# The Lake was angry .. and so am i.... i had my chance



## Photo Lady (Jan 6, 2020)

I had my chance to get some really good scenes of this angry lake Ontario.. but somehow .. even after a million settings on my Nikon D5oo with my Tamron 18-400mm I feel so disappointed.. Not entirely.. but enough to be unsatisfied .. can anyone just look at these photos and determine why I am not getting sharp vivid photos of a glorious angry lake with a blustery sky..I just cannot figure it out..Just give me a hint of why ... I spend enormous amount of time.. I keep blaming my lens..is it my lens on this camera...?? I realize I was in a bit of a rush.. the wind was blowing me almost off my feet...but...is it just me.. I will continue practicing...but I want to strive for better..


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## Jeff15 (Jan 6, 2020)

Nice shooting.......


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## Photo Lady (Jan 6, 2020)

Jeff15 said:


> Nice shooting.......


Thank you...but I think it should or could be better...


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## Jeff15 (Jan 6, 2020)

Just keep taking photographs, I am still hoping to get good some day...........


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## Photo Lady (Jan 6, 2020)

Jeff15 said:


> Just keep taking photographs, I am still hoping to get good some day...........


oh that I will do...and you are very good now!


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## zulu42 (Jan 6, 2020)

Is #1 cropped? If so, how much?

Can you post the focal length and exposure settings for each shot? there may have been a bit of camera shake from the windy conditions. Also looks like the conditions could cause atmospheric distortion like haze and water spray.

I think you captured the location and drama rather nicely!


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## Photo Lady (Jan 6, 2020)

zulu42 said:


> Is #1 cropped? If so, how much?
> 
> Can you post the focal length and exposure settings for each shot? there may have been a bit of camera shake from the windy conditions. Also looks like the conditions could cause atmospheric distortion like haze and water spray.
> 
> I think you captured the location and drama rather nicely!


no crop a bit of editing ..maybe your right.. and I am glad you understand what I mean.. thank you


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## dxqcanada (Jan 6, 2020)

Photo Lady said:


> I am not getting sharp vivid photos



From the EXIF data, it looks like you shot all three with the widest aperture. I wouldn't guess that this is the best for the lens you have.
In the second shot, I think the camera focused on the clouds in the background.

Hmm I also see reference to Picasa in the EXIF ... is that right ?


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## Photo Lady (Jan 6, 2020)

dxqcanada said:


> Photo Lady said:
> 
> 
> > I am not getting sharp vivid photos
> ...


yes picasa,, maybe that's it... thanks so much...I will check that and tomorrow shoot again..


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## dxqcanada (Jan 6, 2020)

Are you using Picasa to do your JPEG (I am assuming you do not shoot RAW) image processing/adjustments ?


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## Photo Lady (Jan 6, 2020)

zulu42 said:


> Is #1 cropped? If so, how much?
> 
> Can you post the focal length and exposure settings for each shot? there may have been a bit of camera shake from the windy conditions. Also looks like the conditions could cause atmospheric distortion like haze and water spray.
> 
> I think you captured the location and drama rather nicely!


wow that's what is..my focal point was 0..how that happened I don't know... so glad I asked though.. I knew something was off..thanks again


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## Photo Lady (Jan 6, 2020)

dxqcanada said:


> Are you using Picasa to do your JPEG (I am assuming you do not shoot RAW) image processing/adjustments ?


I do shoot raw JPEG most of the time but not today,, I just looked a my focal and exposure info for the shots and somehow the focal was 0..I am lucky I was able to get this good..and yes I am using picasa  I am glad I asked and thank ful that you both shed the light on my error! I appreciate it..


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## dxqcanada (Jan 6, 2020)

zulu42 said:


> focal length and exposure settings for each shot?



