QoNW Fan
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Post by QoNW Fan on Apr 20, 2023 19:42:11 GMT -8
I have been using software from a company called ACDSee, based in Victoria. I got some free ACD software with one of the first digital cameras I bought 20 years ago. I found it to be good for managing my photo collection and low-level editing. I have used many versions of ACD software since and am now paying for it.
A one time payment sounds so much nicer. I'll check it out, thanks! I will probably trial lightroom and ACDSee and see how they compare. Also today I went back to Kerrisdale cameras and bought a lens cleaning pen, and a filter to protect my lens. I forgot to buy them when I bought the lens. Today I also just learned about AI Servo, and how it helps with moving subjects. That will dramatically help if I am attempting to photograph birds in the sky. I think now I just need to learn how to battle bright skies behind the birds, so the birds don't turn into a silhouette.
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Post by WettCoast on Apr 21, 2023 11:16:35 GMT -8
A one time payment sounds so much nicer. I'll check it out, thanks! I will probably trial lightroom and ACDSee and see how they compare. Also today I went back to Kerrisdale cameras and bought a lens cleaning pen, and a filter to protect my lens. I forgot to buy them when I bought the lens. Today I also just learned about AI Servo, and how it helps with moving subjects. That will dramatically help if I am attempting to photograph birds in the sky. I think now I just need to learn how to battle bright skies behind the birds, so the birds don't turn into a silhouette. You should be able to select 'spot' metering for your camera. Normally the camera will choose exposure based on the average light level over the frame, but for birds against a bright sky you want the meter to only calculate exposure off the bird itself. Even if using spot metering it is likely that you need to use 'exposure compensation' to force the camera to increase exposure such that the sky gets 'washed out' while the bird gets properly exposed. Another way to deal with this is to use "exposure bracketing' where 3 or 5 or more photos are taken rapidly, all with different exposures. Hopefully at least one of these will have the bird properly exposed.
Do you have a copy of your camera's manual?
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QoNW Fan
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Queen of New Westminster fan!
Posts: 263
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Cameras
Apr 21, 2023 11:45:15 GMT -8
Post by QoNW Fan on Apr 21, 2023 11:45:15 GMT -8
A one time payment sounds so much nicer. I'll check it out, thanks! I will probably trial lightroom and ACDSee and see how they compare. Also today I went back to Kerrisdale cameras and bought a lens cleaning pen, and a filter to protect my lens. I forgot to buy them when I bought the lens. Today I also just learned about AI Servo, and how it helps with moving subjects. That will dramatically help if I am attempting to photograph birds in the sky. I think now I just need to learn how to battle bright skies behind the birds, so the birds don't turn into a silhouette. You should be able to select 'spot' metering for your camera. Normally the camera will choose exposure based on the average light level over the frame, but for birds against a bright sky you want the meter to only calculate exposure off the bird itself. Even if using spot metering it is likely that you need to use 'exposure compensation' to force the camera to increase exposure such that the sky gets 'washed out' while the bird gets properly exposed. Another way to deal with this is to use "exposure bracketing' where 3 or 5 or more photos are taken rapidly, all with different exposures. Hopefully at least one of these will have the bird properly exposed.
Do you have a copy of your camera's manual? Oh yeah I learned how to enable exposure bracketing, along with the rapid-shot mode in which the camera takes continuous photos just by holding down the shutter release. I will give spot metering a try, thanks!! EDIT: Yeah I have the copy of my camera manual, but I also found a pdf version online which is much more useful because i can search up keywords and view it on a bigger surface.
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QoNW Fan
Voyager
Queen of New Westminster fan!
Posts: 263
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Post by QoNW Fan on Apr 21, 2023 19:17:59 GMT -8
Ollie paulvanb WettCoast Hi, do you have any recommendations for portfolio creator sites? (Such as SmugMug?) I've heard SmugMug is a great site but it can cost a lot. I noticed a lot of people have Flickr Pro, is that good enough for a portfolio essentially? Right now I have no plans of selling images, I am just looking over what options are best. Thanks for your help throughout the beginning of my photography journey! If anyone else also wants to answer this, feel free!
