[HN Gopher] Ask HN: Do you struggle taking good pics?
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       Ask HN: Do you struggle taking good pics?
        
       1. What's the hardest part about clicking pics for you?  2. How
       often do you struggle?
        
       Author : ryshbg
       Score  : 9 points
       Date   : 2024-08-15 18:48 UTC (4 hours ago)
        
       | benpek wrote:
       | 1 -> figuring the best frame/angle 2 -> almost always
        
         | ryshbg wrote:
         | what have you done in attempting to solve it?
        
       | PaulHoule wrote:
       | I go through phases of feeling like I've mastered photography and
       | other phases where I have a lot to learn.
       | 
       | Last summer I took a lot of flower pictures and posted them to
       | Mastodon because people liked them. I thought it was easy to do
       | but a little boring. I found though that other people were making
       | photos where all the parts of the flower were "tack sharp" but
       | even when I was around f/7.0 or so I found the depth of field was
       | small enough that the disc and ray flowers of a composite usually
       | weren't both as sharp as the CCD could show.
       | 
       | I found other the other guys were using this technique
       | 
       | https://digital-photography-school.com/a-beginners-guide-to-...
       | 
       | I got the equipment to do it but never really got started because
       | the project that took over for me was this: I made a picture of a
       | field of flowers that a friend wanted to print on fabric and make
       | a dress out of, that got me thinking "gee, what if I never had
       | any problems with repeats and seams?" and figured it would be
       | possible to photograph 50 or so flowers, cut them out, and then
       | have the computer put them together to fill whatever space I
       | want. So now I am setting up a studio to do this and will be
       | improving my software that emulates Disney's multiplane camera
       | for this project.
       | 
       | I got into sports photography last year and also had times when I
       | came back from a game defeated, particularly when it was
       | volleyball or basketball or something played in doors. In those
       | cases I would go to dpreview and ask my photog friends for help
       | and usually get good advice.
       | 
       | One area where I feel like I'm on my own is in mastering stereo
       | photography which I do with this little guy
       | 
       | https://us.kandaovr.com/products/qoocam-ego
       | 
       | and the problem has so many dimensions from "how do I undo the
       | pincushion distortion?" to "what kind of scene has colors that
       | will do well with a red-cyan anaglyph on paper?", "what makes a
       | good stereo composition?", "how could I sell group stereograms
       | taken against a striking backdrop?" etc. When the going gets
       | tough the tough get going.
        
       | solardev wrote:
       | In a past life, I really enjoyed amateur photography and had a
       | small but nice set of lenses to go with a DSLR. Having high
       | manual control (that only a few phones have) combined with much
       | bigger sensors and specialty lenses (ultrawide, super fast, etc.)
       | gave me a lot of creative options. These days a lot of that can
       | be faked in software or AI, but the results aren't quite perfect.
       | 
       | For me, learning photography at a local community college was a
       | lot of fun, not just in acquiring technical skills but also
       | learning from seasoned professionals on topics like subject
       | matter, time of day, lighting, focus, composition, color, etc.
       | 
       | You can probably get a lot of that through videos today, but it's
       | better when someone experienced can review your actual work and
       | offer real time feedback.
        
       | boricj wrote:
       | I'm a stereotypical smartphone-wielding expert beginner
       | photographer. I've developed a knack for serendipitous timing and
       | framing, to the point where I'm the designated photographer for
       | family pictures and such. That being said, I have no particular
       | knowledge, skills, tools or affinity for photography, I just pull
       | out my smartphone when I see something neat.
       | 
       | Given my level (or lack thereof), my only advice is to stop
       | worrying. As long as you take pictures, some of them will be
       | great and some of them will be shitty. Experience and luck will
       | merely improve your odds of making a great picture instead of a
       | shitty one.
        
       | free_energy_min wrote:
       | Yes. Angles, Zoom, Lighting, where to place subject. Would love
       | tips!
        
       | uptownfunk wrote:
       | I always suck. Like if an app could just give me a green check
       | when the photo in frame was good and then I could just click it
       | then that'd be great.
        
         | uptownfunk wrote:
         | Like if it really worked and made my wife go wow that's a good
         | photo, I would pay for it, probably 1.99-2.99 a month, or maybe
         | 19.99 one time.
        
       | HenryBemis wrote:
       | I take amazing pictures!! But for some reason only I like them..
       | oh well..
        
       | helph67 wrote:
       | I reckon a good knowledge of photography (and experience) helps
       | to obtain better results. Knowing `depth of field' can give only
       | the main subject in sharp focus. Examining the background and/or
       | resting the camera on/against physical object before taking the
       | snap could achieve a better result. The quality of the lens
       | system in the `camera' is also very important!
        
       | LorenPechtel wrote:
       | Getting a good image.
       | 
       | I understand how the camera works but suck at finding exactly
       | what to point it at.
        
         | fastaguy88 wrote:
         | One strategy for better pictures is not to worry so much about
         | what the camera points at (or where the focus should be in the
         | frame); instead focus on the edges of the picture. By shifting
         | your focus from the "focus" to everything else, you end up with
         | pictures that contain a lot more of what you want.
        
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       (page generated 2024-08-15 23:02 UTC)