ISO 640
1/1000s @ f5.6 ... 185mm
1/2500s @ f4.5 ... 58mm
1/1000s @ f5.6 ... 185mm


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## smoke665 (Jan 6, 2020)

Photo Lady said:


> I feel so disappointed.. Not entirely.. but enough to be unsatisfied .. can anyone just look at these photos and determine why I am not getting sharp vivid photos of a glorious angry lake with a blustery sky..I just cannot figure it out..Just give me a hint of why ... I



First of all, judging by the way the water was blowing over that wall, the wind must have been screaming!!! Despite your shutter speed of 1/1000, hand holding in those conditions would be problematic. Even at a fast shutter speed a strong wind like that can induce movement, a sturdy tripod would have been better.  Also, rather then an  aperture of f5.6 you would have benefited by stopping down to f/8 - f/10 which would have hopefully kept you more in the sweet spot of the lens, and given a better DOF.  Finally gray overcast sky produces soft light, and mutes colors, somewhat counter intuitive to your early comment about shooting a moody or angry scene. You have to compensate on your exposure. Here's a quick edit on the shot maybe more toward the moody look?


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## Photo Lady (Jan 6, 2020)

smoke665 said:


> Photo Lady said:
> 
> 
> > I feel so disappointed.. Not entirely.. but enough to be unsatisfied .. can anyone just look at these photos and determine why I am not getting sharp vivid photos of a glorious angry lake with a blustery sky..I just cannot figure it out..Just give me a hint of why ... I
> ...


 thank you so much... will do this tomorrow ... I am so glad I asked and thank ful for the help!!


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## smoke665 (Jan 6, 2020)

@Photo Lady To capture these kind of shots in camera, you really need a graduated ND filter, to keep the sky from overexposing.


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## Original katomi (Jan 6, 2020)

Hi I like your shots, given what the others have said the only thing I could add is have a look at bracketing
Maybe a stop either way or a shutter speed either way.
But given the conditions I say you did well to get the shots you did


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## Photo Lady (Jan 6, 2020)

o\


smoke665 said:


> @Photo Lady To capture these kind of shots in camera, you really need a graduated ND filter, to keep the sky from overexposing.


thanks that's good to know


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## Photo Lady (Jan 6, 2020)

Original katomi said:


> Hi I like your shots, given what the others have said the only thing I could add is have a look at bracketing
> Maybe a stop either way or a shutter speed either way.
> But given the conditions I say you did well to get the shots you did


thanks I will also check for this tomorrow and thank you for the compliment..


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## K9Kirk (Jan 6, 2020)

I think they're pretty good and everything I thought of has been covered already but I will say to try it on a tripod (weight it down so it doesn't move in the wind) and if there doesn't seem to be enough light with a smaller aperature then keep it on that good aper. and slow down your shutter but keep your ISO set at low, 100 or close to it. Everything stationary will still be sharp but it will allow for more light and will help to make the waves look mistier. Play around with the shutter speeds and you'll get a good idea of what looks best. One other thing, you can play around with your exposure compensation also if you think you need a little more or less light but watch your ISO if you're using AUTO ISO, it could go too high and create a bunch of noise.


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## dxqcanada (Jan 6, 2020)

Based on lens reviews, you can get better performance ... and reading other comments ... camera shake seems to have played a part in this and I also think that focus was a bit off. Bracketing would give you more varied images to play with ... though using a better application on a RAW file would give you more control over the final image.


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## dxqcanada (Jan 6, 2020)

Just in case you did not know or need to know ... D500 TIPS - Auto AF Fine-Tuning | Technical Solutions | Nikon Professional Services


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## Scott Whaley (Jan 6, 2020)

I agree with most of the posts made.  I would use a higher aperture such as f9 to f11.  If it is cloudy, you can use a slower shutter speed maybe around 640.  If it is sunny, keep it at 1,000.  I like to set my ISO to auto and I shoot in manual mode.   I don't think it would be necessary to us an ND or black glass filter.  Using a tripod should help with the camera shake.   Over all, nice pics.  Keep them coming.