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Post by WettCoast on Apr 21, 2023 19:40:28 GMT -8
Ollie paulvanb WettCoast Hi, do you have any recommendations for portfolio creator sites? (Such as SmugMug?) I've heard SmugMug is a great site but it can cost a lot. I noticed a lot of people have Flickr Pro, is that good enough for a portfolio essentially? Right now I have no plans of selling images, I am just looking over what options are best. Thanks for your help throughout the beginning of my photography journey! If anyone else also wants to answer this, feel free! Flickr. Create albums on Flickr. Here is an example of one of my Flikr albums. You do not have to have a pro account, but at some point its probably a good idea. Be selective on what you put on Flickr. Don't dump the contents of your camera's memory card there. Don't put repetitious photos of the same vessel from more or less the same angle on the same day. If you want people to notice your Flickr site be sure to build up a collection of good photos. Over time you will get people 'following' you.
Smug Mug, btw, owns Flickr.
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QoNW Fan
Voyager
Queen of New Westminster fan!
Posts: 263
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Cameras
Apr 21, 2023 19:48:25 GMT -8
Post by QoNW Fan on Apr 21, 2023 19:48:25 GMT -8
Ollie paulvanb WettCoast Hi, do you have any recommendations for portfolio creator sites? (Such as SmugMug?) I've heard SmugMug is a great site but it can cost a lot. I noticed a lot of people have Flickr Pro, is that good enough for a portfolio essentially? Right now I have no plans of selling images, I am just looking over what options are best. Thanks for your help throughout the beginning of my photography journey! If anyone else also wants to answer this, feel free! Flickr. Create albums on Flickr. Here is an example of one of my Flikr albums. You do not have to have a pro account, but at some point its probably a good idea. Be selective on what you put on Flickr. Don't dump the contents of your camera's memory card there. Don't put repetitious photos of the same vessel from more or less the same angle on the same day. If you want people to notice your Flickr site be sure to build up a collection of good photos. Over time you will get people 'following' you.
Smug Mug, btw, owns Flickr. Right, I actually have already started creating albums and I organized them by ship, so a Queen of New Westminster album, Queen of Burnaby album, etc.. I probably went a little overboard (no pun intended) with uploading Queen of Burnaby photos recently, but I was just excited to share them on the forum. Is it possible to store photos on Flickr privately but still post them on the forum? So essentially I could still show the forum multiple photos, but my Flickr account would only display one photo publicly? Like an unlisted YouTube video.
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Post by paulvanb on Apr 22, 2023 12:02:23 GMT -8
Ollie paulvanb WettCoast Hi, do you have any recommendations for portfolio creator sites? (Such as SmugMug?) I've heard SmugMug is a great site but it can cost a lot. I noticed a lot of people have Flickr Pro, is that good enough for a portfolio essentially? Right now I have no plans of selling images, I am just looking over what options are best. Thanks for your help throughout the beginning of my photography journey! If anyone else also wants to answer this, feel free! If you are wanting to build a portfolio, then Flickr starter may be the way to go. If you want to only post images to the forum, here is what I do most of the time:(except for headers) 1. If on a Windows machine, e-mail yourself an image 1024 pixels wide from your computer.. 2. Download it to your phone's image gallery. 3. With the Tapatalk app, find the appropriate thread and post it there as you can upload there. 1024 pixels wide is widest with the free account. You should also be able to connect your phone with your camera using wi-fi using the Canon app.
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QoNW Fan
Voyager
Queen of New Westminster fan!
Posts: 263
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Cameras
Apr 22, 2023 15:14:41 GMT -8
Post by QoNW Fan on Apr 22, 2023 15:14:41 GMT -8
Ollie paulvanb WettCoast Hi, do you have any recommendations for portfolio creator sites? (Such as SmugMug?) I've heard SmugMug is a great site but it can cost a lot. I noticed a lot of people have Flickr Pro, is that good enough for a portfolio essentially? Right now I have no plans of selling images, I am just looking over what options are best. Thanks for your help throughout the beginning of my photography journey! If anyone else also wants to answer this, feel free! If you are wanting to build a portfolio, then Flickr starter may be the way to go. If you want to only post images to the forum, here is what I do most of the time:(except for headers) 1. If on a Windows machine, e-mail yourself an image 1024 pixels wide from your computer.. 2. Download it to your phone's image gallery. 3. With the Tapatalk app, find the appropriate thread and post it there as you can upload there. 1024 pixels wide is widest with the free account. You should also be able to connect your phone with your camera using wi-fi using the Canon app. Oh that's funny because I was just wondering today if there was such thing as an app that connects your camera to your phone. Awesome!
