# anyone willing to help and give cc



## kelly5577 (Jan 6, 2018)

i would love some help!
I have a crop canon t6i and shoot with a 50mm.  the camera is terrible in low light and my house is not very bright.  i am trying to do a lifestyle challenge where i post one picture a week.  I shot this at 1.8 with 800 iso -- anything over 800 the picture is so grainy,,,

these pictures are sooo grainy or out of focus - is it the iso - or did i completely get so oof?  How can I make my pictures sharp looking, crisp looking?  PLease helP!


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## kelly5577 (Jan 6, 2018)

another


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## kelly5577 (Jan 6, 2018)

one more...

i appreciate any help/advice...
i am really wanting to learn this year


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## SquarePeg (Jan 6, 2018)

I don’t think these are overly noisy.


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## zulu42 (Jan 6, 2018)

I put a Canon t4i (closest on the list) into an online depth of field calculator. with 50mm at f/1.8 and estimating your subject distance at 3 feet, you have a total depth of field of .07 feet.   

That's a little more than 3/4 of an inch that will be in acceptable focus. You'll have to be really careful about your focus point(s), as not much else will be in focus.


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## jeffp (Jan 6, 2018)

F1.8 is very hard to control as the DOF is too shallow. I found it is more practical to use 4 or 5.6 for portrait. Add a off camera flash to add more light or increase the ISO. I normally use up to 1600. 

Sent from my [device_name] using ThePhotoForum.com mobile app


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## Light Guru (Jan 6, 2018)

Out of focus. 

Also digital images have noise. Grain only happens with film. 

Noise or grain is not the most important factor on a photo. If your image brings our emotion in people nobody will care about the noise. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## kelly5577 (Jan 6, 2018)

Thanks...noise...got it!

I appreciate the feedback... so the reason it look the way it does is becasue they are way out of focus?

I did 1.8 for more light and blurred background.... I'm not sure how to get more light in..  
 So would an app of say 3.5 be a sharper image?  I could bump the iso to 1600 and try that


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## SquarePeg (Jan 6, 2018)

yes if you want more of your child to be in focus then either stop down the lens to 3.5 or 4, and bump up the ISO or decrease the shutter speed if you can.   Another option would be to back up a bit which should increase the depth of field.


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## kelly5577 (Jan 6, 2018)

SquarePeg said:


> yes if you want more of your child to be in focus then either stop down the lens to 3.5 or 4, and bump up the ISO or decrease the shutter speed if you can.   Another option would be to back up a bit which should increase the depth of field.


Thank you so much.  I just ordered a 24 mm lens so that will also help worth dof correct?  I'm not even sure what dof is completely.... off to Google!


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## Cortian (Jan 6, 2018)

kelly5577 said:


> I just ordered a 24 mm lens so that will also help worth dof correct?  I'm not even sure what dof is completely.... off to Google!


Depth Of Field. Is a concept you must understand, incl. how to manipulate it, if you are to achieve the results you wish.
As for the lens: That depends on what you hoped to achieve.  To get a field of view like the shots you posted with a 24mm focal length you'll have to get closer . Generally speaking: Closer focusing distances (and wider apertures) lead to a more shallow depth of field.


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## Derrel (Jan 7, 2018)

kelly5577 said:
			
		

> i would love some help!
> I have a crop canon t6i and shoot with a 50mm. SNIP>> How can I make my pictures sharp looking, crisp looking?  PLease helP!



Bouncing a shoe-mounted electronic flash unit off of the ceiling or off the walls, or off of a Rogue Flashbender would allow you to make crisp, sharp shots with your camera. Using f/1.8 to keep the ISO level below 800 is one issue; if you had electronic flash adding some supplemental lighting to the room, you could stop the lens down to say, f/4.8 or f/5.6 or f/6.3 and with the 50mm lens, you could get VERY crisp, well-focused shots with the 50mm lens.

Using flash this way, bounced, looks pretty nice, and the flash can be used as a MAIN source of light with the flash firing at full power levels or nearly full power at low ISO settings, OR simply as shadow fill-in lighting, with the flash at 1/4 to 1/16 power, and with the camera set to medium- to high-ISO settings. In either case, the flash can be made to look pretty close to ambient type lighting.


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## Designer (Jan 7, 2018)

kelly5577 said:


> So would an app of say 3.5 be a sharper image?