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## Derrel (Jan 7, 2020)

Many times when the desired result is not exactly achieved it is a result of more than one factor. For example even at one-one thousandth of a second in a really stiff wind of 45 to 60 miles an hour you could be blown about enough to hurt your sharpness. Also at 5.6 which I assume is wide open your lens might not be at its absolute sharpest. And it looks to me that in the second photo the focus point is actually the clouds and not the lighthouse and Lake and you might be out of focus by a half a mile or so, which at 100 yards might be almost enough in-focus that you will not be able to see it at the time of shooting. I think that perhaps having a vibration reduction lens might have helped a bit read my experience is that vibration reduction is actually Superior to a tripod in windy conditions, but a tripod would more than likely have been steadier than you, a human being, in such windy conditions as your photos seem to show.

Your first photo which was taken at 178 mm would no doubt have been more crisp had it been made with a superb Prime single length lens such as the Nikon 180 mm that I recommended to you about a week ago. The 180 F / 2.8 has ED glass and is a very sharp telephoto lens.


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## Photo Lady (Jan 7, 2020)

K9Kirk said:


> I think they're pretty good and everything I thought of has been covered already but I will say to try it on a tripod (weight it down so it doesn't move in the wind) and if there doesn't seem to be enough light with a smaller aperature then keep it on that good aper. and slow down your shutter but keep your ISO set at low, 100 or close to it. Everything stationary will still be sharp but it will allow for more light and will help to make the waves look mistier. Play around with the shutter speeds and you'll get a good idea of what looks best. One other thing, you can play around with your exposure compensation also if you think you need a little more or less light but watch your ISO if you're using AUTO ISO, it could go too high and create a bunch of noise.


That's what I wanted Kirk more mistier waves and more detail in those rough waters... >.I appreciate all your tips..thank you..


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## Photo Lady (Jan 7, 2020)

Derrel said:


> Many times when the desired result is not exactly achieved it is a result of more than one factor. For example even at one-one thousandth of a second in a really stiff wind of 45 to 60 miles an hour you could be blown about enough to hurt your sharpness. Also at 5.6 which I assume is wide open your lens might not be at its absolute sharpest. And it looks to me that in the second photo the focus point is actually the clouds and not the lighthouse and Lake and you might be out of focus by a half a mile or so, which at 100 yards might be almost enough in-focus that you will not be able to see it at the time of shooting. I think that perhaps having a vibration reduction lens might have helped a bit read my experience is that vibration reduction is actually Superior to a tripod in windy conditions, but a tripod would more than likely have been steadier than you, a human being, in such windy conditions as your photos seem to show.
> 
> Your first photo which was taken at 178 mm would no doubt have been more crisp had it been made with a superb Prime single length lens such as the Nikon 180 mm that I recommended to you about a week ago. The 180 F / 2.8 has ED glass and is a very sharp telephoto lens.


I am going to look into this lens.. in the meantime I am going to take some time and spend some time trying these tips on my camera settings...thanks so much for reminder on lens advice..


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## Photo Lady (Jan 7, 2020)

Scott Whaley said:


> I agree with most of the posts made.  I would use a higher aperture such as f9 to f11.  If it is cloudy, you can use a slower shutter speed maybe around 640.  If it is sunny, keep it at 1,000.  I like to set my ISO to auto and I shoot in manual mode.   I don't think it would be necessary to us an ND or black glass filter.  Using a tripod should help with the camera shake.   Over all, nice pics.  Keep them coming.


thank you ..I will try these adjustments..so glad I wrote so I have a idea of what was wrong.. I did have my shutter speed way up thinking I would see some flying birds..now I realize it was set too fast without considering the wind and other elements.. I certainly received a learning experience from you all...