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QoNW Fan
Voyager
Queen of New Westminster fan!
Posts: 263
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Post by QoNW Fan on Apr 22, 2023 21:00:47 GMT -8
Well, here we go! Went out for some bird photography today with the new Tamron 18-400mm lens! My photography journey begins, and this is my first attempt. Please leave any constructive feedback in the comments. I want to learn and improve every day, so I would love to know any helpful tips, especially for bird photography. I think I struggled most with exposure today, I will try to set up a quicker way to adjust the exposure compensation because I used a lot of time manually adjusting it for different shots, even with exposure bracketing. Maybe setting 5 shots instead of 3 would help. Spotted Towhee, Rithet's Bog Park by Vancouver Island Hiking, on Flickr
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Post by WettCoast on Apr 22, 2023 21:15:32 GMT -8
Well, here we go! Went out for some bird photography today with the new Tamron 18-400mm lens! My photography journey begins, and this is my first attempt. Please leave any constructive feedback in the comments. I want to learn and improve every day, so I would love to know any helpful tips, especially for bird photography. I think I struggled most with exposure today, I will try to set up a quicker way to adjust the exposure compensation because I used a lot of time manually adjusting it for different shots, even with exposure bracketing. Maybe setting 5 shots instead of 3 would help. Spotted Towhee, Rithet's Bog Park by Vancouver Island Hiking, on Flickr That's not too bad at all and you even know the bird species. Bonus marks. Did you manually focus this one?
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QoNW Fan
Voyager
Queen of New Westminster fan!
Posts: 263
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Post by QoNW Fan on Apr 22, 2023 21:22:43 GMT -8
Well, here we go! Went out for some bird photography today with the new Tamron 18-400mm lens! My photography journey begins, and this is my first attempt. Please leave any constructive feedback in the comments. I want to learn and improve every day, so I would love to know any helpful tips, especially for bird photography. I think I struggled most with exposure today, I will try to set up a quicker way to adjust the exposure compensation because I used a lot of time manually adjusting it for different shots, even with exposure bracketing. Maybe setting 5 shots instead of 3 would help. Spotted Towhee, Rithet's Bog Park by Vancouver Island Hiking, on Flickr That's not too bad at all and you even know the bird species. Bonus marks. Did you manually focus this one? Thanks!! I had AI Servo on (Not sure what the general name for this setting is, it's AI Servo on Canon) and I believe I was in spot metering mode, so the camera was able to find the bird and focus on it.
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Post by Ollie on Apr 22, 2023 21:30:40 GMT -8
Well, here we go! Went out for some bird photography today with the new Tamron 18-400mm lens! My photography journey begins, and this is my first attempt. Please leave any constructive feedback in the comments. I want to learn and improve every day, so I would love to know any helpful tips, especially for bird photography. I think I struggled most with exposure today, I will try to set up a quicker way to adjust the exposure compensation because I used a lot of time manually adjusting it for different shots, even with exposure bracketing. Maybe setting 5 shots instead of 3 would help. , on Flickr I only know ferries but I think that looks good!
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QoNW Fan
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Queen of New Westminster fan!
Posts: 263
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Post by QoNW Fan on Apr 22, 2023 21:35:26 GMT -8
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QoNW Fan
Voyager
Queen of New Westminster fan!
Posts: 263
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Cameras
Apr 22, 2023 21:37:52 GMT -8
Post by QoNW Fan on Apr 22, 2023 21:37:52 GMT -8
Also, I am on the free trial of Adobe Lightroom Classic, it's so great because it has the built-in watermark feature. I'm not sure what the difference between Lightroom and Lightroom classic is, but Lightroom Classic seems great!
