Author Topic: Basics 101 for Better Acceptance Rate (Read 6520 times)

tab62 · « **on:** December 28, 2012, 14:59 »

After one year in the business (part time) here are few pointers that I have learn the hard way-

1.   Determine the ‘Purpose’ of the shot (i.e., Category such as food) before shooting
2.   Light up as much as possible (Better to step down on the Aperture for example F/11 than an unexposed at F/5.6 with poor lighting)
3.   Front Focus (When doing Macro or Close Range shots generally go with the front in focus)
4.   Back Out (Don’t get to close leave some room for cropping or other adjustments)
5.   Clean Up (Take time to Clean up the Background or Objects that your shooting)
6.   Don’t over Sharpen ( I go to 33% with Mask on Raw myself)
7.   Use Sweet Spot on Lens (i.e., on my 24-70 F/2.8 I have found the best range to reduce chromatic Aberration is F/5.6 to F/16 range)
These are just some of the Basics that this Newbie found out the hard way- very high rejection rates in the 1st quarter of this year to over 90% Acceptance Rates this 4th quarter. Of course, the pro's here know this already but I hope this helps the other newbies like me.

Tom

CD123 · « **Reply #1 on:** December 28, 2012, 15:13 »

Nice sharing Tom.

On the non technical side: Do not get disgruntled with rejections. Just try and learn from it what / if you can and stick with it.

tab62 · « **Reply #2 on:** December 28, 2012, 15:45 »

Good point CD! I call it 'Lessons Learn'...

luissantos84 · « **Reply #3 on:** December 28, 2012, 16:05 »

I have never sharpened one of my pictures, don´t even know how to do it

CD123 · « **Reply #4 on:** December 28, 2012, 16:14 »

Quote from: luissantos84 on December 28, 2012, 16:05

I have never sharpened one of my pictures, don´t even know how to do it

Think it very much depends on the quality of your lenses Luis. I have to, as I still only have kit lenses.

luissantos84 · « **Reply #5 on:** December 28, 2012, 17:08 »

Quote from: CD123 on December 28, 2012, 16:14

Quote from: luissantos84 on December 28, 2012, 16:05
I have never sharpened one of my pictures, don´t even know how to do it
Think it very much depends on the quality of your lenses Luis. I have to, as I still only have kit lenses.

I have more than 2k pics shoot with 18-55 ad even a cheap 18-200 sigma, I believe higher F and higher shutter speed does the job well, only have the 24-70 for year and half

shotupdave · « **Reply #6 on:** December 28, 2012, 17:32 »

Quote from: CD123 on December 28, 2012, 16:14

Quote from: luissantos84 on December 28, 2012, 16:05
I have never sharpened one of my pictures, don´t even know how to do it
Think it very much depends on the quality of your lenses Luis. I have to, as I still only have kit lenses.

Many of the kit lenses are as good or better quality of the lenses of yesteryear. It just takes time and some testing to find out what F/stop is at the sweet spot.

CD123 · « **Reply #7 on:** December 28, 2012, 18:07 »

Still learning, still trying, so take any advice I can get. So far sharpening seems to work for me, while I will be searching for sweet spots

Thanks.

ruxpriencdiam · « **Reply #8 on:** December 28, 2012, 18:25 »

I use kit and other premier lenses and no sharpening for me either.

Shooting RAW will require a tad bit sharpening.

I shoot jpg after all why spend time on something you can get right in camera and then make a minor adjustment and submit.

Learn to use shallow DOF and selective focus it can and does get accepted quite often when done right.

Always take all of your gear when you go shooting because you never know!

Always better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it!

Pay attention to the happenings in the world.

Shoot every and anything unless you want to be a one hit wonder in which case you pic your one and do it better then anyone else.

I might be able to think of more later?

CD123 · « **Reply #9 on:** December 28, 2012, 18:31 »

Nice advice ruxpriencdiam.

tab62 · « **Reply #10 on:** December 28, 2012, 19:25 »

good point on the RAW requiring sharpening. I do shoot RAW for all my photos thus sharpen slighting in while in RAW mode.

JPSDK · « **Reply #11 on:** December 28, 2012, 20:12 »

"Raw is for people who cannot expose."

Quote, Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca.

as for the basic 101.
Yes, that you have to know.

ShadySue · « **Reply #12 on:** December 28, 2012, 20:31 »

Quote from: tab62 on December 28, 2012, 19:25

good point on the RAW requiring sharpening. I do shoot RAW for all my photos thus sharpen slighting in while in RAW mode.

The default shaprening in ACR is 25, whatever 25 actually represents.

gillian vann · « **Reply #13 on:** December 28, 2012, 20:56 »

Quote from: ShadySue on December 28, 2012, 20:31

Quote from: tab62 on December 28, 2012, 19:25
good point on the RAW requiring sharpening. I do shoot RAW for all my photos thus sharpen slighting in while in RAW mode.

The default shaprening in ACR is 25, whatever 25 actually represents.