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## Photo Lady (Jan 7, 2020)

dxqcanada said:


> Just in case you did not know or need to know ... D500 TIPS - Auto AF Fine-Tuning | Technical Solutions | Nikon Professional Services


thanks I didn't fully know/so yes this is helpful...thanks


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## smoke665 (Jan 7, 2020)

Photo Lady said:


> . I did have my shutter speed way up thinking I would see some flying birds..now I realize it was set too fast without considering the wind and other elements..



I don't want to muddy the water by throwing out to much at once, but when you say "it was set too fast", to fast for what? Think about your end objective, then consider the exposure triangle to obtain that objective. As I said earlier if you're at 1/1000 and the wind is blowing so hard that the wind blown waves are blurred, and your objective was to capture water drop detail, then actually your shutter speed was to slow. I don't have an issue with ISO 640, if I wanted detail I'd bump it up without hesitation, to get the shutter speed I needed.

In looking at your image in LR, the histogram indicated a good exposure. The edit I did on your image, I only decreased the overall exposure by less then a 1/4 stop. That doesn't necessarily mean it was a good exposure for the scene. Sometimes you have situations like this where one part of the image (sky) is substantially brighter then others. In the edit I used a gradient filter to pull down the exposure of just the sky, by about 1 1/2 stops. The only way to arrive at correct exposure in camera when the sky is brighter then the rest of the landscape is to use a gradient ND filter on your lens, or bracket (expose multiple images over and under) and combine them.


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## Photo Lady (Jan 7, 2020)

smoke665 said:


> Photo Lady said:
> 
> 
> > . I did have my shutter speed way up thinking I would see some flying birds..now I realize it was set too fast without considering the wind and other elements..
> ...


Muddy water ...lol.. I could not believe how the wind churned up all that surface  in the photos around the shore.. anyway.. yes.. a lot for me to take in.. but I plan on doing this today.. how ever I might not be able to get to the lake and duplicate the scene.. I will however change a few things and practice and do some drive by photos on my way to stores.. I appreciate all the help.. real learning experience for me.. I know you can read and read .. but I learn so much when I am getting all this feedback..thanks.. and I will look into all of this advice..


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## K9Kirk (Jan 7, 2020)

Photo Lady said:


> K9Kirk said:
> 
> 
> > I think they're pretty good and everything I thought of has been covered already but I will say to try it on a tripod (weight it down so it doesn't move in the wind) and if there doesn't seem to be enough light with a smaller aperature then keep it on that good aper. and slow down your shutter but keep your ISO set at low, 100 or close to it. Everything stationary will still be sharp but it will allow for more light and will help to make the waves look mistier. Play around with the shutter speeds and you'll get a good idea of what looks best. One other thing, you can play around with your exposure compensation also if you think you need a little more or less light but watch your ISO if you're using AUTO ISO, it could go too high and create a bunch of noise.
> ...



It helps if you start your day with a bowl of Frosted Flakes to get that "tiger attitude" but you seem to have it already, lol! Go get'em kitty and GL!


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## Scott Whaley (Jan 7, 2020)

I agree with Smoke665.  What is your final objective?  You may have a problem trying to get crisp photos of birds flying in the sky and at the same time trying to take a landscape photograph.  You should decide what you want to photograph first, then adjust your camera accordingly.  My wife is in South Africa right now and she takes a lot of photographs.  I have posted some of her photos on this forum from last years trip to East Africa.  She is not considered to be a technical photographer meaning she does not quite understand the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.  I made her a little cheat sheet to follow.  She shoots in aperture mode and shutter mode with her Canon 5d.  I did not want to get to technical with her so I told her if in AV mode:  one animal low aperture number.  The more animals the higher the number.  That would go in normal light.  Then I told her if she is shooting in the hot of the day with the sun over head, then she should shoot in shutter mode:  Shutter speed should be between 1,000 to 2,000.  Her ISO is to be set at Auto.  She took more than 23,000 photos last year in East Africa and very few were bad.  Here is an example of her work:


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## Original katomi (Jan 7, 2020)

