13 » Fri Jul 02, 2010 11:09 pm

alright thanks.
do you have any tips for the other photos/picture taking in general? this camera is for my aunt, so i only have another month with it.
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Postby Eva Yojimbo » Fri Jul 02, 2010 11:20 pm

As for the first, I'd say that when you're taking pics that have a single subject of interest to use the longest lens possible with the aperture pretty wide open since that will give you a better "flat" image and you'll get beter bokeh (the term for the out-of-focus area). In general it's also best to place subjects of interest at one of the four "crash points" (where the "rule of thirds" line connect). I like the sense of mystery in the second one, since it kinda invites the viewer to puzzle out exactly what they're looking at. The third one is a good example where you could've used a really wide angle lens for an exaggerated perspective. Other than that, I might have recommended keeping that right wheel either further to the right or the left.
Cinelogue & Forced Perspective Cinema
^ Writing as Jonathan Henderson ^
We're all adrift on the stormy seas of Evangelion, desperately trying to gather what flotsam can be snatched from the gale into a somewhat seaworthy interpretation so that we can at last reach the shores of reason and respite. - ObsessiveMathsFreak
Jimbo has posted enough to be considered greater than or equal to everyone, and or synonymous with the concept of 'everyone'. - Muggy
I've seen so many changeful years, / to Earth I am a stranger grown: / I wander in the ways of men, / alike unknowing and unknown: / Unheard, unpitied, unrelieved, / I bear alone my load of care; / For silent, low, on beds of dust, / Lie all that would my sorrows share. - Robert Burns' Lament for James


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