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Post by Ollie on Apr 22, 2023 21:41:32 GMT -8
Also, I am on the free trial of Adobe Lightroom Classic, it's so great because it has the built-in watermark feature. I'm not sure what the difference between Lightroom and Lightroom classic is, but Lightroom Classic seems great! I think the standard "Lightroom" has a built in storage, and the "Lightroom classic" is for a computer, I think they are supposed to work the same.
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QoNW Fan
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Queen of New Westminster fan!
Posts: 263
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Post by QoNW Fan on Apr 22, 2023 21:44:02 GMT -8
Also, I am on the free trial of Adobe Lightroom Classic, it's so great because it has the built-in watermark feature. I'm not sure what the difference between Lightroom and Lightroom classic is, but Lightroom Classic seems great! I think the standard "Lightroom" has a built in storage, and the "Lightroom classic" is for a computer, I think they are supposed to work the same. I see. I shouldn't need built-in storage so if Lightroom Classic is cheaper then I might pay monthly for it. I am going to look into other programs too though.
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Post by paulvanb on Apr 23, 2023 10:58:07 GMT -8
I think the standard "Lightroom" has a built in storage, and the "Lightroom classic" is for a computer, I think they are supposed to work the same. I see. I shouldn't need built-in storage so if Lightroom Classic is cheaper then I might pay monthly for it. I am going to look into other programs too though. Lightroom Classic (which I use for work, etc.) is a desktop application. The other version is mobile and works on laptops, etc. If you're going to be using Lightroom, shoot in raw so you can make your edits in post. You should be able to really crank out the details of your shots. That duck shot would benefit from that. You can create a preset for your lens complete with basic sharpening and exposure around your camera model.
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QoNW Fan
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Queen of New Westminster fan!
Posts: 263
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Cameras
Apr 23, 2023 12:21:43 GMT -8
Post by QoNW Fan on Apr 23, 2023 12:21:43 GMT -8
I see. I shouldn't need built-in storage so if Lightroom Classic is cheaper then I might pay monthly for it. I am going to look into other programs too though. Lightroom Classic (which I use for work, etc.) is a desktop application. The other version is mobile and works on laptops, etc. If you're going to be using Lightroom, shoot in raw so you can make your edits in post. You should be able to really crank out the details of your shots. That duck shot would benefit from that. You can create a preset for your lens complete with basic sharpening and exposure around your camera model. Sounds good! I agree that the duck shot would benefit from that, I think it would also benefit from the stick on the left side being photoshopped out of the shot, that way the duck is more separated from the background. I'm assuming the $12.99 monthly plan is the cheapest option, correct?
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Post by paulvanb on Apr 23, 2023 15:11:52 GMT -8
Lightroom Classic (which I use for work, etc.) is a desktop application. The other version is mobile and works on laptops, etc. If you're going to be using Lightroom, shoot in raw so you can make your edits in post. You should be able to really crank out the details of your shots. That duck shot would benefit from that. You can create a preset for your lens complete with basic sharpening and exposure around your camera model. Sounds good! I agree that the duck shot would benefit from that, I think it would also benefit from the stick on the left side being photoshopped out of the shot, that way the duck is more separated from the background. I'm assuming the $12.99 monthly plan is the cheapest option, correct? That looks like the cheapest option if you need that much cloud storage, but you don't get Lightroom Classic. (which I use extensively) If you don't need that much storage, (I don't) they have one with 20gb of storage with Photoshop and Lightroom combined for the same price. I would probably choose that one.
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QoNW Fan
Voyager
Queen of New Westminster fan!
Posts: 263
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Cameras
Apr 23, 2023 19:18:17 GMT -8
Post by QoNW Fan on Apr 23, 2023 19:18:17 GMT -8
Sounds good! I agree that the duck shot would benefit from that, I think it would also benefit from the stick on the left side being photoshopped out of the shot, that way the duck is more separated from the background. I'm assuming the $12.99 monthly plan is the cheapest option, correct? That looks like the cheapest option if you need that much cloud storage, but you don't get Lightroom Classic. (which I use extensively) If you don't need that much storage, (I don't) they have one with 20gb of storage with Photoshop and Lightroom combined for the same price. I would probably choose that one. Awesome! I definitely don't need space, so getting photoshop+lightroom for the same price sounds perfect! Apologies for asking so many questions haha, but can I get your thoughts on Lightroom's auto edit feature? I've heard it's a great time saver when it works.