Hiya
If you can’t get to use a tripod an idea for you
Stand with feet slightly apart one foot in front of the other , the foot has the knee bent slightly from knee bent slightly so that you can brace against the wind, back to the wind if you can or as much as you can
Both hands on camera LH bracing lens RH to do controls both elbows braced against your body
Pick your spot focus, breath in, breath half out hold breath and press shutter. Breath normal one more, don’t want you passing out because I did not say you could breath again lol


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## smoke665 (Jan 7, 2020)

Original katomi said:


> If you can’t get to use a tripod an idea for you



You can always use a tripod if you have a length of rope. Don't even need any hardware, just make a loop to slide over your lens. DIY string tripod


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## RVT1K (Jan 7, 2020)

Photo Lady said:


> Jeff15 said:
> 
> 
> > Nice shooting.......
> ...




That's his response to every photo posted here.

I probably would have tried a smaller aperture to get a greater depth of focus and focused on the lighthouse itself. 

But....being "unsatisfied" with your shots will ensure continuous improvement. I suspect that you, like many of us, keep raising the personal bar we strive for. What was a good shot 5 years ago won't be shown to the public today.


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## zulu42 (Jan 7, 2020)

The thread title keeps making me laugh. Only because I often feel the same


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## Photo Lady (Jan 7, 2020)

RVT1K said:


> Photo Lady said:
> 
> 
> > Jeff15 said:
> ...


yes I feel so much better now.. thank you


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## Photo Lady (Jan 7, 2020)

zulu42 said:


> The thread title keeps making me laugh. Only because I often feel the same


thanks .. always good to know you have company in your thoughts.. I have to admit the enjoyment outweighs the negative..


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## Photo Lady (Jan 7, 2020)

Original katomi said:


> Hiya
> If you can’t get to use a tripod an idea for you
> Stand with feet slightly apart one foot in front of the other , the foot has the knee bent slightly from knee bent slightly so that you can brace against the wind, back to the wind if you can or as much as you can
> Both hands on camera LH bracing lens RH to do controls both elbows braced against your body
> Pick your spot focus, breath in, breath half out hold breath and press shutter. Breath normal one more, don’t want you passing out because I did not say you could breath again lol


thank you.. I must remember this


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## Photo Lady (Jan 7, 2020)

RVT1K said:


> Photo Lady said:
> 
> 
> > Jeff15 said:
> ...


so true...


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## Photo Lady (Jan 7, 2020)

Original katomi said:


> Hiya
> If you can’t get to use a tripod an idea for you
> Stand with feet slightly apart one foot in front of the other , the foot has the knee bent slightly from knee bent slightly so that you can brace against the wind, back to the wind if you can or as much as you can
> Both hands on camera LH bracing lens RH to do controls both elbows braced against your body
> Pick your spot focus, breath in, breath half out hold breath and press shutter. Breath normal one more, don’t want you passing out because I did not say you could breath again lol


so beautiful.......... thank you


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## vintagesnaps (Jan 7, 2020)

You seem to be getting some nice compositions, it seems to be a matter of practice and using the camera more effectively. 

The shutter speed being rather fast wasn't a bad idea with waves and spray etc. so you could avoid movement blur. You don't want such a large aperture so you have more depth of field with a large subject/scene some distance from you. 

Maybe try getting into a routine of how you set your camera when you're finished, so mext time you know where the camera's set. I got into a habit of that years ago, sort of following the ol' press photographers' adage of 'f8 and be there'. Then I know when I pick up a camera it will be set at f8 and 1/125 as a starting point; then I can turn the lens a stop or two more open to a larger aperture or the other direction to a smaller aperture. I wondered if the last time you used it you were shooting something more close up so had a large aperture setting. Maybe double check settings before you start taking pictures every time and it will eventually become routine/habit.

I agree with the comment about developing a stance to support yourself for more challenging conditions. I stand with heels slightly out and toes slightly inward, knees bent, shifting my weight forward over my hips with shoulders back - that's the best I can explain it, and it makes the camera somewhat more supported with my arms in closer to the trunk of my body. Might take some experimenting to figure out how you can stand in windy conditions to prevent blur.