Very possibly.  Many lenses have a range of better performance, and few if any perform their best wide open.  Stopping down a bit very often will improve the overall image quality.


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## Designer (Jan 7, 2018)

kelly5577 said:


> I just ordered a 24 mm lens so that will also help worth dof correct?  I'm not even sure what dof is completely.... off to Google!


Your sample photos are not "out of focus" so much as the physical space of what is in good focus is very thin.  The depth of field is dependent on some variables that can be manipulated to improve the DOF.  

A wider lens will help get more of the scene in good focus.  So will stepping back, stopping down, and a larger sensor (camera specific).  You're not planning to purchase a different camera, so ignore that one.

Here is a nifty web tool that will help you determine the DOF while you're setting up the shot:

Online Depth of Field Calculator

It's interactive, so just start plugging in your variables and watch how the DOF changes.  See the effect that a wider lens will make.


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## kelly5577 (Jan 7, 2018)

Wow... Thank you! Is using this flash hard to learn and understand or a pretty simple concept? Would i google external flash for canon? If i shot at 4, 5, or 6 my photos would be clearer? I always thought bokeh wad something important... is that not the case? I really appreciate the advice





Derrel said:


> kelly5577 said:
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## kelly5577 (Jan 7, 2018)

1 more question.  I just got a 24mm.... will this give crisper inages inside my house?


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## zulu42 (Jan 7, 2018)

The 24mm will give you a wider field of view, allow you to get closer to your subject, and fit more into the frame.

A flash would be a great addition for indoor photography.

The thing that will get you taking sharp, crisper images, is understanding Depth Of Field, the effects of aperture, shutter speed and ISO, and how to work the focus modes of your camera. Take some time to learn these concepts, that will take your photos to the next level.


Btw, they really are cute photos you posted. I love the quiet introspective playtime.


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## Cortian (Jan 7, 2018)

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned it yet.  Kelly, read _Understanding Exposure_, by Bryan Peterson.  It will answer your questions about DOF and the like.

There's also a new section on flashes.  I haven't gotten that far, yet.


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## Derrel (Jan 7, 2018)

kelly5577 said:


> Thanks...noise...got it!
> 
> I appreciate the feedback... so the reason it look the way it does is becasue they are way out of focus?
> 
> ...



Hi Kelly. Yes, f/3.5 is actually a good place to start with the 50mm lens on an APS-C camera, in order to get a fairly shallow depth of field look, with the blurred background, but with enough depth of field to show a person (adult shown half-body, child shown full-body,baed on average distance and lens field of view angle) in an environment where they are crisp and sharply-rendered, but the background behind is nicely blurred; shooting wide-open at f/1.8 is often going to show some parts of the person as out of focus, but f/3.5 will usually have just about enough to render the person's entire head (meaning the hair, the mask of the face, the chin,and the nose, and the ears) in acceptably sharp focus.

Stopping the lens down, to a medium-value aperture size like f/4 can help get more of the child into crisp focus, and stopping the lens down more, to even-smaller sized lens openings like f/4.2 or f/4.5 or f/4.8 can add additional depth of field to the person-zone, while only slightly decreasing the background blurriness. I like f/5.6 often times, for the way it shoots a nice pic, with plenty of DOF, and yet, still, some backdrop blurring.

I really think that the best shots of this type come from bounced flash, flash right in the hotshoe and angled upward, and bounced sideways,or forward, or even backward, with the flash's zoom head set to the 75mm to 105mm range, which means a narrow,tight,concentrated beam spread. Bounced flash is probably the absolute easiest way to get fantastic indoor family pictures. With just a day or two of practice, using this type of bounced flash indoors, you'll start making beautifully-lighted pictures.

With a decent, TTL speedlight flash unit for your Canon, it'll be super-easy to get great light! And easy! TTL stands for *T*hrough *T*he *L*ens light metering and flash control. A good TTL flash for the Rebel is a great tool for any parent who wants to do indoor candids.


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## kelly5577 (Jan 7, 2018)

Derrel said:


> kelly5577 said:
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> > Thanks...noise...got it!
> ...


I really appreciate your feedback! I just did a search and i came yoo with anywhere feom $30 to $250... 
Can you rexommend one for me? I shoot w a t6i. Also, once i get it in...any good tutorials for me to watch to  learn how to us it correctly.  This is a wealth of great information for me!