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Post by paulvanb on Apr 24, 2023 6:16:07 GMT -8
That looks like the cheapest option if you need that much cloud storage, but you don't get Lightroom Classic. (which I use extensively) If you don't need that much storage, (I don't) they have one with 20gb of storage with Photoshop and Lightroom combined for the same price. I would probably choose that one. Awesome! I definitely don't need space, so getting photoshop+lightroom for the same price sounds perfect! Apologies for asking so many questions haha, but can I get your thoughts on Lightroom's auto edit feature? I've heard it's a great time saver when it works. I have a number of presets that I use that specific to my lenses. One lens has a preset for indoor and outdoor in regards to work. All my lens presets are set up for sharpening and noise reduction. The auto edit is for exposure only. There are plenty of YouTube videos out there to help you, but beware, there are guys out there who are helpful, but also want to sell things like presets and courses for $$$$. Serge Ramelli has lots of useful information out there, but he is probably the biggest huckster of all! There are lots of people out there who want to sell you presets, but most are garbage. The key thing in learning how to shoot is composition and exposure. I started otu as an amateur photographer back in 1972, and I am still learning. The key thing is to get out there and shoot. The one tip I give everyone regardless if it is a camera or smartphone is to turn on your composing grids. Your 90D should also have a setting through the Info button to turn on leveling. Enjoy!
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QoNW Fan
Voyager
Queen of New Westminster fan!
Posts: 263
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Cameras
Apr 24, 2023 11:53:19 GMT -8
Post by QoNW Fan on Apr 24, 2023 11:53:19 GMT -8
Awesome! I definitely don't need space, so getting photoshop+lightroom for the same price sounds perfect! Apologies for asking so many questions haha, but can I get your thoughts on Lightroom's auto edit feature? I've heard it's a great time saver when it works. I have a number of presets that I use that specific to my lenses. One lens has a preset for indoor and outdoor in regards to work. All my lens presets are set up for sharpening and noise reduction. The auto edit is for exposure only. There are plenty of YouTube videos out there to help you, but beware, there are guys out there who are helpful, but also want to sell things like presets and courses for $$$$. Serge Ramelli has lots of useful information out there, but he is probably the biggest huckster of all! There are lots of people out there who want to sell you presets, but most are garbage. The key thing in learning how to shoot is composition and exposure. I started otu as an amateur photographer back in 1972, and I am still learning. The key thing is to get out there and shoot. The one tip I give everyone regardless if it is a camera or smartphone is to turn on your composing grids. Your 90D should also have a setting through the Info button to turn on leveling. Enjoy! Very good! I suppose another benefit of this lens is that I might not need to create as many presets as I would if I had multiple lenses. That's a great point about how you are still learning. I will be sure to not rush myself into learning everything, because no matter how experienced you are there is always more to learn. It's all about trial and error and learning what works best for yourself, since everyone's style is a little different. If you have a Flickr account I'd be happy to give you a follow!
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QoNW Fan
Voyager
Queen of New Westminster fan!
Posts: 263
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Cameras
Apr 24, 2023 18:28:04 GMT -8
Post by QoNW Fan on Apr 24, 2023 18:28:04 GMT -8
Can anyone give advice on the "Picture Style" settings? It's difficult to find tips on this, there are several different settings to choose from, should I just leave it on auto or standard? This is probably an important setting, I checked the manual but most of the picture style definitions are very similar, so it doesn't help explain it very much.
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Post by Ollie on Apr 24, 2023 21:58:49 GMT -8
Can anyone give advice on the "Picture Style" settings? It's difficult to find tips on this, there are several different settings to choose from, should I just leave it on auto or standard? This is probably an important setting, I checked the manual but most of the picture style definitions are very similar, so it doesn't help explain it very much. I think it slightly changes how the JPG files look, I have mine on "standard" with +3 sharpness
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Post by Low Light Mike on Apr 25, 2023 6:18:34 GMT -8
What I've found in learning to use new cameras, is that YouTube has instruction and advice videos on almost any topic: Cameras, toasters, bicycles, dishwashers.
Most people should be able to find a style and depth of instructional video that suits them best.
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