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## Photo Lady (Jan 7, 2020)

vintagesnaps said:


> You seem to be getting some nice compositions, it seems to be a matter of practice and using the camera more effectively.
> 
> The shutter speed being rather fast wasn't a bad idea with waves and spray etc. so you could avoid movement blur. You don't want such a large aperture so you have more depth of field with a large subject/scene some distance from you.
> 
> ...


I should have stopped ... looked and listened........ I am going to go through all these fine replies and test them out.. reread them.. and ask questions.. and stop and read them again.. thank you for your help.. all of you have been awesome.. now it is up to me....


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## smoke665 (Jan 7, 2020)

@Photo Lady According to your metadata on this you are using "Auto exposure, Program AE, 1/2,000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 640, Compensation: +1/3" and I'd be willing to bet your Auto Focus is set to multi point. Try this next time, set your camera to Aperture Priority (AV), set your aperture to f 8.0 and let your camera pick the shutter and ISO. Set your Auto Focus to "Spot".  Now when you shoot, pick the spot you want to be the sharpest focus point in the scene and put your spot on it.


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## Photo Lady (Jan 7, 2020)

smoke665 said:


> @Photo Lady According to your metadata on this you are using "Auto exposure, Program AE, 1/2,000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 640, Compensation: +1/3" and I'd be willing to bet your Auto Focus is set to multi point. Try this next time, set your camera to Aperture Priority (AV), set your aperture to f 8.0 and let your camera pick the shutter and ISO. Set your Auto Focus to "Spot".  Now when you shoot, pick the spot you want to be the sharpest focus point in the scene and put your spot on it.


thank you...copy and pasted and in tomorrows light I will do this!!!!


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## weepete (Jan 8, 2020)

Quick tip: use f8 -f11 and focus 1/3 of the way into the scene with a single focal point, this will approximate hyperfocal distance and ballpark the most DOF you'll be able to get. 

I must admit, I like to spot meter on the highlights, then expose for where I want them on the histogram. Here, I'd have probably metered on the white of the lighthouse and exposed for that to be +1EV overexposed. Then in post I'd set the white and black point. I've also started colour grading my images, so I'll play about in post with the colour calibration and hue of the colours to subtley shift them closer to what I remember.


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## Photo Lady (Jan 8, 2020)

weepete said:


> Quick tip: use f8 -f11 and focus 1/3 of the way into the scene with a single focal point, this will approximate hyperfocal distance and ballpark the most DOF you'll be able to get.
> 
> I must admit, I like to spot meter on the highlights, then expose for where I want them on the histogram. Here, I'd have probably metered on the white of the lighthouse and exposed for that to be +1EV overexposed. Then in post I'd set the white and black point. I've also started colour grading my images, so I'll play about in post with the colour calibration and hue of the colours to subtley shift them closer to what I remember.


thanks I will do this this am


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## Photo Lady (Jan 8, 2020)

View attachment 184845 practicing despite the weather


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## smoke665 (Jan 8, 2020)

Practice is always good, actually much better. I see you switched to AE and set your shutter to f8. That's a good first step toward taking control of your images. Now really look at the image and evaluate objectively.  Consider what you like/don't like, and what if anything would you want different if you shot it again.


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## Photo Lady (Jan 8, 2020)

smoke665 said:


> Practice is always good, actually much better. I see you switched to AE and set your shutter to f8. That's a good first step toward taking control of your images. Now really look at the image and evaluate objectively.  Consider what you like/don't like, and what if anything would you want different if you shot it again.