Derrel said:


> kelly5577 said:
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> > Thanks...noise...got it!
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## Derrel (Jan 7, 2018)

Well...this one's recommended by a lot of people....Yongnuo YN 568EX II. Adorama has it at $49 right now, lower than the other big dealers.https://www.adorama.com/us    94194...MIyOKPw7bG2AIVzbbACh1tcQN8EAQYASABEgJkPfD_BwE

I'd check into the Rebel user's FAQ here for a few tips. Rebel Forum FAQ


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## kelly5577 (Jan 7, 2018)

Derrel said:


> Well...this one's recommended by a lot of people....Yongnuo YN 568EX II. Adorama has it at $49 right now, lower than the other big dealers.https://www.adorama.com/us 941946.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyOKPw7bG2AIVzbbACh1tcQN8EAQYASABEgJkPfD_BwE
> 
> I'd check into the Rebel user's FAQ here for a few tips. Rebel Forum FAQ





Thak you thank you!! I will look asy both now!


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## Derrel (Jan 7, 2018)

Whoops....despite my 568 search query, the link in my post above was to the Yongnuo 565 EX II mode, not the 568 EX II! The 568 EX II is going for just under $100 at most places.


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## vintagesnaps (Jan 7, 2018)

You might need to slow down a bit! lol It's great to see your enthusiasm but don't jump into spending money, you probably need to learn more about how to set the camera.

No, you don't necessarily need to blur the backgrounds. That seems to be all over the internet, but I've been a photographer for a long time and never heard of bokeh til more recent years online. It's referring to the quality of the out of focus part of the photo (you can look up the origin of the term to find out more about it).

Even if the background is somewhat blurred it can be noticeable and you can end up with visually distracting blobs of color or shape depending on what's back there. Probably a simple background like the drawer fronts (or stackable storage or whatever) might be better than that monkey thingy - which could work in the background and be fun but you'd have to decide if you want it in the picture or not and frame accordingly. Move around and change your vantage point, notice how that changes what you see.

I think you got some nice shots of him playing, and doing that from floor level worked well. You just need to learn how to figure out what aperture to use, and then how to meter and adjust shutter speed and ISO to get a proper exposure. The issue here as others have said is the shallow depth of field from using too large an aperture. Maybe with just your camera and the Lego people do some test shots; shoot a picture at each aperture in order and notice how different the pictures look.


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## vintagesnaps (Jan 7, 2018)

Indoor photos can be done using a flash, and learning how to use one, or with existing light, and learning how to do that. I've done sports and events where flash has usually not been an option. The advantage to using existing light can sometimes be getting photos of more natural interactions with subjects doing whatever they're doing and not noticing you and your camera; a flash usually can make people aware of the camera. 

Shooting something indoors I often may try for a sunny day, open blinds, turn on plenty of lights, and I've even angled lamp shades to get more light onto the subject. 

These actually I think with some cropping could be nice photos. There's more background than you need but these look like you were on the floor playing with him and he was into what he was doing. I like him and the dinosaur! crop down that background and you'd have some real keepers I think. I also really like these in B&W.


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## Designer (Jan 7, 2018)

kelly5577 said:


> Wow... Thank you! Is using this flash hard to learn and understand or a pretty simple concept? Would i google external flash for canon? If i shot at 4, 5, or 6 my photos would be clearer? I always thought bokeh wad something important... is that not the case? I really appreciate the advice


There is a lot to unpack in that query.

Flash can SEEM hard to learn, because there is math to figure, but if you just start in, you can start with TTL (through-the-lens) flash.  In this, you purchase a flash unit that supports TTL flash metering, and connect it to your camera either by mounting it in the hotshoe or by using a TTL cable with allows you to get the flash off the top of the camera.  In TTL, the flash and camera work together to give you a good exposure without a lot of fiddling on your part.  (Kind of like "auto")  These flash attachments can cost a lot or not, depending on the make, the features, and whether it is new or used.

If you shot at 4, 5, or 6, your photos MIGHT be sharper, but since there are other factors involved, it is impossible to say for sure.  As I wrote above, you can usually get somewhat better performance from a lens by stopping down one or two stops from the wide open setting.  This is not always foolproof, so take it with a grain of salt.  Only with some actual testing will you know for sure.

Many newbs think they must always try for "bokeh", even though there is a lot to consider.  For instance; yes, while the background (and foreground) being blurred out will give more separation of your subject from the surroundings, it is somewhat foolish to go for bokeh at the expense of getting poor image quality in other ways.  For instance; if the blur is all you care about, but don't pay any attention to what that blur looks like, you can end up with a really UGLY blur, so what have you gained in the end?

