New SONY DSLR owners

[DonSchap]

The second shot ... had a little too much negative space on the bottom ... and the tree on the right kind of was distracting ... so they were truncated. I then selected the black area with the "magic wand", inversed it, and with curves brough out the clouds and intensified the sunset. (It's a judgement call ... I figured the clouds still had some definition that could be ressurrected, so why not?)

[Jimothyy]

Ahaa! Just found this, very helpful. I erm, had it backwards so explains why I had no depth of field! lol

www.shortcourses.com/use/using1-9.html

[Jimothyy]

I like what you've done there! Is it bad then to have say a close by tree in the side?

[DonSchap]

Yeah I can see that now i think. Was manually focusing and the wind kept blowing the flower!
I don't wanna sound thick, but when you say down a stop or two do you mean a lower number or a smaller size? Still not got my head around the aperture terminology :-)

Okay ... "stopping down" is closing the aperture tighter or increasing the f/stop ... call it "stopping" the light from getting in.

[DonSchap]

I like what you've done there! Is it bad then to have say a close by tree in the side?

You can frame a shot anyway you like, but the tree was not clearly defined ... so it was, for sake of argument, distracting. The shot tends to look a lot "cleaner" stripped of any kind of border effect, especially only on one side.

Your subject is the sunset ... and the tree contributes nothing to that.

[Jimothyy]

Ok ta, think I have the aperture the right way round now!

I have taken some with the whole tree in but as you say, really not necessary I guess.
Good advice here Don thanks, i've a hell of a lot to learn!

[DonSchap]

@Jimothyy: I just want to make mention that Photoshop can take a totally focused image (foreground, subject & background) and with brute force make it look roughly like an f/2.8 image (shallow (depth of field (DOF)). But, you cannot do the reverse. If the subject in the image is OOF (out of focus) ... you are in trouble.

There is a term: "keeper", which are shots that are usable with the intent you set forth. It is rare that OOF images ever get into this category. So, above anything else, you have to make sure you have your focus the way you want it, because it is a terrible, uphill struggle (if even possible) should you not.

So ... DOF should be slightly more than you need, if possible ... just to be sure everything is in focus, from there you can play with and doctor it up for "the perfect shot."

[sparkie1263]

Don, ever here of the plug-in called Focus Magic? If so does it work?

Frank

[DonSchap]

I have not used it, Frank

[dr4gon]

Don, ever here of the plug-in called Focus Magic? If so does it work?

Frank

Wow that looks really cool. Seems gimicky I must say. This is one user's results and it does look promising!

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...ad.php?t=44102