 I think it is an improvement but still
 want more sharpness.. but I don't think I will achieve this with this lens.. going to work on getting the lens Darrel suggested.. and I thank you for pointing me in the right direction.. I still have some settings to work on this afternoon.. and check and recheck.. Somedays it takes me longer because I cannot devout as much time as I want... cooking and cleaning so I can get back to time with my camera..lol


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## smoke665 (Jan 8, 2020)

Photo Lady said:


> smoke665 said:
> 
> 
> > Practice is always good, actually much better. I see you switched to AE and set your shutter to f8. That's a good first step toward taking control of your images. Now really look at the image and evaluate objectively.  Consider what you like/don't like, and what if anything would you want different if you shot it again.
> ...



Not being mean, but IMO you havent exceeded the capability of your current lens to the point that an equipment change will make any significant difference.

Let's talk about sharpness. The rule of thumb for shutter speed for most people to hand hold even with shake reduction active is shutter speed = > focal length of lens. That means if you were at 400mm then your minimum shutter speed should have been 1/400. I m assuming you had auto focus set to Single Point, is the point you were aiming for sharp? If it's not and somewhere around it is, then it's likely you missed your target point. It can happen. Lastly Depth Of Field (the distance actually in focus) affects perception of sharpness. Assuming you were 20 ft away from the bird with your 400mm and f8 aperture your total DOF would have been around 4 inches. Each lens is different on front and back focus but roughly 2 inches behind and 2 inches in front of your sharpness focus point. DOF is a function of distance from subject and focal length of the lens. So if you step down to say f9 your DOF increases open up to f7.1 it decreases. Move closer to the subject the DOF decreases, move away and it increases.

This is why it's important to understand the exposure triangle, so when you have to change shutter, aperture or ISO, to meet your shot requirement, then you know what correspond change has to be made to arrive at the correct exposure for your shot requirement.


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## Photo Lady (Jan 8, 2020)

oh I do not take it as being mean.. your being truthful... it will be awhile though before I get the lens suggested.. you are absolutely right I have so much technical stuff to learn before I can know exactly what I am doing with the camera.. I do intend to learn.. just seems I get too anxious sometimes.. I will try this after dinner.. right now I have changed setting and I cannot get the speed of lens to go faster..so I will be back looking at what I did wrong..story of my life lately.. thanks ps but the test pictures have improved.. so I hope I do not have to mess with that..


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## dxqcanada (Jan 8, 2020)

Did you try the AF fine tuning?


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## otherprof (Jan 9, 2020)

Photo Lady said:


> I had my chance to get some really good scenes of this angry lake Ontario.. but somehow .. even after a million settings on my Nikon D5oo with my Tamron 18-400mm I feel so disappointed.. Not entirely.. but enough to be unsatisfied .. can anyone just look at these photos and determine why I am not getting sharp vivid photos of a glorious angry lake with a blustery sky..I just cannot figure it out..Just give me a hint of why ... I spend enormous amount of time.. I keep blaming my lens..is it my lens on this camera...?? I realize I was in a bit of a rush.. the wind was blowing me almost off my feet...but...is it just me.. I will continue practicing...but I want to strive for better..View attachment 184782 View attachment 184783 View attachment 184784


So it was just a small technical glitch, but the composition in all three was really nice, the light was captured beautifully, and the waves were perfect, to my mind. Photographer 1/ software 0.


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## Photo Lady (Jan 9, 2020)

dxqcanada said:


> Did you try the AF fine tuning?


No I will though..just read it all last night


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## Photo Lady (Jan 9, 2020)

otherprof said:


> Photo Lady said:
> 
> 
> > I had my chance to get some really good scenes of this angry lake Ontario.. but somehow .. even after a million settings on my Nikon D5oo with my Tamron 18-400mm I feel so disappointed.. Not entirely.. but enough to be unsatisfied .. can anyone just look at these photos and determine why I am not getting sharp vivid photos of a glorious angry lake with a blustery sky..I just cannot figure it out..Just give me a hint of why ... I spend enormous amount of time.. I keep blaming my lens..is it my lens on this camera...?? I realize I was in a bit of a rush.. the wind was blowing me almost off my feet...but...is it just me.. I will continue practicing...but I want to strive for better..View attachment 184782 View attachment 184783 View attachment 184784
> ...