The bokeh (actually the quality of the blur) varies with each lens.  Only upon careful and dispassionate evaluation of the blur will you be able to find and obtain a lens that yields excellent bokeh.  Some reviewers on the internet are pretty good at showing you the bokeh, and explaining what to look for, and others are just not.

So bokeh is not always important to everyone, yet of paramount importance to other people.  Know what the blur does, how it affects your photograph, and how to optimize it, before you set out on your quest for the ultimate bokeh lens.


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## Derrel (Jan 7, 2018)

TTL flash with a modern d-slr is not difficult to learn. Set the camera to Program mode, and you can shift the f/stop in use, and the camera makes the exposure decisions. Brightening or darkening the picture can be accomplished by using the Flash Exposure Compensation (EC) mechanism, and by clicking in Positive Flash EC, or Negative Flash EC. Adding or subtracting 0.7 EV to 1.5 EV of flash Exposure Compensation is fairly common in the real world, depending on various factors.

Designer's post above is filled with wisdom. Bottom line: avoid shooting close-range portraits at f/1.8 or f/2. There are thousands of great photographs waiting to be made at smaller apertures, like f/3.5 or f/4. if your camera is not all that great at ISO 800 and above, then look into adding light, or moving the shooting area to better light, or learning to live with a bit of noise. I personally think that the so-called _damaging effects_ of digital noise are way,way over-stated by today's younger generation of shooters. I value picture content over technical quality!


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## Designer (Jan 7, 2018)

kelly5577 said:


> 1 more question.  I just got a 24mm.... will this give crisper inages inside my house?


The resolution of each lens design is not the same as any other, so it will depend on WHICH 24mm you get.  Some are stellar, while some others are lacking in resolution ability and possibly other qualities.  

Actually, since resolution is only ONE quality by which to evaluate lenses, you should consider WHICH qualities you need for your particular application.  For instance; a lens that has a somewhat softer resolving power but excellent color rendition might be ideal for portraiture, for instance.  You have already bought one now, so it might be silly to trade it off before you have a chance to give it a fair test, but in the future you can consider all the qualities of a lens and how it affects your photography.  You can check sharpness, color, depth, contrast, chromatic aberration, cost, etc., and average out the attributes to compare with other lenses.  You may find that sharpness falls somewhat below another desirable attribute that you consider more important.


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## kelly5577 (Jan 8, 2018)

Derrel said:


> View attachment 151896
> 
> Whoops....despite my 568 search query, the link in my post above was to the Yongnuo 565 EX II mode, not the 568 EX II! The 568 EX II is going for just under $100 at most places.


thank you!!


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## kelly5577 (Jan 8, 2018)

Designer said:


> kelly5577 said:
> 
> 
> > 1 more question.  I just got a 24mm.... will this give crisper inages inside my house?
> ...


Thanks for the response - I will look more into this


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## kelly5577 (Jan 8, 2018)

vintagesnaps said:


> Indoor photos can be done using a flash, and learning how to use one, or with existing light, and learning how to do that. I've done sports and events where flash has usually not been an option. The advantage to using existing light can sometimes be getting photos of more natural interactions with subjects doing whatever they're doing and not noticing you and your camera; a flash usually can make people aware of the camera.
> 
> Shooting something indoors I often may try for a sunny day, open blinds, turn on plenty of lights, and I've even angled lamp shades to get more light onto the subject.
> 
> These actually I think with some cropping could be nice photos. There's more background than you need but these look like you were on the floor playing with him and he was into what he was doing. I like him and the dinosaur! crop down that background and you'd have some real keepers I think. I also really like these in B&W.


Thank you - you made some great points and I really appreciate the help... I think that I will try w the lego guys and try diffferent apperatures...


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## robinchun (Jan 9, 2018)

I took the liberty as you allow your images to be edited, hope you don't mind.. an oof image can never be made sharp but with some selective and global editing it can be improved upon, if only slightly..


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## kelly5577 (Jan 9, 2018)

robinchun said:


> I took the liberty as you allow your images to be edited, hope you don't mind.. an oof image can never be made sharp but with some selective and global editing it can be improved upon, if only slightly..
> 
> View attachment 151980


Wow! I love it...thank you so much


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