I tend to leave it there, though usually have some clarity.
I also mask off the sharpening in ACR though, to remove it from large areas of flat colour. depends on the photo of course...

oxman · « **Reply #14 on:** December 28, 2012, 21:58 »

Here is a good tip:

before you walk out the door with your gear for a shoot, pick up your camera and just shoot something (wall, door, your foot) and view on the LCD. it's better to know things are working (or not) before you leave the house then on location.

tab62 · « **Reply #15 on:** December 28, 2012, 22:02 »

firing your camera up before departing the house sounds like a good tip for sure- I can see a dead battery and being in the field is not the place to find out about it. Of course we all have spare batteries right?

shotupdave · « **Reply #16 on:** December 28, 2012, 22:08 »

Quote from: tab62 on December 28, 2012, 22:02

firing your camera up before departing the house sounds like a good tip for sure- I can see a dead battery and being in the field is not the place to find out about it. Of course we all have spare batteries right?

Personally I do not leave the house with three batteries and a car charger for each model of camera that I have. I also bring at least four memory cards. Nothing worse than going on location and have a card go bad and its 50 miles to the nearest drug store/walmart.

ruxpriencdiam · « **Reply #17 on:** December 28, 2012, 22:11 »

Quote from: tab62 on December 28, 2012, 22:02

firing your camera up before departing the house sounds like a good tip for sure- I can see a dead battery and being in the field is not the place to find out about it. Of course we all have spare batteries right?

Absolutely!

You are fool if you dont.

I have 1 spare battery for the camera, 12 for the 580EXII, 1 for the flash trigger, and two for the wireless remote and yes a bunch of cards of different sizes.

I also have a 1000 watt inverter so I can plug and charge anything I have with me and power whatever I need to power as well.

CD123 · « **Reply #18 on:** December 29, 2012, 00:51 »

Some wisdom from MY experience:
Also go to the loo before you leave.

(nothing as bad as tears forming in your eyes when you try to look through the lens)

oxman · « **Reply #19 on:** December 29, 2012, 17:37 »

My friend's band was playing at a Harley dealership today so I grabbed my camera on the way out for some simple snap shots -- prolly not stock shots. Never really took my own advice and shot something first.

Got there...

NO CARD~!!! LOL

oops

estike · « **Reply #20 on:** December 29, 2012, 18:01 »

Quote from: oxman on December 29, 2012, 17:37

My friend's band was playing at a Harley dealership today so I grabbed my camera on the way out for some simple snap shots -- prolly not stock shots. Never really took my own advice and shot something first.

Got there...

NO CARD~!!! LOL

oops

LOL, not only me

Husband, grandson and I were hiking. We saw a ring snake with a mouse in the mouth just beside the hikingtrail. Cause of the mouse she couldn't escape. I did many shoots and then I want to view them on the display ==> oops, no card. Never in my life will have another chance to shoot this.

tab62 · « **Reply #21 on:** December 29, 2012, 18:13 »

why don't they have a beep or flasher to tell us "NO CARD IN CAMERA" ? I have done the same thing on a few occasions...

ShadySue · « **Reply #22 on:** December 29, 2012, 18:57 »

Quote from: tab62 on December 29, 2012, 18:13

why don't they have a beep or flasher to tell us "NO CARD IN CAMERA" ? I have done the same thing on a few occasions...

5d2 does, and I thought all Canons had it unless you had for whatever reason disabled it (? - I'm sure my 350D did this and the 40D definitely does) "NO CF" or "No CF card".
'Course, it's only a help if you actually have cards out with you and didn't just grab the camera and run, as I've done.
Also, and this is do what I say rather than what I do, always set your camera back to a 'common' setting if you've been doing something unusual.
And if you've got a 5D2 where the settings dial is very easily moved, check it hasn't moved since the last time you used it, e.g. onto M/P or C3 or something else you don't usually do. (never had that problem with the 350D or 40D, seems to be a 'feature' of the 5D2, and still catches me out, far too often.

estike · « **Reply #23 on:** December 29, 2012, 19:10 »

Quote from: ShadySue on December 29, 2012, 18:57

Quote from: tab62 on December 29, 2012, 18:13
why don't they have a beep or flasher to tell us "NO CARD IN CAMERA" ? I have done the same thing on a few occasions...
5d2 does, and I thought all Canons had it unless you had for whatever reason disabled it (? - I'm sure my 350D did this and the 40D definitely does) "NO CF" or "No CF card".
'Course, it's only a help if you actually have cards out with you and didn't just grab the camera and run, as I've done.
Also, and this is do what I say rather than what I do, always set your camera back to a 'common' setting if you've been doing something unusual.
And if you've got a 5D2 where the settings dial is very easily moved, check it hasn't moved since the last time you used it, e.g. onto M/P or C3 or something else you don't usually do. (never had that problem with the 350D or 40D, seems to be a 'feature' of the 5D2, and still catches me out, far too often.

I ALWAYS did the card in the camera after transfer to the pc. So I never had a look on it that the card is really in the camera ==> til this experience. That time I only took the camera with me not the whole bag with spare battery and more cards. Now I'm checking before I go outside.

Livingstonatlarge · « **Reply #24 on:** January 01, 2013, 14:51 »

I keep a chip wallet of old chips, some are even 256's etc....in my glove box.

It's saved me on more than one occasion.

OH and FORMAT, FORMAT, FORMAT! So nice to get 10 images on a chip and have it say it's FULL. (NOT!)

Ginger

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Author Topic: Basics 101 for Better Acceptance Rate (Read 6520 times)

tab62

CD123

tab62

luissantos84

CD123

luissantos84

shotupdave

CD123

ruxpriencdiam

CD123

tab62

JPSDK

ShadySue

gillian vann

oxman

tab62

shotupdave

ruxpriencdiam

CD123

oxman

estike

tab62

ShadySue

estike

Livingstonatlarge

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