well thank you.. I would rather have it be me.. I was overall happy with the photos but unless it is my eyes I detected just some overall blur.. but now I understand why this was likely to occur between the wind and my own shake and not precise settings.. I will try again soon..today would have been a good day to go back to the lake but today scared me off with the lake shore flooding forecast


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## Photo Lady (Jan 9, 2020)

Things are looking so much better now... thank you one and all.. I think I have it going much better now..


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## smoke665 (Jan 9, 2020)

Photo Lady said:


> Things are looking so much better now... thank you one and all.. I think I have it going much better now..



A cautionary note. While you are in the learning mode, it's good to not try to many different things at the same time, as it will cause confusion. There's a member on here that is far more methodical then I, who has kept detailed notes in a little notebook on everything he does - what works, what doesn't, how something works, what to try in the future, etc. Not saying you need that level of detail, but it wouldn't hurt to make a few notes as you advance, that you can refer back to. Eventually things will click in place and you'll be able to use what you've already learned to try something new.


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## Photo Lady (Jan 9, 2020)

smoke665 said:


> Photo Lady said:
> 
> 
> > Things are looking so much better now... thank you one and all.. I think I have it going much better now..
> ...


 you are very helpful Smoke.. I had a problem last night.. I had all my settings done.. and it was shooting out some really sharp photos on the tests.i wanted to test out different shutter speeds  and after I changed the setting for faster nothing happened... I went to bed dreaming about what I did or didn't do//  I found out later I had disabled the shutter lens.. wow I was so surprised that there are so many settings and adjustments on this camera I still have to learn..and you really can't bypass any of them until you know what your doing..lol


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## Winona (Jan 9, 2020)

My 2cents. I have the Tamron 100-400. I assume my comments can be transferred to your lens. I find it heavy and hard to keep steady-especially in wind. I also find it does not focus well if everything is gray. Those dull, gray lifeless days. I do find it works well on sunny days or when there is good contrast for the auto-focus to pick up on. Overall, I have made progress on it overall. Have learned how to hold it steady plus got a tripod/monopod . However, for landscapes I go to lighter lenses-18-135 or 55-250. I use my 400 for wildlife almost exclusively. I almost exclusively use spot center focusing. If it’s a gray lifeless day I rarely even try my 400. The long lens needs more light than our NY days sometimes provides! Lol. Like this weekend!


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## Photo Lady (Jan 9, 2020)

Winona said:


> My 2cents. I have the Tamron 100-400. I assume my comments can be transferred to your lens. I find it heavy and hard to keep steady-especially in wind. I also find it does not focus well if everything is gray. Those dull, gray lifeless days. I do find it works well on sunny days or when there is good contrast for the auto-focus to pick up on. Overall, I have made progress on it overall. Have learned how to hold it steady plus got a tripod/monopod . However, for landscapes I go to lighter lenses-18-135 or 55-250. I use my 400 for wildlife almost exclusively. I almost exclusively use spot center focusing. If it’s a gray lifeless day I rarely even try my 400. The long lens needs more light than our NY days sometimes provides! Lol. Like this weekend!


Wow Winona you really gave me a surprise... yes you are entirely right......on sunny days it is gem.. on cloudy gray days you may as well not waste your time... .. I will look into the lenes you mention.. I always thought the lens had something to do with my focus and the sharpness... thank you very much for tips and related info..


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## primefactor123 (Jan 14, 2020)

@Photo Lady These are some great shots! Keep it up!


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## Photo Lady (Jan 14, 2020)

primefactor123 said:


> @Photo Lady These are some great shots! Keep it up!


Thank you!!


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## primefactor123 (Jan 14, 2020)

@Photo Lady Do you have any more of those lake pictures? All TPF members love them.


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